Pricing for Samsung's new premium tablet, the Tab S2, was announced Wednesday, marking the tablet's official entry into the U.S. market. The announcement included details on the availability of the two tablet variants, the 9.7-inch and 8-inch devices.The larger Galaxy Tab S2 will be sold from $499.99 for the Wi-Fi-only model while its smaller brother is listed at $399.99. LTE versions will have higher price tags. Consumers can now preorder the tablets on Samsung, Amazon and Best Buy websites. They will be available in stores on Sept. 3.
The latest iteration of Samsung's flagship tablet is widely seen as legitimate challenger to Apple's iPad lineup because of its speed and the sheer beauty of its hardware. During the global launch, Samsung boasted that the Tab S2 is not only the thinnest and lightest tablet of its size ever, but it also gives users quick, easy access to a wealth of superior viewing and productivity features, HNGN reported.
All Tab S2 variants are 5.6 millimeters thin with the Wi-Fi-only models weighing 266 grams for the 8-inch model and 391 grams for the bigger tablet. In contrast, the iPad Air 2 is 6.1 millimeter thin and several ounces heavier. Each device sports a stunning 2048×1536(QXGA) Super AMOLED display, Exynos 5433 octa-core processor, 3 GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 2.1-megapixel front camera and a fingerprint sensor.
Both the 8- and 9.7-inch models have 32 GB onboard storage and are expandable up to 128 GB. They are also outfitted with Android 5.0 (Lollipop), although it is not yet confirmed whether they will be automatically updated to Android 6.0, according to Mashable.
Samsung also announced the possibility of a trade-in promo that could allow customers a discount of $100 or more if they trade in qualifying tablets. "While Samsung did not list qualifying tablets for the trade-in offer, it is highly likely that its main competitor, Apple's iPad will be on that list - especially as Apple is preparing to unveil updates to its iPad range, including a new iPad mini 4," reported Silicon Angle.
