Samsung is currently working on the Galaxy Tab S4, which is expected to make an official appearance at the IFA in September. Samsung has announced many tablets in the last couple of years, and while some of them hit it off, others weren't as well received. I remember the time the Galaxy Tab S was released back in 2014 and made us jump with joy as Samsung brought the AMOLED display back to its tablet lineup. All those vivid colors on a screen that big? Exactly what we needed, especially after Samsung was forced to stop selling the Galaxy Tab 7.7, its first tablet with an AMOLED display, thanks to Apple and decided to make tablets with LCD displays for the next couple of years.
Looking back, one can argue that the best thing about the Galaxy Tab S was that its screen had a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is still the best for watching videos on a mobile device. Many were disappointed when Samsung decided to make the switch to a 4:3 aspect ratio with the Galaxy Tab S2 and stuck with it for the Galaxy Tab S3 as well. 4:3 displays are great for reading books and browsing the internet, but what about those of us who spend most of our time watching YouTube videos and movies on Netflix while we're traveling?
Samsung needs to think of us binge watchers
The Galaxy Tab S2 and Tab S3 offer a “reading mode” simply by having a 4:3 aspect ratio, but there's no “movie mode”, and I think it's time for Samsung to fix that by bringing back the 16:10 display from the first Galaxy Tab S. In fact, it would be great if the company could complete its “Infinity” lineup by putting an Infinity Display on the tablet, with the home button getting the boot. Yes, you do need some bezels on a tablet to make sure it isn't a handling nightmare, and an Infinity Display would make for an oddly thin and long device that doesn't look so great in a tablet form factor, but do the bezels need to be so big?
Also, can we finally have water resistance on a mainstream Galaxy tablet? You know, for the times we use our tablets in the bathtub at the end of a long and tiring day? Adding water resistance will probably raise the price tag by a fair margin and affect sales, but then again, it's not like Samsung's high-end tablets aren't already overpriced.
But at the end of the day, it's really the 16:10 display that I wish Samsung would reintroduce, and I'm sure many will agree. The company's smartphone lineup is currently making the transition to 18:5:9 aspect ratio, and it would be disappointing to see the Galaxy Tab S4 touting the reading-friendly 4:3 aspect ratio at this point in time. Forget the Infinity Display, and forget water resistance. Just give me a display that's suitable for viewing videos as they are meant to be viewed, and Samsung will have my money.
What do you think? Do you agree the 16:10 aspect ratio needs to come back with Samsung's next high-end tablet? Get a discussion going in the comments!
