Topic: galaxy tab S 10.5 or sony xperia z2 10.1?

My girlfriend wants to get me the tab s 10.5 for xmas but after reading about sony's z2 and the ps4 remote play option im undecided. Can anyone tell me if remote play will be worth having or is it best to go with the better screen of the tab s? bear in mind im a big ps4 gamer and not keen on playing games on a tablet because of the lack of using a controller. can remote play be used in different areas or do they have to be local in the same wifi area?

I would say... neither of those, try to get a Nexus 9 or a 7 (2013) if she doesnt want to waste much more money, both are great and will be updated to 5.0 and +, not to mention they cost less

i have a Nexus 7 2013 and its amazing, my gf is going to USA in about 5 months and ill ask her to get me a N9

If you want Remote Play, theres already a port for all android devices here http://forum.xda-developers.com/crossde … 92/page139

I have a Z2.
Very, very pleased with it. Super thin, very light comparatively and the battery lasts for ages.

The screen is great too.

I haven't had the 4.4.4 update yet, but the Xperia Remote Play only works on the same network.

Thanks Faruko and KALofKRYPTON. didnt know there was a port for other tablets so im swaying towards the galaxy S seeing as im a sucker for a good display. im also hearing bad things about the z2 touchscreen not working very well and part of the reason for a big tablet is so i can photoshop my pics and maybe some drawing.

You need to have your phone/tablet rooted to be able to use this port.

Oh no, if thats true then i might have to re-think again. does anybody use remote play tell me if it lags? is it up to playing cod or some other quick response game? also does anyone know if sony ever intend to make the app for other devices other than sony?

Have a look at YouTube. I've seen some off screen gameplay with a Z2 that looks acceptable. Wouldn't want to play a competitive fps or beat em up with it though.

I've no issues with the Z2 display at all. The touchscreen does hang on occasion, but I'm yet to use an Android device that doesn't at some point.

If you're buying a tablet for photoshop, and drawing. I think you're looking at the wrong ones.

The Note series with the S pen are a better bet. I had a Note 2, and it was very good in use. Bit really, for any serious photoshop work and drawing, you're going to need something with a much better digitizer than either the S or the Z1. Maybe stump up and get a Windows hybrid/Surface. Though I don't think surface uses Wacom drivers and digitizers, some Asus ones do.

Good advice mate cheers. Although I was intending on using the tablet just for basic photo editing and displaying pictures to clients, hence the need for a good screen. I fell in love with the tab s amoled display but the z2 would be perfect for when the mrs watches the soaps and I could carry on gaming.

Well, I still don't have the new firmware. Whenever it appears I'll try it out and let you know.

It also adds the new Hi Res audio decoders from Sony. I've used poweramp a lot on my androids which handles pretty much every format under the sun, but the Walkman app is very good. I'm keen to hear what the audio 'upscaling' can do with a relatively decent sized mp3.

AMOLEDs are very nice, but as I say, even with a pretty robust anti-glare screen protector on it I've never been anything less than impressed with the Z2.

Also, the waterproofing. Not a feature I ever thought I'd really be bothered about in a phone, let alone a tablet. But, since I've had my Z1 and later the Z2 tablet-I don't think I'd want another device without it.

I tried the port on my Moto X 2014, it was decent, but it does lags a bit, its a nice feature and in some less than pin-point accuracy games it works ! although its not something i would use that much

To be fair, ive read comments all over the place, some say it lags and sucks others that it just fine, it seems that it depends on a lot of other factors besides the phone/tablet

I dont think it will ever be 1:1 like the WiiU though

Thanks all. i will be going to a few shops the weekend and having a last look at both but to be honest im still on the fence. For me, the tab s is the much better tablet with its amoled screen but the z2 is very tempting because of the ps4 and joypad connectivity for gaming. Which would come in very handy as i spend a lot of my time these days with the mrs whos not into gaming much and doesnt like me taking over the main tv.

Hey Baldy, I got the new firmware today!

I've tried out remote play, here are my impressions- bearing in mind that my PS4 is connected via WiFi, so not optimal at all.

I expected about the same experience as the Vita, which in my house is pretty rocky a lot of the time on an indirect connection.

I must say, I'm quite surprised. Like with the Vita, the home screen menus looked pretty rough. I tried Driveclub and the streamed video quality when the connection was strong was very impressive, better than the Vita when it's directly connected to the PS4.

I had a few disconnects and hangs, again same as Vita over the home network. As a note, you can't connect the Xperias directly to the PS4 as with Vita.

When the connection was strong, lag was minimal enough to be irrelevantm (though you wouldn't think it the waybill drove when testing!). The DualShock 4 connection, as with the DualShock 3 is childs play, and rock solid, complete with vibration. Again, like with the DS3, the controllers only pair to one device at a time, so you'll have to repair the controller with the PS4. Which is just plugging it in.

I took a video which is way too loud. And now I think about it, probably didn't help with the connection as it was on my WiFi lens cam for my phone.I have a couple of heavy downloads going on at the moment, once they're done I'll throw the video up on YouTube and link it.

I have no doubt, that on a wired PS4 connection Remote Play on the tablet is a winner!

Wow thanks kal. Sounds like I would enjoy that feature and put it to good use. Looking forward to seeing your video and thanks again for all your help.

Here's the video:
Xperia Z2 Tablet Remote Play test WiFi: http://youtu.be/cA_cYwkGKas

In addition to that, the new 4.4.4 update is as slick as it gets!

I tried Remote Play connected to the living room tv over MHL too, works; who needs a PSTV?
The audio enhancements in the Walkman app over a decent set of earphones are astounding.

It's all making my (perfectly fine) Z1 feel decidedly second class!

Thanks again for all the help KAL and for making the video. it looks amazing and a great addition for a tablet. im swaying more now to the z2 but still in love with the tab s display. if only sony made a 10+" tablet with an amoled display lol.

Yes, you have to but... root its pretty amazing, so its a given for me

Root is OK if you're in to it. I haven't bothered since my Xperia Play.

My Z1 just got 4.4.4, so Sony aren't slouching!

While still no Motorola speed on updates, they have really step up their game with the updates

my old Xperia S was pretty much dead on arrival in terms of updates

Thanks again @KALofKRYPTON  after playing with both this weekend my fear of the z2 being a worse display wasnt as bad as i thought. I have decided on the z2 for a number of other reasons too, waterproof, slightly faster, joypad connectivity. this way i get an amazing tablet and another way to play ps4. in bed

@baldybill.
No worries man. I'd recommend the official style cover. Pricey, but much better quality than most.