Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and 10.5 arrive with high-resolution SuperAMOLED displays
At this evening's Galaxy Premiere event in New York City, Samsung has taken the wraps off a new line of high-end Android tablets, dubbed Galaxy Tab S.
The new tablets come in 8.4 and 10.5-inch screen sizes and are the first Samsung tablets in a couple of years to use SuperAMOLED displays. Speaking at today's launch event, Samsung executive DJ Lee revealed that the new Tabs are just 6.6mm thin, with a high-resolution SuperAMOLED display. The 8.4-inch Tab weighs in at 294 grams, while its big brother weighs 465 grams.
The Tab S devices pack high-resolution WQXGA SuperAMOLED displays at 2560x1600 pixels. That's the same resolution as Samsung's earlier Tab Pro devices, but the first time we've seen such a high resolution SuperAMOLED panel on a tablet. On-stage, Samsung Electronics America SVP Michael Abary talked up SuperAMOLED's potential for more vibrant and accurate colors compared to LCD, as well as deeper blacks. Like the Galaxy S5, the Tab S devices include Adaptive Display for tweaked viewing experiences in different lighting situations.
The 8.4-inch Tab S packs a 4,900mAh battery, while the 10.5-inch model features a 7,900mAh cell, and Samsung claims the devices can deliver more than 11 hours of 1080p video playback on a single charge. Elsewhere, the Tab S boasts a fingerprint scanner, like the Galaxy S5, and this fingerprint recognition can be used to toggle between users — 8 people on one device.
On the software side, Samsung will offer a new magazine experience called Papergarden, with content from partners including Condé Nast and National Geographic, optimized for the Tab S devices' 16:10 display. Like the Galaxy S5, the Galaxy Tab S series will come with free content and service deals through Galaxy Gifts. Besides that, signature Samsung features like Multiwindow return on Samsung's latest tablets.
Samsung will also offer a range of cases for the device, including a snap-on case with uses magnets to hold the tablets in three different positions for typing or watching content. There'll also a Bluetooth keyboard offered for both sizes.
8.4-inch Tab S starts at $399, while the larger 10.5-incher goes for $499
Connectivity-wise, the global cellular version of the Tab S will support calls and SMS. The new tablets will also come with the new SideSync feature for answering calls from a paired Samsung phone, and transferring files between phone and Tab.
In the U.S., both sizes of Wifi Tab S will arrive in July, with the cellular versions arriving shortly afterwards. The Wifi Tab S 10.5 will cost $499, while the Tab S 8.4 will cost $399.
Reader comments
Samsung unveils new Galaxy Tab S tablets
The are 3 things wrong with the 8.4" tablet:
1. It has Touchwiz
2. It is not a Nexus device or a Silver program device.
3. It does not have an active pen.
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Yet these tablets will be very competitive against Apple's iPad offerings.
I am just watching. Continue to hate guys.. Sorry what you have or want never quite measures up and you have to settle for the sake of settling.
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Having recently bought a Tab Pro 10.1 I have the right to be a bit annoyed that it is now being superceded by the Tab S line. But to be honest I'm not that bothered, as its something you have to live with in the tech world. I'd rather this amazing continual innovation that Samsung and other Android manafacturers are producing than waiting a whole year for Apple to wheel out its one crummy offering of the next iphone with a 16:9 screen about 8 years after everyone else adopted them , or whatever feature they have decided to copy from the Android OS and repackage as their own.
IMO Samsung is showing the competition that if they want to knock them out of first place in the Android tablet market, they better bring their A game. I mean if you're a competitor where do you start? What model do you try to best? With Sammy flooding the market with so many models I just don't see anyone else that has the money or manufacturing in place to defeat their strategy. That's sad because competition in the market is a good thing. I can't name one company that can dethrone Samsung in the Android tablet market. There's other companies out there but unfortunately they will have to fight like carrion for the few crumbs that fall from Samsung's table. I know I probably sound like a Samsung fanboy but not the case. Just stating how it looks to me.
From the Death Star using my LG G2
The Tab S 8.4 looks a bit like an overgrown S5.
Just sayin'. Nice tablets, though. Might give them a try.
What's next? The galaxy tab active series? Come in Samsung you don't get to do the whole with holding features thing. I wanted a tab pro before this was announced and now I don't really want either. Hello Sony tablet or ipad air.
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Sorry, too much bezel for me
It's a joke?
Bezel?????
I'm curious about how the brick and mortar stores are going to find room to display all of Samsung's tablets that are in the supply chain.
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I like the 8.4 pro quite a bit. Is this replacing the pro line already? Tab 4, S, pro and note Damn.
Got to give Samsung credit for giving you options.
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Do you have the Pro 8.4? I never would have even considered a Samsung tablet. My family actually bought the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 for me for my birthday, and it's completely replaced my iPad. I love almost everything about this tablet.
They're nice tablets, but everyone saw this coming so nothing much to expect.
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Finally selling my nexus 10 for this!!
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I've lost track of all of Samsung's tablets.
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Meh, I think I'll stick with my pre-order of the Surface pro 3. I like what Samsung has done with Android on tablets with multiWindow, but it still is buggy compared to Windows. And am still waiting on Office for Android.....
This will probably be too expensive for a Android tablet anyways.
Got Nexus?
will these be the prices as reported by that "other" Android site?
$799 wifi-only 8.4
$999 wifi-only 10.5
$929 wifi/LTE 8.4
$1129 wifi/LTE 10.5
Dollars?????
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They said $399 for the 8.4" and $499 for the 10.5"
personally i don't even think this is possible. How can a company release 50 different versions of tablet every year? And even if they're not looking at the bottom line, i'm skeptical about their pricing. does anyone else thinks the 8.4 Tab Pro version released a few months ago and this tablet are THAT DIFFERENT they need an event for that? Samsung is doing exactly what nokia did back in the day, i.e. release a product with a new feature and a new device to go with that. When the margins are squeezed, we start getting cheaper and cheaper quality devices. example, the fingerprint sensor in S5 and the camera in S5.
Exactly. Anyone that does not realize that when a company keeps pushing out products for the sake of adding more models, it will hurt everyone in the end.
Hey Samsung, put a fraction of the money you used to design (oh wait it is the same as every other tablet they have), build and distribute these tablets into making your next 'flagship' handset out of something other than Fisher Price plastic!!
Maybe take the leftover money to take TouchWiz out to the scrapyard and start fresh instead of the crap UI that's a carryover from the Gingerbread days!!
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Cool but just another way for Samsung to confuse its customers lol
Posted from my Nexus 7 2013 or Samsung galaxy S5
How much?
Too much, lol
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I was looking forward to getting a 12.2" tablet next. So this kinda sucks.
Choice is a good thing, but to much choice can lead to oh I want the super amoled oh no wait the pro has.... But wait there is the 8" or the 12.2 hmm.
For an indesisive person you can get the dilemma lol
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Exactly!!
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Finally, I will be buying my first tablet!
Sent from a device beyond your wildest dreams!
My thing is why would I buy this if I have a note 2 or 3 it does not make, sense to me personally I will stick with my windows tablet to see movies or my note phone.
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Because your Windows tablet comes with an LCD display.
Maybe you wouldn't buy it, but the fact that you wouldn't buy it doesn't mean that no one else will. There are people who have different phones, tablets, and needs than you.
Apparently hating on Samsung is the cool thing to do nowadays. How is offering another line of tablets hurting anyone?
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Very simple. If they continue to release products constantly, they have less time to support the products that they already released.
To me, it's totally unacceptable that the Note 8, which was supposed to be their top device at the time, and overpriced at launch, JUST got Kit Kat.
Also, they should be investing more money into a smaller product portfolio to increase material quality, instead of dumping money to make 50 different tablets.
You do realize that there is a HUGE cost in making different parts, tooling to build those parts, marketing, etc right??
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couldn't have said it better myself
+1
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How can you fault their strategy when they make over 7 billion dollars in profit each quarter. Listening to you they would have about the same market share as the rest of the tablet makers out here.
They know exactly what their doing and it's obviously working.
Blackberry OWNED the smartphone market too.... Ask them what happened.
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Actually what happened to BlackBerry was they didn't keep up with the changes in technology. They stubbornly held onto their qwerty keyboards when the shift to onscreen keyboards was clearly the future.
To say nothing of poor marketing and mismanagement. I get that people think Samsung is headed for doom, but when you have a strategy that is making you 7 billion (as in b) profits each quarter it a pretty good indicator that what you're doing is working.
How are their profits and forecasts trending?
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Right now their profits are up and they are increasing in market share in just about every category.
Second only to Apple they are the largest OEM right now. Would you dispute this?
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Oh.. OK. I think they will be ok regardless of how their strategy for tablets goes. Honestly, they have very little competition with regards to larger form factor Android tablets. I'm predicting that over time, they will phase out LCD tablets and switch their entire lineup to AMOLED (which IMO is the best choice for tablets).
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Look here, I don't get one dime of Samsung's profits so I have no vested interest.
But it seems incredibly silly to suggest they should change the strategy that got them to where they are and adopt the strategy of a people making comments on a website.
The bottom line is that unless someone can demonstrate how a different strategy is beneficial then they would be stupid and irresponsible to change.
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At some point consumers open their eyes and dont fall for the 'smoke and mirrors' game anymore.
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I lol'd at this. Smh
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reminds me of what Motorola was doing a couple of years ago before the Google acquisition and subsequent Lenovo purchase. They released the Bionic, Razr, Razr Maxx, Razr HD, Razr Maxx HD, and a couple more that were all essentially the same phone with very slight differences. That was such a disaster when they were trying to send out updates.
ch0ice...
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/full#/phones/full/manufacturer/Samsung/...
50 Samsung tablets since 2010, that is over 10 tablets per year!
Uhhhhh so?
Posted via NEXUS 5
uhhhh so he as a customer doesn't know the difference between them. it'll be easier if a consumer is allowed to pick from max of 4 tablets with different options.
Yeah, I wish tablets were as limited as our PC's. I really miss how PC manufacturers only releases one laptop per year...........
Everyone has different needs, different price range etc so 10 isn't that bad. It's like TV, they make more than 10 because everyone has specific needs. Samsung make many things for sure and some may find it overwhelming but imo they trying to cater to as many people as possible even if it's just a niche market, they want to get them too. 10 tablets, there's millions of tablet buyers, I don't think that's many when trying to cater to millions also not all the tablets are going to be sold in the same market.
Posted via Android Central App on nexus 7 (2nd gen)
I think the biggest problem with Samsung having 10 different tablets per year is that there isn't a whole lot of differentiation between them, ESPECIALLY to the non-tech enthusiast. I have been waiting to pull the trigger on a 10" tablet and had been going between the Note, Tab, and Pro. The main difference between these options is the screen resolution, and the s-pen, thats about it.
My mother in law bought a new Galaxy tab 8" last week. When I asked her what model she bought her response was "the 8 inch Samsung". Didn't know or care that there were so many choices, she just wanted something a little bigger than her old one and smaller than a 10".
Samsung could probably get by with half of the options that they have out there now, and would probably do better for them because there wouldn't be so much confusion over the 2013 vs. 2014 models, or tab 2, 3, 4, etc.
Must be an incompetent customer...
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Pretty sure he does if he reads phone arena and comments on Android sites with an android avatar
n5
So what's the difference between these and the Pro series of tablets?
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AMOLED displays for one.
Super amoled screens.
Yes!!! So happy they finally added more tablets.
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Hahaha, I wish there was a like button for your comment :D I love how he mentioned continuous innovation as well, finally some new and original design, amazing! :p