Samsung Tab S4

Samsung has revealed a brand-new Galaxy tablet line-up days out from the release of their hero smartphone the Note 9. The company’s new flagship tablet is the all new Galaxy Tab S4 that will go head-to-head with Apple’s iPad Pro tablets.

It has been a while since Samsung made any announcements relating to tablets or watches and this stage we don’t have Australian pricing for the new models that also include a value Galaxy Tab A 10.5” model.

“At Samsung, we believe tablets play an increasingly important role in making lives easier and improving the mobile experience for everyone,” president DJ Koh said at the surprise announcement.

Like its rival, Samsung’s new tablet features a 10.5-inch (26 cms) screen. There is also a Book Cover Keyboard case that can transform the tablet into a laptoplike device with app windows that can be resized on its screen.

The Tab S4’s 10.5-inch Super AMOLED display, which is the same size as the screen on the iPad Pro (the smaller model), is larger than the 9.7-inch display on the outgoing Galaxy Tab S3. The resolution has been bumped up too, jumping from 2048 x 1536 to 2560 x 1600. The

AMOLED panel was one of the best features on the Tab S3, so it’ll be interesting to see how much better the new model is.

Users can also connect a wireless mouse to use the tablet like a notebook computer or hook up a computer monitor to use it like a desktop PC.

Under the display screen is 256GB storage, four Dolby stereo speakers, the device also comes with an S Pen stylus in its package.

The cheaper Galaxy Tab A 10.5 will also four Dolby speakers, but is designed for families, with a Kids Mode installed, and for users on a budget.

Prices and release dates for both Samsung tablet computers have yet to be revealed and may not be announced ahead of the company’s August 9 event.

Another big plus is that Samsung has increased its capacity from 6000mAh to 7300mAh. Powering the tablet is the Snapdragon 835, which is a

step up on the 820 used in the Tab S3. However, it’s still not the topend Snapdragon 845 you’d find in Samsung’s flagship smartphones.

RAM remains the same at 4GB, while base storage has been bumped up from 32GB to 64GB.

Samsung has kept the four-speaker array and added support for Dolby Atmos. All you need to do is tap an option in the settings bar to enable Atmos and it’ll boost the volume and give a faux surround-sound effect.

The Tab S 4 comes equipped with a 13MP rear camera with an f/1.9 aperture, and an 8MP sensor around the front. The pen has been redesigned and supports 4096 pressure levels, and it can be stowed away in a specially designed keyboard case when it’s not in use.

That keyboard case seems to be one of the headline features here, and it shows that Samsung is pushing the Tab S4 as a potential laptop replacement. This point is made even clearer by the addition of DeX.

DeX is a PC-like UI that makes it much easier to multitask and work on multiple apps at once. It looks very much like a Windows interface, even more so when you connect up a mouse.

Samsung’s proprietary voice Bixby is also built into the device. The he S-Pen can be used for jotting down notes with the screen off and there’s a new feature called ‘Daily Board’. It seems that Daily Board turns your tablet into something similar to the

Amazon Echo Show, serving up information like weather and calendar appointments when attached to a dock.

Suggested RRP below:

• $979 (64GB Wi-Fi) • $1,179 (256GB Wi-Fi) • $1,179 (64GB cellular) • $1,379 (256GB cellular)