iPad 5 & iPad Mini 2 vs Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 & Galaxy Tab 3 8: Apple’s Goliath Tablets Will Crush Samsung’s David-Esque Efforts
In the Bible, the underdog David downed the hulking Goliath with a mere slingshot but one thing is sure, the same will not happen in the epic Apple-Samsung tablet dogfight.
Samsung unveiled this week its latest try to dislodge Apple from its tablet throne. The Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 and the Galaxy Tab 3 8 join the slew of slates that the Asian tech giant have been deploying in dizzying pace. The object is obvious - to defeat the iPad and its sexier sibling, the iPad Mini.
Now into its fifth build, the iPad remains the global tablet standard while rivals are relegated to the lower rungs of the competition. Slightly, it was eclipsed by the more compact iPad Mini but at the end of the day - Apple is King.
Will the entry of the Tab 3 10.1 and the Tab 3 8 disrupt this favourable set up for Apple? The answer to this is best gleaned in the specs that Samsung will dispatch with the new Galaxy tablets, the rollout commencing this June.
The Tab 3 display screen is anaemic
Both the Tab 3 10.l and the Tab 3 8 share the same panel attribute - WXGA panel that surely Apple CEO Tim Cook will sneer at. Pitting this screen technology with that of iPad's Retina is an outright mismatch.
While Apple has yet to confirm, analysts are convinced that both the 7.9-inch Mini and the 9.7-inch iPad 5 are Retina-flavoured, ensuring that e-book reading, browsing and media playback is as immersive as before.
Its seems that Samsung formula in grabbing the global tablet leadership from Apple has not changed a bit - firing off with slabs that are long in peripheral specs but short on what matters most, the right gadget muscles and Retina is one of them.
The tablet form factor and branding allure
Looking at the images provided by Samsung, the Tab general design has evolved. However, the likelihood is it will fall short if reports proved true that Apple has redesigned the iPad 5, basing mostly its build on the first Mini - less bezel, thin, slim and light. These are same characteristics that made the iPad Mini a runway winner, clocking more than 20 millions of unit sales while others struggle to even break the million-mark.
And that winning formula will be with the iPad 5 and the iPad Mini 2, which should prove a tough nut to crack for Samsung. Note too that compared to other small tablets, the Mini is underpowered and pricey yet people paid good money to own one. Samsung will have to figure, and real quick, how to lend prestige on its tablet products, which it achieved anyway with the high-end Galaxy smartphone models.
Tight hardware-software integration plus OS stability
Apple takes pride on the close integration carried by its devices, making the overall experience the envy of rivals. One highlight of this iPad edge is the way iOS gets its update, which is prompt and almost error-free. Android, on the other hand, remains plagued by fragmented jump to the next level.
As mentioned above, the Tab 3 tablets are landing this month and yet their predecessors are still waiting for the latest software upgrades, leaving them vulnerable to errors, instability and even data breaches.
Simply put, Apple's iPad experience is more user-friendly and sexier at the same time. And for the millions around the world looking to take home a tablet this year, the choice is easier unless Samsung, and for that matter other tablet makers, come up with a more compelling alternative.