42 APRIL2020|COMPUTER SHOPPER|ISSUE386
IT’SASIMPLEfactoflifethatthehigh-end
tabletmarketisdominatedbyoneparticular,
fruit-themedmanufacturer,sowhengenuine
challengers suchasthe SamsungGalaxy Tab
S6 come along, it’s areal breathoffresh air.
This Android-based tablet is incredibly slim
andlight, yet it’spowerful too, with awhole
bunchoffeatures that make it ideal forwork
as wellasplay.
Whether it cancompetewiththe
juggernaut that is theApple iPad Pro is
another question, especially now theold iOS
platform hasbeenupgraded to the
productivity-focused iPadOS.Let’sfind out
how good the Galaxy TabS6really is.
STRAIGHTANDNARROW
Thedesign of the tablet itself is amatch for
anything fromApple’s stable.It’s amazingly
slim at 5.7mm fromfront to back, and it
weighs less than apairoflarge smartphones.
It also hasasignificantly smallerfootprint
than the 10.2in iPad, thanks to its minimal
bezels,and yetSamsung hasmanagedto
squeeze in more features.
One of these is amicroSDcard slot for
expanding thealready generous128GBof
internalstorage –somethingyou’ll never see
on an Apple product.There’s also adual-lens
camera at the rear,offering a5-megapixel
ultrawide capability in addition to standard
13-megapixelshotsfromthe main sensor.
Physical connectivity is limitedtoUSB
Type-C, as you might expect in atablet this
slim, but the flexibilityofthissortof
connection means it’s relatively simple
to attach peripheralssuchasmice and
keyboards, and even external hard drives
and monitors. Attach asimple USB hub
and it’s possibletoconnect to multiple
peripherals simultaneously.
The onething to dislike aboutthe deeesign is
that there’s no proper slot forstowingaaand
charging thestylus; rather,itsnaps into a
magnetic depression on therear of thetttablet.
Unfortunately,itdoesn’t attach particulaaarly
strongly and is very easytodislodge when
you’re using the tablet or popping it inaaabag.
If you’re goingtobuy this tablet,
therefore,we’dstrongly advise purchasing
either the official Book Cover case or theee
Keyboard Book Cover,bothofwhich
solvethis issue by covering thestylus
neatly underahump,providing access
to it via ahinged flap.
SAMSUNG Galaxy
TabS 6
★★★★★
£619•Fromwww.very.co.uk
VERDICT
Asuper-lightweight Android tablet that does
it all, and comes with astylus in the box
ANDROID9.0TABLET
It’sacleverpieceofdesign;
infact,thewhole keyboard
cover is ingenious. It’ssplit into two parts: one
partsticks to the rear of the tablet, providing
protection andstorage forthe stylus,and has
aSurface Pro-style kickstandthat can be
adjustedtoany angle; the other,whichhosts
the keyboard, attachesmagneticallytothe
tablet’s keyboard connectorand protects the
screenwhen folded away.
KEY SPECS
The two-part design means youcan remove
thekeyboard andleave it to one side if you
justwant to usethe tablet on its own. Leaveit
attached, however,and it’s aperfectly formed
2-in-1 keyboard, completewith asurprisingly
responsive and usable touchpad below it.
It isn’tbacklit, whichisadisappointment
consideringthe price,and the layout is
cramppped in some areas–theBackspppace,,,Enter,,,
leftShiftand Tabkeysare all rather small
–but the keyactionisnice adpositive.
Samsung has also doneits best to keep typos
to aminimum by giving each keyadecent
amountofspacearound it.
TheGalaxyTab S6isclearlyatablet
designed forproductivity, rather than mere
mediaconsumption. As such,missteps such
as the lackofastylusslot are disappointing.
However,what’s more important is how the
softwareworks,and here Samsung has clearly
triedalittle harder.
ALL HANDSONDEX
That’s justaswell, becauseAndroid in its
standard form is not ideallysuitedfor use as a
productivity tool.Full-screen apps struggle
with space-wastingmenus, and the system’s
approachtomultitasking is clunkyatbest.
In thefaceofsuchissues, Apple has
already made its owntransition from iOSto
iPadOS, which brings more desktop-like
featurestoits tablets:for example,it’s now
pppossible to fit more shortcuts on
the deeesktop and to transfer files
to andddfrom external storage via
LightninnngorUSB Type-C.
The Gaaalaxy TabS6employs
Samsung’sDDDeX environment, which
you mayalready know from Samsung’s
Galaxy S10 phoneees, to the same end.
Indeed, DeX takes the desktopparadigm
much further than iPadOS,with ataskbar
that runsalong theeebottom of thedisplay and
appwindows that can be dragged around,
resized and snappeeedtothe edges of the
screen at will. Youuucan set DeX mode to
activateautomatically when you connect
the BookKeyboaaard Coveroranexternal
monitor, or switttch manuallybypulling
down the notifififications menu from the top
of thescreenaaand tapping the DeXicon.
