While there are plenty of budget Android tablets to pick from, high-end rivals to the iPad Pro are few and far between. Samsung just unveiled its latest contender in the form of the Galaxy Tab S6, which ramps up the specs and the style, and includes some appealing features for power users.
You didn't miss the Galaxy tab S5 by the way – we've gone straight from the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 launched last year to the Tab S6, with a slight detour via the mid-range, lower-priced Tab S5e that appeared in February.
There's nothing mid-range about the Galaxy Tab S6: it packs in a Snapdragon 855 processor (the same CPU found in many top-end Android phones of 2019), 6 GB or 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB or 256 GB of storage (expandable via a memory card). There's an in-screen fingerprint sensor and a dual-lens rear camera, if you really must start snapping photos with a tablet.
The device comes carrying a 10.5-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 pixel Super AMOLED display, and not much in the way of bezels. Four AKG speakers are built in for enjoying movies and music, with Dolby Atmos support, though there's no 3.5-mm headphone jack here – just a USB-C port. Its thinness is worth noting too, at just 5.7 mm (0.2 inches), thinner than the iPad Pro it's looking to take on.
The S Pen stylus gets an upgrade too: it can now act as a remote control (for taking pictures and controlling music) as well as a writing implement, the same features that were introduced with the Note 9 last year. This model can also charge wirelessly, and clips to the back of the tablet magnetically when not in use.
Samsung has also unveiled a new Book Cover keyboard for getting some speedy typing done on the go (with a trackpad, no less), and has improved the tablet's DeX experience for those times when you want a more PC-like experience and can hook the tablet up to a monitor.
Samsung's aim is to provide a device that lets users get creative with touch input, as well as chew through a serious amount of writing – just like the iPad Pro, then, or a Surface Pro. The question is whether Android has the necessary versatility and power to take on iPadOS or Windows at the moment.
From a hardware point of view though, Samsung looks to have pulled out all the stops with the Tab S6, and we already know how useful the S Pen can be from the Galaxy Note range of smartphones. If you're after a premium Android tablet, then this becomes the obvious choice straight away.
The tablet is going to be available in both Wi-Fi and cellular configurations, though the Wi-Fi models go on sale first, on September 6. Pricing starts at US$649 for the 6 GB RAM / 128 GB storage configuration, and $729 for the 8 GB RAM / 256 GB model, with the S Pen included. The new keyboard cover comes in at $179, and pre-orders open August 23.
Source: Samsung