Sony tablet S vs Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9

J515OP

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Staff member
Jan 6, 2011
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Both are good devices but between the two I say Samsung. Sony only has one model (the P tablet isn't very wide spread and not really a tablet) which is fairly locked down by Sony. Samsung has a wide variety of tablets, has been offering updates to the various models and seems to be gaining momentum in both Android phones and tablets.
 

userbe1155

Senior Member
Nov 8, 2011
697
55
There are many capable tablets much cheaper than either of these. Maybe you should consider looking at some of them as well.

Sent from my M9701 using Android Tablet
 

Tom T

Senior Member
Feb 18, 2011
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They are both solid tablets but only one meets my litmus test, which is simply does it have gorilla glass. The Samsung does, the Sony does not. This might not be a deal breaker for some but I tend to be unintentionally hard on, and overly concerned about, my devices and for whatever reason a scratch on my screen is devistating to me....I probably should seek professional help.
 

jbenham

Official ATF App Tester
Oct 25, 2011
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Tom T said:
They are both solid tablets but only one meets my litmus test, which is simply does it have gorilla glass. The Samsung does, the Sony does not. This might not be a deal breaker for some but I tend to be unintentionally hard on, and overly concerned about, my devices and for whatever reason a scratch on my screen is devistating to me....I probably should seek professional help.

HEY, let's show a little respect for the Sony S! :) It is an awesome tablet! I just joined Netflix and have been using the Sony to watch lots of videos and tv shows. This is what the op said they wanted it for. But the Sony S does so much more than that as do other Honeycomb tablets. Unless you plan to leave it around unprotected for your cat to walk over, you should not need to worry about about scratches on the glass. The Sony S has come way down in price.
 

emptyshell

Member
Mar 6, 2012
13
4
The build quality and stability that come with Samsung and ASUS tablets really set them apart. The Sony tablets feel very choppy and clunky in their UI experience and the shape and weight are very uncomfortable to hold. Not to mention it's cheap plastic and feels like it. It's a nice tablet but not when you use it right next to a Samsung or ASUS.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1 are the best tablets on the market in my opinion. I've tried them all except for the sub $200 tablets. The only tablets that even compare to the current generation Galaxy Tablets are the ASUS Transformer / Transformer Prime and the iPad3. If you have the money to spring for a top of the line tablet you won't regret it. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 / 10.1 and ASUS Transformer / Transformer Prime are worth every penny of their high price tag.

If you don't need the ASUS keyboard dock and/or HDMI out then the Galaxy Tab is a much better choice. The Galaxy Tab has a more more polished and smooth UI experience. Even though Samsung uses a lot of plastic it's build quality and layout are much better than the ASUS or iPad. Plus it's lighter and more comfortable to hold. I own both a Galaxy Tab 10.1 and a ASUS Transformer Prime. If I didn't use the keyboard dock so much and HDMI out I would definitely get rid of it for a Galaxy Tab 8.9 to compliment my 10.1. Most likely the VZW 4G version.

update: Just to add, the 8.9" size of the Samsung feels great in hand. I'm still considering getting rid of my Transformer Prime for the 8.9" Samsung. The size is just perfect. The Sony at 9.4" starts to get into a weird area where you might as well step up to a much better device with a 10.1 Samsung or ASUS.
 
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Tom T

Senior Member
Feb 18, 2011
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Actually the Sony is a great tablet, and if you ever had a chance to actually hold one in your hand and use it for a while it is by far the most comfortable larger screen tablet to hold. I believe I could actually use it to read, something I felt I could not do with anything larger than 7" screen.
 

RyanSammy

Member
Sep 7, 2011
9
1
Thank you for all your help!!
In the end i ordered the Samsung 8.9 tab from the curry's website for £249. Bargain!!
 

Eddyad37

Member
May 10, 2012
1
0
I'm deciding on my first tablet and can't decide between Galaxy 8.9 and Sony S. Basically I think I'd prefer the Galaxy but the Sony connectivity (SD card, USB) make it attractive, especially as I don't want to go above 16GB. I wonder how much space is free for photos etc? It seems that there is no way to connect a USB stick directly to the Galaxy - you have to use a PC.
Also, knowing that Sony can "tailor" its products, are there any Android app restrictions on the Sony? I don't want to be stuck with a Sony apps library only.
Comments and advice much appreciated.
Thanks

P.S. Comet have a Sony S 32GB £10 cheaper than a 16GB Galaxy - should that influence me?
 
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J515OP

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Staff member
Jan 6, 2011
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The Sony is nice but it does have it's Sony quirks. It isn't totally locked down like some of their products (you can access Google Play store) but it is more restrictive than it should be and doesn't even integrate very well with Sony's own products.

On most tablets the OS uses about 3GB leaving the remaining portion for the user. So as long as you are ok with ~13GB of space to use then a memory card slot becomes less of an issue (still preferable though). Don't worry about the lack of a full size usb port you can still use a usb stick or any other usb device, you just need an adapter to micro usb. Better yet, you can transfer things wirelessly between the PC and the tablet. This is very easy to do with file manager apps such as ESFile Explorer and Astro File Manager. They will let you navigate any device on your network and access the files on that device (if you have it set up to share).

There are also many great cloud options such as Box and drop box that you can use to put files in the cloud and sync them to any device wirelessly so that you don't have to plug and unplug anything. This also makes the need for on board storage less of an issue.

Test them both out in person if you can because the form factors are very different. If I had to choose between the two I would go with the Samsung.
 

Tom T

Senior Member
Feb 18, 2011
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191
I know this my own little obsession, maybe shared by others, but I just can't bring myself to buy a device that doesn't use Gorilla glass. I love the Sony form factor but I hate screen protectors and would probably spend many a sleepless night worrying about scratching the screen. Everything else being equal, and they almost are,I would probably choose the Samsung. Plus, of course,I have a 7 plus and can attest to the quality build of their devices.
Still, I've spent some time with the Sony and it is probably the only larger screen device I felt comfortable holding to read for an extended period, the design is well thought out.
 

jbenham

Official ATF App Tester
Oct 25, 2011
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Eddyad37 said:
I'm deciding on my first tablet and can't decide between Galaxy 8.9 and Sony S. Basically I think I'd prefer the Galaxy but the Sony connectivity (SD card, USB) make it attractive, especially as I don't want to go above 16GB. I wonder how much space is free for photos etc? It seems that there is no way to connect a USB stick directly to the Galaxy - you have to use a PC.
Also, knowing that Sony can "tailor" its products, are there any Android app restrictions on the Sony? I don't want to be stuck with a Sony apps library only.
Comments and advice much appreciated.
Thanks

P.S. Comet have a Sony S 32GB £10 cheaper than a 16GB Galaxy - should that influence me?

Sounds like a win win situation for you. I really like the Sony S.
 
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