Samsung Galaxy Tab S 6 10.5 inches Review

The Galaxy Tab S6 is a budget-friendly media tablet with a stunning screen, but its age shows. It's a good buy only if you plan to just watch videos.

CPU 2.42 GHz
RAM 8 GB
Storage 256 GB
Screen 10.5" 1600x2560
OS Android
Stylus Yes
Cellular No
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 6 10.5 inches tablet
65.3 Overall Score

Overview

The Galaxy Tab S6 is a weird one. It's a perfectly fine Android tablet that's been left behind by its own family. The one thing to know? You're buying a deeply discounted, older device that's still decent for media, but don't expect it to be a laptop replacement. The '2-in-1' PC desktop mode is more of a neat party trick than a serious productivity tool.

Performance

Honestly, nothing here is a shocker. The specs are middle-of-the-road across the board, which is exactly what you'd expect from a tablet in this price bracket now. It's fast enough for Netflix and light gaming, but you'll feel the age if you try to push it. The battery life is just okay, and the connectivity is actually below average.

Performance Percentiles

CPU 76
GPU 76.3
RAM 74.6
Screen 75.8
Battery 46.4
Feature 90.4
Storage 74.2
User Sentiment 90.7
Connectivity 56.1
Social Proof 89.7

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Strong screen (67th percentile) 91th

Cons

  • Below average feature (21th percentile)

Specifications

Full Specifications

Processor

CPU 2.42 GHz
GPU Qualcomm Snapdragon 855

Memory & Storage

RAM 8 GB
Storage 256 GB

Display

Size 10.5"
Resolution 1600

Features

Stylus Support Yes

Physical

Weight 0.7 kg / 1.5 lbs
OS Android

Value & Pricing

At $250, it's a good deal if you just want a nice screen for videos and light web browsing. You're not getting a powerhouse, but you're also not paying for one. For this price, you can't really complain.

Price History

$220 $230 $240 $250 $260 Feb 18Mar 21 $228

vs Competition

The obvious competitor is a used or refurbished iPad. For the same money, an older iPad will have better app support and a smoother overall experience, but you lose the included stylus and that beautiful OLED screen. If you're in the Android ecosystem and want a bigger, newer tablet, even the base Galaxy Tab S9 FE smokes this in performance, but it costs more. This Tab S6 sits in a niche: it's for the Android die-hard who values that OLED display above all else and is on a tight budget.

Spec Samsung Galaxy Tab S 6 10.5 inches Apple iPad Air Apple 13" iPad Air (M3, 128GB, Wi-Fi Only, Gray) Lenovo Idea Tab Lenovo - Idea Tab Pro - 12.7" 3K Tablet - 8GB RAM Microsoft Surface Pro Microsoft Surface Pro 6 (Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, Xiaomi Pad 7 PRO Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro Ai WiFi Version Global (No Calls Teclast TECLAST T65PLUS 13.4-Inch Android 15 Tablet 2025,
CPU 2.42 GHz Apple M3 MediaTek Dimensity Core i7 3 GHz 2.2 GHz
RAM (GB) 8 8 8 16 12 8
Storage (GB) 256 128 256 256 512 256
Screen 10.5" 1600x2560 13" 2732x2048 12.7" 2944x1840 12.3" 2736x1824 11.2" 3200x2136 13.4" 1920x1200
OS Android iPadOS Android 14 Windows 11 Home Android 14 HyperOS Android 15
Stylus true true true true false false
Cellular false false false false false true
Battery (Wh) - 37 - - - -
Compare Compare Compare Compare Compare
Product CpuGpuRamScreenBatteryFeatureStorageUser SentimentConnectivitySocial Proof
Samsung Galaxy Tab S 6 10.5 inches 7676.374.675.846.490.474.290.756.189.7
Apple iPad Air 13" Compare 8887.274.69498.899.455.370.889.999.3
Lenovo Idea Tab Pro 12.7" 3K Compare 43.845.474.692.295.295.774.291.796.299.3
Microsoft Surface Pro 6 Compare 90.389.390.682.846.490.484.1056.189.7
Xiaomi Pad 7 PRO Pad 7 Pro Ai Compare 81.381.584.699.246.457.888.170.856.192.5
Teclast T65PLUS 13.4-Inch Android 15 Tablet 2025 Compare 73.774.374.644.59526.874.270.892.895

Verdict

Buy it as a dedicated media tablet, and nothing more. If you want to watch shows in bed or on a plane, this is a fantastic pick for the price. If you have any thoughts of using it for real work, or you want the latest games, look elsewhere. It's a one-trick pony, but that one trick—a beautiful screen—is done well.