Android tablets (and tablets in general) are not the hot sellers they once were. Cheaper Windows laptops, Chromebooks have, and larger phablet-style phones have all eaten into tablet sales. Samsung has released a few budget tablets, which do still sell in appreciable numbers. It's not done with premium tablets, though. The company is coming to MWC with a new device, most likely the high-end Galaxy Tab S3(Opens in a new window). All we have to go on now is a silhouette, but there are plenty of leaks too.
Samsung's S series tablets have always been like blown-up versions of the S phones. They have excellent AMOLED displays, fast processors, and thin frames. The leaks point to something very much like that for the Tab S3. We're expecting a tablet with a 9.6-inch 2048×1536 screen, a Snapdragon 820, and 4GB of RAM packed inside a 5.6mm body.
Samsung's announcement of its event at Mobile World Congress on February 26th includes a silhouette of something. Judging by the proportions, it's most likely a tablet. The perspective is a little odd, making it look like the device has cut-off corners à la the horrendously ugly Motorola Xyboard. I think what we're actually seeing is a tablet laying flat at an angle, though. There is something of note in the image -- the home button shape is clearly visible, which might indicate Samsung is adding a fingerprint sensor to the Tab S3.
The Tab S3 will also certainly ship with Android 7.0 Nougat, which Samsung is rolling out to its 2016 phones currently. Nougat includes a native multi-window mode in Android, which is much better supported than Samsung's old multi-window implementation. That's not a huge advantage on phones, but it can be great on a tablet. There's also more efficient Doze mode, ensuring the tablet will conserve power when it's not in use. This makes a lot of sense on tablets as they are generally not woken up as frequently throughout the day as phones.
The last-gen Tab S2
Samsung may not have pricing available at the time of the announcement, leaving that up to regional arms for each launch. The last round of leaks called for a starting price of 700,000 Korean won, which works out to more than $600. That would be far too expensive to sell in the US -- even the iPad Pro is cheaper. For Samsung to have any hope of keeping Android tablets going, it needs to come in significantly less expensive than the iPad.
It's not clear what Google's plans are for Android tablets. It's adding Android apps to all upcoming Chromebooks, and there are rumors of the Andromeda project. That would include a partial merging of Chrome OS and Android to make a more useful interface on tablet devices. Still, if there's an OEM that can convince people to buy Android tablets as they currently exist, it's Samsung.
