The iPad Air from Apple and the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 have emerged as the new contenders in the 10-inch category of tablets.
Both the tablets are great for casual browsing of the Internet and for gaming purposes, but now they also need to incorporate features for content creation. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 offers a great feature for content creation with the S Pen stylus as well as many other productivity apps that are linked to it. However, the iPad Air has the advantage of ease of use and a better user interface.
As far as connectivity goes, the iPad Air uses the Lightning adapter, but micro USB cables are more common and cheaper as well. The Lightning adapter in the iPad Air also offers TV Out features with an adapter and is useful for giving presentations or for watching movies. However, the advantage of a micro USB port in the Samsung Note is that you can use it for plugging keyboards, a mouse or an external storage device and even HDMI.
The iPad Air is available only in the 4G LTE versions, whereas the Samsung Galaxy Note comes in 3G and 4G LTE, but both the tablets do not have CDMA.
In addition, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 offers better options in terms of storage and it also has better connectivity along with an IR Blaster feature. The S Pen in the Galaxy Note easily fills the lack of the mouse and offers great accuracy as well as additional controlling options. You don’t have this Stylus in the iPad Air, but instead Apple offers you a great experience with its system of office suites, the maps, and the cloud and also creation of music, all of which are made by Apple. Such features are also available in the Samsung Note but these are outsourced to Google, Dropbox and to Polaris Office and so on.
Both the tablets are great for casual browsing of the Internet and for gaming purposes, but now they also need to incorporate features for content creation. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 offers a great feature for content creation with the S Pen stylus as well as many other productivity apps that are linked to it. However, the iPad Air has the advantage of ease of use and a better user interface.
Specs by Specs Comparison
The iPad Air is much lighter at 469g compared to the Galaxy at 540g. It is also slimmer at 7.5 mm compared to 7.9 mm of the Galaxy Note. The iPad Air has an aluminum body and offers CDMA connectivity. It is also available at a cheap base price. On the other hand, the Samsung Note 10.1 boasts of an S Pen stylus. Its screen is also sharper with 299ppi, as compared to the 264 ppi of iPad Air. The RAM is 3GB when compared to 1GB offered by the iPad air. The Samsung Note has an IR blaster as well, which can be used for functions of remote control for other devices like your TV. It has an expandable storage and a better camera at 8 MP with LED flash compared to the 5 MP and no LED of the iPad Air.Hardware
Apple offers a 4:3 aspect ratio with a screen size of9.7”, whereas Samsung uses a screen of 10.1” with an aspect ration of 16:10. The Galaxy Note appears a little bigger, with the iPad Air favoring a portrait usage and the Galaxy Note favoring a landscape usage. The Samsung Note also offers audio enhancements with the help of Adapt Sound and the SoundAlive specifications. The IR Blaster is surely a great advantage for controlling your television or set-top boxes.As far as connectivity goes, the iPad Air uses the Lightning adapter, but micro USB cables are more common and cheaper as well. The Lightning adapter in the iPad Air also offers TV Out features with an adapter and is useful for giving presentations or for watching movies. However, the advantage of a micro USB port in the Samsung Note is that you can use it for plugging keyboards, a mouse or an external storage device and even HDMI.
The iPad Air is available only in the 4G LTE versions, whereas the Samsung Galaxy Note comes in 3G and 4G LTE, but both the tablets do not have CDMA.
The Verdict
Apple’s iPad Air has a great aluminum body and it is also slimmer, lighter, and thinner than the Samsung Note, whereas the latter has a glossy plastic finish, but with a false leatherback, it also looks reasonably attractive and offers a good grip. However, if you are not interested in cheap storage options or if you prefer the metal look of the iPad Air and don’t mind a wired TV Out, the iPad Air is for you.In addition, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 offers better options in terms of storage and it also has better connectivity along with an IR Blaster feature. The S Pen in the Galaxy Note easily fills the lack of the mouse and offers great accuracy as well as additional controlling options. You don’t have this Stylus in the iPad Air, but instead Apple offers you a great experience with its system of office suites, the maps, and the cloud and also creation of music, all of which are made by Apple. Such features are also available in the Samsung Note but these are outsourced to Google, Dropbox and to Polaris Office and so on.
