There may be no Galaxy S8 at MWC this year, but Samsung has pulled out all the stops to improve its tablet division at the biggest mobile trade show of the year. It introduced two tablets to its newly named Galaxy Book line to partner the also unveiled Galaxy Tab S3. Also see: Best new tablets 2017 and Samsung Galaxy Book vs Surface Pro 4
The Galaxy Book is a 2-in-1 tablet that wants to be your laptop. Ring any bells? We’ll try to keep iPad Pro comparisons to a minimum, but perhaps Apple should be worried that Samsung is aggressively rebranding its Tab Pro S line with these two 10.6in and 12in devices.
The 10.6in Galaxy Book has an Intel Core m3 processor while the larger 12in boasts an i5. Read on for the latest.
When is the Samsung Galaxy Book release date?
While Samsung confirmed the Galaxy Tab S3 will go on pre-order on 17 March and go on full sale on 31 March, the UK release date for the Galaxy Book models is as yet unconfirmed. We will bring you the information as soon as we have it.
How much will the Samsung Galaxy Book cost in the UK?
The Galaxy Book’s pricing is also not yet confirmed, though because the 10.6in version has a TFT LCD screen, expect it to be significantly less than the full AMOLED 12in model.
What are the specifications and features?
The Galaxy Book will be available in two different sizes; 10.6in and a larger 12in. The most obvious difference between the two devices is the screen tech. the 10.6in has a TFT Full HD LCD display with a resolution of 1920×1280 while the 12in has a Super AMOLED display with 2160×1440 resolution.
The majority of casual users might not notice the difference, but Samsung claims it isn’t necessarily aiming for that user. It said that the Galaxy Book’s “gives professionals enhanced computing power for work and play”.
The 2-in-1 devices support and ship with a Pogo keyboard, an accessory that you can use with simple physical contact as opposed to fiddly Bluetooth pairing and no need to charge.
Both models come with Samsung’s S Pen stylus and the case come keyboard in the box. That’s one up on the iPad Pro for starters, and fingers crossed the price is competitive to the Microsoft Surface Book that also runs Windows 10.
The 10.6in Galaxy Book has an Intel Core m3 processor much like the 12in MacBook or the base Microsoft Surface Book, whereas the 12in Galaxy Book has a solid state Intel Core i5 – more able to match the processing power (we hope) as the i5 Surface Book.
The tablets run Windows 10 as opposed to the Android 7.0 Nougat of the Tab S3. The 10.6in will have 4GB RAM and either 64 or 128GB SSD storage, while the 12in will have two versions; 4GB RAM with 128GB storage or 8GB RAM with 256GB storage.
All Galaxy Books have a micro SD slot expandable to 128GB.
The tablets fully commit to the connectivity love affair that is USB-C. The smaller slab has one port, while the 12in Galaxy Book pleasingly has 2. All ports have USB 3.1 speeds.
Fast charging is supported, as well as Full HD video recording, though we still don’t know who really records video on a tablet. Its ability to playback video of that quality is far more important.
Author: Henry Burrell, Phones Editor
Henry is Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, ensuring he and the team covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about for readers and viewers all over the world. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.