LG G Pad 8.3 VS Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 Specs Comparison

Written by B Johnson March 17, 2015
LG G Pad 8.3 VS Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 Specs ComparisonHi guys, welcome back!

Last year, Samsung struck the tablet market by releasing a bunch of productivity-centric tablets under the flag “Samsung GALAXY Tab Pro” – along with the Note Pro as well.

(LG G Pad 8.3 VS Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 Specs Comparison)

But apparently, GALAXY Tab Pro series was not the only monster tablets that Samsung deployed to the tablet market in 2014. There’s more. And it’s released under the series “Samsung GALAXY Tab S”.

This tablet series actually can be considered, in fact, IT IS the flagship or premium version of Samsung GALAXY Tab series that Samsung released in the same year (GALAXY Tab 4).

And as the flagship model, of course all the tablets in this series are shipping with much higher quality specs compared to the regular Samsung GALAXY Tab 4 tablets.

As a matter of fact, all 2 tablets in this Samsung GALAXY Tab S series are packing possibly the best quality hardware on the market to date.

LG G Pad 8.3 VS Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 benchmarks and gaming performance

Samsung GALAXY Tab S consists only in 2 different variants (as opposed to the 3 different models of Samsung GALAXY Tab Pro series), ranging from the one with smallest 8.4-inch screen size to the largest 10.5-inch model.

But today, i’m really interested to bring up the 8.4-inch model in my comparison review.

Its challenger today, however, is coming from LG, which actually was launched almost around 2 years ago. And that is no other than LG G Pad 8.3.

I think the comparison between these 2 tablets might not be fair and relevant especially because both tablets have entirely different class of hardware specs.

However, given their almost similarity in screen size (8.3 and 8.4), not to mention, both are pure media-consumptive devices, then i think it could be interesting to see how they fare against each other, especially in terms of display and performance as well.

Well, if you’re also interested to explore more about these 2 tablets, including my take on their gaming performance and the whole aspect of these devices, then here you go, my comparison review between Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 and LG G Pad 8.3.

Introduction

As mentioned above, in terms of specs, it’s no brainer that Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 will blow LG G Pad 8.3 out of the water, especially on the hardware and performance.

And that’s not quite shocking given that LG G Pad 8.3 was released back then around 2012, as opposed to the Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 that just got launched a few months ago in 2014.

However, as an older-gen tablet, i think there are still some great things to appreciate from LG’s device. First of all, its design.

Unlike Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 that still inherits the same plastic polycarbonate materials all over its coating, LG G Pad 8.3 surprisingly is made out of the total aluminum materials here and there all over its body.

And this of course, really gives a sense of sturdiness and makes it feel really premium – even as premium as iPads.

The more impressively is, despite using similar materials just like iPads, the overall design of LG G Pad 8.3 also really stands out compared to other rivals on the market.

Besides great on design department, LG G Pad 8.3 is also not too shabby at all when it comes to performance.

Thanks to its Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and Adreno 320 GPU, of course this tablet is more than happier to execute any games like Asphalt 8: Airborne, Modern Combat 4 or NOVA 3 in buttery smooth performance and in full highest graphics.

But we’ll get more on that later.

But the questions remain, with all of these impressive specs found on both tablets, which one between Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 and LG G Pad 8.3 that has what it takes to be the best gaming tablet in this comparison review?

Which one that is a much better tablet in the whole aspect?

Is it worth it to buy any of these devices for their gaming performance?

Hopefully we’ll find out more about the answers of these questions at the end of this review. So be sure to stick around!

Design

Around the tablet market, Apple with its iPad has always been untouchable by most of its rivals on the market especially when it comes to premium design and great build quality.

And that shows really perfectly on the material used by Apple on its iPads – which is solid aluminum -, as opposed to plastic polycarbonate materials on most of other rivals.

However, it doesn’t mean that iPad has no equal challenger from other tablet manufacturers. As a matter of fact, LG with its LG G Pad in my opinion is on the same level with iPad in terms of design and build quality.

LG G Pad 8.3 2
LG G Pad 8.3
LG G Pad 8.3
LG G Pad 8.3
Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4
Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4

Compared to other counterparts, LG G Pad is made out of aluminum material all over its coating. So it’s not shocking if this tablet feels really sturdy and comfortable to hold on hands.

But more impressively is, this LG’s tablet is not only prominent with its aluminum materials, but also with its design.

So unlike other regular Android tablets out there, LG G G Pad has rounded rectangular edges and corners all over the side of its bezels - which actually kind of reminds me with the sharp-looking rectangular design of LG Nexus 4.

But something i’m really impressed with this device is how LG G Pad doesn’t try to copy the design of iPad or any other competing devices on the market.

And this should be really appreciated because it’s pretty rare to find a tablet like LG G Pad that has its own identity and characteristic compared to other rivals.

Meanwhile, Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 may not have the same premium feel and aluminum materials just like on LG G Pad or iPad, however, this tablet still looks great and premium in high-end class.

This Samsung tablet actually kind of reminds me with Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone – Samsung GALAXY S5 – especially with its unique patterned finish on rear cover.

As a matter of fact, Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 looks like the giant version of that flagship smartphone.

So it has the metal trim all over the bezels, sharp looking rounded corners and of course, that unique patterned back cover.

Between Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 and LG G Pad, i think both tablets are equally great in terms of design.

However, if i had to pick, i would probably prefer the LG G Pad because this device is not only premium with its aluminum materials, but it also has it own characteristic compared to other Android tablets out there, even the iPad.

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LG G Pad 8.3Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 LTE

Released October 2013
No SIM
8.3 inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 1200 x 1920 pixels (~273 ppi pixel density) 16M colors
Platform OS Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.4.2 (KitKat), planned upgrade to v5.0 (Lollipop)
Quad-core 1.7 GHz Krait 300 Qualcomm APQ8064 Pro Snapdragon 600 Chipset
Adreno 320 GPU
microSD card slot for up to 64 GB
16 GB Internal storage
2 GB RAM
5 MP rear-facing camera
1.3 MP front-camerea (720p video recording)
GPS, Bluetooth, Infrared, microUSB v2.0 (SlimPort), Wi-Fi 802.11, Java MIDP emulator
No Radio
Accelerometer, gyro, compass Sensors
Non-removable Li-Po 4600 mAh battery

    4G LTE
    SIM
    Released July 2014,
    * Fingerprint sensor
    8.4 inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 1600 x 2560 pixels, (~359 ppi pixel density), 16M colors
    - Samsung TouchWiz UI
    3 GB RAM
    Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400 Qualcomm Snapdragon 800
    Adreno 330 GPU
    Android OS 4.4.2 KitKat
    microSD Memory Card slot for up to 128 GB
    16/32 GB Internal storage
    8 MP rear-facing Camera with autofocus, LED flash
    GPS
    Bluetooth, microUSB v2.0
    Wi-Fi 802.11
    2.1 MP front-facing cameraNon-removable Li-Ion 4900 mAh battery

    On the hardware side, Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 is definitely far more superior than LG G Pad because it is the new-released tablet, while LG’s device was launched back then around 2 or 3 years ago.

    However, as an old-gen tablet, i think what LG G Pad has to offer to users can still be considered as great even for today’s standards.

    It has a full HD 1920x1200 pixel resolution on its 8.3-inch display, a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB of RAM, Adreno 320 GPU, 5MP and 1.3MP cameras back and front, 16GB of native storage, microSD card slot, Android 4.2.2 out of the box, 4600mAh battery and some other standard features.

    Meanwhile, Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 looks more powerful than LG tablet with its 8.4-inch display sporting the 2560x1600 pixel resolution, a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 3GB of RAM, Adreno 330 GPU, Android 4.4.2 Kit Kat, 16/32GB of internal storage, microSD card slot for up to 128GB, 8MP and 1.2MP cameras back and front with LED flash, 4900mAh battery and some other standard features.

    Between these 2 tablets, of course Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 is the clear winner here in terms of hardware specs. However, it doesn’t mean that LG G Pad is really mediocre compared to Samsung’s tablet.

    Well, that is so wrong because LG G Pad is still a decent quality tablet with good quality specs, and it still deserves to be a high-end device around 8-inch tablet category.

    Screen

    Both Samsung and LG actually have been really superior with the display of their devices.

    And that’s not surprising given that these 2 manufacturers are actually the ones that develop and build their own screens along with its technology.

    So when it comes to display, between Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 and LG G Pad 8.3, both of these devices of course really excel on this sector perfectly.

    Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 is equipped with an 8.4-inch display sporting the 2.5K or 2560x1600 pixel resolution, while LG G Pad 8.3 comes with a slightly smaller 8.3-inch screen with full HD 1920x1600 pixels.

    In terms of sharpness, there’s no single doubt that the display of Samsung’s tablet is far more superior than LG G Pad.

    And it’s not only on paper, but also in real life execution.

    Well, that’s because Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 comes with a Super AMOLED display, which we all know already looks really gorgeous with its outstanding well-saturated and popping out colors.

    In fact, the display of Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 is probably the best on the market to date.

    However, the full HD screen of LG G Pad 8.3 actually still produces an eye-pleasing experience to its users.

    It may not look as insanely sharp as the 2.5K Super AMOLED screen on Samsung’s device, but its full HD resolution is still more than enough for its 8.3-inch display.

    It still looks sharp and produces gorgeous looking colors to this tablet. In fact, the display of this tablet is one of the most prominent parts that LG promotes aggressively in its commercials.

    User Interface

    From many smartphone and tablet manufacturers across the market, i think both Samsung and LG are the only 2 companies that have been really creative when it comes to customizing the UI of stock Android OS – of course, besides Sony.

    Samsung has been known with its fully-customized TouchWiz UI, while LG has its own homemade LG UI. So the UIs of both Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 and LG G Pad 8.3 are really rich in terms of contents, features and of course visual presentations.

    The UI of Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 actually is a huge departure from the Magazine UI of Samsung GALAXY Tab Pro series, which takes some inspirations from the Live-Tile-based Metro UI of Windows-powered tablets.

    Similar just like Samsung’s tablet, the UI of LG G Pad also runs on the same page with stock Android UI. So its homescreen still looks and works the same, and there’s also the normal setting&notification windows, plus of course, the app drawer.

    However, there are some parts that make the UI of this tablet stand out and more useful compared to stock Android OS.

    Like for example is the 3-finger-gesture that allows users to keep the existing apps or tasks in the background.

    So if user wants to access the existing apps in the background, they just need to slide the screen with 3 fingers (from left to the right) in order to open the multiwindow split-screen mode.

    I think this is kind of cool and in fact, there’s no other tablets that have this feature.

    Between Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 and LG G Pad, i think both tablets are equally great on the software department.

    And it’s not because both devices use the standard design layout of stock Android UI, but it’s also because their UIs offer some other cool added features and visual presentations that probably can’t be found on other devices on the market.

    Back to Top
    Snapdragon 800 processor used to be the high-end model in Qualcomm’s processor lineup last year, while Snapdragon 600 processor was the mid-end variant in the same series.

    So as a tablet that ships with Snapdragon 800 processor, the gaming performance of Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 is definitely more powerful than LG G Pad 8.3 with its Snapdragon 600 and Adreno 320 GPU.

    And their performance difference can be seen clearly when these 2 devices are deployed with some of the most graphics intense games like GTA San Andreas and Modern Combat 5.

    On Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4, there’s no single doubt that these 2 games will perform smoothly without any lag whatsoever and of course, in full highest graphics.

    So you can expect to see this tablet also capable to handle any other older games released in 2014 or before that year.

    On the other hand, the performance of LG G Pad when playing games might not be as powerful as Samsung’s device, especially when handling these 2 aforementioned games above.

    The hardware package of LG G Pad actually kind of reminds me with the one found on Google Nexus 7, the second-gen model.

    They have the same full HD resolution display, the same 2GB of RAM, the same Adreno 320 GPU, but different processors and software/UI. However, despite using stock Android UI (that obviously much lighter than the fully-customized UI on LG G Pad), GTA San Andreas runs extremely laggy and slow on Google’s tablet, especially in full highest graphics.

    Even though these 2 tablets (Nexus 7 and LG G Pad) both are using 2 different processors (Snapdragon S4 Pro vs Snapdragon 600), but i think it’s pretty obvious that the same thing could happen also on LG G Pad.

    And this really contradicts with Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 that is more than capable to execute any kind of games, even the most graphically demanding titles without any problem whatsoever.

    And the fact that Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 has bigger RAM, more powerful processor and GPU, also really makes it clear for us to see that this Samsung’s tablet is just more powerful than LG G Pad for playing games, even with a much higher screen resolution.

    So long story short, between these 2 devices, i think it’s not that hard to guess that Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 is the clear winner here against LG G Pad.

    Cameras

    Samsung has always been really consistent in delivering great quality cameras on almost all of its flagship devices. Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 is no exception.

    Thanks to its 8MP camera on the back and 1.2MP shooter on the front, your hobby of photography certainly will be accommodated very well on this device.

    So when it comes overall quality, it’s guaranteed that the photos and videos taken with the cameras of this tablet will be sharp (even without any manual tweaks from users), gorgeous and definitely worth sharing even on your large HD TV in your house.

    It actually goes the same with LG G Pad. On paper, this tablet may not look so impressive compared to Samsung’s tablet – 5MP vs 8MP rear facing cameras.

    However, in terms of quality, there’s actually something to write home about on the camera of LG G Pad.

    It may not be “on the same level” with the cameras of Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 or iPads, but at least, it still takes decent quality shots and it’s also great for even macro photography.

    Between the 2, of course i will go with Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 because Samsung’s flagship devices are always great in terms of camera, even alongside the iPads.

    But even so the 5MP rear-camera of LG G Pad is still good though. It takes good quality shots that are still worth sharing to your Instagram or Twitter followers.

    Battery Life

    Both tablets are powered by slightly similar battery capacities, Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 with 4900mAh battery, while LG G Pad ships with a smaller 4600mAh battery inside.

    This is actually not surprising given that Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 comes with some hardware specs that require more power from its battery – like its super 2.5K high-resolution display, larger screen and a much heavier TouchWiz software.

    So in moderate use, you can expect to see this device last in a solid day on a full charge.

    It goes the same with LG G Pad. With 4600mAh battery capacity, this LG’s tablet is more than happier to accompany you in one solid day without recharging, of course in moderate use.

    However, if you’re a power user and gonna use any of these devices to do some heavy intense tasks without resting the screen at all, then its battery life could drop drastically to just around 4 to 6 hours the longest.

    But it's probably less than that, depends on the screen brightness and the amount of running/existing apps in the background.

    My Personal Opinions

    So in my final conclusion about these 2 tablets, i think it’s quite obvious that Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 is the clear winner here in this comparison review against LG G Pad. And it can be seen clearly on paper.

    Samsung’s tablet has a much higher resolution and more gorgeous Super AMOLED screen, a more powerful processor and GPU, a bigger RAM, bigger battery, newer build of Android firmware, better cameras, more features and everything about this tablet is just better than LG G Pad.

    And it goes the same with its gaming performance. Thanks to a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, Adreno 330 GPU and 3GB of RAM, plus a much sharper display, there’s no single doubt in faith that Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 is more ideal gaming tablet than LG G Pad 8.3.

    And it’s not just on paper, but also in the real life execution. Heavier games like GTA San Andreas and Modern Combat 5 will surely run in buttery smooth performance and in highest graphics on Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4, while LG G Pad 8.3 will suffer a lot especially when handling these 2 games in full highest graphics.

    However, there’s still something to appreciate from LG G Pad 8.3 compared to Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4. And that is its design.

    Unlike Samsung’s tablet that is still “stuck” with plastic polycarbonate materials all over its coating, LG surprisingly decides to use full aluminum material all over the coating of LG G Pad.

    So as a result, not only does this material make this tablet look more premium and expensive, but it also feels sturdy and comfortable to hold in hands, despite using a wide 4:3 aspect ratio just like the new iPads.

    And it’s not just that. The design of LG G Pad actually looks much cooler than Samsung’s device and impressively has its own characteristic compared to other competing tablets out there on the market, including the iPad.

    And this should be appreciated because it’s still pretty rare to find Android tablets that can match the premium feel and solid build quality of iPads, without copying the design of iPad.

    So i think LG has done a marvelous job with the design of this tablet.

    But in overall quality, i’ve got to say that Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 is still untouchable by LG G Pad 8.3, especially on the display, camera, software, UI, battery life, RAM, microSD card slot and many more.

    And the design of this tablet is actually not too shabby at all because it takes some design cues from Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone – Samsung GALAXY S5 -, especially on the rear side.

    And not to mention, the fact that this tablet is also equipped with fingerprint scanner really makes it a better offering than LG G Pad.

    But with great hardware specs, comes higher price tag (as said by Uncle Ben in Spiderman trilogy, Sam Raimi's one).

    As a flagship device in this review, of course Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 costs more expensive than LG G Pad 8.3. If i’m not mistaken, LG’s tablet is still around $300 price point (probably already drops), while Samsung’s slate is definitely far more expensive.

    But even so, both tablets are still great equally (but Samsung GALAXY Tab S 8.4 is far better) and good especially for enjoying media contents. However, for playing games, of course Samsung’s device is a more ideal gaming tablet than LG G Pad.

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