Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S3 is basically just another Note tablet

For the time in what seems like ages, Samsung hasn’t brought a flagship smartphone to Mobile World Congress. It seems like we’ll have to wait until well after the show for our first look at the Galaxy S8, but at least we’ve got a new Android tablet to fiddle with in the meantime. Surprising absolutely no one, it’s called the Galaxy Tab S3, and despite the name it actually feels more like a plus-sized Galaxy Note.

More accurately, it feels like one of those older Galaxy Note tablets got kicked into 2017. Samsung’s whole goal with this tablet was to use some of the knowledge it gained from building phones and integrate it into a device segment that could use some help. But, first, the basics. The Tab S3 packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset, 4GB of RAM and a more-than-respectable 13-megapixel rear camera. It’s not quite Galaxy Note class, but really — who goes around incessantly snapping photos with a tablet? (The real answer: far, far too many people.)

There’s also a 6,000mAh battery inside to keep things running for a few days, which seems perfectly fine. Less than fine, however, is the core software we’re working with here. Rather than embrace Nougat like nearly every other device we’ve seen in the past few days, the Tab S3 ships with TouchWiz’d build of Android 6.0. Granted, the tablet is a pretty smooth performer regardless — I spent about an hour futzing around with apps and making GIFs of everything with no sign of jerkiness.

Performance might be up to snuff, but I’m definitely a little let down by the Tab S3’s design. If you were fond of the Tab S2 you’ll feel right at home here. To me, though, the whole aesthetic comes off a little dull. One could argue that the machine’s value is less about looks and more about creating things, but I don’t think it’s ever worth skimping out on design. At least the Tab S3’s build quality is first-rate — this is the first time Samsung has crafted a tablet with a glass back and a metal frame like a phone, and it feels sturdy despite how light it is.

I don’t have any complaints about the Tab S3 as a media machine, either — it packs a quartet of speakers tuned by AKG and in our brief time with the device, it seemed more and adequately loud, even when surrounded by curious journalists. That 9.7-inch AMOLED screen is easy on the eyes too, with great viewing angles and support for HDR content — those amplified colors really pop thanks to Samsung’s historically great screen tech. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of HDR content we could test the Tab S3 with (just a few clips from 1,000 Ways to Die in the West, for some reason), but the difference was immediately clear. If you’re already stockpiling your HDR content in hopes of finding the right portable screen for it all, you’ll want to keep an eye on this thing.

And then there’s the S Pen. It’s packed in with the tablet and just about all of the neat Note 7 tricks you might not have had time to get used to are back. I’m talking about Air command, quick translations and creating GIFs, not to mention more standard fare like the ability to mark up a screenshot. You can’t stick the pen inside the tablet like you could with the old Notes, but its bigger size means its twice as sensitive as those phablet versions. Seeing as how Samsung wanted to build a device for creatives, it’s no surprise you can get a slick keyboard case to go with your Tab S. I do wish it were a little less cramped, though — typing isn’t too bad, and the keys have nice travel, but the placement of certain keys, like backspace, seemed almost deliberately bad.

All told, Samsung’s Tab S3 comes off as a sleek, full-featured tablet that’ll probably disappoint the audience here in Barcelona. After all, they were probably hoping to see Samsung’s first post-Note 7 smartphone today. We’ll reserve final judgment on the Tab S3 until final, consumer-ready models surface, but it could be the right blend of performance and style for a lot of people.

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