As with most companies attending MWC 2017 this year, there have been leaks galore, one of which was rumour of a Samsung Galaxy Book to take on the Surface Pro. It turns out those rumours were true and Samsung unveiled two variations of the Galaxy Book, the Galaxy Tab S3, and an updated Gear VR headset with a one-handed touchpad controller. Also of note, Samsung and Harman announced a partnership which will see AKG audio integration in upcoming Samsung devices including the Galaxy Tab S3 and the Galaxy S8 smartphones due out later this year.
“HARMAN and the AKG brand were the natural choice to elevate our audio quality and immediately communicate the distinct and premium offering that we wanted to bring to consumers with our new product introductions,” said Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics. “For a totally immersive experience, we wanted the best performance in audio – and we achieved that through this exciting collaboration, giving Galaxy users the ability to fully enjoy enhanced listening experiences across Samsung’s mobile portfolio.”
The integration agreement was bound to happen sooner or later, considering the two companies entered into a definitive merger agreement last year.
Galaxy Tab S3
First up, the Galaxy Tab S3 marks Samsung’s continued support of Android tablets, a field that is no doubt becoming smaller in choices with each year. With a 9.7-inch Super AMOLED screen, the Galaxy Tab S3 includes a 13-megapixel rear camera, a 5-megapixel front camera, expandable storage, up to 12 hours of video playback, HDR video, Pogo keyboard support, Samsung flow, and an improved S-Pen.
The Galaxy Tab S3 also includes Vulkan API for better gaming graphics, a Game Launcher, and a Do Not Disturb mode for uninterrupted gameplay. As mentioned above, the quad stereo speakers are tuned by AKG by HARMAN for premium quality sound.
Full specifications include:
- Display: 9.7″ Super AMOLED QXGA (20148×1536)
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Quad Core 2.15GHz + 1.6GHz
- LTE Support: LTE Cat. 6 (300Mbps)
- Memory: 4GB RAM + 32GB ROM with microSD support up to 256GB
- Camera: 13MP AF + 5.0MP front-facing, Flash
- Ports: USB Type-C 3.1
- Sensors: Accelerometer, Hall Sensor, RGB Sensor, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geometric Sensor
- Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2X2 MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth® 4.2
- GPS: GPS + GLONASS, BEIDOU, GALILEO
- Battery Capacity: 6,000mAh, Fast Charging
- OS: Android 7.0
- Samsung Services: Samsung Smart Switch, Samsung Notes, Air Command, Samsung Flow
- Video
- Recording: 4K (3820×2160) @ 30fps
- Playback: 4K (3820×2160) @ 60fps
- Dimensions: 237.2 x 169.0 x 6.0mm
- Weight: 429g (Wi-Fi), 434g (LTE)
Galaxy Book
The Galaxy Book will be available in two variations: a 10.6-inch TFT LCD version and 12-inch Super AMOLED version. Like the Galaxy Tab S3, the Galaxy Book also includes a 13-megapixel rear camera, a 5-megapixel front camera, expandable storage, offers up to 10 hours of video playback on the 12-inch version, and has Pogo keyboard support. The 12-inch Super AMOLED version will also support HDR video.
Built on Windows 10, the Galaxy Book 12-inch is equipped with a 7th Generation Intel® CoreTM i5 dual-core 3.1GHz processor, while the 10.6-inch comes with an Intel® CoreTM m3 dual-core 2.6GHz processor.
Full specifications include:
- Display
- 10.6″ TFT FHD (1920×1280)
- 12″ Super AMOLED FHD (2160×1440)
- Chipset
- 10.6″: 7th Gen Intel Core m3 dual-core 2.6GHz processor
- 12″: 7th Gen Intel Core i5 dual-core 3.1GHz processor
- LTE Support: LTE Cat. 6 (300Mbps)
- Memory
- 10.6″: 4GB RAM + 64GB/128GB eMMC
- 12″: 4GB RAM + 128GB SSD or 8GB RAM + 256GB SSD
- microSD up to 256GB (both)
- Camera
- 10.6″: 5MP front-facing
- 12″: 13MP AF + 5MP front-facing
- Ports
- 10.6″: USB 3.1 Type-C
- 12″: 2x USB 3.1 Type-C
- microSD (both)
- Sensors: Accelerometer, Hall Sensor, Light Sensor
- Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 2X2 MIMO, Bluetooth® 4.1 BLE
- GPS: GPS + GLONASS
- Battery Capacity
- 10.6″: 30.4W up to 10hrs
- 12″: 39.04W up to 10.5hrs
- Fast charging
- OS: Windows 10
- Samsung Services: Samsung Notes, Air Command, Samsung Flow
- Video
- Recording: FHD (1920×1080) @ 30fps
- Playback: 4K (3820×2160) @ 60fps
- Dimensions
- 10.6″: 261.2 x 179.1 x 8.9 mm
- 12″: 291.3×199.8×7.4mm
- Weight
- 10.6″: 640g (Wi-Fi) / 650g(LTE)
- 12″: 754g (Wi-Fi/LTE)
Gear VR with Controller
Samsungs Gear VR headset is getting a new version, complete with a controller. The Gear VR with Controller features 42mm lenses with 101-degree FOV (Field of View) and advanced distortion correction technology to minimize motion sickness. It will also support both Micro-USB and USB Type-C port with an included converter.
Featuring an ergonomic design, the Controller offers one-hand control and minimizes head movement with better motion interaction. The Controller has a Touchpad (Clickable), Trigger, Home Key, Back Key, and Volume Key, and also features:
- Various Motion Input for a Better VR Experience – The Touchpad provides quicker selection and interaction in VR apps, enabling various forms of motion, including the ability to point, drag and drop, tilt, shoot, among other actions, while the Trigger allows for enhanced gaming experiences.
- Minimized Movement for Long-time Use – The Home, Volume and Back keys located on the Controller give users everything they need in easy reach so that they can keep their focus on immersive content.
- A Secure Grip for Comfortable Play – Even during the most active movements, the Controller’s wrist strap offers a secure grip for comfortable and secure play.
“At Samsung, we are focused on setting and exceeding the standard for VR experiences, making them even more accessible and delivering the highest in quality,” said Lee. “The Gear VR with Controller expands our VR ecosystem to help consumers get more engaged and immersed in VR content – whether it’s games or videos.”
The new Samsung Gear VR is compatible with the Galaxy S7, S7 edge, Note5, S6 edge+, S6 and S6 edge, and presumably will be compatible with the S8 and S8 edge when they are released.
The Galaxy Tab S3 will be available in Canada for $799 CAD with pre-order starting on March 1, 2017 at Best Buy, Staples, and Samsung Experience Stores, with retail availability kicking off on March 24th. Canadians who register for pre-orders will also receive a complimentary Samsung book cover, valued at $89.99. Pricing and availability of the Galaxy Books, and Gear VR with Controller has not been announced yet.
What do you think of the Galaxy Tab S3, Galaxy Book options, and the new Samsung Gear VR with Controller? Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
Last Updated on February 28, 2017.
