The Galaxy Tab series doesn’t exactly share the same limelight as the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note devices, but finally, Samsung updated its flagship tablet line after a year and a half. The Galaxy Tab S3 now comes in one size though compared to the Galaxy Tab S2‘s 9.7-inch and 8-inch variants. Here’s a specs comparison for your guidance.
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7 | Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7 |
|---|---|
| 9.7-inch Super AMOLED @ 2048 x 1536 pixels, 264ppi | 9.7-inch Super AMOLED @ 2048 x 1536 pixels, 264ppi |
| 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor | 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 octa-core processor |
| 1.9 GHz Exynos 5433 octa-core processor | |
| Adreno 530 | Adreno 510 |
| Mali-T760 MP6 | |
| 4GB RAM | 3GB RAM |
| 32GB internal storage | 32GB / 64GB internal storage |
| Expandable via microSD, up to 256GB | Expandable via microSD, up to 256GB |
| 13MP f/1.9 autofocus rear camera, 4K video | 8MP autofocus rear camera |
| 5MP front-facing camera | 2.1MP front-facing camera |
| LTE-A Cat6 | LTE-A |
| WiFi 802.11ac, dual-band | WiFi 802.11ac, dual-band |
| Bluetooth 4.2 | Bluetooth 4.1 |
| GPS w/ A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS w/ A-GPS, GLONASS |
| Fingerprint scanner | Fingerprint scanner |
| Gyroscope sensor | Gyroscope sensor |
| Stereo speakers by AKG/Harman | Mono speaker |
| USB-C v3.1 | Micro-USB v2.0 |
| 6000mAh battery (non-removable) | 5870mAh Li-Ion battery (non-removable) |
| Android 7.0 Nougat | Android 6.0 Marshmallow (Updated) |
| White, Black | White, Black, Gold |
| 237.3 x 169 x 6 mm | 237.3 x 169 x 5.6 mm |
| 429 g (Wi-Fi) / 434 g (LTE) | 389g (Wi-Fi) / 392g (LTE) |
Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 advantages:
- More powerful CPU and GPU
- S Pen included
- Upgraded rear and front cameras
- 4K video recording
- Stereo speakers
- USB Type-C ports
- Slightly larger battery
- Android 7.0 Nougat
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 advantages:
- Same display size and resolution
- Slightly lighter
- 64GB internal storage option
The main update we see for the Galaxy Tab S3 is its internal specifications. It’s now powered by a flagship-grade Snapdragon 820 processor with the Adreno 530 GPU. Before, the Galaxy Tab S2 is powered by a Snapdragon 652 or an Exynos 5433 — depending on where you purchase the slate. It also now has a more generous 4GB RAM. Storage is only 32GB but it’s expandable through the dedicated microSD card slot.
The camera also gets an upgrade and now has 4K video recording, thanks to the more powerful processor. The speaker also gets an upgrade to stereo with AKG/Harman tuning. Lastly, the physical port is now a USB Type-C port.
The Galaxy Tab S2 is far from obsolete though as it still sports the same resolution of its latest version but the S-Pen support is a nifty upgrade. The build and design are also pretty similar aside from the fact that the Galaxy Tab S3 is a bit more fragile with a glass on both and front.
If you have a Galaxy Tab S2, don’t worry. Your tablet is still a good slate for productivity and gaming. We do hope Samsung could push the Nougat update very soon.
