Samsung announces Galaxy Tablet, two Books, S8 launch date, and more
In a house full of media journalists, at a separate event from the MWC in Barcelona and held at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, Samsung, the Korean tech giant launched the next tablet the Galaxy S3 and two two-in-one convertible notebooks. Alongside the two new portfolio extension devices, Samsung also announced the official date for the next Galaxy flagship, the S8.
Korean Giant Samsung Electronics held a separate event at Barcelona on February 27. The event saw a house full of tech and mainstream journalists from around the world, where Samsung announced the launch of new products, which included a new tablet, two new foldable laptops (Book), a new S-Pen and a VR controller.
The electronics giant announced a new entrant into the tablet portfolio – the Galaxy S3 tablet. The new tablet sports a 9.7-inch Super AMOLED 2K display with a resolution of 2048x536 pixels which is powered by a Snapdragon 820 chipset buzzing with a quad-core 2.15+1.6GHZ processor and 4GB of RAM. The internal storage lies at 32GB, which can be expanded up to 256GB using a micro SD card. The tablet also sports a 13MP rear camera with a 5MP selfie camera up front. Powered by Android Nougat and fuelled by a 6000mAh battery, the new tablet is destined to give you almost 10.5 hours of run time. The tablet supports LTE, Wi-Fi 4G LTE, Bluetooth and two Type-C USB 3.1 ports. Along with a bundled S-Pen, the tablet is aimed for a complete second-third display for homes and offices. Samsung did not announce the prices for the device as yet, and neither announced any information about the release for the tablet in India either.
Apart from the tablet, Samsung also unveiled its end-to-end portfolio of 5G mobile network products and solutions for 2017. Showcased products included consumer devices for fixed wireless access connectivity, a 5G Radio Base Station (5G Access Unit), Next-Generation Core Network infrastructure and more. With pre-commercial versions of the equipment already under deployment in trial networks across the globe, Samsung’s commercial 5G portfolio is backed by a continually growing foundation of experience, knowledge and concrete trial results.
“Samsung has been focused on 5G R&D for nearly half a decade, and this portfolio launch represents the culmination of a lot of hard work and industry engagement,” said Paul Kyungwhoon Cheun, Executive Vice President and Head of Next Generation Communications Business Team at Samsung Electronics. “With pre-commercial deployment of our 5G products already underway in the US, we’re starting to see some of the earliest evidence of the potential for new and compelling 5G-driven services – it will be exciting to see it evolve as we move forward on our roadmap.”-
Samsung also showcased the launch of a its 5G RFIC and ASIC modem chipsets that will power the next generation of 5G network infrastructure, including Samsung’s 5G Home Router and 5G Radio Base Station products.
The Korean tech giant also announced two new laptops. The Samsung Galaxy Book will see two new versions -- available in 10.6-inch and 12-inch models. While the 10.6 inch will sport a TFT LCD full HD display, the 12-incher will sport a 2K Super AMOLED panel. Both the devices will be powered by the 7th generation Intel Core i5 processor, clubbed with 4GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB storage respectively. Storage expansion will be up to 256GB.
Both the books will include two USB Type-C ports for additional support for storage and input devices. Adding to that, the Books will also include Wi-Fi ac and LTE support (optional) respectively. Powered by Windows 10 and fuelled by batteries which are aimed for a good 10.5 hour run time, the new Books are aimed towards those looking for a compact laptop with tablet-like usage. Bundled with the Books will be an S-Pen and a detachable keyboard. The 10.6-inch Book will sport a 5MP front camera, while the 12-incher will sport a 13MP rear and 5MP front camera. Prices of the two new Books were also not announced.
Adding to the three products, and the 5G announcement, Samsung also mentioned about the new S Pen, which is not collaborated with Germany’s top pencil maker Staedler. The new Staedler-collaborated S-Pen is designed for a natural writing experience, has a smaller 0.7mm tip and increased pressure sensitivity. The S Pen also includes convenient features such as Screen Off Memo to quickly jot down notes, PDF Annotation for easy editing and professional-level drawing with Advanced Drawing Tools. The S Pen, Samsung said, will now be supplied free of cost with both the Books and the Tablet.
Samsung also announced the new Galaxy Gear VR. The new version will now sport a bundled remote controller that works with your smartphone and relies on gyro and accelerometer for movements on screen. It sports a 1000mAh battery and works based on a touchscreen, home, back and volume keys.
Last, but not the least, Samsung also announced the official launch date for the next smartphone flagship, the Galaxy S8. The Samsung Galaxy S8 will be announced at another closed event that will be held in New York on March 29, 2017 at 11 am EDT.
