Samsung has officially unveiled the Galaxy Tab S2, following an immense amount of leaks and rumors in the past couple of months. At 5.6 mm at the waist, the Galaxy Tab S2 is Samsung's thinnest tablet yet and carries over the Super AMOLED display of its predecessor. The Tab S2 has a more premium design though, with a metal frame similar to the one seen on devices like the Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Alpha.
The Tab S2 will be offered in two screen sizes: 8.0-inch and 9.7-inch. Samsung is switching to a 4:3 aspect ratio for the displays this time around (with a resolution of 2048×1536 pixels), and if you think watching videos will be a lesser experience as a result, you would be right. Samsung is touting the Tab S2 as a productivity and reading tablet and has refrained from using the word video anywhere in the press release; that's all well and good for the most part, since the iPad has continued to attract quite a few people with a similarly shaped display.
Like the Tab S, the Tab S2 features a fingerprint sensor built into the home button (the sensor works on touch instead of a swipe.) A big highlight of the new tablet is that it runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop with Samsung's newest version of TouchWiz on top. Couple that with the octa-core Exynos 533 processor – an upgrade over the Exynos 5420/Snapdragon 800 of the original Tab S – under the hood and you can expect the Tab S2 to be considerably smoother and faster than any of Samsung's existing tablets. It also means you get support for themes; you will also see a couple of Microsoft apps pre-loaded out of the box, along with 100 GB of free OneDrive cloud storage for two years.
That OneDrive storage shouldn't be needed though, as the tablet comes with 32 and 64GB storage options, in addition to a microSD slot that supports 128GB cards. Other specs include 3GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera, and LTE (there should also be a Wi-Fi-only variant) connectivity. Basic connectivity options are all on-board as well, including Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, GPS (with GLONASS), and Bluetooth 4.1. The 9.7-inch variant comes with a 5,870 mAh battery, while the 8.0-inch variant sips the juice from a 4,000 mAh battery.
Both screen variants of the Galaxy Tab S2 will go on sale around the world next month, at prices that are currently unknown. Of course, given the high-end hardware you can expect the price tags to be somewhere above the $500 mark. We'll be reviewing the Galaxy Tab S2 in the coming weeks, and you can look forward to a short hands-on shortly after this post.
Anyone saving money to get the Galaxy Tab S2?
Update: Here are the suggested retail prices for the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 and 8.0:
- Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 Wi-Fi: Euro 399
- Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 LTE: Euro 469
- Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 Wi-Fi: Euro 499
- Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 LTE: Euro 569
Samsung Unveils Galaxy Tab S2, the Essential Tablet for Experiencing Digital Content
Latest Galaxy tablet combines advanced personal visual device with unmatched mobility
SEOUL, South Korea – July 20, 2015 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., today announced the global launch of the Galaxy Tab S2, the most immersive Samsung tablet to-date. Samsung’s newest Galaxy tablet continuously delivers a stunning Super AMOLED display perfectly optimized for reading and viewing any type of digital content. The Galaxy Tab S2 is stylishly designed with the thinnest and lightest metal frame of its size on the market and packs powerful performance features to offer enhanced usability, empowering users with new and improved choices in productivity and multitasking.
“The Galaxy Tab S2 is not only our thinnest and lightest tablet of its size ever, it also gives users quick, easy access to a wealth of superior viewing and productivity features,” said JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile Division at Samsung Electronics. “We believe the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is the most complete personal visual device designed for consumers to carry and use anywhere.”
Newly Optimized Super AMOLED Display for the Best Content Viewing
At just 5.6mm thin and only 389g (9.7 -inch) and 265g (8.0 -inch) weight*, the Galaxy Tab S2 is perfectly designed for reading and consuming content due to its stunning Super AMOLED Display. By recreating the same viewing experience of browsing through traditional print media, the Galaxy Tab S2 also makes it comfortable to read digital content, including e-books, magazines, webpages and newsfeeds. This reading-optimized ratio allows the user to enjoy a seamless reading experience without unnecessary scrolling.
The tablet also presents deeper contrast and more precise detail to provide a best-in-class reading experience with the Super AMOLED display delivering 94% of natural tones to show true-to-life colors (Adobe RGB color standard). Users can now enjoy galleries of vividly detailed photos and effortlessly shop online while viewing the most accurate images on the Galaxy Tab S2.
In addition, the Galaxy Tab S2 continually offers its advanced screen technology to display bright and natural content for a more comfortable visual experience. Adaptive Display intelligently adjusts gamma, saturation, and sharpness based on the application, the color temperature of the viewing environment and ambient lighting. Also, Reading Mode modifies the screen’s brightness level to help users to read content for longer periods of time without straining their eyes.
Packaged within the world thinnest and lightest metal tablet frame of its size, the Galaxy Tab S2 is portable enough to easily carry around all day. Also, the fashionable and stylish design is suitable for any purpose or setting, so user can enjoy the best viewing experience anywhere, anytime.
Ultimate Productivity and Connectivity Features for Users On-The-Go
The Galaxy Tab S2 delivers unmatched mobility to cater to high-efficiency users seeking maximized productivity. The tablet comes fully equipped and preloaded with Microsoft Office Solutions** for ultimate productivity on the road, such as creating and editing documents, while conveniently storing up to 100GB of files on the cloud via OneDrive for two years for free. Also, it’s compatible with the advanced Book Cover Keyboard that delivers the same convenience of a standard PC keyboard with a built-in trackpad for executing tasks on-the-go.***
For enhanced manageability, the Galaxy Tab S2 is built with a touch-enabled Fingerprint Scanner for hassle-free authentication. A built-in advanced security sensor now offers easy access to the personal device with a simple press against the home key. For the most streamlined device management options, the Galaxy Tab S2 features Smart Manager which displays the device’s settings automatically, including battery power levels, storage and RAM availability for users to efficiently manage their devices. It is also pre-installed with anti-malware for an extra layer of protection.
In addition, the Galaxy Tab S2 offers Multitasking, allowing users to view and run two apps simultaneously. Also with Pop-Up Window, users can easily navigate between multiple apps at once. The Galaxy Tab S2 also provides an improved storage structure that makes locating files simpler than ever.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 will come in a variety of connectivity, storage and size options: 9.7-inch and 8.0-inch versions with Wi-Fi, or Wi-Fi and LTE, available in 32 or 64GB with MicroSD up to 128GB. It will be available in global markets, starting from August, 2015.
Full details and product images are available at www.samsungmobilepress.com.
