Since 2013, Barnes & Noble has been partnering with Samsung to make their Nook line of tablets. The retail bookseller just announced today the latest iteration of their device, the Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK, based on Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S2 launched this July. The tablet is the thinnest and lightest from Samsung that sports a really powerful hardware and comes bundled with B&N’s own software, which includes the NOOK Store offering over 4 million books for purchase, Newsstand featuring a large digital collection of the top 100 best-selling magazines in the US, curated apps and video selections. It’s a huge improvement from last year’s version, based on the Galaxy Tab 4, an underpowered mid-range device with a low-resolution screen.
Samsung and Barnes & Noble put together a very thin, 5.6mm thick slate that weighs only 268g. As for the internal specs, it is powered by an octa-core Samsung Exynos 7 Octa processor with four cores running at 1.3 GHz and the remaining ones at 1.9 GHz, packing 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage with support for further expansion via Micro-SD. The screen is an 8-inch Super AMOLED display packing a whopping 2048 x 1563 resolution. The rear camera has an 8-megapixel shooter while the front one is a 2.1 MP sensor. Other features include a fingerprint sensor inside the home button, 4000 mAh battery providing up to 14 hours of video usage or 74h of music play. As for comparison, the Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK 7 had a 7-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, 1.5 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal storage with Micro-SD support of up to 32 GB and a 3 MP rear camera. The bigger 10 inches version had the same resolution resulting in an even lower pixel density and 16 GB of built-in storage.
The new Galaxy Tab S2 NOOK is already available in Barnes & Noble stores across the U.S and online at Nook.com with a price tag of US$400, up 60% compared with last year’s version – $150 for the 7 inches version and $250 for the 10.1 one. However, the specs speak for themselves and you also get three free Nook Books and another three free Nook Magazines, together with $5 starter credit and free lifetime in-store technical support.