Samsung Galaxy Tab S review

With the TouchWiz software running on the Tab S, swiping left takes you not into Google Now but into Samsung's Magazine UI, designed as a one-stop shop for all the news that interests you most.

It's a nicely presented app but it's no real improvement over alternative dedicated tools like Flipboard that have been around much longer. The only way to get rid of it is by installing an alternative launcher app, where it would have been nice to have more customisation options to bring a more comfortable home screen.

That said, in general use, the Tab S is a pleasure to use: comfortable in the hand at both sizes, packed with options for more advanced users and yet straightforward enough to dive straight in if you're an Android or tablet novice.

Whether the 8.4-inch or 10.5-inch model is right for you depends of course on what you intend to do with it.

Personally, it's the 7 to 8 inch models that have always made most sense to me, but if you want to sacrifice some portability for a bigger view of the web and your TV shows then that's up to you.

Keyboard docks are on the way, though the Android tablet accessory market has never taken off in the same way as the iPad one has.

Samsung has decided to ape Apple's smart cover magnets with what it calls "Simple Clickers" — buttons in the back of the Tab S that make attaching and aligning accessories much more straightforward.

In testing, these were attached very well - if anything, a little too stiffly - but give the aftermarket the chance to really claim something is for the Tab S range, rather than general sizes.

The clasp holes do make the back of the Tab S look a bit odd, but at least they hold the smart covers and keyboard docks in place really well.

If Samsung wants these tablets to take off, the quality of the accessories could be crucial — it's another area where the iPad is strong.

The smaller model is likely to have more mass market appeal, as Apple has found. The slim build and light weight of both tablets makes a big difference, meaning you can use them for longer slumped on the sofa or lying in bed without bringing on pain in your joints.

8.4 inches doesn't feel much different to the 7-inch Nexus 7 or 7.9-inch iPad mini, though if you have small hands then it might be more of an issue.

In terms of actual storage to play with (something Samsung has traditionally had a bit of a problem with), of the 16GB of storage on these models you'll only get around 9GB to play around with, which can easily be taken up with some big games and movies.

You'll probably want to make use of the microSD slot, which can accept cards up to 128GB in size. You get a charger in your nicely designed Galaxy Tab S box but there's no set of headphones unfortunately.