Tablet – Appliances catalogue

09 Dec

Nokia T20 Tablet Review: Plenty of Peaks and Valleys

December 9, 2021
Posted by Samson

You can play Call of Duty: Mobile on Nokia t20 tablet.

"The Nokia T20 tablet is a decent tablet that is better than a Fire tablet and cheaper than an iPad, but that's all it offers."

advantages

Nice design with nice color
Good price
Decent performance
The Google TV hub is pretty awesome

disadvantage

Poor network connectivity and battery life
Screen is not bright enough.
Volume is not loud enough

The Android tablet market is largely dominated by iPads and Amazon Fire tablets, but the Nokia T20 is worth considering. If you're looking for a tablet that's cheaper than an iPad but more useful than an Amazon Fire, the Nokia T20 is a good budget option with just a few minor pitfalls.

One of the (only) advantages of using an Android tablet (as opposed to a Fire) is access to Google services and the App Store. Gmail, Maps and Drive are central to my workflow. And while most Android apps aren't ideal for the tablet form factor, the Play Store is a much better app ecosystem than Amazon's App Store. Also, Google recently launched Android 12L, which is designed for tablets and is foldable, indicating Google's interest in form factor support. So now could be a good time to jump on the Android tablet bandwagon.

Overall, the Nokia T20 does a pretty good job as a media streamer and can even turn into a productivity machine. Let's dive in.

Design and display

The Nokia t20 tablet is too big to hold with one hand.

The Nokia T20 tablet has a glass and aluminum construction so you won't confuse it with a budget device. The deep ocean colorway on the back is a pleasant shade of blue. It gives the tablet an overall classic and subtle look that you would want from a coffee table tablet. One disadvantage is that the display is not bright enough for outdoor use. Otherwise, it's a sharp 10.4-inch diagonal with a resolution of 1200 x 2000, resulting in an odd aspect ratio of 5: 3. That puts it somewhere between 16: 9, which is great for watching movies, and 2: 3, which is great for productivity.

This tablet does a pretty good job as a media streamer and can even turn a case into a productivity machine.

The aspect ratio means that the tablet is awkward to hold to read in the Kindle app. It's too wide and too big to hold with one hand in any orientation. So you can either hold the tablet with both hands or place it on a table to watch movies or TV. Speaking of watching movies, most have black bars at the top and bottom, but they're not distracting as letterboxing is also common on TVs.

The Nokia t20 is easy to hold and carry.

In landscape mode you will find the power button in the upper left corner. The volume rocker is at the top in the same corner. You can expand the 32 or 64 GB internal storage with a microSD slot on the top right. Stereo speakers on both sides deliver good sound that isn't quite as loud as I'd like. There is a headphone jack in a strange place in the rounded corner of the tablet. I didn't expect to find it there, so much so that I didn't even notice it for the first week. Finally, there is a single USB-C port on the right for charging and data.

The power button is placed a bit inconveniently because I accidentally switched off the tablet while playing or only held the tablet with two hands. That gets really annoying when playing or reading. Combined with the weight, this means this tablet excels when you can put the tablet on a stand and watch a video, or when you plug in a wireless keyboard for easy typing. That's exactly how I wrote this review.

Performance, battery and camera

The Nokia t20 has a great blue color scheme.

In this section, I'm going to highlight the ups and downs of this tablet. What is important here is the price. While the price tag isn't all that cheap with a Fire tablet, it's very cheap even when compared to a base model of the iPad. But this low price comes with some compromises.

To be honest, the performance and battery are not great. While the tablet can run games like Call of Duty: Mobile pretty well, the game loads very slowly. Apps tend to lag on launch and even if you switch back to them while multitasking.

Network connectivity isn't great either. The tablet sometimes had problems playing or resuming a video stream on my mesh home WiFi. I was testing it on either my iPad or Lenovo Tab 13 Yoga when this happened. Both had no problem playing the same content at the same time. Add to this the performance lag, and that doesn't mean good things for hardware.

The battery is an 8,200 mAh battery that lasts for about one to one and a half days. When you stream or play videos, the battery chews through pretty quickly. After 30 minutes of streaming Netflix at 75% brightness and playing Call of Duty: Mobile, the battery was 80%. In contrast, most phones can do both activities along with 30 minutes of navigation and have more in the tank.

A good pill usually gives you a solid two days. This is not enough, so remember to plug it in at night.

The battery life isn't bad, but it's not the best either. I often found myself picking up the tablet in the morning only to find the battery at almost 25%. A good pill usually gives you a solid two days. This is not enough, so remember to plug it in at night.

As for the cameras, there are two. On the front, you get a 5 mega-pixel shooter that is clear and great for video calls and the like. On the back there is an 8MP shooter that is suitable for scanning documents or QR codes. These are the only acceptable uses for a tablet camera, by the way. Please don't be the person holding up your slate to record a concert.

software

The Google TV interface is one of the best things about the software.

The software on the Nokia T20 is pretty close to a standard Google experience. That's a good thing, too, because there isn't a lot of additional bloatware that takes up space. I activated the gesture navigation right away because that's how I roll. Unfortunately, on a tablet, it takes several seconds to display multitasking when using gesture navigation. It takes so long that I often have to remind myself that I'm actually doing it right. Having seen this phenomenon on other tablets, I can assume this is an Android thing, not a Google thing. That doesn't make it any less of a nuisance.

A nice part of the software is also a Google component. The Google TV hub is pretty awesome. It's a combination of the different services that you've signed up for and can curate the content for you, which you can watch from Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and others. While I certainly miss the Google News feed, this is an acceptable replacement, especially given the nature of Android tablets. They are primarily content consumer machines.

As mentioned earlier, you can use the tablet as a productivity machine, but there is no software here to make it possible like there is on the Lenovo Tab 11 Plus. Also, it doesn't mean you should be doing something just because you can do something on this tablet.

A nice part of the software is also a Google component. The Google TV hub is pretty awesome.

Other aspects of the software are singing the same chorus they have been singing for years. Android apps are not optimized for a tablet screen. Hopefully Android 12L (when it comes to this tablet) will fix this problem. But for now, you can only expect regular Android apps that cover a larger area. That is not Nokia's fault, however; this is google's fault and it is high time google fixed it. What would Nokia's fault be if this tablet never saw Android 12L. Nokia isn't exactly known for its software updates, and while Nokia promises three years of security updates, I wouldn't be holding my breath for OS updates.

Price and availability

The Nokia T20 tablet is available in the US for $ 249 from Nokia.com or. available Amazon. In the UK, prices start at £ 199. The main difference between the US version of the tablet and the global version is in the LTE connectivity. The US tablet doesn't have that; global publishing does.

Our opinion

The Nokia t20 tablet fits easily into a backpack.

Overall, this is a nice coffee table tablet that is good for content consuming and some gaming. It lives in that strange space between being more useful than an Amazon Fire tablet and less expensive than an iPad. It's a stunning tablet that can give you a good screen for watching movies and, in a pinch, can even help you get productive work done.

While it's good for the price, if you really want a great tablet, spend about $ 100 more and get a 9th generation iPad. If all you want is a tablet for movies and a game or two, get an Amazon Fire. But if you want something that bridges the gap and lets you use Google services that can't be overrated, then this is a good tablet that won't break the bank. Just don't expect a great app experience or software updates.

Is there a better alternative?

Naturally. Probably the best Android tablet you can buy is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7. The best tablet you can buy overall is the iPad Pro. However, if you want to stay in the under $ 500 category, check out the iPad Mini. This is one area that Apple has blocked the field and the Nokia T20 doesn't change that fact. It's not a terrible tablet, but it's not really good either.

How long it will take?

The aluminum construction makes a robust impression. Provided there is no accidental spillage or drop, the hardware should last a long time. However, we cannot make any guarantees about software updates, and history is not on Nokia’s side. Nokia promises three years of security updates, so that's it. What we can promise is that you will get your money's worth with this tablet over its entire service life.

Should you buy it?

No. But that's the answer we give you for almost every Android tablet we look at. Google just isn't there yet, but there is hope on the horizon. If Google is serious about Android 12L, that can change the conversation. Android is a wonderful operating system on phones, but the experience doesn't translate well to bigger screens, and it's a shame it took foldable phones to finally make this clear to Google.

Editor's recommendations

06 Oct

Blog

Microsoft Surface Go 3 Review: A Surprisingly Likable Tablet

October 6, 2021
Posted by Samson

Microsoft Surface Go 3 is sitting on the table.

Microsoft Surface Go 3

RRP $ 400.00

"The affordable Microsoft Surface Go 3 isn't a performer, but it's still fun."

advantages

Excellent workmanship
Superior display for a budget device
Excellent support for Active Pen
Small and light
Surprisingly good real world performance

disadvantage

Can get expensive
Mediocre battery life
The keyboard and touchpad are tight

The third generation is usually when Surface products catch on.

The Microsoft Surface Go is the smallest and cheapest Surface you can buy – the Surface Go 2 landed on our lists of the best budget laptops and the best 2-in-1s. It wrinkles the usual premium status of the Surface line and still offers a lot of what makes the Surface so attractive.

I have the high-end configuration of the Surface Go 3 with a 10th Intel Core i3-10100Y CPU. That configuration costs $ 630 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of solid-state storage (SSD) – not too cheap compared to a budget range that has steadily improved over the years. Although the Surface Go 3 doesn't quite keep its promise of significantly improved performance, it still has its charms.

draft

Microsoft Surface Go 3 stand. Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Especially at its entry-level price of $ 399, the Surface Go 3 is an impressively built tablet. Made of magnesium, it is soft but solid to the touch, showing that it was made with meticulous tolerances. It's far better built than most budget laptops, on par with the Apple iPad for $ 329, while it vastly outperforms the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet for $ 279. In fact, I'd keep the build quality of the Surface Go 3 with the Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable, which starts at over $ 1,000.

For aesthetics, think of a Surface Book 7, only smaller. The Surface Go 3 is the same color and shape, has slightly more rounded but still familiar corners, and shares the oversized bezels of its bigger brother. The stand, which can be used excellently, is similar. It can be folded out from the center back of the case and extends into a comfortable angle for using the (unfortunately) optional Surface Pen. It's a modern device in every way except for the large bezels, which look old-fashioned compared to many current laptops.

Microsoft Surface Go 3 connectivity. a single USB-C port, a 3.5mm audio jack, the Microsoft Surface Connect port for power and connection to a proprietary hub and microSD card reader Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

While the Surface Go 3 is a small device, it's not as small as it could have been with smaller bezels. Even so, at 9.65 x 6.9 inches, it's almost identical to the iPad (9.8 x 6.8 inches, with its own large bezels on each end). And the Surface Go 3 has a larger 10.5-inch display compared to the 10.2-inch panel on the iPad. However, at 0.33 inches, it is thicker than the iPad at 0.29 inches. Some of that extra thickness will most likely accommodate the integrated stand. The Surface Go 3 is also slightly heavier than the iPad at 1.2 pounds versus 1.09 pounds.

Connectivity is limited as you can imagine with such a small and thin device. You get a single USB-C port, 3.5mm audio jack, Microsoft Surface Connect port for power, and connection to a proprietary hub and microSD card reader. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 perform wireless tasks.

power

Microsoft Surface Go 3 tablet mode. Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The Surface Go 3 offers an Intel Core i3-10100Y CPU, which is a step up from the 8th generation Core m3-8100Y of the previous generation, but not in this way. It hardly beats its predecessor (we'll get to that in a moment) in objective tests, and yet the Surface Go 3, subjectively, strangely enough, doesn't feel that slow.

I haven't used the Surface Go 2 so I can't directly compare the two, but the Surface Go 3 did well most of the tasks I asked it to do. That surprised me because I expected it to feel a lot slower. If I didn't open too many tabs in Edge or had too many apps running in the background, the Surface Go 3 worked just as well as many other budget laptops I've used.

Sure, some things are slower – it takes an extra split second to view an email, opening Edge with multiple standard tabs suffers from some additional initial loading times, and opening new apps with a full complement of running programs was a bit delayed. But overall, I was impressed with the subjective performance of the Surface Go 3. It's not as fast as an iPad, but then again, a fully functional operating system runs in Windows 11. Speaking of which, the Surface Go 3 is configured in Windows 11 S mode, which limits apps to those available in the Windows Store. To install our test suite, I left S mode, which was trivial.

Surface Go 3 lets you get your work done; just moderate your expectations when it comes to medium to heavy workloads.

Now for these benchmarks. In Geekbench 5, the Surface Go 3 managed a disappointing 920 in single-core mode and 1,704 in multi-core mode. These are some of the slower results in our database, and just ahead of the Surface Go 2's 868 and 1,626. We don't have any comparisons to this particular CPU, but even Chromebooks running the Android Geekbench 5 app with similar processors are twice as fast. In our Handbrake test, which encodes a 420MB video as H.265, the Surface Go 3 took a lethargic 612 seconds, just nine seconds faster than the Surface Go 2. These are the two slowest machines in our database. The next slowest laptop is the Lenovo Yoga C640 with a Core i3-10110U, which took 397 seconds to complete the process.

I ran PCMark 10 and the Surface Go 3 achieved 2,611 points in the Complete test, the lowest score in our database and well below the next lowest. However, we haven't tested many comparable laptops since using this benchmark. Surface Go 3 scores were consistently low, including essentials, productivity, and content creation. The latter result was miserable.

However, as I said, the real world performance is better than these benchmarks suggest. Surface Go 3 lets you get your work done; just moderate your expectations when it comes to medium to heavy workloads.

	Geekbench 5 (single / multiple)	Handbrake (Seconds)	PCMark 10	3DMark time spy
Microsoft Surface Go 3 (Core i3-10100Y)	920/1704	612	2611	320
Microsoft Surface Go 2 (Core m3-8100Y)	868/1626	621	N / A	N / A
Lenovo ThinkPad X12 detachable (Core i5-1130G7)	1352/4796	185	4443	926
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 (Core i5-1035G4)	1237/4455	N / A	N / A	487
Acer Aspire 5 2021 (Core i3-1115G4)	1215/2544	300	3752	652

The Surface Go 3 uses Intel UHD 615 graphics and is nothing more than a casual gaming system – and by that I mean simple Windows 10 games like Solitaire and the like. It scored a pathetic 320 in the 3DMark Time Spy benchmark, which is one of the lower scores we've seen. I just ran Fortnite to giggle and it was a four frames per second slideshow at 1280p with high graphics.

Screen / display on Microsoft Surface Go 3.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Microsoft Surface Go 3 in tablet mode with stylus.

Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

In typical Surface fashion, the Surface Go 3 has a display with a higher aspect ratio of 3: 2, which makes it exceptionally convenient to use as a tablet in portrait mode – it is closer to the size of a sheet of paper compared to 16: 9 displays who are too tall and thin. It's a 10.5-inch display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,280 that is sharp enough even for someone like me who prefers 4K displays. Thanks to its brightness and high contrast, I enjoyed using a display that produced black text that jumped off the page.

My colorimeter supported me. Put simply, this is an excellent display for a tablet, starting at $ 399. The colors were exactly on the premium laptop average of 75% AdobeRGB and 99% sRGB, which is more than enough for comfortable, productive work, even if it's not as wide as creatives are looking for. And the color accuracy was also very good with a DeltaE of 1.21 (1.0 or less is considered excellent) and was thus above the premium average. The contrast ratio of 1,360: 1 was well above our preferred threshold of 1,000: 1, and the brightness was excellent at 434 nits (again well above our desired value of 300 nits).

The Surface Go 2 had slightly wider colors at 77% AdobeRGB and 100% sRGB, but they were less accurate at 2.21. The brightness was also lower at 342 cd / m² and the contrast ratio was a disappointing 730: 1. Microsoft has improved its game with this display. The much more expensive Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable had fewer colors at 72% and 97% and was a little less accurate at 1.59. It wasn't as bright at 364 nits and its contrast ratio was lower at 940: 1.

I am impressed with the ad. It is objectively superior to many laptops that cost three times as much, and it was a pleasure to use during my test.

Two front-facing speakers provide the sound, and while the volume doesn't get as loud even at full volume, the sound is remarkably clear. The mids and highs are crystal clear and there's even a hint of bass. I was particularly impressed by the dialogues in TV programs and films. You can use these speakers to catch Netflix if you want, as long as you are okay with a medium volume level.

Keyboard and touchpad

Microsoft Surface Go 3 keyboard, trackpad and stylus. Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The biggest problem with Microsoft's Type Cover – which applies to all Surface tablets – is that it doesn't come with it. You have two options for the Surface Go 3, the standard $ 100 Type Cover that comes in black, or the Signature Type Cover for $ 130 that is upholstered in (fairly comfortable) Alcantara fabric and in ice Blue, Platinum and Poppy Red is available. My test device came with the Ice Blue Signature Type Cover, which brought the cost to $ 760. I'll go ahead and point out that the Surface Pen isn't included either, and that's another $ 100 – which brings the overall evaluation package to $ 860, which is too high.

The second most important problem with the Type Cover is its size. Of course, given the miniature size of the Surface Go 3, Microsoft couldn't have done anything about it, but the buttons are tiny and there isn't enough space between them. It's a cramped experience that takes some getting used to. I wrote this review with the Surface Go 3 to help familiarize yourself with fast typing on the keyboard, but there is a definite learning curve. Also note that the top row of letter keys is slightly off-center, and very sensitive typists may find this to be another adjustment. There's a decent travel, however, and the key switches are snappy, if a bit noisy, which makes the key presses themselves precise and consistent. The type cover has a bit of bounce, but it's not terrible.

The touchpad is small but has a faint click and thanks to the Microsoft Precision touchpad drivers it is responsive and accurate. I found the size to be an obstacle at times, but the overall experience was acceptable. The touch display is responsive and the Surface Pen supports its 4,096 pressure sensitivity and tilt support. The Surface Go 3 is an excellent note-taking device thanks to its small size and light weight.

An infrared camera and facial recognition provide Windows 10 Hello login support without a password. It was quick and reliable and clicks into place when you open the Type Cover. There's no way to block or turn off the webcam, which is an increasingly common privacy feature.

Webcam on the Microsoft Surface Go 3. Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Battery life

The case of the tiny Surface Go 3 houses a 28-watt-hour battery. That's not much, even for a laptop with low-end components and a small display. Even so, I was expecting better battery life than what I saw.

Overall, I have to classify the battery life as mediocre at best.

In our web browsing test, the Surface Go 3 only lasted 5.5 hours, about half of what we prefer in a laptop. That's 40 minutes longer than the Surface Go 2, which is a significant improvement, but the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet lasted 13.7 hours and the iPad can be expected to last around 10 hours. In our video looping test using a local Full HD Avengers trailer, the Surface Go achieved a more robust 11.45 hours. That's close to the Surface Go 2's 11.25 hours and about an hour less than the IdeaPad Duet. It will likely outperform the iPad's longevity and be closer to what other budget laptops achieve.

In PCMark 10 Applications' battery test, probably the best indicator of productivity longevity, the Surface Go 3 lasted about 6.5 hours, which is a low score that suggests you probably won't be working off the laptop for a full day will get out. Most of the machines we tested lasted about twice as long. I also ran the PCMark 10 gaming battery test, which saw the Surface Go 3 last a little over two hours. That's about average, and this test seems to show how hard a laptop works on battery power.

Overall, I have to classify the battery life as mediocre at best. Again, you probably won't go through a full day of work without joining unless you watch videos. The results support the notion that the Surface Go 3 is best suited as a secondary device rather than a primary workhorse.

Our opinion

Screen / display on Microsoft Surface Go 3. Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

When I started this review, I expected that I would not like the Microsoft Surface Go 3. The keyboard is small and cramped, the benchmark numbers aren't good, and those two factors taken together give me a bad first impression. That didn't last, however, as I adjusted to the keyboard and the real-world performance of the Surface Go 3 outperformed its benchmark results.

When I finished my test, I really liked the little tablet. It's a great size for casual use anywhere, I've enjoyed handwriting on the Surface Go 3 more than on many larger 2-in-1s, and the performance was good enough that I didn't notice any noticeable slowdowns. Of course, I'm describing casual or mainstream productivity workflows here – nothing demanding at all – and I wouldn't recommend it for anything more than surfing the web, checking email, running Office apps, and streaming media. Don't expect to plug it into an external display and use it as the main device.

However, it is a great device for all of these things. It's a bit pricey at $ 860 when fully configured with the fastest CPU, Type Cover, and Surface Pen – and that's a blow to it. I can't confirm the performance with the Pentium CPU alternative, so I don't know if the saving leads to performance issues. But if you're looking for a device that is easy to carry and convenient to use, then the Surface Go 3 is for you.

Are there alternatives?

The most notable alternative is the Apple iPad – the entry-level model that starts at $ 329. It has a great display, solid performance with iPad OS and millions of (mobile) apps. You can do the same things with it and enjoy faster performance. But you might be missing the full functionality of Windows 11.

You can also go up in size and price and opt for the Surface Pro 8. We're in the process of reviewing this detachable tablet and expect it to be a real step up from the Surface Pro 7. It will be faster and longer-lasting, and will also feature a larger display and keyboard.

Finally, if you're familiar with Chrome OS, you can save some cash and opt for the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet. This tablet offers reliable performance and a nice display, but it's not that well built. And again you have to come to terms with doing without a "real" operating system.

How long it will take?

The Surface Go 3 is exceptionally well made and should last for years. Whether the performance can keep up depends entirely on how Microsoft rates Windows 11, but considering that Windows 10 has never really slowed down, I would expect years of reasonably good performance. There is a one-year warranty that is standard and makes sense in this price range.

Should you buy it?

Yes sir. If you want Windows 11 in a smaller tablet that is easy to carry around and can handle your less strenuous workflows, the Surface Go 3 is a great choice.

Editor's recommendations

22 Jul

Blog

Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable Review: The Business Tablet

July 22, 2021
Posted by Samson

Dell Latitude 7320 detachable 2

Dell Latitude 7320 detachable

RRP $ 2,189.00

"The Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable is the best Windows tablet for business users."

advantages

Solid build quality
Very good presentation
Competent productivity performance
Thin and light
Good range of business features

disadvantage

Expensive
The keyboard and pen are expensive add-ons
Below average battery life

Windows tablets are making a comeback in the business world. Microsoft released its Surface Pro 7+ for business users, and Lenovo released the ThinkPad X12 Detachable. The Lenovo is an especially strong competitor that makes it onto our list of the best 2-in-1s. Now Dell has jumped into the race with the Latitude 7320 Detachable, another business-centric laptop that aims to meet the needs of corporate users.

Dell sent me a $ 2,189 (retail price) $ 3,127 configuration with an 11th Generation Intel Core i7-1180G7 CPU with vPro support, 16 GB of RAM, a 256 GB PCIe Solid State Drive (SSD) , a 13-inch IPS FHD + (1920.). x 1280) 3: 2 display and the optional keyboard and pen. The detachable tablet has a very special shape developed by the Surface Pro, and the Latitude 7320 Detachable follows that format exactly. Is it enough to stand out in an increasingly dense field?

design

Dell Latitude 7320 detachable Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The Latitude 7320 Detachable and Surface Pro 7+ don't look exactly the same. They are similar, but Dell's aluminum case is more rounded at the edges than Microsoft's magnesium case. It's a darker gray color compared to Microsoft's lighter silver, and the bezels are smaller on the sides – a big plus. There is more resemblance to the Surface Pro X, which is also more rounded and has smaller margins. The Latitude 7320 Detachable is an attractive device, albeit a rather conservative design, with few decorations other than the Dell and Latitude logos on the back of the case.

The tablets from Dell and Microsoft have the same type of stand that opens along the back and expands to similar angles, and their detachable keyboards are almost identical (more on that later). I would like to note here that the stand of the Latitude 7320 Detachable opens further down and is not as stable as the Surface Pro 7+ the more upright you position the tablet. Lenovo's ThinkPad X12 Detachable also has a similar design, although it uses the iconic ThinkPad look and feel, with a soft-touch finish compared to the cold metal of the other two and an all-black aesthetic. Interestingly, the Lenovo is more similar to the Surface Pro 7+ on the sides, and its stand is also better positioned for a more solid feel.

Each of the tablets are remarkably similar in size, with the Latitude 7320 Detachable being 0.33 inches thick and 1.7 pounds (tablet only) compared to the Surface Pro 7+ at 0.33 inches and 1.7 pounds and the ThinkPad X12 Detachable at 0.34 inches and 1.67 pounds. Thanks to the slightly larger 13-inch 3: 2 display (compared to the 12.3-inch 3: 2 displays on Microsoft and Lenovo tablets), the Latitude 7320 Detachable is slightly taller. However, these are all very light and good-sized tablets, so none of them have an advantage here.

In terms of durability, the Latitude 7320 Detachable feels almost as sturdy as its competition, which says a lot. Both the Surface Pro 7+ and the ThinkPad X12 Detachable are rock-solid devices, and the Dell is following suit – for the most part. The only difference is in the stand. Again, the Dell version is inferior to the other two. It just doesn't feel as good as the others, and as we mentioned earlier, the tablet doesn't feel as stable at a certain vertical point.

A profile picture of the Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable with a charging port and power switches. Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Connectivity is limited to a USB-C port with Thunderbolt 4 support on each side of the tablet and a 3.5mm audio jack on the top left. If you opt for the optional WWAN LTE 4 support, you will also find a micro-SIM slot on the right-hand side. Wireless connectivity is Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.

performance

Dell equipped the Latitude 7320 Detachable with low-power versions of Intel's 11th generation Core processors, and my test device was configured with the Core i7-1180G7 with vPro. This is the first laptop we tested with this specific CPU, despite testing slower versions. I expected the same performance from the Latitude 7320 Detachable; H. solid productivity performance, but not enough performance for CPU-intensive creative apps.

Unsurprisingly, that's exactly what I experienced. In Geekbench 5, for example, Dell performed a little slower than the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano with a Core i7-1160G7, but faster than the ThinkPad X12 Detachable with a Core i5-1130G7. The HP Specter x360 14 was slower, but I am reporting its performance in "Optimal" mode rather than "Performance" mode as set in the HP Command Center utility. This laptop is much faster in performance mode. Speaking of thermal and power management utilities, the Latitude 7320 Detachable uses the Dell Power Manager utility, but it made little difference in our benchmarks.

Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable Screen 2 Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

In our Handbrake test, which encodes a 420 MB video as H.265, the Latitude 7320 Detachable came last in our comparison group. Four minutes is pretty long for modern CPUs in this test, and while the Specter x360 14 was also slow, it was significantly faster in performance mode. Next up is Cinebench R23, where Dell again came last. It's clear the tablet has to throttle the CPU to keep things cool in such a thin case. Note that I only added the Asus ZenBook 13 OLED to show how these slower Intel Core machines compare to AMD's contemporary Ryzen chips.

Finally, I ran the PCMark 10 Complete test which, as you can imagine, lagged the Latitude 7320 Detachable. These results were transferred to the Essentials, Productivity and Content Creation areas of the benchmark, with the latter being particularly slow. Interestingly, the Dell Power Manager utility made a bigger difference in this review than any other utility I've used. The difference wasn't significant, but the Latitude 7320 Detachable was faster than the ThinkPad X12 Detachable and ThinkPad X1 Nano in performance mode.

Overall, as I suspected, the Latitude 7320 Detachable is really quick for productivity tasks, which we can say for every modern laptop we've tested. You won't notice any slowdowns or delays while running your web browser, Office apps, and the like, but try to do anything that is CPU intensive and you will be disappointed. The tablet stayed cool even to the touch, with quiet and inconspicuous fans that revved up during hard work. We tested the Surface Pro 7 long before we switched our benchmark tests, so I can't make a direct comparison. The Surface Pro 7+ uses 11th Gen Intel Core CPUs at full speed and is therefore likely faster than the Dell.

	Geekbench (single / multiple)	Handbrake (seconds)	Cinebench R23 (single / multiple)	PCMark 10	3DMark time spy
Dell Latitude 7320 detachable (Core i7-1180G7)	1532/5031	247	1246/3339	4410	1443
Lenovo ThinkPad X12 detachable (Core i5-1130G7)	1352/4796	185	1125/3663	4443	926
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano (Core i7-1160G7)	1466/5139	180	1377/4550	4600	1549
HP Specter x360 14 (Core i7-1165G7)	1214/4117	236	1389/3941	4728	1457
Asus ZenBook 13 OLED (AMD-Ryzen7 5800U)	1423/6758	124	1171/7824	6034	1342

I ran Fortnite on the Latitude 7320 Detachable to see how well the tablet can play, and in short, it can't. It only managed 14 frames per second (fps) with 1080p and high graphics and 8 fps with epic graphics. This is similar to the ThinkPad X12 Detachable and is to be expected for a tablet that is thermally limited and runs a GPU with low power consumption.

Display and audio

Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable Screen Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

Like the Surface Pro X, the Latitude 7320 Detachable has a 13-inch 3: 2 display that's slightly larger than the 12.3-inch displays on the Surface Pro 7+ and the ThinkPad X12 ThinkPad. It runs at 1920 x 1280 (like the ThinkPad), which is a lower resolution than the Surface Pro X'2 at 2880 x 1920 and the Surface Pro 7+ at 2736 x 1824. If you're a pixel peeper you might notice the difference, but I imagine most people will be happy with the resolution.

Fortunately, according to my colorimeter, Dell chose a nice panel for the Latitude 7320 Detachable. First, it's very bright at 397 nits, well above our threshold of 300 nits, which is compared to the ThinkPad with 364 nits and the Surface Pro 7 with 377 nits – we haven't tested the Surface Pro 7+ yet, but we can assume that it is that the ads are the same. The Dell beat our preferred contrast ratio of 1000: 1 by 1040: 1, while the ThinkPad missed by 940: 1 and the Surface Pro 7 came in at 1140: 1.

In terms of color, the Latitude 7320 Detachable has a slightly above average 77% AdobeRGB and 99% sRGB (most premium laptops are 75% and 95% respectively) compared to the ThinkPad X12 Detachable with 72% and 97% and the Surface Pro 7 at 70% and 93%. In terms of color accuracy, Dell also led the way with a Delta E of 1.17 (1.0 or less than excellent), the ThinkPad with 1.59 and the Surface Pro 7 with a disappointing 3.51.

Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable is used as a stylus tablet. Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

I enjoyed the display during my testing and found that it showed vivid colors that weren't oversaturated and offered crisp black text and a comfortable media streaming experience. Creative types who want bold color might not like it, but everyone else is happy to use it.

Two side-firing speakers provide audio, and I found it extremely quiet even at maximum volume. The quality was fine, with balanced mids and highs (but no bass) and no distortion. The speakers are just too quiet. You'll need headphones or a bluetooth speaker if you want to do more than just listen to system sounds and occasionally watch YouTube videos.

Keyboard, touchpad and webcam

A close up of the Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable's pen and keyboard. Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

In contrast to the ThinkPad X12 Detachable and just like the Surface Pro 7+ and X, the Latitude 7320 Detachable does not come with a keyboard and pen. While the slim active pen (more on that in a moment) costs a reasonable $ 70, the keyboard costs $ 200. Part of this cost is justified by the design, which includes a docking bay for the stylus that is hidden when the keyboard is set up. Otherwise, the detachable keyboard on the Lenovo is very similar to the Microsoft version. Aside from being a bit larger to accommodate the larger display, it's hard to tell them apart just by looking at them.

You'll notice a bigger difference once you start typing. The keyboard of the Latitude 7320 Detachable has a metal plate inside, which provides a certain rigidity. It's not as bouncy as the Surface Pro 7+ keyboard, but it's also not as solid as the ThinkPad X12 Detachable's keyboard. The typing feel is very similar to the Microsoft keyboard too, with plenty of travel and a mechanism that offers a nice click, but I found its bottom-through action weak and the overall experience less precise than the best of the best keyboards. You'll enjoy the HP Specter and Apple Magic Keyboard a lot more than this one, and you won't feel the keyboard wobble as you type. I would rate the typing experience as good, but not great, and a bit behind Lenovo's detachable keyboard.

The active pen is a slim version that fits into the keyboard docking station for magnetic storage and charging. According to Dell, the pen charges 100% in just 30 seconds and then offers 90 minutes of continuous use. This sounds good in theory, but 90 minutes may not be long enough in practice and other pens will last longer. For example, Microsoft estimates that the slim pen on the Surface Pro X will last 15 hours. The pen uses Wacom AES technology and supports Windows Ink (of course), and while I couldn't figure out the pen specifications like resolution, I found that it offers a smooth and responsive ink experience. As usual, the display is of course touch-enabled and responsive.

The case of the Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable. Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

A prominent component of the Latitude 7320 Detachable is the webcam. Dell has taken note of the increasing use of video conferencing thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and has installed a 5 megapixel (MP) webcam that enables full HD videos (1,920 x 1,080) at 30 fps. This is significantly better than the usual 720p laptop webcam and puts the Latitude in a different category as a video conferencing device. There is also an 8 MP outward-facing camera on the back that can capture 1080p video at 30 fps.

Administration, security and data protection

The Latitude 7320 Detachable is available with the optional vPro support that came with my test device. This increases manageability and security when connected to a corporate environment. Dell has also built in some of its optimization features, including ExpressConnect to automatically join the strongest network, Express Response to prioritize the most important apps, and ExpressSign-In. The latter uses an Intel Connect Sensing proximity sensor that can detect when a user is in front of the tablet and automatically wake it up and lock the tablet when the user leaves.

It's a nice feature that works well, although it can disrupt long processes – I had to turn it off to complete our longer benchmarks and run battery tests. There's also ExpressCharge for a 35 percent charge in 20 minutes or an 80 percent charge in an hour, and Intelligent Audio, which improves audio quality and reduces background noise.

Windows 10 Hello support is provided by both an infrared camera and facial recognition and a fingerprint reader located on the back of the case near the power button. If both work reliably and quickly, and you enable facial recognition, the Latitude 7320 Detachable can automatically recognize you when you return to work and log you directly into Windows.

What is missing is a way to turn off or cover up the webcam. This is common with modern laptops and tablets and is missing here.

Battery life

A profile picture of the charging port on the Dell Latitude 7320 Detachable. Mark Coppock / Digital Trends

The battery capacity of the Latitude 7320 Detachable is 40 watt hours, close to the 42 watt hours of the ThinkPad X12 Detachable and further behind the 50 watt hours of the Surface Pro 7+. With the lower resolution display and the power-saving CPU, I expected a similar battery life to that of these two devices.

We didn't test the Surface Pro 7+, so I can't make this comparison. But the Dell outlasted the Lenovo in our tests, starting with the web browser test, in which the Latitude 7320 Detachable lasted a little over seven hours compared to the ThinkPad X12 Detachable, which shut down 12 minutes earlier. That's not a very strong score, with most modern laptops getting closer to 10 hours on this test. In our video test, which repeats a local Full HD Avengers trailer, the Dell lasted a stronger 13.5 hours, while the Lenovo only exceeded 11 hours.

In the PCMark 10 gaming test, which stresses the CPU, the Latitude 7320 Detachable was at the lower end of our database with 2.5 hours, where the ThinkPad X12 Detachable only managed 18 minutes more. In the PCMark 10 Applications test, which provides the best indication of the likely battery life, the Dell achieved an average of 10.75 hours, while the Lenovo lasted about 30 minutes less.

Overall, these aren't the best results. You might make a day of work if you keep your chores light but put a strain on the CPU and you'll be looking for the charger. This is common with Windows 10 tablets, however, and while the Latitude 7320 Detachable can't compete with larger convertible 2-in-1s and clamshell laptops, it's fine for a Windows 10 tablet.

Our opinion

The Latitude 7320 Detachable is a good Windows 10 tablet with features that will appeal to business users. It doesn't exactly stand out in terms of its performance or battery life, but it's just as well built as the competition (except for the stand) and offers a good typing and ink experience. It doesn't beat the Lenovo ThinkPad X12 Detachable, but it is a stronger competitor to the Surface Pro 7+.

Really, any of these tablets are good choices. The Dell should be on your shortlist if you like its feature set and you probably will.

Are there alternatives?

The ThinkPad X12 Detachable is the strongest competitor. It's cheaper than the Dell and doesn't offer quite as many business features. But it's just as fast and has similar battery life, and the detachable keyboard is more solid.

The Surface Pro 7+ is another alternative tablet and a great choice if you're a Surface fanatic. It's likely a bit faster than the Latitude 7320 Detachable and may offer slightly longer battery life. It's also quite expensive and won't save you any money.

If you'd rather look at a convertible 2-in-1 and don't care too much about business features, then the HP Specter x360 14 is a solid contender. It's cheaper and better-looking, with a spectacular OLED 4K display and a larger 13.5-inch 3: 2 panel. It's bigger, heavier, and doesn't work as well as a tablet, but it's a better laptop.

The iPad Pro deserves a mention as it continues to add features that make it a stronger competitor to Windows 10 tablets. If you've shopped into the Apple ecosystem, the iPad Pro should be heavily considered.

How long it will take?

The Latitude 7320 Detachable is a rugged laptop with modern components that should stay with you for years. The one-year warranty is disappointing for a business-class device, but Dell offers several service upgrades.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The Latitude 7320 Detachable has enough features to make it a solid choice for business people.

Editor's recommendations

18 Sep

Blog

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus Review: Awesome Tablet For Video

September 18, 2020
Posted by Samson

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 plus review

"Once you watch videos on the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus tablet, you don't want to go back to anything else."

Amazing screen for video
Very powerful
Long battery life
S pen pen included

No wireless charging
Android still doesn't do very well on tablets

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus is a terrible trailblazer for bad habits. Look away now when trying to cut down your TV time as you will want to see a lot more after you buy. It doesn't matter what you want to see as pretty much everything looks and sounds amazing.

However, super video quality is just one reason to buy an expensive tablet and compete against the best high-priced tablet right now, the 2020 iPad Pro, there is much more that needs to be done. Because of this, I start the same way I did my iPad Pro review by writing this review on the Galaxy S7 Plus.

Hardware and design

The Galaxy Tab S7 Plus is huge and has a 12.4-inch screen. With the keyboard accessories attached, it's the size of a laptop and much larger than the 11.9-inch iPad Pro with the Magic keyboard we tested. It is a widescreen tablet with an aspect ratio of 16:10, so it is considerably wider in landscape mode. It's a device that always feels happier in landscape mode than it does in portrait mode. In practice this means that it is much better to watch movies horizontally than to browse books vertically or to read while lying in bed.

At just 5.7mm, it's very thin and the angular edges give it a modern and stylish look. The weight of 575 grams (1.27 pounds) is manageable and evenly distributed across the tablet so that it does not become unwieldy or tiresome. If the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus is used exclusively as a tablet, it makes more sense, as it becomes uncomfortable with the keyboard cover attached.

When you hold it in portrait orientation, the volume rocker and power button are on the right side, top and bottom are speakers and a USB-C port. It doesn't have a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the back, a black stripe extends under the camera module, which hides a magnetized holder for the S Pen, which serves as a wireless charging point for the device. It's a neat solution, but it prevents the tablet from laying flat on your back when you attach it. But kudos to Samsung for including the S Pen in the box.

I like the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus. It looks ultra-modern, the brushed metal case is classy and high quality, the screen bezels are slim, and everything is beautifully built as you'd expect. Tablets don't have to turn heads with their design, but they do need to look stylish and modern on a coffee table or when pulled out of the pocket, and the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus delivers it with ease.

Screen and video

The 12.4-inch Super AMOLED screen has a resolution of 2800 x 1752, a dynamic refresh rate of 120 Hz, HDR10 + support and, to absolutely no surprise, is insane. There is life, vibrancy, color and detail everywhere, and the high refresh rate makes it very easy on your eyes.

In the media, the Tab S7 Plus excels, and the resolution allows you to watch videos at 1440p, which I miss a lot when watching videos on the iPad Pro. I've found that I've been using Samsung's Video Enhancer mode for brightness and color more on the tablet than on the Note 20 Ultra because it really makes videos disappear from the screen.

This is how the carfection test of the Porsche 911 Targa looks fabulous. Such razor-sharp whites, eye-catching greens and with a resolution of 1440p also breathtaking levels of detail. The already atomic colors in Red Velvet's monster video are enhanced, and the amazing graphics look practically beyond the world at 1440p.

It almost didn't matter what I saw on the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, it's a great viewing experience. The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime? Dreamy. Paranormal Lockdown with its monochrome, loud night vision shots? Crisp and atmospheric. Even a relatively low-resolution episode of Wheeler Dealers from 2018 looked fine, despite not benefiting at all from the Video Enhancer mode.

Four speakers on the edge of the tablet ensure an impressive, surprisingly centered sound. Tuned by Samsung's own audio experts AKG, the vocals and speech are clear and defined, but the sound lacks deep bass. This is a minor point of contention, however, and the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus's ability as a video entertainment device is top-notch.

Other media? I found the tablet a bit too big for reading e-books lying down – it's like putting a small TV in bed – but good for more visual media like comics. After watching my regular rotation of videos on the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, I no longer wanted to watch them on my laptop or iPad. It really is that good.

software

Samsung's OneUI 2.5 installs alongside Android 10 and is very similar to the software found on the latest phones. This means that it is colorful with big icons, a very recognizable design, and a neat settings menu. The usual Android functions – for example a dark mode, gestures and the notification shadow – are all available and work quickly and reliably.

Problems arise with app support, as many (daring most) Android apps don't scale very well on a tablet screen and others don't work very well with the Tab S7 Plus keyboard or multi-windowing support. Twitter, Pocket Casts, Amazon, Google Drive, Strava, and so many other popular apps look terrifyingly bad in the landscape. They either enlarge the content dramatically to fit the screen, or slide it to one side with an unused blank surface next to it. Some apps even force you into portrait mode, which is incredibly frustrating.

The keyboard accessory trackpad is not fully supported by major productivity apps like Google Docs. For example, double-clicking text to highlight words does not work. In some cases, it's better to just reach up and touch what you need. With this full-featured keyboard and trackpad, you can get by with more web-based workflows. If you want to do all of your work on the tablet, it helps to be in the Microsoft ecosystem. It syncs Samsung Notes with OneNote and Outlook, for example, and the Outlook app actually looks pretty good here. Since I use a Mac with Pages and sometimes Apple's Notes app, the iPad fits my workflow better.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 plus review screenshot 20200917 165011 Twitter

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 plus review screenshot 20200917 164843 Twitter

Multitasking is strong and offers the ability to run three apps at the same time. Everything looks simple thanks to the power of the tablet. Chrome and Gmail work very well even when YouTube is running in a small pop-up window. If you're running an app in full screen mode, you can drag a multitasking app launcher to a tab on the right edge of the screen with the click of a mouse and drag out the app you want. It can be dragged to the left or right for a 50/50 split, or floated in the middle to make it a pop-up window. However, not every app supports split view or popup. So it is a bit of trial and error until you remember who can do what.

The 50/50 split view fixes many of the app scaling issues and brings them into the phone-like aspect ratio that you would expect. You can also drag the handle between the apps to resize them to whatever compromise you want. On such a large screen, you can easily do a 70/30 split and have a smaller tablet-sized app alongside a phone-sized app without feeling cramped.

Entering multiscreen mode is more tedious than multitasking activation in iOS, but I like the little icon that appears on the screen when you gently exit a pop-up and are ready to bring it back to front when required. It's great for playing YouTube in the background and still accessing it quickly when needed.

If you want a more focused work mode, there's Samsung DeX, which turns the tablet into a laptop environment with a familiar desktop layout, customizable windows, and a distinctly Windows 10-like design. The performance is great too without slowing down multiple apps running. Despite warnings, the tablet may get warm, but I didn't notice it. However, you need a really good keyboard and trackpad to take advantage of DeX.

I couldn't be satisfied with working on the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus. At least not for long periods of time, and I'd only go for the iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard if I thought my tasks were going to take more than 30 minutes. Most of this is due to apps that don't perform very well and keyboard issues, which I'll talk about below.

camera

It is a dual-lens camera on the back of the tablet with a 13MP main lens with a f / 2.0 aperture and an ultra wide-angle lens with 5MP f / 2.2. This is a tablet. So don't expect camera performance to be the same as the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra or even phones that cost half the price like the Pixel 4a. The photos taken are acceptable, but cannot handle shadows or low-light conditions well, tend to be oversaturated, and indoor photos may lack detail. However, it doesn't matter how often the camera is used for anything beyond the basics.

The selfie camera is 8 MP and performs well on video calls. Plus, the Live Focus portrait mode took decent bokeh-style photos. Placing it above the screen in landscape mode works well for zoom conferencing and video calls with friends because the angle is more natural than when the lens is placed on the side bezel. Overall, the camera does a good job for a tablet.

Performance, safety and battery

The Galaxy Tab S7 Plus has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus chip and either 6 or 8 GB of RAM, depending on whether you buy the basic version with 128 GB or the more powerful model with 256 GB or 512 GB.

Here are the benchmark tests:

3DMark Sling Shot Extreme: 6343 (volcano)

Geekbench 5: 961 single core / 2758 multi core

These are above the results of the Galaxy Tab S6, but slightly below the Asus ROG Phone 3, which also uses the Snapdragon 865 Plus chip. Playing on the tablet is great in terms of performance, but the size of the tablet means the case will dig into your palms after a short while, and I never wanted to play for hours. This is where the tablet's Xbox Gaming Pass feature comes in, which allows you to pair an Xbox controller and use the tablet as a screen. Given the stunning looks of the Tab S7 Plus screen, it can be a powerful gaming tablet, but only if you're willing to spend on the Xbox Pass and controller if you don't already have one.

An optical fingerprint sensor in the display is the most important biometric security measure, but not reliable enough. Almost every time I use it, it takes two or three times for the tablet to potentially unlock. The size of the tablet makes it quite difficult to aim the selfie camera when trying to use face unlock, which adds further delays. Accessing the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus is frustrating, and most of the time I had to use my PIN number to unlock it because the biometric methods failed. Interestingly, the smaller Tab S7 uses a side-mounted capacitive fingerprint sensor instead.

It's a massive 10,090 mAh battery that powers the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus. With medium to heavy use, it lasts two days. This includes light work, hours of video, some reading, and some games. The included 15W charger takes at least two hours to go from around 5% to full, and unfortunately there is no wireless charging, a feature I liked on the Huawei MatePad Pro. It is compatible with a 45W charger for faster charging. However, you have to buy one from Samsung.

Bookcover keyboard and S Pen

The so-called "book cover keyboard" is an optional accessory for the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus. So should you pick her up? First, let's talk about the good things. The book cover area attaches to the back of the tablet with magnets, remains very secure and has a very versatile pull-out stand and convenient compartment to keep the S Pen pen securely while charging. The hinge holds at every angle and perfectly matches the brilliant media capabilities of the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus.

The keyboard also locks into place with magnets, but is separate from the book cover. Key travel is judged well, and the keys are well spaced for touch input, and the trackpad is a decent size. If you're just typing at one desk or table at a time, that's fine. If you want to type with the tablet on your lap, it is no good at all. The keyboard area is too floppy because it is attached to the tablet with some cloth rather than a hard hinge. And while the bookcover's angled stand is set so that the screen is facing you, the entire setup is just too big unless your thighs are about 3 feet long.

In that respect, it doesn't compare to the surprisingly compact 11.9-inch iPad Pro and Magic keyboard. The trackpad also isn't very responsive and can get confused easily if your finger is still on it when you click. I also found the buttons and trackpad quite loud. So not good? It's about what I expect from the average tablet keyboard case. It's great for brief flashes of light sitting at a desk or table, but not for pronouncing thousands of words in a variety of environments. The two-piece design is a winner, however, as you can remove the keyboard and still retain the ability to prop the tablet.

If you only want to use the Tab S7 Plus for media consumption, the $ 80 book cover is a good buy as it comes in a slightly different configuration with a screen cover if you don't receive the keyboard. However, at a whopping $ 230, the Bookcover Keyboard is a tough sell. That puts the entire package north of $ 1,000, right in the range of high-end laptops, without a keyboard experience that matches the laptop.

The S Pen comes with the tablet and does not need to be purchased separately. It works the same as the S Pen does on the Galaxy Note series phones, and connects to Bluetooth for a variety of functions, including activating the shutter button in the camera. The S Pen is mostly great. The menu is easy to use, the response time of 9 milliseconds makes typing on the screen very pleasant and the note taking system is really useful.

However, some features are difficult to activate. Writing screen-off memos requires a precise combination of pressing the S Pen button and tapping the screen. The fact that the S Pen has to be placed on its flat edge in order to properly attach to the back of the tablet and charge is annoying. That said, the palm rejection is top notch, and I could put my hand on the screen and still write with ease, which makes it suitable for artists too.

Price and availability

The Wi-Fi Galaxy Tab S7 Plus can now be pre-ordered from Samsung and Amazon. Shipping begins September 18th and starts at $ 850 or £ 799. If you want 5G, pay $ 1,050, or £ 999, and only get by with the 128GB model. The keyboard bookcover is priced at $ 115 when pre-ordered, but has a normal retail price of $ 230. The book cover alone costs $ 80.

Our opinion

If you are worried about video, gaming, online shopping or other fun activities while viewing the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, just put your money down and enjoy the great giant Samsung tablet. The book cover is worth the extra, but the keyboard implies that you might want to do some work and that, despite its size and high price, isn't really its forte.

Is there a better alternative?

The 2020 iPad Pro was the main competitor of the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus and a better alternative until the 2020 iPad Air arrived with the new Apple A14 Bionic processor and compatibility with the Magic Keyboard. It costs $ 599, which is $ 200 less than the $ 799 iPad Pro. There are major differences between the two, but both share the same great iOS 14 software and app selection.

Another thing to note is the smaller $ 650 Galaxy Tab S7. It's cheaper but doesn't have the S7 Plus' AMOLED screen, but an LCD. The bigger question is, do you have to spend that much on a tablet in the first place? The new 8th generation iPad costs $ 329 and has everything that the more expensive models can do, but with fewer high-tech features. For most, simply hooking up with a phone and laptop is probably more than enough.

How long it will take?

Age. The Galaxy Tab S7 Plus offers the same performance as a top smartphone without the same requirements being placed on it. Therefore it will last for many years. When you take it out into the world, note that it doesn't have a rugged body or any form of water resistance. You can also buy the 5G version of the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus if you envision your future usage changing.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus is a fantastic media-focused tablet. All you have to do is settle for the starting price of $ 850 and pay an additional $ 115 (or $ 230 if you buy from MSRP) for a keyboard.

Editor's recommendations

29 May

Blog

Huawei MatePad Pro Review: Tablet Thwarted by the iPad

May 29, 2020
Posted by Samson

huawei matepad pro tablet review matebook feat

"A great display and convenient features like wireless charging make the MatePad Pro desirable, but it can't beat the iPad."

Colorful screen with an aspect ratio of 16:10
Wireless charging is welcome
Great audio performance
Good multitasking / desktop software

Limited availability of the app
Mediocre camera

I recently tested the Apple iPad Pro 2020 and the Magic Keyboard. This superb tablet and keyboard have become an integral part of my daily technical routine and replace my MacBook Air and phone for longer use when I'm on the couch.

Huawei's alternative, the MatePad Pro tablet (with keyboard case), is a challenger to Apple's experience, and I was excited to see how it compares to the all-conquering iPad Pro. The MatePad Pro has a lot to offer, but Apple's iPad Pro sets a high standard for deletion.

design

The Huawei MatePad Pro has a 10.8-inch screen, is 7.2 mm thick and weighs 460 grams. The total space requirement differs from the more square iPad due to the wider aspect ratio of the screen, which makes it appear more cinematic.

This is not a heavy device, but it feels significant. Every corner is neatly rounded and the chassis itself is curved, while the weight is centrally balanced. I found this to be a disadvantage when I held it upright with one hand as the top of the tablet felt heavy when the gravity took over. The screen is surrounded by frames that still give your palms enough buffer when you hold it in landscape orientation.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Huawei uses a hole-punch selfie camera with the MatePad Pro, as we saw on some smartphones. It is located in the top corner of the screen and is very good for unlocking the face as it is not covered by the palm of your hand. It disappears quickly when you watch videos, just like on a phone. It is also a good visual indicator of which end is imminent.

Turn the tablet over and everything is very simple in design. There's a dual-lens camera, some Huawei and Harmon Kardon brands (which power the speaker system), and that's all. My evaluation tablet had a muted steel-gray color, but lighter orange and green models are also available. Take a look at the top and bottom. You only see the speaker grille and the Type C USB charging port.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The dimensions of the MatePad Pro make it easy to take with you. I took it out in a small bag when I took a couple of photos and it never felt awkward or added any uncomfortable amount of weight. Even if you wrap it in the keyboard case, it stays that way. The thin screen bezels give it the same modern look that I loved on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e, and apart from the somewhat cumbersome weight balance, the MatePad Pro is a real eye-catcher.

The keyboard case

Huawei sells you a keyboard case for the MatePad Pro if you want to do light work, but it is not a magic keyboard. Instead, think of it as the Huawei equivalent of Apple's Smart Keyboard. It is a wrapper that covers the tablet's body and screen and then opens to reveal a keyboard and provide a convenient way to support the tablet for easy viewing and typing.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The case is magnetically attached to the MatePad Pro, but the connection isn't as strong as I would like it to be. When I "opened" the case to use the keyboard, I often used the edge of the case to do it, and it usually separated from the body, which became frustrating. It doesn't feel very good either. It is a hard structured plastic rather than leather or another soft material.

There are two preset angles for the screen. The base of the tablet magnetically snaps into pre-cut grooves in the case and is far more secure than the back of the case. It will definitely not come off. I found that the two perspectives covered most eventualities, whether I was typing on a desk or watching a video on my lap.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

How about typing? It depends on whether. The keyboard is not suitable for working on your lap because the space requirement is quite small and the whole thing shakes. Put it on a desk and the experience is far more stable. The feeling is pleasant and the keys have a lot of travel. However, the sunken keyboard is small and the keys are loud.

Google's G Suite is not directly supported, and Huawei's browser is not supported by the web-based version. However, this works fine in Firefox – provided that you activate the desktop view. Huawei installs WPS Office pre-installed, and Microsoft Office Mobile is available through the Huawei App Gallery. Both can be scaled to the screen of the MatePad Pro, but Office requires a subscription to save and share documents.

I like how light the keyboard is. It adds very little volume to the MatePad Pro and is quite portable. This is not a great keyboard case for all-day use. However, if you type on an airplane or want to whip out the tablet in a cafe, that's fine.

Huawei sells the keyboard case separately for £ 129, which is about $ 160. It is also available as a package with the tablet.

Display quality

The 10.8-inch LCD screen has a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels and an aspect ratio of 16:10, making it ideal for watching movies. The slim 4.9 mm bezels ensure an excellent full-screen appearance with a rich screen-to-body ratio of 90%.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Amazon's Prime Video and the UKTV Play app are available through the app gallery. However, YouTube can only be accessed via a browser.

The quality varies frustratingly. The resolution of the screen is not high enough to play 4K content via Amazon Prime. Instead, it is downgraded to an uncomfortable level of quality. Compare the Grand Tour on the MatePad Pro with the iPad Pro 2020, and there's a rift between them. The MatePad Pro looks overwhelming.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Switch to YouTube and things couldn't be more different. Watching versions of the stunning 2K resolution videos from Carfection is great. Many episodes use the majority of the screen in the ratio 16:10 and show a wonderful color balance and dynamics.

The screen is more reflective than I would like and has often asked me to pull the curtains so that I can see the screen better. I have nothing to do with the iPad Pro.

Audio comes from four speakers. The stereo separation in landscape orientation is really good, with the language coming through very clearly. There is also a lot of bass booming in the case of the tablet.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Netflix is a no-go, and the same goes for Disney + and NowTV, which keeps subscribers to these services from buying a MatePad Pro. However, Crunchyroll can be viewed through the browser.

I also found the lack of Kindle or Comixology apps frustrating as it took effort to find or create compatible files so I could read them on the MatePad. This has reduced my enjoyment of the MatePad Pro. If watching shows and films or reading books about these services is high on your list, this is not the tablet for you.

software

Just like the Huawei P40 Pro, the MatePad Pro uses Android 10, but without integrated Google services. The open source version of Android is covered with Huawei's EMUI interface and uses Huawei Mobile Services instead of Google Mobile Services. This means that there is no Google Play Store or Google Apps as well as various internal changes that make page loading impossible. Instead, you need to use Huawei's growing App Gallery Store or Amazon App Store for your apps.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The situation regarding the availability of apps has not changed since the test of the Huawei P40 Pro, and only a little since my experience with the folding smartphone Mate Xs.

Many apps that may be considered essential are missing or difficult to install. It is possible to use APK files, but there are always security concerns, and it may be unwise to use them with apps that contain payment or other personal information.

While it is not so important for a tablet to have messaging apps – which is a good thing, since notifications on the MatePad occasionally occur, which is a similar problem to the P40 Pro – the enjoyment comes instead from media and games. The MatePad Pro is restless when streaming apps. So what about games?

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Unfortunately, it's a similar story. Yes, the App Gallery has some big names, including Asphalt 9 and World of Tanks, but I can't find my other main supports like DariusBurst, Hill Climb Racer, Reckless Racing 3 or Riptide GP in the App Gallery.

Riptide GP is available in the Amazon App Store if I want to pay for it again in the past after purchasing it on Google Play. Asphalt 9 Legends is a lot of fun and looks stunning on the huge screen, while the sound is just as bright as when watching videos. I really miss the opportunity to try the other games that I really enjoy.

How about optimizations for the tablet? There is multitasking that works identically with iOS 13 on the iPad. You slide in a special launcher and then tap and drag icons to open two screens at the same time, or tap to display them as a floating window at the top. Not every app supports split screen viewing, including Firefox, if you use it as a browser. Office, WPS Office and the gallery as well as Facebook and Twitter (both installed via an APK) are fine.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The EMUI desktop mode is interesting. EMUI is activated with a shortcut in the notification shadow and is similar to Windows 10. The floating windows are practical and far more customizable than in tablet mode. I found it easier to focus on the job when using it because it feels better to use than the tablet layout. It's also quick to quit and works well with the keyboard – but not all apps work. Even WPS Office warns that some features may not be available when used in desktop mode.

There is also a pre-installed app for kids called Kids Corner. It offers a variety of security measures, from daily limits to blue light filters and a main password. Once inside, there is a painting area, a dictation machine app and a child-friendly camera app. Apps have to be added to Kids Corner manually. You need to look for kid-oriented apps in the app gallery. Although the list is long, many are localized and there were no major brands that I recognized.

My requirements for a tablet are different from those for a smartphone, but there are the same problems that affect the P40 Pro, the Mate Xs and even the Honor 9X Pro. Just as I can't get a line on my P40 Pro or can't access my WhatsApp chat backups, I can't watch Netflix or play DariusBurst on the MatePad Pro. That diminishes my enjoyment of an otherwise perfectly functioning and powerful tablet.

camera

Huawei knows a thing or two about cameras. Finally, the Huawei P40 Pro has the best Android camera available. However, tablets do not require such robust camera systems because they are mainly used indoors. The MatePad Pro has a single 13-megapixel camera on the back with an aperture of 1: 1.8, auto focus and flash. On the front is a single 8-megapixel camera with a fixed focus.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It’s not great. Huawei tried to arouse interest in the viewfinder with a highly optimized zoom slider. However, this is purely digital, so the quality is poor. Photos taken on a sunny day capture the blue sky, but have problems with overall contrast and leave shaded areas too dark. Photos in the early evening are affected in the same way.

The front camera is acceptable enough for selfies and video calls, but the placement makes it difficult to find a natural angle.

Overall there is really nothing to get upset about. It's a shame considering what Huawei can do with its cameras.

Performance and battery life

The MatePad Pro is the heart of the Huawei Mate 30 Pro and the P40 Pro smartphone. The Kirin 990 chipset is used. It is matched to 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage space and offers space for a proprietary Huawei memory card. MicroSD cards do not fit. Huawei has announced a 5G version, but my test model is just Wi-Fi. The battery has a capacity of 7,250 mAh and is charged via a USB cable connection of type C or wireless charging.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Benchmark apps need to be downloaded as APK files, but Geekbench 5 refused to install through the APKPure store, so I could only use 3DMark.

3DMark Sling Shot Extreme: 4,785 volcano

This is comparable to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6's score, which contains a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset. I never had any performance issues with the MatePad Pro because apps opened quickly and the operating system was not delayed.

Battery performance is decent. It took me a day and a half during my in-depth tests, which included hours of watching videos, some games, general surfing and light work, and some photos. In normal use, the battery lasts four or five days before it needs to be charged.

However, I didn't use it that way. With wireless charging, you can easily place it on a charging base when not in use and charge the battery constantly. This is a real advantage. This means that the tablet was always on hand and always charged. I didn't have to think about plugging it in overnight.

Price, guarantee and availability

The Wi-Fi Huawei MatePad Pro costs £ 499, which is about $ 610. It comes with a two year warranty if bought in the UK. It is available through Huawei's own online store and in some retail stores, including curries. The MatePad Pro is not officially available in the United States, but can be purchased as an import. The keyboard case costs £ 129 or about $ 158, and an M Pen is yours for £ 100 / $ 122. Huawei also sells the tablet, case, and pen for £ 610 or about $ 745.

Our opinion

The biggest problem with the Huawei MatePad Pro is the Apple iPad. While the MatePad Pro is a good tablet for video, gaming, and easy productivity, there is no compelling reason to prefer an iPad Air or an 11-inch iPad Pro.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes. The Apple iPad is the best tablet you can buy today, and it almost doesn't matter which model you buy.

Yes, the iPad Pro 2020 is the best, but it's also very expensive. If you want the 11-inch model and smart keyboard to match the MatePad Pro and keyboard in our test, the $ 799 tablet and $ 179 smart keyboard cost a total of $ 978 .

Instead, we recommend that you buy the Wi-Fi iPad Air with its 10.5-inch screen for £ 499 or £ 479 and the Smart Keyboard for £ 179 or £ 159. This recommendation applies regardless of whether you are in the United States or the United Kingdom.

If you'd rather stick to an Android tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 is recommended for $ 649 due to the higher availability of the app. The keyboard case costs another $ 179.

Do you want more options? Check out our favorite tablets from 2020.

How long it will take?

This is not a water-resistant or robust tablet. Doing so will take many years in terms of performance, screen quality, and the potential to serve as a general work machine if you also buy the keyboard case. Huawei is confident that the app gallery will fill up over time, so that the availability of the apps can also improve.

My MatePad Pro review has Android 10 with the April security update. While EMUI is receiving updates from Huawei, it is not known whether the core version of Android will change in time.

Should you buy it

No. The MatePad Pro struggles to compete with the Apple iPad Air, which is about the same price when purchased with the Smart Keyboard. It offers better access to apps, an excellent software experience with frequent updates and a similarly impressive screen.

Editor's recommendations

03 May

Blog

Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro Review: Transform Your Tablet

May 3, 2020
Posted by Samson

Apple Magic Keyboard Review iPad Pro

Apple Magic Keyboard (11-inch iPad Pro 2020)

"For many users, the Magic Keyboard turns the iPad Pro into a real laptop alternative."

Tactile, precise typing experience
Responsive trackpad
Perfectly weighted for desk or lap
Productivity increases significantly on the iPad Pro

An expensive accessory
The screen angle setting is limited

These words are written on a magic keyboard that is connected to an iPad Pro. It is the third full product review I wrote using Apple's new keyboard accessories for the iPad Pro (2020). It has comprised at least 7,000 words since it arrived about a week ago. At the moment I am also typing with the iPad Pro and the magic keyboard on my lap and not at my desk.

Does this all mean that the iPad Pro has found the accessories that can really make it a laptop alternative? That may still be a stretch, but it was certainly never closer. I have been living with the iPad Pro with and without Magic Keyboard for a few weeks now and can say with certainty that this keyboard stands out from all previous competitors.

This is what it looks like. If you haven't decided to buy a new iPad Pro yet, check out our iPad Pro (2020) review.

design

You notice the weight of the Magic keyboard for the iPad Pro the second it arrives. Even in the box, it's a tough thing, and once it's unpacked, it's actually heavier than the iPad Pro itself. I used the 11-inch version with the 11-inch iPad Pro and together they weigh 2, 34 pounds, which is just a hair lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Air 2020. Don't buy this combination if you want to save weight in your pocket, as that's not really the case.