Update 3/14/17: This article has been updated with pricing for the Tab S3.
Samsung always arrives at Mobile rld Congress with a new Galaxy device, but this year instead of the S8 smartphone, which won’t be arriving for at least a few more weeks, it brought a new tablet, the Galaxy Tab S3. And now we know it won’t come cheap.
It’s been 18 months since the Tab S2 made its debut, so naturally there are a lot of changes. So many, in fact, it’ll be easier to talk about what hasn’t changed first. t the S2 the S3 side by side it’s nearly impossible to tell them apart. Samsung has used a nearly identical design for its new tablet, with a black, bezel-heavy frame that houses a home button/fingerprint sensor on the bottom with a pair of capacitive keys alongside it. so like the S2, the Tab S3 features a 9.7-inch Super AMOD 2048×1536 screen, but that’s where the similarities end.
Of particular note, there’s only one size this time around. Samsung has dumped the smaller 8-inch model to focus all of its efforts on the larger one, it’s clear that it wants the sole Tab S3 to be a premium device. Flip the tablet around you’ll find an all-glass back, which comes in black or silver (both with black fronts), a 13Mcamera (the front camera is 5M. But the real improvements are the ones you can’t see.
Under its premium enclosure, there’s a Snapdragon 820 quad-core chip, 4GB of RAM, a 6,000mAh battery, as well as an auto-calibrating quad speaker system that has been “tuned” by AKG Acoustics. Additionally, the screen now supports high dynamic range (HDR) video, which means compatible movies on Netflix or Amazon will look as stunning as they do on a high-end TV.
so new to the Galaxy Tab is the addition of a redesigned S n. It has a new rubberized feel to it a clip at the top for attaching to folders (though, sadly, not to the device itself). ke the Note 7, Samsung’s stylus is now integral to the experience, bringing phablet-specific features like screen-off memos the Air Comm menu to the larger screen.
l those upgrade come at a price. According to a Best Buy listing, Samsung will be selling the -Fi edition of the 32GB Tab S3 for $599, in line with Apple’s pricing for the id o. Samsung has also made a $129 keyboard accessory that attaches to the Tab S3 via a magnetic port on the edge, there are a trio of Book Covers available in white, black, green.
Go big or go home: It’s been a while since an Android tablet made much of an impact, but the Galaxy Tab S3 could definitely change things. ke the id o, Samsung is making a clear push to position the Tab S3 as a machine for both work play, rather than a mere larger-screened companion to a Galaxy phone. It’s a gamble for sure, especially with a highly anticipated new phone due just around the corner, but it’s one that might pay off.
