Any love for the S2?

[Lateck]

I am new to this forum but not to Androidforums...... I recently purchased the Tab S2 as it was the only Samsung tablet I could find in my neck of the woods. (Really wanted the Sony Xperia Z4 but it is not even sold in the states, as far as I see).
I am starting to get the hang of the Tab S2. But I don't see much love for it?
Even here in this forum there are only 7 (till now, 8) posts since July 20th......
I have not seen to many reviews or announcements for it.

Did I pick a lemon? Will it be around a year from now?

Any thoughts from the crickets?

Lateck,

 

[ExAviator]

I too went from a Note 10,1 to the Tab S2.
Obviously this Forum is 'rather slow' but do note that already about fifty people have read this post and at least 1270 have been on the Forum. Forums tend to be active when people have problems or are dissatisfied - perhaps most are happy and are not finding issues!
I personally like the Tab S2 and it certainly meets all my requirements. As yet I've not found it necessary to use this Forum to endeavour to resolve any problems. However I do wish this site was more active.

 

[Michael Spurgeon]

I had one for a few days -- far better than this so-called Tab Pro that I am still using - fast, great screen, good onscreen keyboard, MS Office including OnePass BUT BUT BUT could not deal with buttons on the side (always use my tablets in landscape orientation), hated the email client, and most of all, hated the new aspect ratio (none of my wallpapers or movies would correctly fit), so returned it. If the issues that I mentioned are not a problem, it appears that this is the top Android tablet including the Pixel C which I also returned but only for lack of a manual (none online). Good luck with your S2.

 

[whitecollar]

Love mine so far. I got the 8.0 for reading and browsing and love the size and weight!

 

[ExAviator]

I had one for a few days -- far better than this so-called Tab Pro that I am still using - fast, great screen, good onscreen keyboard, MS Office including OnePass BUT BUT BUT could not deal with buttons on the side (always use my tablets in landscape orientation), hated the email client, and most of all, hated the new aspect ratio (none of my wallpapers or movies would correctly fit), so returned it. If the issues that I mentioned are not a problem, it appears that this is the top Android tablet including the Pixel C which I also returned but only for lack of a manual (none online). Good luck with your S2.

Interesting. I use my tablets, including my S2, about 60-65% in portrait and 35-40% in landscape. When in landscape the Home button and the Back button are by my right thumb so in some ways it feels more natural than when I use the device in portrait as then I have to move my hand slightly to reach these controls.
I've not found the different aspect ratio has caused me any difficulty and is more usable on some occasions such as Word and Adobe documents. Even when watching films, the bar at the top and bottom is not really obvious. All my wallpapers etc fit.
No problems with e-mail whatsoever.
However, on the downside my Tab S2 did on one occasion 'lock up' and I had to reset using On/Off and Volume down together for seven seconds to reset, but nothing was lost. Thanks Michael for the 'good luck with your S2' comment.

 

[trankster]

Owned several tablets over the years including the Pro 8.4 prior to the S2 8.0. Had mine several months. Have to say this is the best and most stable Android tablet I have owned. It goes everywhere and has been used for photo editing, email, e-books and web browsing. Plus, occasional movies. Plenty of battery life, storage (32gb plus 64gb SD memory), good looking screen and absolutely no issues. Very happy with it.

 

[swerver32]

I just picked one up too. So far my only complaints are the speakers (not positioned for stereo landscape viewing, and too quiet) and the battery life seems thin. Need to start a battery thread and see how others are doing. Haven't fully tested yet, just bought it a few days ago for 299, but seems the battery may only last 8 hours or so. Main competitor for me was the Asus zenpad s 8, would prefer those speakers, but everything else is so good on this tab... and truthfully I wouldn't use the stereo speakers much anyway, so overall, can't beat this tablet, esp. Now that is 299. It is so darn responsive, least lag I've ever seen on any phone or tablet which really makes it a joy to use.

 

[dutydruid]

Wife got me the 2016 version for christmas and i love it.

 

[antzrus]

I've had the S2 8" 2016 model for about 9 mos now; my previously loved Nexus 7 2013 32gb finally up and died. I paid full $399 US for it. I must say it works very well, if not better than my Nexus 7. I wish they made a 7" model; fits better when carrying it-but I guess I do like the extra real estate. The one negative is that the Nexus hooked up with just a plain Micro USB/HDMI cable to run movies on my RV TV. The S2 is supposedly MHL compatible but I've tried a number of specific cables with no luck.

I hope you enjoy your S2 as I do. It's really the top Android tab (at the moment) IMHO.

Oh yeah, traffic on this site. On my RV (RoadTrek) site at least 95% are questions about how to fix this and that; with lots of traffic. I hardly ever see anyone praising our machines which in my book are the best Class B's around.

 

[antzrus]

The MHL cable I noted above is apparently not compatible with the '16 S2; which is apparently not MHL compatible-contrary to what you may read for those folks selling the cables.

 

[funpig]

I swore I would never buy a Samsung tablet or smartphone after my initial experience with my Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. In Canada, our 7.0 plus never got a single official OS update from Samsung. I did upgrade to jelly bean on my own by downloading the UK version a few years back. I squeezed a lot of years from it and it still works. However it is slow and it has all sorts of security issues because of the outdated jelly bean.

This week, I just took delivery of a "free" Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 on Airmiles rewards. Technically, I did not buy it or pay any money for it. It is the latest version SM-T713. It is an excellent tablet and lives up to the advertising and good reviews. Light, fast, excellent display, long lasting battery life and no wifi issues.

However, I hate the Material Design. Too much white and plain flat colour circles. Reminds me of a Twister game floor mat. I much prefer the Holo design of Jelly Bean. This is really old news, but when you jump from 4.1.2 to 6.0.1, the design difference is stark.

Like all new tablets, the side bezel is narrow. The problem is that when i am thumb typing, the fleshy base of my thumbs keeps hitting the keyboard causing typing errors. I need to hold the tablet more in my fingers to keep my thumb/palm from brushing the stock keyboard. I will try other keyboards. Samsung has a floating keyboard which allows me to move the keyboard further up the display and away from my palm. However, the floating keyboard is too small to use. I should probably just use the voice typing more.

I do prefer the 4:3 display format, especially when using the keyboard in the landscape mode. We also own an iPad so that is the format i use most. IMO, long tablets like the large Galaxy Tab A look funny.

Glad i was able to get the S2 on Airmiles because the retail price is not cheap. Honestly, if i had to spend this kind of money on a new tablet, i would buy an ipad mini instead. My ipad 3 is the same age as my 7.0 plus, but the ipad still works great and got 4 years of updates.

 

[jaypeecee]

Hi Lateck,

Yes, I have the S2 8.0 and I love it. Before making my purchase at the beginning of this month, I drew up a requirements specification and the S2 ticked all the boxes. It also gets very good reviews so I conclude that I am not alone in liking this device. I adore the AMOLED display, there is no lag and I prefer the 4:3 aspect ratio for my needs. My wife is now also the proud owner of an S2 9.7.

All the best from across the pond!

JPC

 

[Jore]

I know this is a little old but I got my S2 8.0 this past July 2017. I love it. Prior to this I had a Note 10.1 2014 edition but had gotten rid of it for a surface pro 4. I missed having a samsung tablet so I got an S2. Not only is it my daily user but I also use it for my drones.

 

[PhilipX20]

Wonderful to read opinions of S2 owners. I intend on buying one coming March as I've checked out a lot if tablets and this seems the most appealing to me and that it'll last for years to come. A couple of months ago I had ordered a Chinese tablet with 4GB RAM but it was so slow, felt so cheap and the screen wasn't even displaying correctly and thus, I sent it back (had to pay myself for return shipping). It's better to just go with a reliable brand sometimes.

 

[Buddyboy546]

My wife has an iPad while I have run a Tab S2 9.7 for a couple of years. I far prefer the S2. I am getting her an identical S2 for Christmas at her request. In my view it is far superior to the iPad in quite a few ways. A big plus is you can plug in extra memory. I find it reliable, easy to use and I love it.

I have two tips. I installed and use a Google keyboard. I find I make less mistakes with it with my big fingers, also it allows me to dictate what I want to write very easily and with very, very few mistakes. Also, some sites do not let you view the material in the landscape mode, forcing you to view them in portrait mode. I found the cure for that was I small app called Rotation Control. It lets you use whatever orientation you prefer.

I don't think you would be disappointed with the S2.