[Galaxy Tab S Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Akopps:
I briefly considered the Nexus 9, but then went with Galaxy Tab S 10.5. My prime application for the tablet is to take it to gym so I could watch some racing or movies, either on local storage or from youtube/netflix, as I work out on a cardio, ellipticals, etc. So I was looking for a tablet with a large screen and lots of storage. While I would like to have a tablet with the latest generation of 64-bit SoC, I am fine with the older 32-bit SoC as long as the tablet can play a 1080p video without skipping.

Based on my needs, it was easy to choose the Galaxy Tab S 10.5, specially since in the early December and late November you could get a white model for $400 and grey model for $380 from Amazon.com. I got a white model, plus a 64 GB Samsung microsd card for $35 from Amazon. So far I feel satisfied with my Tab S 10.5, although I am sure I could have done ok with a 32GB Nexus 9 as well. However, the 16GB Nexus 9 certainly wouldn't cut it because that means that I would have to load new media on it almost every other day.

The tab S has excellent build quality. Fairly thin and solid feel. Combined with the high resolution screen, the thing has a premium feel. This is the kind of hardware I have learned to expect from Apple and Samsung. I also like the default 4.4.2 KitKat OS. It feels fairly mature and easy to use. At this point I don't know why I'd need to upgrade to Lollipop, but Samsung's sources have said that Wi-fi only tablets will be the first to get the Lollipop upgrades.

So this tab is excellent for my application. It uses 10% or less of battery charge to play one hour of 720p video (haven't tried 1080p yet) and the screen is big and clear. It could have a bit less reflection though. There are of course some minor problems. For one, the battery depletes much faster when browsing the web. One day I was browsing the web in a library, and noticed that my battery charge went down from like 100% to 30% in something like four hours. Granted, the modern web is pretty hardcore, it's not like 1999 when most web pages were static html files a few CGI contents. However, other tablets can get better battery life. The finger reader is iffy. It usually takes me more than one swipe attempt to login. Sometimes, it locks me out for 20 seconds because of failed attempts.

The 10.5 inch tablet is kind of bulky. You have to hold it with both hands. I got myself a case that makes it stand on its own at about 30 and 90 degree angles on a table, and that makes things easier. There are some cheap keyboards for this tablet that cost like 30 bucks on amazon. So with the large screen, big storage, and a keyboard, this tablet could be a credible laptop or netbook replacement.

Another issue is that the sound volume can be kind of low. I have been watching some lectures on youtube recorded in sort of a low volume, and I have been straining to hear anything. On many media files I have to keep the volume level at the max. I even found an application that boosts the sound volume (it worked).

However, for the more traditional tablet applications, like casual web browsing, etc, I'd recommend a smaller 8 inch tablet with a 4:3 screen ratio. It's easier to hold and the 16:10 ratio feels kind of odd on a small screen like on Tab S 8.4 for anything but watching wide screen movies. I got an iPad Mini 3 (4:3 retina screen) on a Black Friday sale for $325 for my dad and it's a joy to work with. Very easy to hold, good performance, and beautiful screen with a DPI slightly higher than on the Tab S 10.5. The iPad Mini 2 is even cheaper while having the same hardware without the finger reader. I am sure there are also plenty good 8 inch android tablets that can compete with iPad Mini. Between iPad mini 2/3 and Tab S 8.4, I'd probably pick the mini because of the 4:3 screen ratio. Right now Mini 2s can be found under $250, which is a great value for a very slick device IMHO.