Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (9.7)
Samsung’s first tablet with quad-stereo speakers tuned by AKG. Impressive !!
Long have tablets been discounted from customer’s buying decisions, as being “frivolous”. Seeing that, a “Professional” line of tablets was crafted to set about changing that stumbling block.
Microsoft ran away with pole position via their Surface Pro 3, then Apple stepped in the ring with their Apple iPad Pro — both with 12 inch+ screens; and Samsung was nowhere to be seen.
Thus emerged a corner of the Tablets world that Samsung was noticeably absent in.
To remedy that, Samsung got in the Professional Tablets game with their Samsung Galaxy TabPro S (Jan 2016) which took on the 12 inchers.
Soon after Apple went and changed tacks — introducing exactly the same capabilities, hardware and accessories in a 9.7 form called the Apple iPad Pro (9.7). Once more, Samsung was caught on the left foot.
Microsoft too, kept up the pressure by releasing their Surface Book line of hybrid devices.
So Samsung took the bait and spent a lot of 2016 creating responses to these vigilante machines.
Finally, Samsung unveiled three new productivity-centered devices built on the company’s Galaxy foundation. The trio consists of a 9.7-inch tablet, called the Galaxy Tab S3 and two hybrid machines under a new Galaxy Book (detachable tablet) sub-category — with 10.6-inch and 12-inch screens.
We’ll talk about the Galaxy Tab S3 (9.7) here as we’ll be covering the others separately.
Aimed squarely at competing with the Apple iPad Pro (9.7) and the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (to an extent), the Galaxy Tab S3 mimics them almost to perfection.
The Galaxy Tab S3, sports a 9.7-inch Super AMOLED display that has a QXGA resolution (2048×1536 pixels) — this is the same resolution that every 9.7 inch iPad has sported since the iPad 3 (released in April, 2012), down to the same pixel density too — 261 pixels per inch!
Well, it’s a good resolution and the 4:3 aspect ratio plus an extremely capable screen, coupled with 4K video playback — all certainly concoct a visual treat while watching videos and playing graphic intensive games.
Keeping up with the iPad Pro which came with mind-bendingly good graphics and processing capabilities, Samsung has made sure the gamers consider the Galaxy Tab S3 favourably. The Galaxy Tab S3 includes Vulkan Games API for superior graphics and Game Launcher for improved user interfaces and a more personalised gaming experience, fused with modes like Do Not Disturb for sustained gameplay.
Further, the S3 is the first Samsung tablet to feature quad-stereo speakers — as introduced in the 12.9 inch iPad Pro.
Well to Samsung’s credit these quad speakers are tuned by AKG by Harman with auto-calibration to adjust the sound based on how the user is holding the tablet, offering a rich experience no matter whether you are listening to your favourite playlist, playing a racing game or watching your favourite TV show on Netfix.
Samsung considers the Tab S3 as a device that has the potential to provide a new level of “immersive entertainment experience” which is definitely heightened by pre-installed Android 7.0 Nougat.
Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC (two cores at 2.15 GHz and two cores at 1.6 GHz) coupled with 4 GB of RAM. On the storage front, the tablet comes with 32 GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded up to 256 GB using microSD card. All this is backed by a 6,000 mAh battery that can be charged quickly using a supported USB cable.
For photography purposes, Samsung’s blessed the Tab S3 with a 13 megapixel rear camera with flash and 4K video recording, and a 5 megapixel front camera.
Unlike its predecessor, Tab S2, the Galaxy Tab S3 will be available in Wi-Fi only and LTE models, though other connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11ac with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, and USB 3.1 Type-C port.
At 429 grams on the Wi-Fi only version, and 434 grams for the LTE variant, both versions feel easy to hold and are usable for sustained periods, even when used on the move or standing.
The box also packs in a new S-Pen as a standalone accessory which is larger and thicker as compared to the S-Pens on Samsung’s older tablets. The new 0.7 mm tip and over 4000 levels of pressure sensitivity on the S-Pen make it easier for users to take notes, capture screen shots and even record GIFs from video.
Since the Tab S3 is productivity-centered device, there is also an optional keyboard case that is intended to make your task easy by attaching it to the bottom of the tablet via a pogo pin.
For now, these are the details with which you will have to suffice as the price and availability details of Tab S3 have not been shared by the company.
And once we do get our hands on the device, we’d put up a nice, detailed review for you. Hold off your Tablet purchase, a little longer, would you?
Originally published at chip-monks.com.
