I currently own both of these tablets, the 32 gb. octa-core Exynos version of the Note and the 128 gb. version of the Air. During the last week I have noted several differences that I will list below. By way of background, I am a Note 3 user and am not a fan of the iPhone, although I have owned a few in the past. I have, however, been an iPad and Mac user for many years. So far I have not found a worthy Android tablet competitor. I was hoping that the Note 10.1 2014 edition would change that. Now that you are aware of my biases I will list the differences I have discovered:
- The ipad is lighter and for my hands is slightly more ergonomic to hold;
- Battery life appears to be significantly better on the ipad although this may vary depending on the services you have turned on ie bluetooth etc;
- The Air appears to be smoother, quicker and more refined. Although on paper, as evidenced by several benchmark scores posted around the internet, the Galaxy should be quicker, I did not find this to be the case. For some reason, the Note has noticable lag, often when opening applications. I also experienced some stutter when scrolling. These issues did not show up on the ipad ;
- The Air was significantly quicker surfing the web. I performed several tests using various Android browsers including the native internet browser, Chrome, Dolphin and Maxthon. Of the Android browsers Maxthon was the quickest although it had issues typing on websites such as this one. It was very difficult to get the cursor to appear at a desired location. This was not an issue with the other browsers. Safari on the iPad was significantly quicker in most tests. Basically I opened several internet pages simultaneously on both devices. In some cases Safari was twice as quick opening the same page. I ran a Ookla speed test. Both devices achieved similar download scores on my network so that was not the cause. I am not sure if this is related to the lag problem or if Safari is a superior browser. I expect the former as many have reported browsers such as Chrome to be superior to Safari;
- Both screens are outstanding. In portrait orientation, the Air may be slightly more ergonomic as a result of its 4:3 aspect ratio. In landscape, I preferred the Note, especially when viewing 16:9 material. The Note in this orientation is noticeably larger and watching video was more enjoyable;
- I prefer the speakers on the Note to the iPad although I rarely use them as I mostly use headphones. I prefer the sound of the Galaxy through the headphone jack as well. Although very subjective, I noted a more open and detailed sound with more refined bass with the Note through the same headphones playing the same source material;
- The Air lacks multitasking which the Galaxy excels at if you use the native applications. You can have up to 6 apps running simultateously on the same screen. Unfortunately all apps are not supported. The air does, as a result of its intuitive operating system as mentioned above, allow you to quickly move from one screen to the other. Although not as useful as true multitasking it does narrow the gap somewhat;
- The Note has an external memory slot for up to 64gb. of additional memory allowing for a possible total of 128gb. The iPad obviously does not and to get the full 128gb. results in a more expensive tablet. So if cost and storage is an issue, the Galaxy has the potential to be the less expensive alternative;
- One of the main reasons for choosing the Galaxy over the Air would be for those who require or prefer the use of a pen. I have not used or researched third party options for the ipad. I would doubt that if any viable third party options existed they would integrate as well as the sPen does;
- The ipad has considerably more tablet designed apps available, at least for now; and
- As I do not typically use tablet cameras, I have no comment in this area.
Hopefully these observations will provide a little insight. I strongly recommend that if you can try them both to see which one suits you better for feel and overall experience. If this is not possible for you and you have a specific question I have not covered above, let me know and I will try to answer it as best as I can.
Yes, but as Karen has already stated, it is doubtful that you will find many people who have owned or currently own both devices. The replies you've received thus far has been fair, in my opinion. There is not right or wrong in this regard. You have to decide which device is best suited for what you want and need it to do, and only YOU can answer that question...
11-06-2013 11:50 AM
