Disclaimer: I am not a techie and I don’t get overly excited when new devices come out. But I’m married to a techie and he does. We rotate through a lot of smartphones, tablets, and computers so that we can offer the best advice to our customers, and so I end up with hand-me-downs frequently. However, when Darrin told me about the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, well, I didn’t want to wait until he had moved on to the next great device; I wanted it as soon as possible!
I won’t bore you with all of the specs, though they can be found on this link. For me, the most important qualities are these:
- It’s a Samsung, which means the screen is gorgeous, with bright colors and lots of depth (Instagram looks amazing!);
- It comes in black, white, or gold, depending on your cellular plan (if you select the LTE model) or where you purchase it (we couldn’t wait until Verizon’s 9.7″ LTE version comes out later this month, so this review is based on the 8″ WiFi version in black);
- It is extremely thin and lightweight (and here’s where I do care about specs: the 9.7″ weighs a mere .86 pounds, and the 8″ only weighs .58 pounds); and
- It holds a lot of data!
Here’s what I can tell you thus far. The screen is indeed gorgeous. Photographs pop and it is a joy to scroll through Instagram and other visual social media. I’ve downloaded a couple of books, and they are easy to read (and turning the pages is quick and easy). I’ve also subscribed to two magazines (Vogue and Traveler, if you must know) and they are both gorgeous on this tablet and easy to read even using the 8″ model (I am expecting to change to the 9.7″ LTE through Verizon when it’s available, as its carrying case includes a keyboard, which will make working on the go a breeze).
This tablet is indeed lightweight, even with the official Samsung protective cover (which is pictured above). And I want to note that this is the best quality and most useful tablet cover I’ve ever seen. It’s very streamlined and allows you to use the tablet in a variety of positions, from handheld reading to upright for watching movies. And when fully opened (as when you are simply holding it), it folds neatly up and stays closed (so that it never gets in the way–great for spontaneous pictures and the like).
And the data…well, as mentioned, I’ve downloaded two books and two magazines. What I didn’t mention is that I’ve also downloaded over 1,000 songs! This is truly my on-the-go entertainment center that is also conveniently a great way to keep up with work. It even comes with Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, and Excel. Plus, if you follow Rent-A-Nerd, Inc. on Facebook, you likely see a bunch of suggested apps, which all work extremely well on this tablet. I am currently thrilled with Mighty Text, which sends the text messages received by my phone straight to my tablet (and computer).
For those who know me well (and especially Darrin), I absolutely HATE getting a new phone or tablet because of the drag involved with setting it up. However, this time was magically different. First of all, this smart gadget was able to find the last device that I set up and mirror that, which saved me tons of time. Then I simply added a few more apps that I thought would make my use even more fun and productive. I especially like that this tablet has fingerprint recognition (that actually works really well) for security so that I know my device is locked and that only I can access it.
I’m sure I’m leaving out lots of technical information, but this is less a tech blog than a product review by a layperson. If you decide to go this route and want to be sure your new tablet is set up so that it properly syncs with your business email and other needs, the Nerds are always here to help (504-454-6373), but I’m betting you won’t even need our help with this item, and no, Samsung did not pay me to write this! Stay tuned, though, as Rent-A-Nerd, Inc. plans to give away a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 in the coming weeks, so be sure that you follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
