Samsung Galaxy Tab S (8.4-Inches) vs. Nexus 8 (8.9-Inches) - Specifications, Features, Release Date and Price Showdown

Samsung launched two variants of its Tab series of tablets in an event organised in New York recently in June. The new Galaxy Tab S tablets feature 8.4 inches and 10.5 inches display. Both the variants pack killer features and impressive under the hood specifications that can give all other currently available high-end tablets a run for their money.

However, Google's next-generation tablet, the Nexus 8 (also known as Nexus 9) is already making waves in the blogosphere with killer features and specifications. Also, Google Nexus 8 release date is slated for summer 2014. Here is a specification, feature and price comparison between the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Tab S (8.4 inches) and the upcoming Nexus 8.

Display, Exterior and Size

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S features an 8.4 inches Super AMOLED display with a superior 2,560 x 1,600 pixel screen resolution. The Nexus 8, on the other hand, will feature a slightly bigger 8.9 inches display with a relatively lesser 2,048 x 1,440 pixels resolution. In addition, the pixel strength of Galaxy Tab S stands at 359 ppi, while the Nexus 8 will come with 241 ppi pixel density. Hence, the Tab S stands-out with its killer screen resolution and pixel strength combination.

The exterior of the Galaxy Tab S is similar to the flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone with a perforated textured rear. With Galaxy Tab S, Samsung has brought the Super AMOLED display technology to tablets. The WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600) Super AMOLED display has the capability to present more than 90 per cent of Adobe RGB colour coverage. The contrast ratio of Galaxy Tab S stands at a striking 100,000:1 ratio. Therefore, the viewing experience stands-out in the latest Galaxy series of tablets.

Unlike the predecessor Nexus 7 (2013), which comes with a rubberised plastic rear, the upcoming Nexus 8 will come with aluminum zero-gap construction. It is worth reminding that, images, videos and texts look crisp and sharp in Nexus 7; therefore the Nexus 8 can be expected to provide a stunning display quality which is synonymous to Google products.

The Nexus 8 is expected to come with a thickness and weight of 0.31 inches and 418 g respectively, whereas the Galaxy Tab S has a thickness of 0.26 inches and weighs 298 g. Hence the Galaxy Tab S is much thinner and lighter than the Nexus device.

Hardware, Software and Memory

The non-LTE version of Samsung Galaxy Tab S is powered by a superior octa-core (Exynos 5) processor clocked at (1.9 GHz quad-core and 1.3 GHz quad-core), and it houses a solid 3 GB of RAM. In addition, the LTE version of Galaxy Tab S is powered by a quad-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 800) processor clocked at 2.3 GHz. The Nexus 8 will reportedly be powered by a superior NVIDIA Logan 64-bit processor (Tegra K1), and 2 GB of RAM. In addition, the Galaxy Tab S runs on Android v4.4 KitKat OS with Samsung's TouchWiz UI, while the Nexus 8 will run on Android 5.0 OS.

Both the tablets come with 16 GB and 32 GB of internal storage capacity. In addition, the Galaxy Tab S supports microSD card for expansion up to 128 GB, while the Nexus 8 is expected to follow suit. It is worth noting that, the predecessor Nexus 7 does not come with microSD slot.

Camera and Battery

The Nexus 8 houses a good 8 MP rear-facing camera and a 3 MP front-facing camera unit. While the Galaxy Tab S comes with the same 8 MP rear-facing camera with LED flash and a 2.1 MP front-facing camera unit. Currently, we do not have the information pertaining to LED flash feature of Nexus 8; however, Nexus 7 did not house one.

The Galaxy Tab S houses a whopping 4900 mAh (non-removable) battery unit with Ultra Power Saving mode, whereas the Nexus 8 comes with a relatively inferior 3950 mAh (non-removable) battery unit.

Misc

1. Both the tablets come in LTE and non-LTE (or Wi-Fi only) models.

2. Also, the latest Galaxy Tab S houses fingerprint scanner, while the Nexus 8 doesn't.

3. Samsung Galaxy Tab S comes in titanium bronze and dazzling white shades, the colour details pertaining to Nexus 8 is not available at this point.

4. While Nexus 8 supports NFC, the Galaxy Tab S doesn't.

Price

Australia will see the release of 16 GB and the 32 GB variants on July 7 at the Samsung Experience Stores in Sydney and Melbourne and also in Samsung eStores, according to Gizmodo. The price details include:

Moreover, the Nexus 8 Wi-Fi 16 GB variant will be priced at US$399 (roughly translates to AU$421), while the 32 GB model will come with a price tag of US$499 (roughly translates to AU$527) and the LTE variant is expected to cost in the range of US$600+.

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