Samsung offers a range of tablet PCs in the lower end of the market as it has been unable to compete with the superiority of the iPad in the high-end segment.
After years of improvement, they seem to have finally made a device that is capable of going head-to-head with the iPad. The company has brought to this new range of tablet PCs under the ‘pro’ branding. The smallest of the ‘pro’ tablets featuring an 8.4 inch display will be going against the iPad Mini 2.
Design
The smaller version of the iPad has received an overwhelming response since it came out just under 2 years ago. After having come out in November 2013, the iPad Mini 2 manages to improve on the previous generation features even more. One key area is the design, which is now even better thanks to space and weight saving techniques used by the company. The new device is just 331 g in weight, but it has just been matched by the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 in this regard. The Samsung device is also thinner at just 7.2 mm.
Display
Retina display used to be the main standout feature of the iPad in recent years, but it is has now been overshadowed by the 8.4 inch display on the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4. Not only is this display slightly larger in size compared to the 7.9 inch unit on the iPad Mini 2, but it also has a slightly better resolution. Coming in at just under 360 PPI of pixel density, the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 easily overtakes the 324 PPI of the iPad Mini 2.
Memory
Apple has always given its customers a range of memory options in its devices and this continues in the iPad Mini 2 as well. This version comes with four different options ranging from 16 GB to 128 GB. The Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 is nowhere near enough in this regard because the maximum internal memory on this device is just 32 GB, although the user can add up to 64 GB using memory cards.
Camera
Camera used to be one of the premium aspects of the iPad. Even though the iPad Mini 2 features only a five megapixel unit, it is an extremely good camera capable of taking high quality pictures and videos. This is demonstrated by the presence of features like full HD video recording, video stabilization, face detection and autofocus. Apart from the video stabilization feature, the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 matches the iPad Mini 2 in every respect. It also has a slightly better eight megapixel camera, which means that details may be retained better even when the pictures are cropped.
User Interface
The iPad Mini 2 uses the same interface as seen in several Apple devices while the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 uses a different version of the TouchWiz UI made specifically for this range of tablets.
Price
The iPad Mini 2 in its cheapest version with 16 GB memory and Wi-Fi-only connectivity option is available for around $390 while the Samsung device comes at around $350.
Related ItemsiPad Mini 2Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4
