Samsung has launched the Galaxy Tab S series in India – Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and Galaxy Tab S 10.5 at an initial price tag of INR 37,800 and INR 44,800 respectively. Both tablets comes in Titanium Bronze or Dazzling White colors and Wi-Fi + 3G version of the tablet would go on sale across India from the second week of July while the LTE version comes later. Both the tablets priced similar to the Apple iPad Mini with Retina Display and Apple iPad Air. Originally it was announced last month in NewYork, U.S. and Samsung claims these are the thinnest & lightest tablets available in the market. Design wise there is perforated back like the Galaxy S5 smartphone and the tablet retain the look and feel of the smartphone.
Commenting at the launch, Mr. Asim Warsi, VP, Mobile & IT, Samsung India said,
“We are excited to unveil the new Galaxy Tab S offering a dazzling display, exquisite slim design and finest performance to our Indian consumers. The technological marvel is thinnest, lightest and is equipped with Super AMOLED touchscreen. With innovation at the core of our mission to lead the tablet segment, launch of Galaxy Tab S will further propel us in this growing category and facilitate ground-breaking success.”
At the event, the talking points of the Galaxy Tab S are the Super AMOLED display boasting WQXGA resolution and the fingerprint scanner. On the specifications front, both tablets have WQXGA Super AMOLED display with Adaptive Display for automatic adjusment, 90% of Adobe RGB colour coverage for accurate colour output. It has a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels, that translates into 359ppi for the 8.4-inch variant and 288ppi for the 10.5-inch variant.
The Galaxy Tab S tablets are powered by an EXYNOS 5 Octa-Core chipset (quad-core 1.9GHz and quad-core 1.3GHz) which is paired with 3GB of RAM. It runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat with Samsung’s implement its TouchWIz UI, along with customized Magazine UI and has 16GB in-built memory which can be expanded further up to 128GB via microSD card.
On the imaging front, both tablets have a 8-megapixel rear-camera with LED flash and 2.1MP front-facing camera for selfie & video calling.
In terms of connectivity, the tablets offer Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, IrLED, 3G and Voice calling capabilities.
Samsung has in-built features like Fingerprint Scanner, Kid’s Mode with own dedicated interface, Ultra-Power Saving Mode, Group Play, S-Note, S Translator, Samsung Link, Scrapbook, Story Album, Quick Connect to connect to nearby devices for content sharing and more. Samsung Galaxy Tab S comes with preloaded apps like Milk Audio, Papergarden, Samsung WatchON and SideSync 3.0 among others.
It comes with Galaxy Gifts Widget that offers 30 premium apps for free, 100 free HD movies on myPlex and 21 Indian magazine subscription on Magzter for 3 months. Samsung also offers unlimited subscription for the Marvel comics app for 3 months offering access to 15,000 comics.
The tablets offer features like SideSync 3.0, allowing uses to make and receive calls. This feature is similar to Apple’s Continuity feature on iOS 8, wherein you will be able to pick up calls on the tablet itself while synced with your Samsung smartphone.
The Galaxy Tab S 10.5-inch version has a 7,900mAh battery, while the Galaxy Tab S 8.4-inch model has a 4,900mAh battery. Samsung also couples an Ultra Battery saving mode.
There is no Wi-Fi model and Samsung will soon introduce the tablet that will support LTE networks in India. As an introductory offer, Samsung Galaxy Tab S consumers will get 9GB of data on 3G and 2G networks. Consumers will also get access to 1000 movies for free through BigFlix for 3 months on a Reliance Communications connection. In addition to this, people who pre-book the Tab S between 1st to 11th July through eStore outlets would get a free book cover accessory.