Samsung has added to its tablet range with three new Galaxy Tab
devices—or rather three different sized versions (8.4", 10.1" and 12.2")
of the same new model ... well, more or less anyway. The new arrivals
will be known as the Galaxy Tab "Pro" series to set these
top-of-the-range 2014 Tabs apart from the firm's other tablets.
After outing a range of different sized Galaxy Tab 3 and Galaxy Note devices, Samsung has taken elements of both these rages to build its new line of Galaxy Tab Pro tablets. Taking the leather-effect casing and mock-stitching first seen in the Galaxy Note 3 and in the latest Galaxy Note 10.1, Samsung has developed three new high-end Tabs, the Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2, Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 and Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4.
The three versions are very similar. In fact, the 8.4", 10.1" and 12.2" models all have 2560 x 1600-pixel displays, 8-Megapixel rear-facing cameras, 2-Megapixel front-facing webcams, and they all run on Android 4.4 KitKat with Samsung's TouchWiz interface (which now lets you display up to four apps simultaneously onscreen). Note that the Magazine content dashboard (news feeds, apps etc.) that arrived with the latest generation of the firm's mobile devices is back again here, but has been renamed Magazine UX, gaining a more simple and pleasant design that makes handling more user-friendly. The Knox application is on hand for creating a secure partition for pro users and a haptic-feedback touchscreen keyboard mimics the feeling of typing with proper mechanical keys.
The two larger-sized models run on Samsung's own Exynos Octa eight-core SoC, comprising a quad-core 1.9 GHz ARM Cortex A15 and a quad-core 1.3 GHz ARM Cortex A7. A Mali T-628 iGPU is on hand for graphics processing. The Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 comes with 3 GB of RAM whereas the Tab Pro 10.1 sticks with 2 GB.
Samsung has promised 4G LTE versions of these models too, switching the Exynos chip for a quad-core 2.3 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800. The Tab Pro 12.2 will be available with 32 or 64 GB of memory and the Tab Pro 10.1 will come with 16 or 32 GB. Both have a microSD card slot for boosting capacity.
Note too that the Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 runs on a 9500 mAh battery whereas the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 uses a 8800 mAh battery.
The Wi-Fi-only Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, on the other hand, uses a 2.3 GHz
Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC and 2 GB of RAM. It's otherwise identical to
the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 and 12.2, apart from its lower-capacity
4820 mAh battery. Like the Tab Pro 10.1, it'll be available in 16 or 32
GB versions and has a microSD card slot.
All three Galaxy Tab Pros come with Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS/GLONASS, and all three rock suitably slim designs, with the 12.2 model at 7.5 mm, the 10.1 version at 7.3 mm and the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 at a super-skinny 7.2 mm. They're lightweight too, at 732 g, 469 g and 331 g receptively for the Tab Pro 12.2, 10.1 and 8.4. In fact, the latter two models have nothing to envy of their key rivals, the Apple iPad Air and iPad Mini Retina, in terms of their size and weight.
Prices and release dates for the Galaxy Tab Pro range are still to be confirmed. Stay tuned for hands-on photos and first impressions of the new Tabs live from CES 2014.
After outing a range of different sized Galaxy Tab 3 and Galaxy Note devices, Samsung has taken elements of both these rages to build its new line of Galaxy Tab Pro tablets. Taking the leather-effect casing and mock-stitching first seen in the Galaxy Note 3 and in the latest Galaxy Note 10.1, Samsung has developed three new high-end Tabs, the Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2, Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 and Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4.
The three versions are very similar. In fact, the 8.4", 10.1" and 12.2" models all have 2560 x 1600-pixel displays, 8-Megapixel rear-facing cameras, 2-Megapixel front-facing webcams, and they all run on Android 4.4 KitKat with Samsung's TouchWiz interface (which now lets you display up to four apps simultaneously onscreen). Note that the Magazine content dashboard (news feeds, apps etc.) that arrived with the latest generation of the firm's mobile devices is back again here, but has been renamed Magazine UX, gaining a more simple and pleasant design that makes handling more user-friendly. The Knox application is on hand for creating a secure partition for pro users and a haptic-feedback touchscreen keyboard mimics the feeling of typing with proper mechanical keys.
The two larger-sized models run on Samsung's own Exynos Octa eight-core SoC, comprising a quad-core 1.9 GHz ARM Cortex A15 and a quad-core 1.3 GHz ARM Cortex A7. A Mali T-628 iGPU is on hand for graphics processing. The Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 comes with 3 GB of RAM whereas the Tab Pro 10.1 sticks with 2 GB.
Samsung has promised 4G LTE versions of these models too, switching the Exynos chip for a quad-core 2.3 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800. The Tab Pro 12.2 will be available with 32 or 64 GB of memory and the Tab Pro 10.1 will come with 16 or 32 GB. Both have a microSD card slot for boosting capacity.
Note too that the Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2 runs on a 9500 mAh battery whereas the Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 uses a 8800 mAh battery.
All three Galaxy Tab Pros come with Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS/GLONASS, and all three rock suitably slim designs, with the 12.2 model at 7.5 mm, the 10.1 version at 7.3 mm and the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 at a super-skinny 7.2 mm. They're lightweight too, at 732 g, 469 g and 331 g receptively for the Tab Pro 12.2, 10.1 and 8.4. In fact, the latter two models have nothing to envy of their key rivals, the Apple iPad Air and iPad Mini Retina, in terms of their size and weight.
Prices and release dates for the Galaxy Tab Pro range are still to be confirmed. Stay tuned for hands-on photos and first impressions of the new Tabs live from CES 2014.
