What’s 18.4 inches and full HD? Nope, not your PC monitor. It’s Samsung’s giant tablet. You read that right. A tablet! Remember Wun-Wun from Game of Thrones? Yeah, that’s how huge the Samsung Galaxy View is compared to all other tablets.
The Samsung Galaxy View is a 18.4-inch tablet that rocks a full HD 1,920×1,080 display with a 120 PPI pixel density. When you watch the advert for the device, you understand that Samsung is pretty clear about the fact that this a tablet primary made for video and streaming.
Do you need a tablet that’s primarily for your video viewing pleasure? Well, yes and no. So I had the device for a week and before we get into the usage of the device, let’s get some of the technical specs out of the way.
Specifications
- Display: 18.4″ Full HD (1,920×1,080) touchscreen
- Dimension: 451.8 x 275.8 x 11.9 mm, 2.65 kg
- Processor: Exynos 7580 Octa-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53
- OS: Android 5.1 (Lollipop)
- Memory: 2GB RAM
- Storage: 32/64GB, microSD expandable up to 128GB
- Battery: 5,700mAh, 11.3V (64Wh), 19VDC Adaptor, 8 hours of video playback
Body and build
The Galaxy View is massive. I cannot stress this enough. I received it in a custom briefcase made for the device itself. It isn’t light either. At 2.65kg, it isn’t so heavy that you need both hands to carry it but hefty enough that you may miss Samsung’s Tab S2.
The View comes has a back panel with an attached handle that can’t be removed. This basically means that at no point (unless flat on its screen) is the device ever flat. It is always inclined at some sort of viewing angle.
On the right side of the View you find the charging port, USB Type-B port for data transfer and the 3.5mm headphone jack.
In front, on top is a 2.1MP camera for video calls and selfie snapping.
Display
It is a strange choice that Samsung made when they put a full HD display on this device. I would’ve expected a video-centric device to have a much better display, maybe even an AMOLED screen.
Viewing angles on the device are decent. Neither good nor bad. In the harsh sunlight of the UAE, visibility on the device did take a massive hit but indoors it was perfectly watchable.
Battery and charging
This was an area where I expected the Galaxy View to lag behind the competition. However, to my surprise the 5,700mAh battery pushed through to over 6-7 hours of battery life with no issues whatsoever. On multiple occasions I was able to watch at least five or six hour-long episodes of popular TV shows in a single sitting. #bingewatching
The View comes with a 19VDC adapter that is pretty heavy and bulky to carry around, but there aren’t really any other options.
Daily usage
What I do appreciate about this product is that Samsung advertises it exactly as what it is: a large portable screen. The OS on the device is like any other Samsung Tab with the exception of the “video-focused’ screen with widgets for Netflix and other such apps. The device performs well and didn’t really show any lag while I was using it.
Considering the screen size and the functionality of a tablet, on occasion I did find the device pretty fun to use for work as well. The fact that I could have apps open side by side or a screen overlay of YouTube was pretty neat.
The microSD card expansion slot also helps when it comes to watching downloaded movies and shows.
Price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy View is available at retail outlets for Dh2,499. Personally, I’m quite surprised by the pricing since Samsung could have found a comfortable niche space in the Dh1,699-1,799 considering this isn’t really a top-of-the-line product.
Conclusion
In conclusion, all I can say for the Galaxy View is this. If you’ve got spare change and have the necessity for a portable screen (maybe you go out camping a lot or live in a studio and don’t really need a TV), the Samsung Galaxy View is your ideal choice.
There’s no denying that Samsung loves to experiment with its products. Did this experiment work out? I think it can be done better. What do you think? Do let us know below.
