Samsung’s super display tablet has finally had a Kenya launch. The device launched sometime in June targeted specifically at media consumers. These tablets’ design and bundling is meant to appeal to the user who wants an elegant device for media consumption.
“We are in a visual information age, and thus Samsung developed the best tablets for media consumption with the dazzling display that is bound to take our breath away at first sight”, Said Ryan Musembi, Samsung East Africa Tablets product manager at the launch.
The Tab S also comes with Kids mode as a default to take care of the moment when a parent has to let their young one use their tablet without compromising their private data. On top of that, the tablet is able to support upto 8 users via the multi-user mode. This is also the first Samsung tablet to come with fingerprint recognition for added security.
“Smart is the new green”, Said Manoj Changarampatt, Samsung Electronics East Africa Director for Mobile referring to the way Samsung innovates to cater for specific needs. The Tab S is one of the nest way to consume media where you can subscribe to magazines and consume them even better than you would if they were printed. This means easier distribution and less resouces used in publishing.
Samsung Tab S comes with three three main things on board:
- A Super AMOLED display that has no equal in the market – The display which is powered by light emitting diodes is a QWVGA display with a 2560 by 1600 resolution and currently the best in colour reproduction due to the Super AMOLED display. Samsung has positioned the Tab S as the tablet to replace your magazines with the super awesome display that brings out images in e-magazines better than print magazines. Video consumption and photo browsing goes a notch higher with Tab S and as Ryan Musembi says, Tab S brings out the best in photography.
- Superior design finish with anorexia and quite light – at 6.6 mm for both tablets and 294 grams for the Tab S 8.4 inch model the new tablet range is the thinnest tablet that Samsung has done so far. The 10.5 inch model weighs 465 grams.
- Applications bundling that Samsung calls Galaxy Gifts- Samsung bundled Galaxy Gifts worth USD 1000 with the Tab S. The gifts comprise of subscription to over 30 premium applications in the Samsung Apps Store that are available to Galaxy Tab S users.
See below the main specs of the Galaxy Tab S:
- Display: 8.4″/10.5″ 2560 x 1600 pixels (WQXGA) Super AMOLED
- Processor: Exynos 5 Octa (1.9 GHz QuadCore + 1.3 GHz Quadcore) or Quadcore Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 clocked at 2.3 GHz in select markets (mostly for the LTE variants)
- Memory: 16 GB or 32 GB internal storage expandable upto 128 GB/ 3GB RAM
- Camera: 8MP with LED Flash at the back /2.1MP (Full HD video recording support) front
- OS: Android 4.4.2
- Battery: 4900 mAh/7900 mAh
- Others: [Connectivity] WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac MIMO, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, IrLED [Network] 2G, 3G, LTE supported
Accessories for the Tab S include:
The standard book cover that has three use angles; viewing mode, touch mode and typing modes.
The other accessory is the simple book cover that just covers the front but is latched in the back with a snip of back. Both the simple cover and standard book cover latch the same way on the back in a more straight to the point way. This new design of the back cover in latches onto two contact points at the back of the Tab S making it one of the best implementation. Both the two covers have an automatic on and off setting when you flip the cover.
The other accessory is the Bluetooth keyboard that was designed specifically for these two models. It fits onto the tablet like to bring out the laptop look and also has a fit in to enable one carry it as one piece. It has it’s own rechargeable battery with 200 mAh and comes in the two colours the Tab S comes in.
The Galaxy Tab S sells at Kshs 60,000 for the 8.4 inch version and Kshs 75,000 for the 10.5 inch version and is already available at Samsung channels with Titanium Bronze and Dazzling White as the colour options. The 10.5 inch model comes together with the Bluetooth keyboard in one package with the other types of accessories purchased separately.