Samsung Launches New Galaxy Tab S4 to Compete With iPad Pro
Wednesday August 1, 2018 1:13 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Samsung today announced the launch of its latest tablet, the Galaxy Tab S4, which, like Apple's iPad Pro, has been designed as a computer replacement with productivity in mind.
The new 10.5-inch Galaxy Tab S4 is described as the "ultimate entertainment and multitasking assistant" thanks to the inclusion of Samsung DeX, which is the first time Samsung has built the feature into a tablet.
DeX is a docking solution that is designed to allow Samsung smartphone owners (and now tablet owners) to connect their devices to a keyboard, mouse, and monitor through a USB-C port, an HDMI port, and two USB ports. DeX on the Galaxy Tab S4 works using a simple HDMI adapter or with the DeX dock options and it offers true multitasking capabilities with users able to open multiple windows at one time.
Samsung is offering a $150 Book Cover Keyboard alongside the Galaxy Tab S4, which can be paired with DeX to transform the tablet into a PC alongside a Bluetooth mouse, but it will also work with any Bluetooth keyboard and mouse option.
Like other Samsung devices, the Galaxy Tab S4 can also be paired with the included S Pen, a stylus for taking notes, drawings, artwork, and other purposes.
Apple's iPad Pro lineup, comparatively, includes an optional Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil, along with the ability to pair third-party Bluetooth keyboards, but it does not support mouse functionality.
When it comes to hardware, the Galaxy Tab S4 is equipped with Qualcomm's octa-core Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB to 256GB of storage space that can be expanded with a microSD card, and a 7,300mAh battery that it boasts offers 16 hours of video playback, outpacing the iPad Pro's 10 hour battery.
The tablet includes a 16:10 AMOLED display, and there is no Home button or fingerprint sensor on the device, with Samsung instead relying on facial recognition and iris scanning for biometric authentication.
Other features include quad speakers much like the iPad Pro, Bixby integration, 13-megapixel front and rear cameras, and a fast charging feature that charges the battery to full in 200 minutes.
Samsung's new tablet is priced at $650 for 64GB of storage or $750 for 256GB of storage, which is on par with Apple's pricing for the 10.5-inch iPad Pro. Apple charges $649 for the 64GB 10.5-inch iPad Pro, $799 for a 256GB version, and $999 for a 512GB version.
Samsung is releasing the new Galaxy Tab S4 on August 10, which is just after the company plans to unveil its new flagship Galaxy Note 9 device.
Apple also has a major tablet upgrade in the works with new iPad Pro models on the horizon, but it is not clear when the company will unveil them. The new tablets could come in September alongside new iPhones or Apple could wait until later in the fall, perhaps hosting a separate October event for new iPads and Macs.
2018 iPad Pro mockup via Álvaro Pabesio
Apple's updated iPad Pro models are expected to offer a complete iPhone X-style redesign, doing away with the Home button, introducing slimmer bezels for more available screen space, and adopting Face ID and the TrueDepth camera system for biometric authentication.
H3LL5P4WN
So insecure, clunky, last year's hardware, and never going to be updated. How's this compete with the iPad Pro again?
aevan
I literally don't understand who would get this instead of an iPad. Even the entry level iPad is a better value, and costs almost half as this.
You can like Galaxy phones and prefer them to iPhone, but I don't see how anyone would think this is better than iPad.
farewelwilliams
or...just get a windows laptop.
The Cappy
"...and there is no Home button or fingerprint sensor on the device, with Samsung instead relying on facial recognition and iris scanning for biometric authentication."
And since it's Android, they only need to check the box. No major news outlet will point out that it's insecure and easy to fool.
Can't wait for all the Forbes / Business Insider 'iPad Killer' headlines.
lul
johnyslats
Companies are now doing their own unboxings? Gotta feel for those Youtube influencers /s
I personally prefer my Tablet in Android than iOS. Why? Because Android is more productivity focused:
* Better multitasking
* Real file management/browsing system
* Mouse compatibility
I can get FAR more work done (and more confortably) on my Huawei tablet than on my iPad.
Just my opinion, as an owner of both system...
macduke
Kinda surprised Samsung is doing this since the tablet market doesn't seem that lucrative nowadays and the margins are lower.
I think having purchased the 10.5" iPad Pro last summer I'm going to skip this iPad generation. I'm hoping the following generation in late 2019/early 2020 will have OLED @3X paired with iOS 13 that will hopefully have even more productivity baked in.
Tablets are so yesterday. Hardly anyone buys them.
I see people using them all the time. What cave have you been in?
joeblow7777
A lot of dumping on Android tablets here, but if I wanted to fully replace my laptop with a tablet, it definitely wouldn't be an iPad. iOS is still too limited.
Email • Twitter • Google+
'Pokemon Masters' New Trailer Shows Off 3v3 Real Time Battles, the Pokemon Masters League, Co-op Play, and More