Ever got bored of gaming on the same old small screen of your phone? Ever felt the need to own the Snapdragon version of a Samsung device instead of the Exynos one? Ever felt the need to own a device which isn’t a laptop but can act as a lightweight one?
The galaxy tab S7 has it covered. Well at least the second need may not be very relevant in this case, as the tab S7 (hereon referred to as the tab) doesn’t have an Exynos version. The tab’s insides include the latest (at the time of this writing) Snapdragon 865+ chipset, 6 gigs of RAM, 128 gigs of storage, and a respectable 8000 mAh battery.
The hardware externally is great too. You get the S-pen in the box, which can attach magnetically at the back. The USB type-C gen 3.2 is quite handy with different peripherals. Also, you may fancy the attachable, optional, keyboard cover which comes with a kickstand. The cameras are OK, just OK, not the note or the S series level.
With the commonalities aside lets dive into the gaming part. The 865+ proves once again why it is best for gaming. On this tab, you can see its prowess. I’ve tested the tab with the following games:
Freefire, fwd assault, COD mobile, battle prime, NFS no limits and angry birds 2 (because why not). In all these games the tab handles the highest graphics settings available in the respective options. Highest resolution, anti-aliasing, highest frame-rates, highest everything else. With ample screen real estate you can edit your controls on-screen. Moreover, the AKG tuned speakers are very good at understanding the direction of the sound. The quad speaker setup is very loud and clear. You do not find any rustling at high volumes.
I have tested this with controllers too. The dualshock 4 controller from my PS4 and the logitech F310 gamepad both worked well with the tab. Of course, you need games which support them. Also, the dualshock controller connected wirelessly while the F310 was connected via the USB using a type-C to type-A adapter.
The screen is an LTPS LCD. Although it is said to compete with the AMOLED screens, but you would really not need to care much as I am sure you wouldn’t not need to buy both the tab S7 and the S7+.
This LCD screen has ample brightness in direct sunlight but your battery will drain like there’s no tomorrow. Specially when you are gaming on it. There have been complaints about the screen showing green-tint but it appears to be only in the initial batches. Mine doesn’t appear to have that problem.
The tab uses a very capable type-C port. It can handle a wide variety of devices, as we have already seen in the controller front. You can connect a type-C hub and attach a mouse and keyboard to it. Works like a charm. It can also handle external HDDs and SSDs with decent transfer speeds. No additional power required. I have tested this using a Transcend storejet, a WD essentials and a Sandisk portable extreme.
Why not push this a step further? How will it handle external DVD drives? Well, there’s no straight forward support. If I do manage to set it up then this post will be updated.
If there’s a sale going on and you wonder, hmm…do I go for the iPad or the tab S7, rest assured; given the 3 years of software updates promised and the variety in attachments – go for the tab S7.