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applefanb0y

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 9, 2022
37
13
Are there any of you wonderful folks using a mix of ecosystems? The iPad Pro is pretty expensive where I am. I tried getting the Air 5 but the build quality issues got to me. The screen distortion/ripple even when normally picking it up got really annoying. I do have the iPad 9 but I can trade it in for a galaxy tab 8 for pretty great deal. Everything else I own is apple - watch, phone, laptop and desktop. But the tab 8 seems to give me so much more for literally half the price of the base iPad 11 pro.

I am just looking to hear some experiences from you folks about using a similar combination. Does it get annoying? I don’t use iCloud for storage if that matters. I’m mostly dependent on google drive and Nextcloud.
 

sunking101

macrumors 604
Sep 19, 2013
7,423
2,659
I've got a MacBook, Z Fold 4, Galaxy Tab S7 and an iPad Mini 6. I get along fine using them all.
 

Ludatyk

macrumors 603
May 27, 2012
5,955
5,123
Texas
I've had Galaxy Fold, iPad and Windows Desktop combination for a couple years now... I tend to rely on Google Drive & Google Keep to be a bridge amongst my devices.

I don't see it being annoying, would I rather have a seamless experience... of course. But I like going between different OS... whereas I'm not necessarily bored and somewhat disappointed that I'm missing particular feature on a competing OS. I recently received a MBP, so... Windows Desktop has been pushed toward the background a bit.
 

Technerd108

macrumors 68040
Oct 24, 2021
3,051
4,301
I like to use multiple platforms. I have an inexpensive but nice Windows laptop. I have always had Samsung phones over the years. I usually get them pretty cheap with free promotions from carriers and trade in deals. I also have a M2 MBA and iPad air 5. I have a Samsung Tab s8 I got when trading in an older Samsung tablet and a promotional offer.

I had two iPhones over the past three years and this year I ditched iPhone for a Pixel 7.

The iPad Pro is nice but crazy expensive for a tablet IMHO.

I really like my air 5 iPad. I think it is just a great overall tablet I got it on sale and a promotional gift card. I bought one from Amazon which I returned (actually returned two on Amazon) and it had terrible speaker volume. I bought direct from Apple and it is much better.

The tab S8 is also a great tablet. The 120hz screen, quad speakers, it has double the base storage, and it is more solid feeling overall.

In terms of interoperability between iPhone and Android you can forget it. Apple doesn't play nice or even fair for that matter. I can get Google messages on my browser using any device but I can't get iMessage on my Windows computer or Samsung tablet. If you had a windows PC and Android phone you can use link to phone and make and receive calls and texts from your computer and S8 tablet. So that is nice.

If you have a Mac and iPad and iPhone they all work great together.

If you bought just the Samsung tablet it would be a stand alone device. Your Mac, phone, Watch would not communicate well.

In your situation it doesn't make sense to get the Samsung tablet unless you don't care about the tablet communicating with your Apple devices. If you are just going to use it as a tablet then you would be fine.

Compared to the air the S8 has a very slightly larger display with higher resolution. I think brightness is about the same although the s8 feels brighter. The color on the s8 is better. S8 uses tft screen while Apple uses IPS. The speed feels the same and smoothness is really close with a slight edge to Air. The animations on Apple are nicer but one ui 5 is really good. You also get an s pen on the s8. The quad speakers are really loud and clear but the iPad has more bass and is still very loud. The m1 is a faster chip with much better graphics so in terms of longevity the iPad should last a long time and be better for gaming and other graphics related tasks. Battery life is really close between the two with a slight edge to the s8. So in terms of the air 5 or tab s8 they are very closely matched. In my experience I don't really notice a huge difference between the 120 hz and 60hz. It is noticeable but you get used to the iPad pretty quickly.

So there are some hardware advantages to the Samsung but I think because of your other devices it would make a lot more sense to get the iPad. I went through 3 iPad airs before I got one I was happy with. So if build quality was an issue maybe try again. Honestly if you drop any tablet on a hard surface from more than a foot you are going to have problems. The jelly roll is there but again it is really minor and Samsung a little bit of it in settings. The big difference I would say is when scrolling fast on a website the s8 is really smooth. The s8 is more solid feeling and uses aluminum armor to resist minor scratches.

I would not recommend any cheaper Samsung tablets other than the s8 or the air 5.

Just my 2 cents dealing with both ecosystems.
 
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