Review iPad pro vs Galaxy Tab S7. Android TABLET or iPad only??

Decent review. One thing that is wrong about the external display mode is that with iPad, it is not just mirroring. We get full desktop mode with external monitor. Probably OP was using it wrong :D

I recently shifted to full Apple ecosystem and I also have parallel Android-Windows ecosystem. This is one thing that non-Apple ecosystem is about a year behind (if not more). Seamless connectivity. One example is that when I get a call, I take it from whichever device is near to me (among mac/iphone/ipad/watch). If Airpods are on, it automatically switches to the device from which I am taking the call. My iPad does not have cellular but the moment I get call on phone, I can take it from iPad or Mac or even from watch.

The next great thing about Apple is support. I purchased Apple Care for iPad and they told me that Apple Pencil is covered. When my kid broke pencil, I went to apple store and suprised to see that the pencil was not listed under Apple Care. Came home and called Apple Customer care. In 30 minutes, I was able to see that Apple Pencil is listed under Apple Care. Went to service center, paid 1600/- and I got brand new replacement pencil. New one costs about 10,600/-.
 
desiibond said:
Decent review. One thing that is wrong about the external display mode is that with iPad, it is not just mirroring. We get full desktop mode with external monitor. Probably OP was using it wrong :D

I recently shifted to full Apple ecosystem and I also have parallel Android-Windows ecosystem. This is one thing that non-Apple ecosystem is about a year behind (if not more). Seamless connectivity. One example is that when I get a call, I take it from whichever device is near to me (among mac/iphone/ipad/watch). If Airpods are on, it automatically switches to the device from which I am taking the call. My iPad does not have cellular but the moment I get call on phone, I can take it from iPad or Mac or even from watch.
Click to expand...
The mirror mode existed when this review was done.
Almost a year back.
Full desktop mode came last month and only to M1 models!!
May be you are new to apple system
desiibond said:
Decent review. One thing that is wrong about the external display mode is that with iPad, it is not just mirroring. We get full desktop mode with external monitor. Probably OP was using it wrong :D

I recently shifted to full Apple ecosystem and I also have parallel Android-Windows ecosystem. This is one thing that non-Apple ecosystem is about a year behind (if not more). Seamless connectivity. One example is that when I get a call, I take it from whichever device is near to me (among mac/iphone/ipad/watch). If Airpods are on, it automatically switches to the device from which I am taking the call. My iPad does not have cellular but the moment I get call on phone, I can take it from iPad or Mac or even from watch.
Click to expand...
Multipoint IEM like OnePlus Buds pro do the same feature of seamless call switching
 
ayaskant12 said:
The mirror mode existed when this review was done.
Almost a year back.
Full desktop mode came last month and only to M1 models!!
May be you are new to apple system

Multipoint IEM like OnePlus Buds pro do the same feature of seamless call switching
Click to expand...
Its not seamless call switching over BT (which is good but much more limited in scope).
Messages/ calls/ clipboard inter-operate between mac/ phone/ ipad/watch in a continuous flow at an OS level which is very different from the android /windows implementation - which currently is in a relatively rudimentary stage

If i had to summarize this

Get ipad if you:
- Want device to last long, like really long. The overpowered chips of today will be adequate even 5 years later. I still have a 2019 ipad pro which should comfortably be good for at least a few more years .. and that performance gap has widened even further over the last few years.
- Already use an iphone or mac.. the interoperability is truly seamless at a core OS level and not added-on later (which works but has its own issues)

Get Android if you
- Want to carry a single device that can double up as a makeshift PC if needed with external monitor/ kb etc. While stage manager on ipad is good, Dex feels more like a full desktop (albeit limited in resolution)
- Need to sideload apps for whatever reason
 
superczar said:
Get Android if you
- Want to carry a single device that can double up as a makeshift PC if needed with external monitor/ kb etc. While stage manager on ipad is good, Dex feels more like a full desktop (albeit limited in resolution)
- Need to sideload apps for whatever reason
Click to expand...
Any S series phone has dex too so smaller footprint. Whether people make use of dex on a regular basis to get serious work done is another question
 
ayaskant12 said:
The mirror mode existed when this review was done.
Almost a year back.
Full desktop mode came last month and only to M1 models!!
May be you are new to apple system
Click to expand...
Ah, your review is from last year. I thought the review is recent. My bad.
ayaskant12 said:
Multipoint IEM like OnePlus Buds pro do the same feature of seamless call switching
Click to expand...

What you are talking about is switching between devices for different notifications/calls. With OnePlus Buds Pro, it is not seamsless if I have a OnePlus phone and tablet (there is no tablet made by OnePlus). I have to install their app on all devices and as they do not have such app for Windows, I cannot extend it to Windows.

With Apple, I can take the same call from any of my devices. This is now available in Samsung ecosystem where I can take the same call from phone or tablet or watch (only if you have Samsung phone and watch and tablet). With Apple, the connectivity is extended to the Macbooks as well. I do hope Samsung brings this to their brand of Windows laptops (without the need to install a software). The day this happens, i will have an alternate Sammy ecosystem in home (for wife).

The reason why I brought up this point is that many review Apple products in a standalone use case scenario. When you use a single device from Apple, you already lost at least 30% of the features. I keep telling my friends who ask me about iPhone that if they want iPhone, they better go with full ecosystem. Otherwise, it will feel like a half baked product. It is like pulling one wing of a table fan and using it as a hand-fan. :D

Probably you have never experienced full Apple Ecosystem. If you really want to understand what I am talking about, do a bit of search on these features:

  1. Handoff.
  2. Keychain.
  3. Continuity.
  4. AirDrop.
  5. Universal Clipboard.
  6. SideCar
blr_p said:
Any S series phone has dex too so smaller footprint. Whether people make use of dex on a regular basis to get serious work done is another question
Click to expand...
I am yet to see any of my friends connect their phone to display. It is like that Android multi window mode. It is there for the sake of it and for review videos :D.
superczar said:
Get ipad if you:
- Want device to last long, like really long. The overpowered chips of today will be adequate even 5 years later. I still have a 2019 ipad pro which should comfortably be good for at least a few more years .. and that performance gap has widened even further over the last few years.
Click to expand...

Spot on. From work, I have two laptops. One is Macbook pro from 2015 and the other is ThinkPad from 2018 August powered by Core i5. The Thinkpad runs so slow that the only thing I use it for is to check/reply mails. For everything else, I am using the Mac. I blame Intel and corporates for this situation. I blame Intel for giving a dual core processor with i5 moniker. I blame corporate windows build team for their paranoia about security on Windows and cram it with dozen security tools that take 60% of RAM and CPU. ****, I cannot even take a Skype call on laptop.

If I compare just the OS, I would take Windows over MacOS any day. Windows is seriously under-rated. It can bloody fly even on a 15 year old hardware. Try to run MacOS on HDD once and you will see how much it lags. Reason why people call MacOS better is because of the integration that it has with HomeKit, iPadOS, iOS etc. That is where it just pulls ahead and disappears into the horizon. This is the advantage that Apple has because it makes both hardware and software.
 
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desiibond said:
I am yet to see any of my friends connect their phone to display. It is like that Android multi window mode. It is there for the sake of it and for review videos :D.
Click to expand...
It's workable. I've read reviews by people who found it useful in hotel rooms. If the TV happens to be a Samsung with wifi then you have wireless dex. If you also packed a keyboard then you have a way to get basic things done.
 
blr_p said:
It's workable. I've read reviews by people who found it useful in hotel rooms. If the TV happens to be a Samsung with wifi then you have wireless dex. If you also packed a keyboard then you have a way to get basic things done.
Click to expand...
The catch is that said extra screen doesn't really work all that well ..and the tablet by itself will generally be better at getting work done.
With a phone, it may still be useful considering the phone screen will be otherwise too small to get work done.

A far more useful scenario however is sidecar where the tab becomes an extended screen when placed next to your laptop/desktop.
I use an ipad quite regularly in this mode.
I had brought a S7+ last year to use it the same way with windows. However it kept dropping to 30hz each time I'd reconnect so eventually gave up and sold it. Not sure if its fixed now.

One advantage that the S7+ /S8+ offer is a good screen for media consumption at an under60k price point.
The comparable ipad (11 pro) doesn't do all that well at hdr.

The 12.9 screen is in a different league altogether but then it gets a lot pricier than the S7+/S8+
 
desiibond said:
Ah, your review is from last year. I thought the review is recent. My bad.


What you are talking about is switching between devices for different notifications/calls. With OnePlus Buds Pro, it is not seamsless if I have a OnePlus phone and tablet (there is no tablet made by OnePlus). I have to install their app on all devices and as they do not have such app for Windows, I cannot extend it to Windows.

With Apple, I can take the same call from any of my devices. This is now available in Samsung ecosystem where I can take the same call from phone or tablet or watch (only if you have Samsung phone and watch and tablet). With Apple, the connectivity is extended to the Macbooks as well. I do hope Samsung brings this to their brand of Windows laptops (without the need to install a software). The day this happens, i will have an alternate Sammy ecosystem in home (for wife).

The reason why I brought up this point is that many review Apple products in a standalone use case scenario. When you use a single device from Apple, you already lost at least 30% of the features. I keep telling my friends who ask me about iPhone that if they want iPhone, they better go with full ecosystem. Otherwise, it will feel like a half baked product. It is like pulling one wing of a table fan and using it as a hand-fan. :D

Probably you have never experienced full Apple Ecosystem. If you really want to understand what I am talking about, do a bit of search on these features:

  1. Handoff.
  2. Keychain.
  3. Continuity.
  4. AirDrop.
  5. Universal Clipboard.
  6. SideCar

I am yet to see any of my friends connect their phone to display. It is like that Android multi window mode. It is there for the sake of it and for review videos :D.


Spot on. From work, I have two laptops. One is Macbook pro from 2015 and the other is ThinkPad from 2018 August powered by Core i5. The Thinkpad runs so slow that the only thing I use it for is to check/reply mails. For everything else, I am using the Mac. I blame Intel and corporates for this situation. I blame Intel for giving a dual core processor with i5 moniker. I blame corporate windows build team for their paranoia about security on Windows and cram it with dozen security tools that take 60% of RAM and CPU. ****, I cannot even take a Skype call on laptop.

If I compare just the OS, I would take Windows over MacOS any day. Windows is seriously under-rated. It can bloody fly even on a 15 year old hardware. Try to run MacOS on HDD once and you will see how much it lags. Reason why people call MacOS better is because of the integration that it has with HomeKit, iPadOS, iOS etc. That is where it just pulls ahead and disappears into the horizon. This is the advantage that Apple has because it makes both hardware and software.
Click to expand...

upgrade the laptops they are old :)

i would not take any sides here.
the apple eco system is good but there are issues. m1 supports features, pro supports features the other models dont.
at the same time, the seamlessness mentioned by superczar is not that seamless - pro earphones produce static and the call switching device switching isnt seamless.

ofcourse windows/linux and android are two separate discussions but used together they arent that bad.
apple os has its own issues in terms of slowness and usability as well.


coming back to the debate
an android tab like the samsung s series is worth it.
at the same time, ipads are good but investing in the whole ecosystem and then seeing the glitches is a pain ( there are a few ).
 
babhishek said:
the apple eco system is good but there are issues. m1 supports features, pro supports features the other models dont.
at the same time, the seamlessness mentioned by superczar is not that seamless - pro earphones produce static and the call switching device switching isnt seamless.
Click to expand...
What kind of issues did you face?
A lot of the inter-connected features rely on having a solid Wi-Fi network . If that requirement is fulfilled, there is very low to no glitching.

- Continuity/ handoff have been there for many years now and picking incoming calls on say an ipad or auto filling OTP on laptop (text messages) has worked almost 100% reliably for me all these years.
- same goes for transferring calls to HomePods.

- Sidecar (extending laptop screen to ipad) was a bit spotty when introduced but has been rock solid ever since.
- Same goes for Universal Clipboard (you’d have seen those demo videos where someone pinches out a photo on phone and pinches it on an adjacent laptop)

- universal control (Using desktop/laptop keyboard/mouse With ipad) is new and has been relatively trouble free but not 100% reliable yet.

But again, the efficacy of all of the above is very closely linked to having a strong network connection on all involved devices since all of the above data flow uses your home network as the backbone . I don’t think they would have been anywhere as reliable if a device was connected to the 2.4g band (esp for sidecar which is a high bandwidth usage case)
The only exception to that is airdrop which relies on a p2p connection.
 
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