Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 vs. Apple iPad Mini 4: Which should you buy for the holidays?

Samsung and Apple have always been the fiercest of competitors. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 was launched in September while Apple’s fourth generation iPad Mini was also released the same month. So, which one you should go for this Christmas?

Design and Display

The iPad Mini 4 has a simple aluminum back with the rear camera located at the top-left corner. It boasts a 7.9-ich screen with a resolution of 1536 x 2048 pixels. Below it lies a circular home button.

The home button comes with the fingerprint scanner that enables a user to make payments through Android Pay. A shortcoming is that the screen lacks 3D Touch, which comes with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

Being the slimmest is the market, the iPad Mini 4 has a dimension of 203.2 mm x 134.8 mm x 6.1 mm. It’s available in two variants: Wi-Fi, and 3G/LTE. The Wi-FI model weighs 299 grams, which is five grams lighter than the 3G/LTE model that weighs 294 grams.

The 8-inch Galaxy Tab S2 measures 198.6 mm x 134.8 mm x 5.6 mm. It’s also a slim tablet and features a polycarbonate back. The camera is placed at the top-centre and below is an oval home button with a fingerprint scanner.

The display is Super AMOLED and has a pixel density of 320ppi. The device comes in two variants, an LTE model and a Wi-Fi model. The latter weighs 265 grams while the LTE model is seven grams heavier.

Hardware

The iPad Mini 4 is a powerful device when compared to the iPad Pro but the former is powered by a 20 nm A8 chipset similar to that in the iPhone 6. It also has the dual core Typhoon processor clocked at a speed of 1.5GHz coupled with 2 GB of RAM.

The Galaxy Tab S2 is powered by a 20 nm HKMG Exynos 5433 octa-core processor clocked at 1.9GHz, coupled with 3 GB of RAM. On the memory front, Apple’s iPad Mini comes with internal storage capacities of 16 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB. But the Galaxy Tab S2 has expandable memory support, and comes with 32 GB and 64 GB variants expandable to 128 GB via microSD card.

Cameras and Batteries

An 8 MP rear camera in both devices gives vibrant and clear images without an LED flash feature. The iPad Mini 4 includes few features that allow it to create more vibrant and clearer photos. On the flip side, the Galaxy Tab S2 has the capability to shoot 4K videos.

When it comes to the secondary camera, the iPad Mini has a 1.2 MP shooter and features face detection and FaceTime on both Wi-Fi and LTE models. A 2.1 MP front camera comes with the Galaxy Tab S2.

The iPad Mini can supply 10 hours of multimedia usage with its 5124 mAh (19.1 Wh) battery while the Galaxy Tab S2 comes with a decent battery of 4000mAh, enough for 27 hours talk time.

Both devices come with different features, but the main plus point of the iPad Mini 4 is that it gives clearer and more vibrant images. If you're looking for a great camera, the iPad Mini 4 is the right device for you. If not, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 can meet your needs.

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