If rumors are true that Samsung is now busy working on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S Pro which is meant to rival the rumored iPad Pro of Apple and the upcoming Surface Pro 4 of Microsoft, it looks like it will have a bearing on the upcoming launch and release to the retail markets of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is to be latest flagship tablet of the Korean tech giant and is meant to compete head-on with the Apple iPad Air 2, which was launched in October last year.
However, with heightening speculations about the American tech company launching a giant iPad, to be known as the iPad Pro, Samsung simply does not want to be outdone. It seems that the company has gone straight to the drawing board and buckled down to work on the Galaxy Tab S Pro.
While details have yet to be released on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S Pro, the device is rumored to be a larger version of the Galaxy Tab S and the upcoming Galaxy Tab S2. It is to be Samsung’s entry into the hybrid tablet and laptop market that is currently dominated by Microsoft’s Surface Pro lines.
A head start
Previous reports indicate that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 will come out this month in order for the Korean tech company to have a three-month head start on the next Apple iPad lines including the iPad Air 3 and the iPad Mini 4.
With the entry into the picture of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S Pro, there might be some adjustments on the release date of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2.
According to Yibada, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 may be released on the same date as the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S Pro.
While no specific date has been mentioned thus far, Christian Today thinks that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 may come out of the retail markets any time from this month until October.
However, Samsung has yet to come out with a statement to either confirm or deny these reports about the release date of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 as well as the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S Pro.
Closer to reality
But the release date of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 recently got a boost when recent reports came out that the tablet has already received certification from the Radio Research Agency, the Korean agency affiliated with the Korean Communications Commission, the counterpart of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 was also reportedly spotted last month in the FCC office of the US, most likely to ensure that it is meeting all requirements as a consumer electronics product prior to its market launch, which indicate that it is about to be released to the American market very soon.
Apart from being thinner compared to its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is rumored to come with a metallic frame, which has become the norm in Samsung these days following the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge in March, which also featured metal uni-bodies.
Early reports indicate that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 will compete directly with the Apple iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 especially when word came out that the upcoming tablet from the Korean tech giant will have two variants – one will sport a 9.7-inch and the other an 8-inch screens.
The 8-inch version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 will go up against the 7.9-inch Apple iPad mini 3 while the 9.7-inch will compete head on with the 9.7-inch Apple iPad Air 2.