Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 10.5" 2020, Snapdragon 855, 8GB, 256GB, Mountain Gray

The Galaxy Tab S6 has one of the best screens you'll find on an Android tablet, and the included S Pen is a real bonus. Performance is still solid for everyday use, but battery life is average and the fingerprint reader is annoying. If you can grab one at a good price, it's absolutely worth it for media and drawing.

The Snapdragon 855 paired with 8GB of RAM keeps things snappy. App switching is smooth, and graphic-intensive games run without much drama. Our database puts the CPU right at the middle of the pack, which sounds underwhelming until you remember this chip is from 2019. For everyday tasks, it's still plenty fast. The real star is the display. That AMOLED panel sits in the 89th percentile for screen quality and 92nd for sharpness, so text looks crisp and colors pop. The GPU is average, so don't expect desktop-class gaming, but emulation and most Android titles handle fine.

Against the iPad Pro M5, the Tab S6 gets smoked on raw power and app ecosystem. Apple's tablet is in a different universe for creative work. The Surface Pro 11th Edition runs full Windows, so it's a real laptop replacement, while the Tab S6's DeX mode is more of a party trick. The Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus and Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro are closer rivals, with newer chips and better battery life, but neither matches Samsung's AMOLED quality at this price point. The BESTTAB T60 isn't even in the conversation. If you want Android and a great screen without spending a fortune, the Tab S6 still holds up.

Pricing is tricky here since this is a renewed unit, but the original MSRP was steep. For what you get now, it's a solid deal if you can find it under $400. The screen alone is worth the price of admission for media lovers. But if you're paying anywhere near iPad Pro money, stop. The iPad Pro M5 and Surface Pro 11th Edition are in a completely different performance class. The Tab S6 makes sense as a budget premium tablet, not a flagship competitor.

The Galaxy Tab S6 is Samsung's shot at the premium Android tablet crown, and honestly, it mostly lands. You get a gorgeous 10.5-inch Super AMOLED screen, a Snapdragon 855, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. The S Pen comes in the box and sticks to the back magnetically, which is a nice touch.

It's not perfect. The battery life is average, there's no headphone jack, and the fingerprint reader can be finicky. But for media, drawing, and light productivity, this thing is still a serious contender even years after launch.

Skip this if you need a real laptop replacement. DeX mode is neat but it won't run full desktop apps like the Surface Pro 11th Edition. Also skip it if battery life is your top priority, because you'll be charging this thing more often than you'd like. And if you're deep in the Apple ecosystem, the iPad Pro M5 is the obvious choice despite the price gap.

Buy this if you want a premium Android tablet for media, drawing, and light work without paying current flagship prices. The S Pen is genuinely useful, the screen is beautiful, and performance is still respectable. It's not a laptop replacement, and the battery won't blow you away, but as a couch companion or travel tablet, it's hard to beat for the money.