Samsung used this year's MWC venue to throw a curve
ball in the somewhat docile waters of the tablet market. The Galaxy Tab S3 is
sure to stir up some commotion, as it is a true powerhouse offer, tricked-out
by the Korean giant with all the bells and whistles, including its coveted S
Pen tech and a convenient keyboard attachment.
The 9.7-inch tablet definitely takes after its Tab
S2 predecessor, yet clearly pushes further into high-end productivity
territory. It appears Samsung has decided to put forth its best foot forward at
making an Android 2-in-1 to take on laptop-like productivity tasks. And just
like with its Windows-powered TabPro S, it is hard to judge whether the effort
will yield results, but its clear that no effort was spared in making the Tab
S3.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is the very
definition of slick and clean. It resembles the Tab A 10.1 (2016) in many
aspect and has moved away from chamfering and other distinct details on the
older Tab S2. It measures 169x237.3x6 mm and weighs in at 429 grams for the
Wi-Fi and 435 grams for the Cat.6 LTE version. A sharp and gorgeous 1,536 x
2,048 pixel Super AMOLED panel on the front, flush glass back with no camera
hump on the back and a metal frame - the Tab S3 almost looks utilitarian. It is
the perfect chameleon to blend into any setting, business or otherwise.
And whether you intend to use it for business tasks
or multimedia and gaming, the Tab S3 has the hardware to back you up. It is the
first truly flagship Samsung tablet to come along in a while. Under the hood is
a Snapdragon 820 chipset, coupled with 4GB of RAM. Plenty of headroom for
multi-tasking on the spacious display. Other notable features include 32GB of
on-board storage, easily expandable through a dedicated microSD card slot,
dual-band Wi-Fi ac and a large 6,000 mAh battery. Interestingly enough, Samsung
has managed to cram a bigger battery than on the Tab S2, while making the unit
a tad lighter.
It also has a surprisingly thin profile, measuring
only 6mm. There are a total of four speakers on the top and bottom sides of the
Tab S3. These are tuned by AKG, which makes for a superb audio experience and
puts the unit on the same level playing fields as Apple's iPad Pro. Combine
that with the 10-bit HDR support on the display and you get a truly amazing
multimedia experience. On that rim are a USB Type-C connector, 3.5mm audio
jack, a pair of microphones for audio recording and even a SIM card slot on LTE
variants of the Galaxy Tab S3. It resides on the same tray, next to the microSD
card.
Samsung has
also included a few accessories to strengthen the Tab S3's appeal as a
productivity offer. The left bezel houses a set of six pogo pins and pair of
mounting holes as well as some magnets underneath. Those are meant for
attaching a passive keyboard accessory, 2-in-1 style, quite similar to the
TabPro S. Only this time around its Android doing the heavy lifting, instead of
Windows 10.
While the latter has the clear edge in terms of true
business-oriented software and tools, Samsung has done the best it can to fill
in the gaps and make its custom Android just as useful. It's based on 7.0
Nougat and its native Multi Window support definitely helps in this respect.
However, Samsung has built on top of that in a significant manner. For one, the
Tab S3 comes bundled with the company's coveted S Pen stylus and all the
software features to back it up.
You can draw, edit, sign. Just like the Apple Pencil
and the Surface Pen, Samsung's stylus provides a whole new level of input
freedom. Plus, it is good to see the accessory back in the tablet realm. Just
like on Galaxy Note devices, it is battery-free and works in the same way. Only
this time around, Samsung decide to make it a bit bigger, much more similar to
a real pen. The added grip, comfort and control are appreciated, but there is
sadly no convenient place to store and carry the S Pen. Unless you get the the
keyboard, that is, since it has a lanyard to hold the stylus (but the keyboard
is sold separately).
To Top things off, the Tab S3 also has a pair of
cameras - 13MP, f/1.9 main camera, with single LED flash on the back and a 5MP,
f/2.2 selfie shooter. That should be plenty good enough for video conferencing
or a last resort occasional photo.
