Cool…But, Does Galaxy Tab S Support my Version of the Best Viewing Experience? [Editorial]

At the beginning of the year, one of the editors at Samsung Tomorrow said that 2014 is going to be the year of tablets, meaning that “Tablets have finally started to differentiate themselves from smartphones or PCs.” Then since June 2014, Galaxy Tab S, which is described as Samsung’s best tablet yet, has been making a name for itself with its ability to provide ‘the best mobile viewing experience.’ But, as an editor at Samsung Tomorrow, I had to ask myself… does it really?

So far, there really hasn’t much opposition to the description of ‘the best viewing experience’, mostly because of the fact that Galaxy Tab S features the Super AMOLED display. However, quality of display is not the sole factor that determines people’s ‘viewing experience,’ especially mine. Personally, I have two other very important requirements:

1. Does it fully support my Binge-watching habit?

2. How’s the sound quality?

Taking full advantage of the perks of being a Samsung Tomorrow editor, I decided to take the new Galaxy Tab S and some accessories home to see if it fulfills my needs. 

Does Galaxy Tab S support my healthy habit of binge-watching?

Sure, the portability-oriented specifications are impressive  Galaxy Tab S is Samsung thinnest and lightest tablet yet. But portability is secondary when it is the weekend and the mission is to stay in bed as stationary as possible; an optimized condition for binge-watching. Therefore, my ultimate personal visual device optimized for content consumption needs to consider two things: my position in bed and my abundance of time.

– No more Awkward positions –

The best position to binge-watch in bed is to lie on my back and to place the tablet on top of my belly (not recommended for chiropractic reasons), which is a bit tricky. Because not only do I need a way to balance it on top of my stomach, but I also need to place it so that it gives me the right viewing angle.

Of course, this is not possible with a tablet alone. But fortunately for me, the Galaxy Tab S that I brought home came with the ‘Book Cover.’ Even though the cover is pretty thin, it is solid enough to stay stable. Officially the cover supports three different angles: viewing mode, touch mode, and typing mode. Unofficially, it supports more, as long as you plan to stay as immobile as possible. 

▲Book Covers of the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 inch and 10.5 inch

Trying this out, I’ve realized that the lightness of the Galaxy Tab S was actually a plus. The ‘Book Cover’, which is highly recommended supports various positions and viewing angles.

Talking about the viewing angle, Galaxy Tab S offers a wider viewing angle itself as well. It has the 180-degree viewing angle, which means the flexibility in terms of the placement is quite awesome. Basically, you will spend less time adjusting the angle or placement to find the perfect position for you to stay as immobile as possible.

▲3 Viewing Angles of the Galaxy Tab S: Viewing Mode, Touch Mode, Typing Mode (from the left) 

When you are concentrating on your favorite TV show, you simply don’t have the time or will to get up and do something, like adjusting the curtains or turning the light on or off. Your room will likely go through various conditions of light and darkness as the hours pass by. For example, if I time-lapsed myself binge watching in my room, I would probably notice that there are a lot more shapes of shadows in my room than I realize, as the earth makes a full rotation. Therefore, the display of the ultimate viewing device should too.

▲Adaptive Display functionality automatically optimizes the display according to the app and environments.

This is time when Adaptive Display of Samsung Galaxy Tab S does its job. It automatically adjusts the gamma, saturation, and sharpness according to the application activated and usage environments. This is a great technology for people like us binge-watchers, because the last thing we want is the beautiful sunlight to annoyingly reflect on the screen or the display to shine like a fluorescent light to give you squinty eyes when you’re enjoying the darkness around you. Also the AMOLED Cinema, which optimizes the display for movie/TV show watching, is pretty cool option to use as well.

– It supports your ability to endure time –

Binge-watching is a serious commitment of time. An entire season of a TV show can aggregate up to 10 hours or more. Even though it is difficult and not really healthy to watch something for that long, when you are watching a great show, it is also hard to stop. Anyway the question is, how long will the Galaxy Tab S allow me to watch my TV shows?

Galaxy Tab S 10.5” features a 7,900mAh battery, but what does that mean? As we know it has that ‘Super AMOLED’ display, so wouldn’t I have to compensate battery life for the quality display?

No.

The AMOLED display actually consumes a lot less energy than other tablet displays. If you are watching your favorite TV show in 1080p, it will actually give you 11 hours of battery life at most. That is like an entire season of a show in a single battery charge, which is pretty good for all the frequent flyers as well.

Can I get quality sound out of Galaxy Tab S?

The ‘sound’ of a video has a lot to do with the file itself and the audio product, such as headphones, not the device. It isn’t really fair to expect the most natural/organic sound from such a thin and light mobile device. So, assuming you are working with a top quality video file, let’s talk about how the Galaxy Tab S can provide the best quality sound for the TV show you’re watching.

First, you will want to find a headphone that is optimized for mobile devices. Yes, with absolutely no shame at all, I’m going to talk about the Samsung Level Over. It uses Bluetooth (the APT-X Codec), so it can be wireless. The whole purpose of watching something in your room or house is to enjoy the freedom of not having to care about anything. Samsung Level Over having the ability to be wireless gives you one less thing to worry about.

▲Enjoy quality sound using Samsung Level Over (left) and the SoundAlive equalizer.

As a sci-fi and action movie fan, the sound effects for futuristic robotic moves or the massive explosions are must. We want it as loud and clear as possible, if not what it the point? With 50mm bio-cellulose driver units equipped with a neodymium magnet, which is used in high-end audio products, you can get that intense sound that the TV show intended to deliver.

However, if you are a really sensitive to sound like me, there is actually more you can do to enhance the sound on the Galaxy Tab S. Download the SoundAlive equalizer with it through the ‘Samsung Essential Apps’ widget to customize the sound according to your preference. This app is pretty cool for people who want more of a customized sound, but are not really familiar with the logics of equalizer.

For example, the SoundAlive has the pad-like presets. You can simply tap on each square to customize the sound. Or you can also go through the 25 basic presets to see if there is already a perfect preset for you. You can apply effects like 3D, Bass and Clarity as well – oh, and these options can be set for mobile games as well!

I don’t want to promote the art of binge-watching to anyone. It really isn’t the best habit; it is totally exhausting, and it comes with the risk of a TV show hangover and red eyes. A 15 minute break after every hour is highly recommended. However, you see the point. I’m sure that there is a lot that I’m missing when it comes to covering ‘the best viewing experience’, which you should feel free to let me know about (nicely please, I have feelings). Overall, having used the Galaxy Tab S, I really want to get one, even for the sole for the purpose of watching something. It really is a device that is optimized for personal viewing experience. So what would you want to watch on the Galaxy Tab S?

*All functionality features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.