The battle for the next best high-end upcoming tablet is on among the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, the Microsoft Surface Pro 4, and the rumored Apple iPad Pro.
While details of features and specifications on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 have already made the rounds on the internet since a few months ago, not much can be said about the giant Apple tablet. The American tech giant seems intent on keeping its ace up its sleeve until it officially launches its device this coming October.
There have been reports that the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 will launched simultaneously with Windows 10 but the Redmondian company pushed it back to October as well to give itself time to mass produce the hybrid laptop tablet which shall feature a 256GB solid state drive (SSD) from Samsung Electronics.
Knowing that its two main competitors will be launching in October somehow gives the Korean tech giant the advantage. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S was launched in June last year and given that it has already completed its one-year market cycle, Samsung is obviously ready with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 as early as last month.
For some reasons however, Samsung is holding it back, perhaps trying to measure the competition and making last-minute refinements on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2.
Latest reports indicate that Samsung may launch the Galaxy Tab S2 either next month or September. Whichever release date it may pick, the Korean tech giant will still be ahead as far as release date is concerned with the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and the rumored Apple iPad Pro.
Surely, for an expected three-cornered market competition, the first one to launch and make it to the retail markets would certainly enjoy a good head start. And that is what Samsung seems to be eyeing with the release of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 soon.
Previous target competition
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.
But the latest Samsung tablet’s premium advantage over the thin Apple iPad Air 2 is that it’s actually thinner at only 5.4 millimeters. The iPad Air 2 is 6.1 millimeters slim.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 shall also be powered by a 64-bit Exynos chipset, shall have a 3GB of RAM and a 32GB of built-in storage with an option to expand via a micro-SD slot. But Samsung has yet to make a statement to formally confirm or deny these specifications.
Based on history however, the features going around the internet are pretty much confirmed since it is likely that the sources of initial information are also involved in Samsung’s production and supply chain.
When the Galaxy Tab S was released last year, it also took on some of the features of its 2014 flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S5. It is possible that when the Galaxy Tab S2 is released soon, it is likely that it shall also have the same features as that of the Galaxy S6 and the metallic frame is just one of them.
There are reports saying that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 will come out first in its home market in South Korea, before hitting other markets in various parts of the world.
Instead of competing with devices that have already launched last year, Samsung has decided to pit the Galaxy Tab S2 against up and coming competition, which actually makes more sense.