Comparison: Galaxy Tab S10+ vs. iPad Air: Premium Showdown

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ vs. iPad Air: premium tablet showdown If you’re looking for a large premium tablet for under $1000, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ and the 13-inch Apple iPad Air will be among the ones you’ll have to choose from. We’ve reviewed both and compared them in detail. Our results are clear and in this comparison, you’ll learn which is better for whom.

Design & Build Quality

Let’s start with the exterior. The Galaxy Tab S10+ has a 571g lightweight and 5.6mm thin, very high-quality body, which is also dust and waterproof by the IP68 standard. The iPad Air (13 inch) is similarly thin at 6.1 mm, but weighs slightly more because it is also slightly larger. It’s not protected against water and dust.

While the S10+ has an aspect ratio of 16:10, the Air has an aspect ratio of 4:3, making it almost as long as the Samsung, but around 2.5 cm taller. The screen edges are similarly wide.

The Galaxy Tab S10+ offers USB-C 3.2 as an interface, while the iPad Air uses USB-C 3.1. Both support external monitors and both don’t have a headphone jack. The storage of the Air cannot be expanded with microSD card, but external hard drives are supported. The Tab S10+ can fit up to 1.5 TB microSD cards.

The iPad is available in blue, purple, polar star and space gray, while the Galaxy Tab can be ordered in moonstone gray and platinum silver.

Display

When comparing the displays, the differences between the two tablets are somewhat clearer. Apple’s iPad Air with its 13-inch IPS display has a resolution of 2732 x 2048 pixels.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ with its 12.4-inch AMOLED display offers a resolution of 1752 x 2800 pixels. The pixel density is almost the same on both, but as I said, they differ in their aspect ratio and display type.

Samsung offers a high-quality OLED display, while the iPad Air sticks with an IPS LCD panel. The S10+ is also covered with an anti-reflective coating, which works remarkably well in direct comparison. This is because direct light sources, such as ceiling lamps or sunlight, always reflect very well on the iPad. The Galaxy Tab S10+ does not have this problem, which makes it much better suited for outdoor use or media consumption, as TV shows and movies often have tons dark scenes.

Nevertheless, the iPad Air beats the Samsung’s display in one respect: Samsung loses nits in brightness, which is probably due to the coating, and the Tab S10+’s display only reaches a maximum of 550 nits, while the iPad Air reaches 600 nits. This difference is actually noticeable.

In terms of color reproduction, both cover the large DCI-P3 color space and both offer eye-comfort features such as True Tone and blue light filter.

However, colors appear more accurate on the iPad Air. This is also because the Tab S10 has a slight yellow tint, which is particularly noticeable on white compared to the Air.

The display of the S10+ has a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, while Apple only offers 60 Hz. That’s a bit of a shame, but it doesn’t change the fact that we think the iPad Air’s display is slightly better in direct comparison. Especially when working with photos.

However, if you particularly value deep blacks and HDR content, the display of the Galaxy Tab S10+ will be more appealing.

Speakers

Four stereo speakers are installed on both devices, which are relatively similar in terms of quality. We hear slight differences in the treble and bass. The Tab S10+ shows somewhat more defined trebles in or comparison, while the Air sounded somewhat more compressed. However, both speakers offer excellent quality overall.

Hardware & Performance

In terms of performance, Apple is far ahead. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ has a MediaTek Dimensity 9300+, while the Apple iPad Air is equipped with Apple’s own M2 chip.

Our benchmark tests clearly show the differences between the two chips. Especially in terms of graphics performance (GPU), the iPad Air is clearly superior to the Tab S10+. The M2 chip offers 10 GPU cores that are specially optimized for graphics-intensive apps. This means that creative tasks such as 3D modeling, video editing and rendering of high-resolution animations are completed faster and more smoothly on the iPad Air.

The Dimensity 9300+ of the Galaxy Tab S10+ is a great processor for the Android world and also allows good performance in games such as Fortnite or PubG Mobile. However, it’s weaker in professional apps, especially in comparison to Apple’s M2 chip, which effortlessly handles Adobe Premiere Rush, ProCreate or Affinity Designer well. For instance, while the Tab S10+ needs just under 20 seconds to render a one-minute HD video in Premiere Rush, the iPad Air manages the same rendering process in just 4 seconds.

Gaming Test

Both are very well suited as gaming tablets. You can play all currently available games from the stores smoothly on the highest graphics settings on both.

However, the iPad offers significantly better performance in benchmarks.

Thanks to the M2 chip, the Air should therefore be more future-proof and still be able to cope with the latest games with high graphics quality in a few years’ time. This can already be seen in games such as Assassin’s Creed: Mirage. A very demanding game that is only available in Apple’s App Store and definitely sets new graphic standards for mobile games.

Software Comparison

When comparing a Samsung and Apple tablet, you’ll also have to take the software into account. On paper, the iPad Air is superior to the S10+ in terms of performance. However, in the Android world, the S10+ is one of the most powerful and best tablets on the market and pretty much never reaches its limits.

But that’s also because there are generally fewer professional apps in the Play Store, meaning that there are no or only slimmed-down software solutions available for many tasks.

The Apple App Store, on the other hand, has a much larger selection for creative tasks. There are professional apps such as Davinci Relsolve, Affinity Photo and Designer, as well as Adobe Photoshop. This is a clear advantage of the iPad.

Otherwise, both devices are on the latest versions of the competing operating systems. The Galaxy Tab S10+ runs on Android 14 with Samsung’s OneUI 6.1 and the iPad Air on iPadOS 18.

The Air will probably receive new software updates for 5 to 7 years and security updates for some time afterwards. Apple doesn’t usually make any firm statements or promises here, but they generally take good care of their devices for many, many years to come.

Samsung, however, comes with a big promise and pledges to provide it with Android version updates for a full 7 years and security updates for 7 years too.

Apart from the different app offerings in the stores, the Samsung has useful AI features in its own very good Samsung Notes app, but also across the system for PDFs, photo editing or with speech-to-text tools. Samsung also offers a desktop mode called DeX.

In Germany, where we are based, iPadOS currently has hardly any AI features. But they are working on rolling our Apple Intelligence in many countries over the next couple of month. In terms of multitasking, they have the Stage Manager and a side-by-side mode.

Battery Life

The iPad Air also has a number of weaknesses and its battery life is among them. In our battery test, the iPad Air only lasted 5 hours when playing an HD YouTube video at maximum brightness. Here, the S10+ achieves a very good result of 11 hours, which is also due to the AMOLED screen.

Stylus, Keyboard & Accessories

When it comes to pens and keyboards, both tablets offer interesting but different approaches.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ comes directly with the S-Pen which is water and dust proof like the tablet itself. With its precise pressure sensitivity and ballpoint pen-like tip, it is ideal for handwritten notes and drawings. Another useful accessory is the Samsung keyboard cover, which enhances the tablet for productive work. It is available separately for around 200 Dollars and works very well, especially in desktop mode.

The Apple iPad Air supports the Apple Pencil Pro and the USB-C version, but these must be purchased separately. The Pencil Pro offers a few more features than the S-Pen. Apple also has the Magic Keyboard, which is crazy expensive but works well. If you want to work productively with the iPad, a keyboard is almost a must, which significantly increases the overall costs.

Cameras

The cameras of the two differ primarily in their orientation and flexibility. The Galaxy Tab S10+ scores with a dual rear camera consisting of 13 megapixel wide-angle and 8 megapixel ultra-wide-angle.

The iPad Air has a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera, but it records at up to 60 FPS in 4K.

Both have a 12-megapixel front camera, but the iPad Air has a clear advantage for video conferencing with its Center Stage, as it automatically keeps faces in the frame.

The iPad Air’s camera is therefore ideal for video conferencing and high-quality video recordings, while the Galaxy Tab S10+ is more versatile when it comes to photography.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ Comparison: Final Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ starts at around $849, while the 13-inch iPad Air is available starting from $799.

The S10+ impresses with an AMOLED display, the included S-Pen and a long battery life. It is perfect for Netflix and YouTube, but also for games and office work. Especially if you prefer Android and would like to write with a pen at school, for example.

Due to its comparatively weaker performance, however, it is less suitable for professional and performance-intensive work. Especially when it comes to photo and video editing.

The iPad Air, on the other hand, scores with the M2 chip, optimized software and a wider range of professional apps. It is much better suited for photographers, videographers and creative professions in general.

Which tablet is better for you naturally depends on your requirements. For Android fans looking for a durable, flexible tablet for everyday use, work or study and media, the S10+ is a great choice. The iPad Air is better for Apple fans, of course, but also if you need a lot of power for games, and want to work creatively with your tablet.