Samsung is making a big push in the tablet market by unveiling two brand-new models, the hand-held Galaxy Tab 8.4 and its larger brother the Galaxy Tab 10.4. With a brand new design and thin bodies, the tablets are designed to be easy to carry anywhere, but it's the screen that's going to get everyone's attention, as Samsung is using its Super AMOLED technology for better contrast and richer colours. We were on-hand at the launch to get a first-look at both tablets in action.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S screen

There's no better place to start than with the screens. Samsung has used Super AMOLED in its phones for ages, but moving the technology into tablets should produce a big step forward in terms of image quality.

Samsung has used AMOLED technology before in tablets before, with the Galaxy Tab 7.7, which we reviewed just over two years ago. However, that product only had a resolution of 1,280x800, where as both the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and Galaxy Tab S 10.5 have hi-resolution 2,560x1,600 screens.

There are some minor differences between the screens in both devices. First, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 uses a diamond pentile arrangement of sub-pixels, which is the same as for the Samsung Galaxy S5.

In an LCD screen, each pixel is made up of three sub-pixels: red, green and blue. With the pentile diamond arrangement, sub-pixels are laid out in a diamond formation with alternating large red and blue sub-pixels, surrounded by green sub-pixels.

 The diamond pentile arrangement uses fewer sub-pixels than on an LCD display

This means fewer sub-pixels than on an LCD screen, which is some cases can make text a little harder to read. However, when you're talking about screens with such high resolution and pixel density, this really isn't a problem. We had no problems with the Galaxy S5's high-quality screen and the Tab S 8.4 was just as sharp and clear.

With the Tab S 10.5, Samsung is using an S-Stripe pattern of sub-pixels. This gives three sub-pixles - red, blue and green - although the blue sub-pixel is taller and thinner, sat next to the square blue and green sub-pixels. This is technically a better layout and couldn't be used on the smaller tablet as its pixel density was too high for the technology. However, side-by-side, there's very little to tell the Tab S 10.5 and Tab S 8.4 apart.

 The S-stripe layout uses three sub-pixels per pixel

In fact, we have to say that these products have some of the best screens that we've ever seen on a tablet. As well as the high-resolution making everything look sharp, you get the full benefits of Super AMOLED, which is better colour reproduction (greater than 90 per cent of the Adobe RGB colour gamut) and incredible contrast of 100,000:1, which is 100x greater than with LCD. In other words, it means that you get true blacks and bright whites.

It definitely works, too, with Samsung demonstrating to us the new Super AMOLED screens against its own LCD-based tablets. The difference is quite incredible, particularly with the deep inky blacks produced by the Tab S models. Colours look bright and vibrant, too.

 It's hard to tell from a photo, but the Galaxy Tab S (right) produces much darker blacks than last year's LCD panels (left)

Samsung gives you three preset viewing modes to choose from: AMOLED cinema, AMOLED Photo and Basic. The former two boost colours and may be a bit much for some people, while Basic gives a more gentle and muted image.

We like the new Adaptive display mode, which uses an RGB sensor on the front of the tablets to detect the current ambient light. Based on the warmth of the light, the tablet can automatically adjust its screen settings to keep the screen looking natural. For example, home lighting tends to be quite yellow, but the Tab S models can adjust for this, keeping whites looking clean and bright and compensating for any colour casts. It only takes a few seconds for the tablet to adjust, but it's good to see this kind of technology built in.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S build quality

As with the company's smartphones, Samsung has stuck with plastic for the Galaxy Tab S. There's a lot of arguments over whether metal is better than plastic, but the real truth is that there's nothing wrong with plastic if it's done well, and Samsung has certainly done that.

Tough, rigid plastic gives both models a secure a tough feel, while the dimpled effect from the Galaxy S5 has made it over. It's a nice touch and gives consistency to this year's products. Neat, sculptured edges and a thin brushed-metal effect band running around the side of the tablets give them a modern look and feel.

Most importantly, these tablets are thin and extremely light. Impressively, both are just 6.6mm thick. The Galaxy Tab S 8.4 weighs just 294g and the Galaxy Tab S weighs just 465g.

As a comparison, the iPad Mini with Retina Display weighs 331g; the iPad Air weighs 469g, although it has a smaller 9.7in screen compared to the Galaxy Tab S.

Both tablets are available in two colours: titanium bronze and dazzling white. We've a slight preference for the darker titanium bronze, but there's nothing wrong with the white version either.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S processor and key specs

It's good to see that both tablets have identical internal specifications, so the choice about which one to buy comes down to a size preference, rather than having to make any compromises.

Samsung has used an Exynos 5 Octa CPU. This uses ARM's big.LITTLE architecture, with four high-performance 1.9GHz cores for when there's a lot of work to do and four low-power 1.3GHz cores for when the tablet has less to do. The benefit of this architecture should be an improvement in battery life, although we've yet to test it properly.

We ran the SunSpider 1.02 JavaScript test on both tablets, with the Tab S 8.4 completing the test in a nippy 1,025ms and the Tab S 10.5 in a similar 996.1ms. We were unable to test graphics performance, but browsing around Android and flicking between home screens we found the tablets to be quick and responsive. We can't wait to get the products in for review to see how they perform.

Both tablets will be available in 16GB and 32GB versions, with a Micro SD card slot taking cards of up to 128GB accepted. They both have 802.11ac Wi-Fi built in, and can be bought in Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi plus 4G (LTE) versions.

Both models also have 8-megapixel rear cameras and 2.1-megpixel front cameras for video conferencing. We were unable to test the image quality in our time with the tablets, so you'll have to wait for a full review for our proper conclusion.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S Android

As you'd expect from a new tablet, the Tab S ships with Android 4.4 KitKat. It has Samsung's usual range of tweaks, which are generally minor and useful in nature. There's a My Magazine home screen, which pulls in feeds from social media, but you still get access to the traditional Android home screens.

More useful is the split-screen mode, letting you run multiple applications on the same screen, which we first saw with the Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro.

As with all Android 4.4 tablets, the Tab S can have multiple user accounts, letting you more effectively share one tablet with the entire family.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S fingerprint reader

Coming over from the Galaxy S5 is the fingerprint sensor built-into the lozenge-shaped home button. This works in exactly the same way as on the smartphone, with a swipe of a finger over the button used to unlock the tablet or authorise a PayPal payment.

Up to three fingers can be registered per user. We didn't have time to try the system out in force, but as it's the same excellent system as used on the Galaxy S5, we don't anticipate any problems. In fact, it's good to see this security device make it onto a tablet.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S cases

A new range of cases has been developed for the Tab S, with both simple flip covers and all-encompassing book covers available in a variety of colours. Rather than using magnets, the covers now have 'simple clickers' where you pop the studs on the cover into the holes on the back of the tablet. It's a little fiddly to do and requires a bit of force, but once attached the covers feel super-secure.

 

It's the book cover that's the most interesting, letting you place the tablet in three positions, which Samsung has ergonomically tested. There's viewing mode for watching video, touch mode for using the touch screen normally and a flatter typing mode for when you need to send out a message.

It also completely protects your tablet, letting you throw it in a bag without worrying if it will come out scratched.

For the Tab S 10.5 there's also a keyboard cover available. This hard shell clips over the Tab S's screen, protecting it from harm when you travel. When you want to use the keyboard, you simple unclip it and stand the tablet in the groove, with communication taken care of by Bluetooth.

The keys are a little small and there's quite a bit of flex in the keyboard tray, but it doesn't take long to get used to and we managed to build up a bit of typing speed after using it for only a few minutes.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S SideSync 3.0

Just as Apple announced how it would integrate all of its products with iOS 8, Samsung is tightly integrating its products with SideSync 3.0.

This technology lets you pair your Samsung smartphone (Android 4.4 devices only) to your tablet, letting you remote control it. You can play games, send messages and even drag-and-drop photos from one device to another.

You can go one-step further if you have a Galaxy S5, as you can even answer calls from your tablet. This is useful if you've got your phone on charge in a different room. The only thing you have to remember to do is launch SideSync on both devices and make sure they're connected; a more seamless design where the devices connect automatically when they're on the same network would have been nice, but this is a good start and worked well in the demonstration that we saw.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S Extras

Samsung is bundling some new extras with the Tab S. First is an app called PaperGarden, which lets you download magazines from some big publishers. It works well enough, but it's to be seen how many people will actually access magazines this way.

More useful all-round is the Galaxy Gifts app, which gets you access to subscription services for free. These differ by app, but there are some good deals to be had including three-months of Marvel Unlimited and one free Kindle book per month through the Kindle app.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S Battery Life

Samsung is promising pretty much all-day battery life from its new tablets, with both designed to last 11 hours in-use. The Galaxy Tab 10.5 has a bigger 7,900mAh battery, while its 8.4in baby brother has a 4,900mAh battery. The reason for the different batteries comes down to the size of the tablet and what Samsung could squeeze in. However, while the 8.4in tablet may have much smaller battery, it also has a much smaller screen. Given that its powering the display that drains the battery the most, a smaller tablet can get away with a lower-capacity battery and still last a decent amount of time. We'll bring you full battery tests once we've got the tablets in for review.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4

The real difference between the products comes down to size. With the 8.4in version, Samsung has aligned the home button, so that the tablet sits more naturally in portrait mode. It's a great size, with the screen big enough to browse the web and watch video comfortably, but still fitting neatly in one hand.

Given how light the tablet is, it's surprisingly comfortable to hold and use it for long periods of time. This is definitely going to be the model of choice for those people that travel a lot or want to use the tablet for reading.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5

With its larger 10.5in screen, the Tab S 10.5 has the home button placed at the bottom of the screen when it's in landscape mode. This is the best fit for this kind of tablet, making it more comfortable to hold this way. Although it has a relatively large screen, the tablet's still light enough to hold in one hand comfortably. It's a great fit of anyone that wants to view a lot of photos and watch a lot of video.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S availability and price

The Galaxy Tab S will be available from 4th July 2014 in the UK. The 10.5in Wi-Fi version will cost £449, with the LTE version another £100 at £549. The 8.4in model will cost £349 with the LTE version £449. We'll bring you a full review and more information when it's available. Until then, the slim bodies, light-weight and excellent AMOLED screens are shaping the Galaxy Tab S models up to be one of this year's biggest and most interesting tablets.

We've teamed up with Panasonic UK to give you the chance to win a brand-new HX-A100 wearable camcorder.

To enter the competition, you just need to fill out the survey on Panasonic's website. The survey is very quick to complete and will help Panasonic develop further action cams. Once you're done, hit submit and you'll be entered into a prize draw, where three lucky winners will get a camcorder.

We reviewed the HX-A100 last year and said that it has some of the most impressive image stabilisation we've seen on an action cam, turning frenetic action into super-smooth footage.

The HX-A100 has a rather unusual design, with a pack-of-cards-sized control box tucking into a pocket out of the way, leaving the small cylinder camera, which you can mount where you need it.

The control box only lets you start and stop recording and you can't preview or watch any recorded video. However, the HX-A100 also has built-in Wi-Fi, so you can connect it to the Android or iOS apps. From here, you can change recording settings, change the type of time-lapse shooting and review shot footage.

You can record video at a resolution of 1,920x1,080 (Full HD) letting you capture tons of detail. You can even rattle off some still photography, if video doesn't quite suit the mood.

Full product specs, terms and conditions for the competition and full information on the survey can be found on Panasonic's website.

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