Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 officially announced: 4:3 SAMOLED, 5.6mm thin, on sale this August

The LTE Galaxy Tab S2 8-inch (note the tell-tale earpiece for voice calls).

When Samsung introduced the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and 10.5 last year, it drew quite a large amount of attention thanks in no small part to its beautiful Super AMOLED display, the largest ever produced by the company for a commercial product. The tablet brought with it many of the creature comforts from the Galaxy S5, including design cues, a swipe-based fingerprint reader for biometric security, and the latest TouchWiz features (at the time).

Thanks to a steady stream of leaks, we’ve technically known about the follow-up, the Galaxy Tab S2, for some time now. The past few weeks saw the stream of news turn into a relative title wave, and indeed the announcement rumor proved to be spot-on. Samsung has just officially announced the pair of products.

Here’s looking at you: while a metal frame will be used, the back is once again soft plastic. And where’s the camera flash?

The Galaxy Tab S2 comes in an 8-inch, and 9.7-inch variant, both of which employ a 4:3 aspect ratio 2048×1536 SAMOLED display, and will be available in LTE and Wi-Fi-only configurations. It features an Exynos 5433 Octa-core SoC, 3GB of RAM, 32 or 64GB of on-board storage, and an 8-megapixel rear, 2.1-megapixel front camera set-up (no flash, sorry). It will ship with Android 5.0.2 and features the same “touch-based” fingerprint sensor used in the Galaxy S6 and has support for microSD.

The 9.7-inch variant will include a 5,870mAh battery, and the 8-inch variant a 4,000mAh power-cell. Both devices will be available in either black or white, measure just 5.6mm thick and employ an aluminum frame, but soft-plastic rear panel. The smaller Tab S2 will, in LTE-configuration, include an earpiece for voice calls, however this feature is typically removed from the US carrier-based models.

The Galaxy Tab S2 will begin to hit stores next month. While no exact details have been provided, based on previous tablet releases we expect the LTE variant to release some weeks after the Wi-Fi model. Samsung’s press release declined to mention the exact cost of the device, however SamMobile is quoting the European prices as follows, presumably for the base-level 32GB configuration.

Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 Wi-Fi: €399  ($432)
Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 LTE: €469 ($508)
Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 Wi-Fi: €499 ($540)
Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 LTE: €569 ($616)

It will be of particular interest to see how this product fares in the crowded tablet market, especially amid reports of lackluster global sales and the general malaise that some consumers might feel towards them. While the Galaxy Tab S2 is definitely the most impressive tablet Samsung has yet produced in terms of its slim profile and fantastic screen, there are a few curious elements as well that may play a part in determine just how strong the sales will be:

The lack of a rear-camera flash module is perplexing given how even last year’s Tab S models featured one. The decision to go with the Galaxy Note 4‘s Exynos 5433 processor instead of the new 7420 SoC from the Galaxy S6 is another issue, though largely one the general public will not be aware of. The use of a plastic back means that the product will still be viewed as having a lower build quality than all-metal competitors, and the 4:3 aspect ratio screen is going to be a problem for those who are keen on widescreen.

With that said, anyone looking for a new tablet will definitely want to consider picking up the Tab S2 when it hits stores next month. Leave us a comment below with your thoughts, as well as the size and configuration you will be picking up, if any.

Amazingly realistic renders show how the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 could look

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is all the hype for Android fans across the globe. Many of us could agree that the Note line-up features Samsung’s true flagship smartphones year after year. These over-sized devices usually sport higher-end specs and a more refined design over the Galaxy S series. There is no shortage of rumors and leaks this year (just like every other). Our Samsung Galaxy Note 5 rumor roundup includes all kinds of juicy details, but we know many of you are more worried about how the device will actually look.

We have seen leaked images, renders and CAD designs but none of them quite give us a convincing look at the phone. Talented CAD artist Ivo Marić has taken these models and rumored design elements to create what could be the most realistic glance at the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 5.

Disclaimer: while these photos look amazingly real, they are just renders Ivo Marić created from previously leaked data. These are to be treated as unofficial images and should only portray a representation of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5’s probable appearance. 

here you go, galaxy note 5 #note5 #galaxynote5 #samsung #nextisnow #render #cad #beespline #ivomaric

A photo posted by Ivo Marić (@beespline) on Jul 17, 2015 at 3:22pm PDT

accurate render of the galaxy note 5 #note5 #galaxynote5 #samsung #nextisnow #render #cad #beespline #ivomaric

A photo posted by Ivo Marić (@beespline) on Jul 17, 2015 at 3:24pm PDT

the next big thing from samsung, Note 5 #note5 #galaxynote5 #samsung #nextisnow #render #cad #beespline #ivomaric

A photo posted by Ivo Marić (@beespline) on Jul 17, 2015 at 3:25pm PDT

metal and glass, galaxy note 5 render #note5 #galaxynote5 #samsung #nextisnow #render #cad #beespline #ivomaric

A photo posted by Ivo Marić (@beespline) on Jul 17, 2015 at 3:26pm PDT

chamfered edges and smooth glass on the note 5 #note5 #galaxynote5 #samsung #nextisnow #render #cad #beespline #ivomaric #phone #smartphone #zagreb #instatech

A photo posted by Ivo Marić (@beespline) on Jul 17, 2015 at 3:27pm PDT

With that out of the way, I need to say this guy is talented! I mean, these phone renders give off an appearance of being handled and even show what seems to be dirt. Let’s get back to the phone, though.

These renders incorporate the new design Samsung introduced with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. The images show chamfered edges, a metal frame and glass on the front and back (which happens to be curved). There’s also an auto-ejecting S-Pen and your usual ports.

So there you have it! Just a quick look at what the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 may look like. It’s still a bummer to see that all evidence points toward the Note 5 letting go of a removable battery and microSD card support. The handset does look gorgeous, but is that enough? Sound off in the comments to give us your take on these renders.

Time for the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus to get the leak treatment

There are two Samsung devices that are allegedly going to be announced in mid-August – one is the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, the latest entry in the illustrious Note series, and the other is the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, expected to be a larger Galaxy S6 Edge. Today, we get our first look at the physical Gaalxy S6 Edge Plus, and yes: it looks exactly like a bigger Galaxy S6 Edge. Lined up next to last year’s Galaxy Note 4, the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus (or more correctly the Galaxy S6 Edge+) is just as tall and just about as wide, implying that the screen size will be about 5.7-inches, give or take a few decimals for the screen curvature.

The rumoured hardware specs of the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus are still disputed at this point – some rumours have pointed to the same Exynos 7420 in the Galaxy S6 Edge while others have suggested a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip will be used. Whatever the case, all of this is expected to be Samsung’s effort to try and counter the new iPhones that will be announced in September – only time will tell if releasing both the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus and Galaxy Note 5 at the same time is a masterstroke or a dud move.

What do you think about the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Source: All About Samsung via engadget

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