Samsung is preparing a Galaxy Tab S6 Lite tablet that now has Bluetooth SIG certification.
Galaxy Tab S6 Lite tablet gets Bluetooth certification
The tablet in question will have Bluetooth 5.0, as the Bluetooth SIG listing says. Bluetooth 5 is the latest in Bluetooth technology, bringing improvements to Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). Other than this, the tablet bears model number SM-P615. This model number doesn’t match that of the Galaxy Tab S6 4G or Tab S6 5G model but rather, that of the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 with S Pen (SM-P580). The model number reveals that this tablet could possibly contain an S Pen, though no official word is out from Samsung just yet.
The tablet has the label “Galaxy Tab S6 Lite,” an indication that the tablet will be a variant of the Galaxy Tab S6 series. Samsung announced the Galaxy Tab S6 4G model back in August 2019. The Korean Android OEM just announced a 5G model of the same tablet a few weeks ago. The Tab S6 Lite will be a third variant in the Tab S6 series. The Bluetooth certification request shows a February 26th 2020 filing, which means that the tablet is certainly a future release.
There’s no word on whether or not the Tab S6 Lite will have 4G models, 5G models, both, or just Wi-Fi.
Galaxy Tab S6 Lite specs
The Tab S6 Lite appeared at Geekbench last month, revealing it will run Google’s Android 10, contain Samsung’s Exynos 9611 SoC, and 4GB of RAM. Samsung’s octa-core Exynos SoC reveals, along with the “Lite” moniker, that this tablet will be a more budget-friendly model of Samsung’s flagship tablet. 4GB of RAM is also a giveaway, as Samsung’s Tab S6 5G model features at least 6GB of RAM.
The Tab S6 Lite could come with the same 10.5-inch display as its flagship 4G and 5G models, though with a modest screen resolution (perhaps 720p screen resolution). There’s no word on battery size or price just yet, though with an over $650 price tag for the 4G model, the S6 Lite will possibly sit at $400-$500. Samsung could price the tablet at around the same price as the Galaxy Tab S5e ($230 USD), though only time will tell just how budget-friendly Samsung decides to be.
Samsung continues to work at a declining market
Android tablet sales declined in Q4 2019. Even Samsung sold 600,000 fewer tablets than the same quarter the year before. And in a market where the numbers keep falling, Samsung keeps designing. One can chalk the company’s stubborn effort up to sheer madness or sheer brilliance.
The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite looks to be something of a budget-friendly tablet for those who want something like a Tab S6 without the $650 price tag. Perhaps Samsung is taking its expensive pricing to heart. When a market is dying, one must price the product in that market affordably in order to entice customers. The Galaxy Fold and Galaxy Tab S6 (4G and 5G) are excellent devices. Their specs are not keeping customers away. Their designs are not keeping customers away. The problem with these excellent products is not the product themselves, but the prices.
To keep the market alive, Android OEMs must do more than just design nice tablets with good specs; they must sell those tablets and build buyer interest. Hopefully, the Tab S6 Lite is the beginning of a turnaround for the Android market.