Budget Above 40k Samsung S7FE or S8 Tablet

agentmilo

Disciple
I want to get a tablet, and locked down to either of these two. Main use is sketching (so non Samsungs aren't an option), some browsing and using as a secondary display for my laptop, when I'm traveling for work. Due to the fact that I will definitely use it as a second monitor, I'm staying away from the S8+ and Ultra, as they use AMOLED. The LCDs on my tablets of choice are already good enough.

The S7FE has a 12.4" which will be great for the second display purpose, but it could be on the bigger end of portability.

The S8 has a faster processor and the difference is a bit noticeable (from YT videos) when drawing on certain memory heavy apps. It doesn't seem too bad, but just a concern. S8 also has 8gb RAM while S7FE is 6gb. I don't know how much that is helpful outside of multitasking in Android. S8 will also support upto Android 15.

I can have the S7FE from a local store for 40k (6/128) or S8 from Amazon for 47k (8/128).

Which one would be the better buy? If the S8 came with 12.4", I'd have gone for that. Everything else seems quite a downgrade, but not sure how bad in real life usage.

Again, no headphone jacks one either. F manufacturers these day.
 
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Wouldn't an iPad Air with the M1 work for sketching? It'll last long. AFAIK, even the iPad Air 2 is being supported (up to iOS 15). Just my two cents. I'd probably just shell out for the S8 eitherway as software support is important.
 
Wouldn't an iPad Air with the M1 work for sketching? It'll last long. AFAIK, even the iPad Air 2 is being supported (up to iOS 15). Just my two cents. I'd probably just shell out for the S8 eitherway as software support is important.
I wanted an iPad up until recently as it has some pretty incredible art apps. But-
  1. I'm not invested in the ios ecosystem. Have no other ios device.
  2. The lack of a file system / file management thing is a bit of a problem when you try to productive with certain art apps over FTP / samba.
  3. I've had a couple android tabs in the past and have racked up close to Rs8k worth of art software so I'd like to avoid starting again.
  4. Second display thingy is only ios to ios.
  5. Too expensive given my possible use case.
  6. Drawing with the newest S-pen is far better than Apple Pencil due to the screen texture and nib material. Performance wise they are similar.
So its either S8 or S7FE- no other worthwhile options in the market (for sketching).

Is software support that important, if the difference is just a year? In the long run it seems rather negligible, right?
 
I wanted an iPad up until recently as it has some pretty incredible art apps. But-
  1. I'm not invested in the ios ecosystem. Have no other ios device.
  2. The lack of a file system / file management thing is a bit of a problem when you try to productive with certain art apps over FTP / samba.
  3. I've had a couple android tabs in the past and have racked up close to Rs8k worth of art software so I'd like to avoid starting again.
  4. Second display thingy is only ios to ios.
  5. Too expensive given my possible use case.
  6. Drawing with the newest S-pen is far better than Apple Pencil due to the screen texture and nib material. Performance wise they are similar.
So its either S8 or S7FE- no other worthwhile options in the market (for sketching).

Is software support that important, if the difference is just a year? In the long run it seems rather negligible, right?
Yeah the reasons you've stated are all fair (maybe not the ecosystem though. There are plenty of people who use an iPad just because they want a tab). And no, one year of software updates probably wouldn't make a massive difference. Just out of curiosity, you did mention that drawing was slightly better on the S8 but then again, you need a fairly large screen as a secondary monitor. It depends on what matters a lot. Personally speaking, that extra RAM might come in handy and would future proof the device. Perhaps you could try the devices at a store if you haven't already?
 
You can only get an ipad without M1 for under 40k. Set the S7 plus if you can. Had a cousin bought it and he is happy with the OLED Display + Performance.
 
S8 for the 120hz screen plus finger print unlock
S7 has only 60hz and you will have to draw patterns every time which gets painful to unlock after a while
S8 for the slightly ,more Ram and 4 speakers vs 2
For 7k more, worth these upgrades for sure
 
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But S8 gets TFT Display and I guess only the S8+ gets the AMOLED.
As much as I'd love AMOLED, for my purpose its a problem. It isn't preferable for static content, especially white pixels, in the long run due to burn ins. Sketching means white on screen for long periods, and so is the secondary device setup. So I'm opting for LCD.

S8 for the 120hz screen plus finger print unlock
S7 has only 60hz and you will have to draw patterns every time which gets painful to unlock after a while
S8 for the slightly ,more Ram and 4 speakers vs 2
For 7k more, worth these upgrades for sure
These are valid points- but I'm just wondering if that extra 1.4" of screen real estate is worth all the other tradeoffs. No fingerprint on a tablet surely is a pain.
Yeah the reasons you've stated are all fair (maybe not the ecosystem though. There are plenty of people who use an iPad just because they want a tab). And no, one year of software updates probably wouldn't make a massive difference. Just out of curiosity, you did mention that drawing was slightly better on the S8 but then again, you need a fairly large screen as a secondary monitor. It depends on what matters a lot. Personally speaking, that extra RAM might come in handy and would future proof the device. Perhaps you could try the devices at a store if you haven't already?
The shops near me don't have the 12.4" version of any tablet. I have owned 10" tabs in the past and thought they were kinda small for art despite the portability. I'm just assuming that 11" might not be a big upgrade.

You're putting up good questions I should be thinking about. Essentially it seems to be boiling down to faster / better device OR larger screen. Hmmmmmmm.
 
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Get the S8. Great for sketching. Kiddo felt it was better than iPad Air (that was the other option I gave). S-pen is refined over many years. Sammy is notorious for not aging smoothly, SoC & RAM matter.
 

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Prices of tab s in attachment
Plus Instant discount of 7000 on HDFC card for s8
10000 for s8+
This prices are for ca students and members … similarly they might also have for other university students
 

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It's available but final amount is 53k. During the previous amazon sale it was 46k (silver) for the first 3 days. Will hold on.
It's available for 44k on Samsung shop app with all discounts. Make sure to create new account to get it at that price, otherwise its 46k. Still within your budget.
Screenshot_20221124-105244_Samsung Shop.jpg


DM me if you need any help.
 
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