Samsung Galaxy Tab A vs Asus ZenPad 3S 10 - which to buy?

steffeeh · March 9, 2017

So I'm finally buying my very first tablet, and have done a very thourough check on what tablets are available here in Sweden using our equivalent to Newegg. I found plenty of alternatives, but after launching my own Hunger Games I'm down to 2 contestants:

- Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 SM-T580 32GB (equal to $330) https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAB8953W6320&cm_re=Samsung_Galaxy_Tab_A_10.1_SM-T580_32GB-_-9SIAB8953W6320-_-Product

- Asus ZenPad 3s 10 Z500M 32GB (equal to $418 on sale) - couldn't find it on Newegg, but here's it on the Swedish equivalent - https://www.prisjakt.nu/produkt.php?e=3822261

Both are somewhat similar by reading the specs, except: the Asus tablet has twice the RAM (4 GB), probably faster charging. Then we have various things where one is better than the other, but nothing that affects my decision.

But most importantly it's about 2 different form factos, Samsung with 16:10 vs Asus with 4:3

As for RAM I've been doing well of 2 GB on my phone, and I always have like 500-700 MB free, and I probably will have similar RAM usage if not less on my tablet. On the other hand you want the RAM to be enough for the future, however it's also true that you won't have a tablet for more than 3 years, so it's not that much of an idea to go hardcore on futureproofing.

As for formfactor, my usage will be mostly reading on the tablet, watching videos, and mirroring my desktop and controlling it from the tablet. Here it's pretty obvious that the 16:10 formfactor wins, but on the other hand a lot seem to indicate that 4:3 is better for web browsing, and that the market is aiming more and more towards it.

So ground up it's mostly about the amount of RAM and what formfactor will benefit me the most.

As for pricing it will of course feel in my wallet with around $95 extra, but I'm willing to pay that if necessary.

HunterAP · March 10, 2017

Personally, I hate Samsung's TouchWiz, having used a Galaxy Note2 and a few tablets. Even though some features are great, TouchWiz's performance ruins the appeal for me. Also the fact that if you aren't rooting & debloating, Samsung devices have KNOX and a ton of bloatware on top of regular Google bloatware. Then there's the fact that Samsung just drops support for devices in about 2 years, but if you're not going to use it for more than 3 years then it's not a huge deal.

The positive side is that you get an SD card slot for support up to 200GB.

I haven't had an Asus tablet before, but from what I've read on the one you listed, it seems like a better fir for what you plan to use the tablet for compared to the Samsung one. I'd say wait for it to release and read some Day 1 reviews online before making the final call though.