During MWC 2017, Samsung finally and formerly introduced their latest tablet offering as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3. This is a tablet which is predominantly aimed at the higher-end of the market and as such comes with a definitive premium build quality, as well as premium specs and likely, a premium price to match. In terms of the design, the Galaxy Tab S3 continues Samsung’s emphasis on combining metal and glass and like most of the high-profile smartphones that have come from Samsung lately, the Galaxy Tab S3 boasts a glass front and back. One which Samsung hopes will help to further cement the Galaxy Tab S3’s position as a high-end tablet option. For those concerned about security, the Samsung home button comes with an embedded fingerprint sensor.
What is clear here is that Samsung is positioning this tablet as a premium entertainment solution. So as well as coming equipped with a 9.7-inch display and a 2048 x 1536 resolution, this is a HDR AMOLED display – which does look to offer an unparalleled tablet viewing experience. In addition to the visual performance, the Galaxy Tab S3 comes loaded with quad-speakers which have been fine tuned by AKG. However, entertainment is only one of the selling points on offer here, as this is also a tablet that has been designed to be functional as well. This is best summed up by the inclusion of an ‘enhanced’ S Pen. However, unlike previous S Pen-touting devices, the Galaxy Tab S3 does not come with the S Pen as an integrated aspect. Which should mean that those who strictly want to use the tablet as an entertainment machine can forgo the S Pen altogether. While those who want to take advantage of both the entertainment and productivity purposes, can do so. The S Pen itself is larger and more solid and comes with a 0.7 mm rubber tip. Those who want even more added productivity value can also opt to pick up a compatible pogo keyboard, although unlike the S Pen, this keyboard does not come included in the package and is sold as an after-purchase accessory.
Inside, the Galaxy Tab S3 comes packing 4GB RAM and is available with 32GB of storage. Although, this is a tablet which offers the option to expand the storage when needed thanks to the inclusion of a microSD card slot. Continuing with its high-end market position, this tablet comes powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor in the US, while international versions will come powered by an Exynos processor. A spec combination which does mean that this is now one of the most powerful tablets on the market. Likewise, the cameras on offer are also pretty on point for a tablet, as you will find a 13-megapixel rear camera which is coupled with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. While this is not necessarily designed as an ‘on the go’ unit, the Galaxy Tab S3 does come powered by a fairly decent 6000mAh battery and the operating system in use is Android 7.0 (Nougat).
In terms of availability, Samsung has yet to fully confirm the pricing and release details, although the company has confirmed that the Galaxy Tab S3 will be available in both an LTE and Wi-Fi version. Likewise, the Galaxy Tab S3 will be available in both black and silver color options. For added customization, customers will also be able to pick up book covers in a selection of colors, including black, white and mint green. For those interested in taking a closer look at the Galaxy Tab S3, check out our full hands-on gallery below.
