Samsung and Android tablets: the truth or why Apple is winning tablets war

[jamezr]

I can agree and disagree. In some ways the iPad feels very similar to an iPhone while an Android tablet can feel like more but at the end of the day, Dex or no Dex Android still uses a mobile browser. A Chromebook feels more like a full desktop simply because it uses a normal full browser while still being light like a phone.

I really don’t think that an iPad or Android tablet are that different specially with stage manager.

Dex is really just Android with a desktop UI and nothing more. No tablet in my personal opinion will ever replace a laptop as the compromise is just too much. So I think Apple is doing right keeping a separation between tablet UI and MacOS.

It is funny people complain now that iPad has m series chips that it is too powerful. Not a complaint I would ever have. I would never want to use my iPad like I use my MacBook. I don’t like detachable keyboards and the like.

Keep my tablet for tablet uses and really focus on making my tablet the best tablet it can be as just a tablet. Don’t force a desktop UI on a tablet with a mobile browser. In a pinch my iPad does well if I don’t have access to my MacBook but I don’t expect nor want it to replace my MacBook.

I think Samsung offers Dex as a selling point as why you can use their devices in any situation which is nice but I really don’t think besides marketing that it will ever be a desktop replacement.

I have a tab s9 11” and an iPad Air 5th gen. I like them both for different reasons but I tend to use my iPad with lesser specs way more than I ever use the s9?

Maybe I am in the minority here and that is fine but having a glorified iOS with an M1 chip has been an amazing experience and it has yet to slow me down or disappoint. It is not perfect and at some point I might want a pro model but I just don’t use my tablets in a way besides speed and graphics that I need
The extra power. Having a chip that is so powerful on a efficient OS is a dream in my opinion and I love it every day!

I can agree and disagree as well.....

In some ways the iPad feels very similar to an iPhone

It is almost identical and I can see why Apple wants that user experience to be similar

Dex is really just Android with a desktop UI and nothing more. No tablet in my personal opinion will ever replace a laptop as the compromise is just too much. So I think Apple is doing right keeping a separation between tablet UI and MacOS.

That is exactly why it is better than what IOS has to offer....
Replace....no..but offer more versatility and flexibility. With a tablet you can remove the keyboard and use one handed.
Then Apple has repeated advertised the iPad as a laptop replacement. Even going so far as to call it a "computer" and not a tablet.

It is funny people complain now that iPad has m series chips that it is too powerful. Not a complaint I would ever have. I would never want to use my iPad like I use my MacBook. I don’t like detachable keyboards and the like.

I have never said this so not sure why it is your reply to me?

In a pinch my iPad does well if I don’t have access to my MacBook but I don’t expect nor want it to replace my MacBook.

This is the selling point for Apple and one of the reasons they with hold features from Macbooks like a touchscreen....so people will buy a iPad

I think Samsung offers Dex as a selling point as why you can use their devices in any situation which is nice but I really don’t think besides marketing that it will ever be a desktop replacement.

Dex is great...I mean when traveling I can hook up my phone or tablet to an external monitor like a hotel room TV and use a BT mouse and keyboard. It offers unrivaled flexibility. Dex comes on tablets and phones....

I have a tab s9 11” and an iPad Air 5th gen. I like them both for different reasons but I tend to use my iPad with lesser specs way more than I ever use the s9?

Was that a question for me? Personally I like the form factor of an iPad to be easier to hold. But the versatility of a tablet with Dex is pretty sweet.....

 

[Technerd108]

I can agree and disagree as well.....


It is almost identical and I can see why Apple wants that user experience to be similar




That is exactly why it is better than what IOS has to offer....
Replace....no..but offer more versatility and flexibility. With a tablet you can remove the keyboard and use one handed.
Then Apple has repeated advertised the iPad as a laptop replacement. Even going so far as to call it a "computer" and not a tablet.

I have never said this so not sure why it is your reply to me?


This is the selling point for Apple and one of the reasons they with hold features from Macbooks like a touchscreen....so people will buy a iPad



Dex is great...I mean when traveling I can hook up my phone or tablet to an external monitor like a hotel room TV and use a BT mouse and keyboard. It offers unrivaled flexibility. Dex comes on tablets and phones....


Was that a question for me? Personally I like the form factor of an iPad to be easier to hold. But the versatility of a tablet with Dex is pretty sweet.....

I was simply responding to your opinion and adding mine.

I wasn't looking to debate you point by point and break down what you said. Lol

Just sharing my opinion. Take it as you will.

In my opinion Dex is more marketing than substance. If you like it and it works for you great but I don't see a huge difference in actual functionality besides an iPad with stage manager?

This is just my opinion. I prefer iPad overall including hardware design and colors besides the internals and OS.

 

[User #07242024]

I was simply responding to your opinion and adding mine.

I wasn't looking to debate you point by point and break down what you said. Lol

Just sharing my opinion. Take it as you will.

In my opinion Dex is more marketing than substance. If you like it and it works for you great but I don't see a huge difference in actual functionality besides an iPad with stage manager?

This is just my opinion. I prefer iPad overall including hardware design and colors besides the internals and OS.

With DeX, you can use a beat up Galaxy phone with broken screen and connect it to monitor and keyboard and gain access to (almost) desktop computing.

 

[Technerd108]

With DeX, you can use a beat up Galaxy phone with broken screen and connect it to monitor and keyboard and gain access to (almost) desktop computing.

Why would I want to do that? I don't have beat up old phones laying around. I doubt the experience would be very good with the example you have given?

Look, I never said Dex was bad. It just isn't useful to me and I don't see who really needs such an interface. Most people these days who own a tablet, own a laptop? A tablet is generally a consumption device and most people buy them in addition to a phone and laptop.

People who want to use a tablet as a all in one device buy a Surface Pro generally as they are much more useful with a full Windows OS and much faster.

In a pinch Dex can be helpful but is rather limited by the mobile version of Chrome. And if I only have a phone due to budgetary constraints then it is certainly better than just a phone UI I won't argue but I think the majority of users it is more of a novelty than anything else.

I can't argue it is a cool additional feature and is pretty amazing a phone can run it but as a all in one tablet it's uses are too limited and again I personally would buy a MS Surface pro.

In my experience and in my opinion even a Surface pro tablet has too many compromises in how I use a computer that I would rather just buy a cheaper iPad or used s series or last gen s series tablet and a cheaper laptop to get the job done.

As I said it is more a novelty and cool factor than a real solution in my personal opinion.

That doesn't mean I don't like having the option of using Dex or think it is bad. If Samsung would somehow include a full chrome browser in Dex on Android then that would be a game changer but I don't think it is possible due to the limits of Android OS.

Everyone here seems to argue my points which I am happy to debate without understanding where I am coming from. I am being honest within my experience of using Dex and it's usefulness if I were to use it only as a desktop/laptop replacement which I have actually tried and because of mobile version of Chrome was too limiting for me. For others and how they use their devices it may work just fine.

At the end of the day I can criticize Dex without saying for others it is useful but for me it just doesn't offer enough for it's marketed and intended use to be truly useful. If you disagree I get it and am not trying to say you are wrong or that my opinion and yours aren't equally valid.

 

[Ctrlos]

At the end of the day I can criticize Dex without saying for others it is useful but for me it just doesn't offer enough for it's marketed and intended use to be truly useful. If you disagree I get it and am not trying to say you are wrong or that my opinion and yours aren't equally valid.

I replaced my work PC with it for a time whilst it was in for repair. For web-based work it was actually OK. When my iPad refused to connect to the web I used Dex to give a presentation. It wasn't perfect but it saved my ass. On the road its nice to be able to connect to a hotel TV for some gaming. Or it was.

All of this has been undone by displayport on the iPhone 16. True, there is no desktop but I can spit out a Keynote or play much better games on the big screen. I don't see Dex as a selling point anymore.

My recommendation to any Android owner looking for a tablet is to buy an iPad and just replace all the default apps with your Google equivalents. Assuming you actually like using the internet and therefore avoid Chrome like the plague you'll find Safari a good replacement for Samsung Internet (the best Android browser). On top of all your Google services you also get access to a much better repertoir of tablet-specific apps.

 

[Vegastouch]

The A9 is a low end Samsung tablet. I have a Tab S7 FE and got that because I don't use it much but still is in the Tabs family. It's a 12.1" screen which I think is too big. It was cool at first but I've since wished I hit the smaller one. Or maybe I just dislike the Samsung case. Weak magnets. Just don't care for the case/cover. Came with a S pen which I hardly use. Just don't see a decent use for it.amd haven't come close to knowing how to use it very well.

 

[Dr McKay]

So you bought a cheap Samsung tablet with a poor processor and are comparing it to an iPad with a top level processor and expected similar results.

Many such cases!

 

[StoneJack]

So you bought a cheap Samsung tablet with a poor processor and are comparing it to an iPad with a top level processor and expected similar results.

Not sure it's a fair comparison!

You should have spent a bit more time and researched properly!

well I hoped for a decent or at least satisfactory experience, but it was really, really bad. Much worse that I thought. I had Surface Duo (work issued) and Android was fine on that, Androir or Google TV on my TV was also OK, but the Samsung hardware of A9 and its combination with Android is just bad.

 

[robvalentine]

I have an ipad pro (m4) and a galaxy tab s9+ (I was android only for 2 years) and the ipad is more polished in terms of apps, and hardware, but I hate the apple pencil. the s-pen which is free writes so much better, even if it feels cheap. It doesn't clank across the screen, so I much prefer it for taking notes (which is a key use for me).

 

[jimimac71]

I have the Galaxy A9+.
I'm perfectly okay with it (8/128).
The iPad is probably the better tablet.
I have the 2019 iPad with 32 Gigs.
It is not all that usable today.
For me, the single issue with iPad is it is necessary to go all-in with Apple to get the best experience. No Apple, no Safari.
I'm not willing or able to pay the price for All-Apple.
Perfectly happy with the Google ecosystem.