With reference to the upcoming Galaxy S8 at this year's Mobile Wold Congress limited to a March 29 launch date confirmation, Samsung chose to put the focus on two new tablets, the Android-powered Galaxy Tab S3 and the Galaxy Book, which runs Windows 10.

Aiming to compete with the iPad Pro, the Tab S3 comes with a 9.7-inch HDR-ready Super AMOLED display running at 2,048 x 1,536 resolution. On the back is a 13 megapixel camera, while a 5 megapixel camera sits on the front, where a fingerprint sensor lives on the home button.

samsung tab s3 thumb
The new metal and glass-backed design is 6mm thick, and houses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage (expandable up to 256GB with a microSD), built-in LTE, and a 6,000 mAh battery with Fast Charging support using the USB-C port. A new Note7-like S Pen stylus is also included.

The Galaxy Book was Samsung's other big announcement at MWC. The hybrid tablet-laptop, positioned as a Surface Pro competitor, comes in 10.6-inch and 12-inch versions, with 1,920 x 1,280 and 2,160 x 1,440 resolutions, respectively.

samsung galaxy book official render 1
The 10.6-inch size features a 2.6GHz Intel Core m3 dual-core processor, 4GB of RAM, up to 128GB of storage, and has a 5 megapixel front-facing camera. The 12-inch Galaxy Book has a 3.1GHz Intel Core i5 dual-core processor, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of storage, with a 13 megapixel camera on the back and a 5 megapixel one on the front.

Samsung has not yet announced any pricing information for the Tab S3 and Galaxy Book. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to launch new 12.9-inch iPads and a new flagship 10.5-inch model in March. The latter is said to have an edge-to-edge display on the same footprint as the current 9.7-inch iPad.

Top Rated Comments

Gorms Avatar
104 months ago
Huh, they've switched from 16:9 to 4:3 ratio to match the iPad. When did they start doing that? Good for them, 16:9 suuuuucks for tablets.

Apart from that, the Book shows how close Apple are to having the iPad be this mythical computer replacement as soon as they make the few productivity tweaks that it requires.

Did anyone see Steve Troughton Smith's Finder app demos on iPad over the weekend? Interesting to see a version of Finder app on iPad (also, seeing Finder using UIKit).
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KieranDotW Avatar
104 months ago
Apart from that, the Book shows how close Apple are to having the iPad be this mythical computer replacement as soon as they make the few productivity tweaks that it requires.
The difference is the Galaxy Book, like the Surface it competes against, runs Windows. No one wants a "laptop replacement" running a mobile OS.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KohPhiPhi Avatar
104 months ago
The difference is the Galaxy Book, like the Surface it competes against, runs Windows. No one wants a "laptop replacement" running a mobile OS.
I agree. If becoming a true "laptop replacement" is the actual goal as is has been touted by Apple's marketing machinery, then vainilla iOS simply is not enough.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maflynn Avatar
104 months ago
With phone footprints on the increase the phablet market will merge at some point
I'd also say the high costs of phones is another factor, spending nearly a 1,000 dollars for a phone that does everything a tablet does, means there's less justification to a tablet imo.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Menneisyys2 Avatar
104 months ago
So this is off topic, but real quick, what eGPU solution are you using with your MBP?
Node + RX 480.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dave245 Avatar
104 months ago
The global market for tablets is in decline, I'm not sure what I see will start to turn things around
I think the problem is that people don't upgrade their tablets as often, most iPad users keep them for years, my dad has my old iPad 3 and my mum has my iPad Air 2 (which i gave her when i upgraded to the iPad Pro).
I love Apple products and i hope they give me a reason to upgrade to the iPad Pro 2, i think that's what these companies need to do, give us a reason to upgrade, other than the usual processor updates.
[doublepost=1488196122][/doublepost]
The difference is the Galaxy Book, like the Surface it competes against, runs Windows. No one wants a "laptop replacement" running a mobile OS.
But this is the debate that's been going on with people for a few years now. Personally i think Apple need to add a few new features and keep tweaking it more towards Pro aspect, but i don't think that a full desktop OS is the answer. I'm against touchscreen Mac's and hybrid tablets, Apple has said the same thing over and over again, so don't expect them to suddenly make a hybrid.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
m2 pro mac mini

Apple is Now Selling a Refurbished Mac Mini for Just $319 (!)

Saturday February 15, 2025 9:58 am PST by
A few days ago, we reported that Apple's refurbished Mac mini pricing had a problem, and it appears that Apple has taken note. Apple was offering a refurbished Mac mini with the M2 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage for $559, which was $50 more than a refurbished Mac mini with the M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All other key specifications were equal. That's no longer...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

Apple's Next iPhone SE Launching on Wednesday - Here's What We Know

Friday February 14, 2025 4:04 pm PST by
Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an Apple announcement that's coming on Wednesday, February 19, and it's looking like that mystery announcement will be the next-generation iPhone SE. We've been hearing about the iPhone SE 4 for quite some time now, and we essentially know everything to expect. If you want a sneak peek at what's coming, read on. Naming Apple first introduced the iPhone SE in...