Lifehacker’s Samsung TabPro S Roadtrip Challenge: My Office In The Air

I’m 30,000 feet in the air — headed to the headquarters of Xero and Slack in Melbourne. This is a perfect opportunity to test out the Samsung TabPro S’s productivity chops while travelling in the confines of public transport. I’m Chris Jager from Lifehacker, and this is the Roadtrip Challenge.

2-in-1 laptops are supposed to provide the best of both worlds. The ability to change into a tablet offers a level of flexibility that standalone laptops can’t match — especially if you’re frequently on the road. Last week, I put this concept to the test by travelling to Melbourne, Brisbane and then back to Sydney armed with nothing but Samsung’s Galaxy TabPro S. Along the way, I visited interesting Aussie tech hubs and startups to see how they work. And yep, Samsung is sponsoring this series under the agreement that I get to be completely honest with my experience.

In today’s diary: productivity on public transport.

As I explained in yesterday’s diary, I tend to favour Clydesdale-style workhorses when it comes to buying laptops due to their zippier performance and larger displays. With that said, they can be a real pain in the butt to lug around — especially on cramped economy flights where space is already at a premium. On more than one occasion, I’ve postponed filing stories in the air simply because I can’t be bothered struggling with my big-arsed notebook.

[related title=”Lifehacker Roadtrip Challenge” tag=”samsung tabpro s roadtrip challenge” items=”5″]This is something that the Samsung TabPro S obviously doesn’t suffer from. Measuring a scant 6.3mm at its thickets point and weighing under 700 grams, it’s small enough to comfortably sit on your lap for the entirety of a flight. Hell, it even fits on those dainty fold-out service trays that barely have enough room for your undersized airline meal.

I was seated on a Qantas flight that recently upgraded its in-flight entertainment system to a BYO streaming app. Unfortunately, there isn’t a Windows 10 application or any browser support yet, so I couldn’t hate-watch The Big Bang Theory as originally planned.

It would have been technically possible to stream the Qantas Entertainment app on the TabPro S through my Galaxy S7 Edge but I had work to do. Maybe on the way back, eh? If so, I’ll probably leave the keyboard in my bag and keep the device in tablet mode.

During the flight, I alternated between resting the TabPro S on my lap and using the plane’s service tray. In the former scenario, the laptop’s adjustable stand definitely came in handy, as the screen was a bit too low to view comfortably otherwise.

Sadly, I was just getting settled in when it was time to land. One thing’s for sure; this 2-in-1 will make a great companion for long haul flights thanks to its compact dimensions, full-size keyboard, tablet functionality and decent battery life. (Just don’t leave it behind in the seat pouch!)

After visiting the aforementioned workplaces I’ll be checking out the Samsung TabPro S’s entertainment features in my hotel which will form the basis of tomorrow’s article. See you then!

Lifehacker’s TabPro S Roadtrip Challenge series is sponsored by Samsung.


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.