If you’re in the market for a tablet, the number of choices you have can be overwhelming. That’s why our experts have rounded down two of the latest tablets from technology powerhouses Apple and Samsung.
In this gadget A versus gadget B article, we’re going to compare Apple’s iPad Air 4 (2020) and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra (2022). We’re breaking down which one fares better in terms of:
- Specifications
- Price
- Design
- Display
- Performance
- Camera
- Battery life
- Software
Specifications
Looking at the quick specifications for both products below, we can see significant differences in starting price, cameras, battery life, weight, and color choices. These differences might be the point where you pick either of the two.
You might like the iPad Air 4 because it’s $500 cheaper and lighter, but you might also like the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra for its better camera, bigger display, longer battery life, and higher storage capacity.
| iPad Air 4 | Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra | |
| Starting price | $599 | $1,099.99 |
| Display | 10.9 inches (1640 x 2360) | 14.6 inches (1848 x 2960) |
| CPU | Hexa-core | Octa-core |
| RAM | 4GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 64GB | 128GB |
| Rear camera | 12MP | 13MP + 6MP |
| Front camera | 7MP | 12MP + 12MP |
| Battery life | 7606 mAh | 11200 mAh |
| Size | 9.75 x 7.03 x 0.24 in | 12.85 x 8.21 x 0.22 in |
| Weight | 458 g | 726 g |
| Colors | Space Gray, Silver, Rose Gold, Green, Sky Blue | Graphite |
Price
In the table above, you can see that the iPad Air 4 is half the price of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. The reason behind this is that the iPad Air 4 was released two years before the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. That’s a long time in the technology for the industry, long enough for both manufacturers to come up with better products.
Aside from the release date, you should also consider their differences. The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is more expensive, but that’s because it fares better than the iPad Air 4 in terms of tech specs.
Design
In the iPad Air 4, you can see Apple’s consistent design choices and wide color options. Granted it has thicker bezels than the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. But if you’re a fan of Apple’s design and what colors you can get from them, the iPad Air 4 is designed better, just 0.02 in thicker and roughly 300 g lighter than the S8 Ultra.
Display
The S8 Ultra has a bigger viewable area than the iPad Air 4. It also has a higher screen resolution, which makes for crisp viewing. However, that also means the S8 Ultra is heavier and requires more space for storage.
Performance
The iPad Air 4 has a 6-core CPU and the S8 Ultra has 8 cores. If you’re not into bench testing your tech, you won’t notice the difference 2 cores can make. But when it comes to RAM, the S8 Ultra will fare better because it has 4GB, compared to iPad Air 4’s 4GB.
Camera
If you look at the specs sheet on top of this article, the S8 Ultra has better (and more) cameras. But if you’re someone used to the quality of either brand, you’ll easily spot the difference between the camera quality. Samsung’s front cameras are known to underperform in low light settings, while Apple’s fare much better without much light on subjects.
Battery Life
It’s inarguable that the S8 Ultra has a better battery life because it’s much bigger than the battery pack the iPad Air 4 has. But with a slightly bigger display, more CPU cores, and more RAM, you should expect the S8 Ultra’s juice to run out faster if you’re a heavy user.
Software
In terms of Software, the iPad Air 4 fares a lot better because of the highly-integrated “Apple ecosystem.” You can connect all other Apple devices you have with ease. With the S8 Ultra, the chance to integrate with other Samsung devices as much as the iPad Air 4 can with other Apple devices is slim.
