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iPad air 2 - why should I buy this instead of Samsung tablet?

If long term support is important (considering she was still using the 4 year old iPad 2, I'm assuming it is), I'd recommend the Air 2. If you can get one year of software support from Samsung for one of their tablets, consider yourself lucky.

Without any other specific details on how your wife plans to use it (sound like it'll primarily be for consumption), all things being equal the iPad is going to offer better long term performance.
 
I had a tab s 10.5 . Amazing screen, everything else was awful. It was slow, lollipop made it quicker but still not great. I rooted it, removed all the bloat ware even rommed it but it still never lived up to the specs. Maybe it was the poor processor. Either way, I've got an air 2 now. Only thing I miss is the screen. So Imo the air 2 is the one to go for.
 
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eyeseeyou said:
This is more of a IOS vs Android question
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That was not my intent, but I can see how a fair bit of overlap is unavoidable.

Michael Goff said:
We know that 2gb of RAM on the 6S+ holds more apps than the 4GB Note 5. So, yeah, it kind of does handle memory better.
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Don't get me wrong, didn't mean to imply that it didn't. Although I haven't owned an Apple device since my old iBook and I haven't paid much attention since then, I'm aware that ios does many things very well and I was expecting memory handling to be one such thing.

tbayrgs said:
Without any other specific details on how your wife plans to use it (sound like it'll primarily be for consumption), all things being equal the iPad is going to offer better long term performance.
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Very light usage. Browsing, Facebook, some youtube and occasional angry birds or whatever it is people are playing these days (no hardware intensive games). Which is why I'm not too concerned about cpu etc as I think both are fine. There might be 20 browser tabs open though, so memory and such is more a concern (but I don't really have any reference of how much memory is needed or the exact difference in handling between the environments, but you know what I mean). Also my view of Android tablets is that they have historically been a bit laggy after a while, but not sure if that's still the case as Android has improved quite a bit the last few years (and Android phones certainly seems to perform quite well these days).

Which is why I've focused more on the practicality. The iPad 2 we have now is quite heavy to use in bed and the metal back, although nice, is not ideal in terms of comfort and grip when holding in awkward angles (she doesn't want a cover). This is where the Samsung excel.

But yes, battery and long term performance seems to be the main reason to go for the iPad and is why I will likely get her the iPad air 2 as the battery is a bit of a deal breaker. I was hoping there'd be some more benefits that I hadn't considered to make me a bit more excited about getting the iPad, but I guess that's it.
 
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I had both Tab S and Tab S2 as well as all my iPads. Battery life for Samsung is horrific. Maybe 6 hours in battery save mode with screen at 30% brightness and no location services on. Then the choppy scrolling of the Samsung was maddening. My old iPad 3 was significantly smoother than the latest Samsung. The other issue is the Samsung SD card will not let you store all your apps on them. Only a some apps and those apps you can only store partial info on the sd card.
The iPad Air 2 blows away the Samsung except for the Super Amoled over color saturation. The issue is the super amoled screen sucks power with anything white so most internet pages are white (like this one) and that is the down fall of any practical use of the Samsung Super Amoled screen.
Multi screen and pip on the Air 2 is significantly better than the way Tab S2 tries to do it.
 
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Mystro said:
The issue is the super amoled screen sucks power with anything white so most internet pages are white (like this one) and that is the down fall of any practical use of the Samsung Super Amoled screen
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Yes, this in combination with a very low battery capacity seems to be a losing combination.

Poochi said:
Buying a tablet that's not iPad... for someone who is not a techy... I call that insanity.

The end.
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Any chance you could expand on this reasoning? For someone who already has a Samsung Android phone, why would it automatically be crazy getting her a Samsung Android tablet?
 
Whichever you decide on, buy it somewhere with a good return policy and let her know you're willing to exchange it for the other if she prefers. I'm sure she will be thrilled with such a thoughtful gift regardless.

I think most opinions here will favor the iPad Air 2. I love mine but realize Apple isn't for everyone. Best of luck!
 
tompab said:
Hi.

My wife has an old iPad 2 that is getting a bit slow etc, and I was gonna surprise her with an upgrade. However, when I went to the store I was very underwhelmed with the iPad air 2.

Specifically as it was sitting right next to a Samsung Galaxy tab s2. The Samsung was thinner, lighter, cheaper and had an microsd slot. Although the materials of the iPad would be classified as premium, I personally preferred the look and feel of the (black) Samsung tablet as well. I later learned that the iPad only has 2gb ram as well, which seems very low (although I'm sure I'll be told of the superior memory handling in ios which leads to less memory needs or something like that :)). That said, the performance doesn't seem to be the strong point of the Samsung.

My wife had an iPhone earlier, which she liked, but she is now on her second Android phone. It's a Samsung Galaxy note 4, and she loves it. She has no other apple devices. She still like apple products though, but she is also a Samsung convert, so either brand would please her I think. Other brands are not worth considering at this stage.

Now the reason for this thread is that I then learned about the poor battery capacity in the Samsung tablet. The battery still performed well when watching movies etc, but for the general browsing test, they only got around 6 hours compared to iPads 10 hours. My wife would mainly use the tablet for browsing and reading forums and Facebook etc.

The battery is a bit of a deal breaker. She uses the tablet very sporadically and is not good at charging it. So I'm very much on the fence now.

I expect many people here to have strong feelings about the iPads superiority, so can you convince me why I should get that one despite all the benefits I listed above for Samsung?

I think I might have to get iPad due to the battery as it's just a safer choice, but I'm finding it very hard to justify. Surely there must be more to the iPad that I'm missing?

Any opinions are much appreciated!

Edit: battery test here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/9709/samsung-galaxy-tab-s2-review/6

Edit: both tablets would be 9.7 inch WiFi only models. The iPad would be 64gb model.
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Hi there. To be quite...nobody should convince you or tell you the reason to why you should get that over anything. If you feel that you need it...go get it. Our opinions in this thread is...well...opinions. What you want and desire will determine your choice. Another word: go out and try it yourself.
 
battery on Apple's is gonna be better in all area, since they know how to manage battery properly... Other products think they do, but waste battery power some other ways. Usually u can say <some other product> lasts longer, but *always at a cost of something* usually donates to to no wi-fi.

also, u need to factor in how much other devices crash over iPad... Most of this could be just due to not doing a clean restore, to just a faulty product.. But that's your choice. All companies have that issue.

U'll have limitations on what u can do with iOS in terms of no app to app dragging... and other issues.

All in the name of security, by Apple, but i think they go to far, since app to app dragging is nothing to do with security if the user behaves themselves. So take this as u see fit. Not much of a learning curve.
 
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The iPad Air 2 is a great unit. I cannot really fault mine. I believe it's the best iPad in its size , I enjoy using iOS though. I'd recommend the air 2 as the first choice, though if it comes down to iOS/android , have you looked at say the Sony Z4? My only reservation is Samsung , but that's due to my personal issues with repairs/customer service in the past, so that is bias.
 
iPad Air 2 is great. Samsung galaxy tab S2 is the best Android I have used. Both of these tablet are fantastic. It's coming down to your eco-system and how you think OS update is important to you. iOS usually got update regularly compare to Android by manufacture. Android manufacture usually behind on the update that was released by Google. if you are lucky, you will get it... otherwise just dream about it.
 
To all the complaints about Samsung TouchWiz bloat, you can use an alternative launcher instead of samsung's. I use Google's home screen launcher on my Galaxy Note 3. Also, almost all android devices bought within last 2 or 3 years have the ability to "freeze" preinstalled apps from the settings. What this will do is stop the app from autostarting at boot or auto updating. No need to root or install 3rd party ROMs.

While it is good you are researching and asking or advice from people, best bet is to try it out yourself (or your wife). Most stores have 2 week return policy and Apple has an extended holiday return period now.
 
macfacts said:
The problem with people comparing Android devices to Apple devices are they usually compare the budget Android devices to the current Apple flagship device.

That Sumsung Tab 4 tablet you are complaining about, I looked it up and it is about $120 new now ($180 when new when it came out).

And the complaint about the lack of tablet apps maybe valid in 2011 with Android honeycomb but using that excuse today shows how weak the complaints about Android are today. If you want to see people complain about phone apps "blown up" to fill a tablet screen, goto the iPad pro threads on this forum.
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I have a Nexus 7 I know the deal. I like it, its android at best. I use it for series viewing at work. I also use it if my iPad is on charge. I don't have the love for it I have for android on a phone. That's even with android M installed right now. Its pretty budget too but android on a tablet is android on a tablet. iOS wins.

iPad pro is a moot point, its new. Can't be compared to android tablets which have had plenty of time to fix the tablet app issue. Also, ANY android tablet bar nexus can be left behind. IF I was buying another android tablet it would/will be nexus every single time NOT Samsung.

I love Samsung's features on a phone and as I stated I will hop between iPhone and Samsung. I find stock android a bit stale on a phone. Plus Samsung's amoled display is better than the flat colours on the nexus line of phones.
 
I have the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition, Samsung's flagship tablet at that time. On paper it seems awesome, with multitasking, side-by-side window, etc.
In practiec, multi-tasking lags the I would avoid using it. Most if not all the apps are crap. One of the good apps is Microsoft OneNote, which is ironically made by Microsoft. The tablet lags. And best of all, it's still on kitkat to this day.

The only redeeming factor is its microSD card slot. So I just use the tablet to watch movies I load on the card. That's a waste of money.
 
Thanks for all replies.

To clarify (as some posts have missed the point a bit), I was 95% decided to get the iPad air 2 when making this thread due to preconceived notions of Android being laggy and mostly due to the battery deal breaker. I was mostly hoping to hear why so many people like the iPad and what I'm missing. Turns out that there is no great secret besides good reliability / longevity and people willing to pay for a premium brand and for ios. Personally I prefer Android, but as we are still using our iPad2 with no major problems besides some performance issues due to age, I can't really argue with the other points.

Also note that the choice was solely between Samsung and iPad due to wife's preference, so I won't even entertain the idea of a different brand since it's not for me.

Anyway, I think it's an interesting comparison and I'm still not entirely clear on why Android tablets are so poorly liked (ignoring battery issue on this one). Or should I say, why they are still supposedly performing so badly despite Android phones being pretty damn good.

But at the end of the day, unless a miraculous software update lands which doubles the battery, or there's a 70% off clearance sale or something, I will get the iPad. I'd say I've gone to 99% sure now, just waiting for a good price and I'll buy it.

I also realized that the ipad2 only had 512mb memory (I thought it had a gig), so quadrupling the memory can only be good.
 
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Serban said:
if she is a tech geek buy her a samsung , if she is a lady buy her an ipad
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That's a bit sexist, don't you think? A person can be both a lady and a tech geek.

Either way, tech geek or not, iPad is the way to go. It is faster, more reliable, better built, will receive updates longer, feels better in hand, battery lasts longer and, most importantly, has a massively better app catalog. Not only there are more apps, the apps themselves are better and updated more often - and they make much better use of the larger display. And iPad even looks better. I don't know what more OP is expecting or if this is "exciting" enough, but for me it completely justifies the higher price. iPad is only a lot better - at everything. I mean, it doesn't bake bread or make coffee or anything, it's a tablet. But it's the best tablet there is (iPad in general; Mini, Air or Pro depending on needs/preference)
 
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a lady include fashion, and i think ipad is more of a fashion product, easier to use, well build
Apple is more focused to have fashion and unisex products than all other companies
i see a lot of ladies with gold ipad or gold 12' macbook
 
The reason that Android tablets are so poorly liked is in large part due to those two factors people keep going on about; battery life and reliability. Those are THE core features to a tablet because people use tablets as computing appliances. There is no point to putting up with the downsides of a tablet if the battery life isn't excellent and the thing isn't ready to go instantaneously 100% of the time you go to use it. And the one thing regarding battery life that I did not see mentioned here is that the iPad standby battery life is incredible, and Android standby is a lot more reminiscent of a laptop computer. That's a huge thing in an appliance. An iPad will use negligible battery if it's left unused for a couple of days. An Android may well have used 30% or more of its battery by then so that 6 hours of active use is now more like 4.

Otherwise, there are additional advantages to an iPad if you are more invested in the ecosystem which it sounds like you are not. But even as a simple tablet, the above reasons are good enough to choose it over the competition.
 
Serban said:
a lady include fashion, and i think ipad is more of a fashion product, easier to use, well build
Apple is more focused to have fashion and unisex products than all other companies
i see a lot of ladies with gold ipad or gold 12' macbook
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Unisex? Most tech products are unisex. Good design can definitely factor into the appeal of something, but I'm far more interested in buying the best tools for my needs than I am in carrying around a status symbol. Can I create wireframe layouts and mockup designs and send them directly to my AdobeCC applicatons on a Samsung tablet? Not that I'm aware of. Can I compose, record, produce and mix a proper song using high quality tools and plugins on a Samsung tablet? No. Apple's main focus with the iPads is to produce a great product for consumption, creativity, education and work, and I think most people buy them because they're the best tablets on the market.
 
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You are saying the same thing, besides that are products, they are beautiful designed and apeal to women too
even the apple watch is for woman or man
i like that, everyone makes functional products, but Apple is one of few that makes them beautiful and unisex to
 
Serban said:
You are saying the same thing, besides that are products, they are beautiful designed and apeal to women too
even the apple watch is for woman or man
i like that, everyone makes functional products, but Apple is one of few that makes them beautiful and unisex to
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I agree that it's a great design.. and would add that great design is important for more than just aesthetic reasons.. but I don't think we're saying the same thing.

What you said implies that women care more about tech being fashionable than they do it being useful, and that they prefer technology that's easier to use. Neither of those notions are gender specific. And your comments also perpetuate the stereotype that Android and Windows products are for the tech savvy, and Apple is for the tech illiterate, which isn't true.
 
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