The specs race is always a sight to behold. The seemingly endless stream of improvements from one device to the next, however minimal, is almost always the highlight of an upcoming product nowadays. Whether it be phones or tablets we’ve seen this trend for some time now, and at this point one wonders how much longer this can go on for while people still care. Samsung is gearing up to release the thinnest lineup of products it has ever made, from the 6.91mm Galaxy S6 all the way to the Galaxy Tab S2. We’ve seen a couple of rumors now about the successor to the original Galaxy Tab S, now thought to just be called the Galaxy Tab S2, and all have pointed to some pretty rudimentary updates over the original.
We’re seeing from some sources now that Samsung is looking to not just match Apple as it is planning to do with the Galaxy S6, but surpass them in the race for the thinnest tablet on the market with the Galaxy Tab S2. More than likely we’re not talking a massive difference, as the original Tab S is already sickeningly thin at 6.6mm, and the iPad Air 2 is an almost non-existance 6.1mm thin. Will we see this tablet drop below the 6.0mm measurement or just skim the surface of that milestone? There’s also the very high possibility that Samsung will continue the trend of adding more metal to their devices to make them feel more premium, possibly adding a metal frame to the Tab S2 as the Galaxy Note 4 currently has.
As for the screens of the tablet we saw a rumor a few weeks back about Samsung possibly dropping the widescreen ratio it has used for so long on its tablets for the same 4:3 aspect ratio Apple has used since the inception of the original iPad. While the aspect ratio might not be the biggest item on someone’s checklist it’s likely a deal breaker for some, and the 4:3 aspect ratio seems to prove more productive on a tablet than a 16:9 or other widescreen resolution as it’s awkward to hold a tablet vertically when it’s so tall. Screen sizes look to again be very Apple-like with an 8.0-inch and a 9.7-inch variant. How closely will Samsung follow Apple this time around? We may just find out as early at Mobile World Congress in two weeks.