Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 v. NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet - Killer Tablets Face Off

The NVIDIA SHIELD tablet was released in September, whereas the Samsung Galaxy Tab S (8.4-inch) was released in July. Both tablets are being offered in Wi-Fi-only and LTE model choices. Notably, the SHIELD was marketed as a gaming tablet. NVIDIA claims SHIELD is the first device that can provide a killer PC gaming experience in tablets. The Galaxy Tab S, on the other hand, is known for its crystal-clear display and slimmer profile. Readers who are interested in purchasing the latest NVIDIA SHIELD or the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 should check out this comparison.

Display, Exterior And Size

The NVIDIA SHIELD tablet features an 8-inch IPS LCD display with a solid 1,920 x 1,200 pixels screen resolution. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S, on the other hand, comes with an 8.4-inch Super AMOLED display and 1,600 x 2,560 pixels resolution. The pixel densities of the SHIELD and Galaxy Tab S s are 283 ppi and 359 ppi, respectively.

When it comes to the exterior, the SHIELD features a high-grain polycarbonate, matte-effect-laden surface. Nonetheless, the device's back panel does not feel rubbery and the corners feature chamfered edges, according to Anand Tech. On the other hand, the exterior of the Galaxy Tab S is identical to the Galaxy S5 handset, with the same dimpled/perforated back and soft-touch panel, says CNet. The publication also claims the latest design is a good improvement when compared to the shiny, plastic-looking Tab models released earlier.

However, the standout feature of the Tab S is its display. Samsung has introduced the Super AMOLED display technology for the first time in tablets via Galaxy Tab S series of devices. The WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) Super AMOLED display can deliver more than 90 percent of Adobe RGB colour range. Also, the contrast ratio of the Galaxy Tab S is clocked at an impressive 100,000:1. This guarantees a stellar viewing experience in the Galaxy Tab S series of tablets when compared with other devices, says TechTimes.

In terms of size, the NVIDIA SHIELD has a thickness and weight of 0.36-inch and 390 g, respectively. Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S is 0.26-inch thick and weighs 298 g. Therefore, the Galaxy Tab S is lighter and thinner than the SHIELD.

Hardware, Software And Memory

The NVIDIA SHIELD is powered by a killer quad-core (Tegra K1) Cortex A15 processor, clocked at 2.2 GHz along with Kepler 1 (192 cores) GPU. The non-LTE version of the Galaxy Tab S is powered by a superior octa-core (Exynos 5420) processor, clocked at (four 1.9 GHz and four 1.3 GHz cores) combination. The LTE version, on the other hand, is powered by a quad-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 800) Krait 400 processor, clocked at 2.3 GHz. The NVIDIA tablet houses 2 GB of RAM, whereas the Samsung device houses a solid 3 GB of RAM.

The SHIELD runs on Android v4.4.2 KitKat OS, whereas the Galaxy Tab S runs on Android v4.4 KitKat OS with TouchWiz UI on top of it. Furthermore, both devices come with 16 GB and 32 GB of internal storage and microSD card for expansion up to 128 GB.

Camera And Battery

While the NVIDIA tablet sports a 5 MP rear-facing camera unit without flash, the Samsung tablet houses a relatively better 8 MP camera with LED flash. Additionally, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S houses a 2.1 MP front-facing snapper, whereas the SHIELD tablet comes with a surprisingly good 5 MP front camera. Moreover, the SHIELD houses a powerful 5197 mAh battery, whereas the Samsung tablet comes with a relatively inferior 4900 mAh battery unit.

Additional Features

1. The SHIELD comes with an improved "DirectStylus 2."

2. The NVIDIA device comes with two front-facing speakers and bass reflex ports.

3. Readers with keen interest in gaming can buy an optional SHIELD controller for $59.

4. Besides the standard connectivity options, the NVIDIA tablet has a mini HDMI port, while the Samsung device doesn't. However, the Galaxy Tab S has an Infrared port, whereas the SHIELD tablet doesn't.

5. As mentioned earlier, both tablets come in LTE (32 GB) and Wi-Fi only (16 GB) variants.

6. Moreover, the Galaxy Tab S features a fingerprint scanner like the Galaxy S5.

Price

The NVIDIA SHIELD tablet (16 GB, Wi-Fi) model is priced at US $299 (roughly translates to 341 AUD) and the SHIELD (32 GB, LTE) model can be purchased for US $399 (roughly translates to 455 AUD). Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S (16 GB, LTE variant) is priced at 669.95 AUD, whereas the Wi-Fi only variant with 16 GB storage can be purchased for 549.95 AUD.

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