Instead of getting down with the debacle caused by the uproar of the controversial Samsung Galaxy Note 7 sometime in September, the Korean tech giant immediately worked on turning things around by releasing the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 in the same month.
Apart from fitting nicely into the Samsung lineup, the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 brings increased features and value to its Tab A line.
While its features are not as mind-blowing as the high-end and high-specced Galaxy Tab S2 or the Windows-based Galaxy TabPro S, the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 has brought a significant improvement over last year’s models.
More importantly, it came out with the S Pen which can be used to write, draw, and even select/animate a GIF. The complete features of the S Pen were brought to the new tablet and also came with the app called Samsung Notes, which combine its previous apps Action Memo, S Note, and Scrapbook into one place, details C/Net.
The Galaxy Tab A 10.1-inch came in two colors: black and white. It has a 7,300 mAh battery, which according to Samsung, allows the Tab A 10.1-inch to get 13 hours of video playback.
When it became available in the US on October 28, the Galaxy Tab A 10.1-inch with S Pen was retailed for $350.
What’s under the hood
Under the hood, the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 is powered by a 1.6 GHz Exynos 7870 octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box. It is likely that it shall have a free upgrade to Android 7.0 Nougat.
Storage is expandable via a microSD card slot. The rear camera is an 8-megapixel unit with LED flash, with a 2-megapixel camera at the front, reports Android Headlines.
Charging is via a standard microUSB connector rather than the newer USB Type-C that is quickly becoming standard on newer phones and tablets.
The new tablet is 8.2 mm in thickness and the build is entirely plastic, which helps keep the overall weight down.
It also seems that the tablet is designed specifically to be used in portrait orientation with the physical home button flanked by the virtual Android buttons at the base of the unit.
A revolutionary feature
The innovative S Pen of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 revolutionizes the way users interact with their mobile devices. It also promises a flexible and more productive usage from customers with different lifestyles and needs.
The S Pen is the standout feature, and what separates the new Galaxy Tab A 10.1 from older models without the stylus. Samsung’s new S Pen has a thinner and more precise tip than ever before, operates a revised menu system on the display, can be used to scrawl notes on the lock screen, and has various new features too.
With improved pressure sensitivity and a ballpoint pen-like experience, the pen is perfect for note taking to even drawing intricate creations through its superior precision.
Gary Riding, Senior Vice President of Product Marketing at Samsung Electronics America confirmed in a recent statement the revolutionary features that came together with the new S Pen.
He explained that with an embedded S Pen, users can discover more ways to express themselves. They can write, draw and edit with precision. He added that users can even take screenshots, select brush and color options to draw on photos or create GIFs.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 also integrates its new note-taking app, called Samsung Notes, which combines Samsung’s usual writing apps, such as Action Memo, S Note, and Scrapbook, in a drawer in order to view them altogether.