In Barcelona, instead of the usual announcement of a Galaxy S phone, we have instead been treaeted with the follow up to the Galaxy S tablet line with Samsung unveiling the Galaxy Tab S3.
Samsung has recently launched their two Chromebooks which readily convert between laptops and tablets running Android apps, but it seems there’s still a market for a straight tablet which is where the high end Galaxy Tab S3 comes in. Samsung says that the Tab S3 is for digital content enthusiasts, with the tablet also able to switch into productivity mode thanks to an optional keyboard cover which attaches via POGO pins on one side.
Samsung is also including their much vaunted S Pen with the Tab S3 which they hope to also push as an additional productivity device. The S Pen has a fine, 0.7mm tip with an industry-leading sensitivity which can recognise 4,096 levels of pressure. The S Pen is designed to mimic a pen and at just over 9mm thick it certainly fits the bill making for what Samsung says is a ‘more natural handwriting experience’. The S Pen also supports Screen-off Memos, Samsung Notes and Air Command, all apps installed on the Tab S3.
For a tablet that’s being marketed as a high-end entertainment machine, the Tab S3 is running a slightly older processor with the older, yet tried and tested Snapdragon 820 processor, though it’s been paired with 4GB of RAM and comes with 32GB of storage though that can be bolstered by adding a microSD card to the tablet. Gaming is also a consideration on the Tab S3 graphics optimised for the Vulkan API.
A large 9.7″ 2048×1536 resolution AMOLED display and quad-stereo speakers tuned by AKG by HARMAN should make for great multimedia viewing with the Tab S3 also capable of viewing 4K video. Samsung has also partnered with Amazon to deliver HDR videos to really show off that display.
Full Specs include:
- 9.7” Super AMOLED QXGA (2048×1536) Display
- Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 820 – Quad Core 2.15GHz + 1.6GHz
- 4GB RAM
- 32GB with micro SD up to 256GB
- 13MP rear camera with AF and Flash + 5.0MP front-facing camera
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2X2 MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS + GLONASS, BEIDOU, GALILEO
- Accelerometer, Hall Sensor, RGB Sensor, Finger print Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geometric Sensor
- USB 3.1(Type-C)
- Android 7.0
- 6,000mAh Battery with Fast Charging
- 237.3 x 169.0 x 6.0mm 429g(Wi-Fi) / 434g(LTE)
- LTE Model available with Cat.6 (300Mbps) LTE
Samsung has not yet announced pricing or availability for the tablet but we expect to get more information on both in the coming days.
Update:
Richard Fink, Vice President, IT & Mobile Division – Samsung Electronics Australia has announced that the Tab S3 will be coming to Australia announcing:
We’re thrilled to announce that the Galaxy Tab S3 will be launched in Australia later in 2017.
