So you want "this" wih a crappy OS on a CPU, that won't work with the OS... to have a cheap variant? Are we talking about this HDR AMOLED-equiped high-end tablet as a cheap option? :-O
Yep. Android tablets are all garbage at the moment.
They have absolutely nothing that entices me... And they have stagnated for the last few years. It feels like all the innovation is over in the Windows camp with convertibles.
They claim to be launching an 8 core 16 threads desktop chip at 65 watts tdp.
In that line of thought it won't be too much of a stretch to release cherry-picked lower frequency quads at below 30 watts, 25 watts outta be feasible at around 3-3.2 Ghz.
Meanwhile intel's cream of the crop mobile quads are 45 watts.
They didn't lie about performance, in fact they understated it. It turned out better than they promised. This is not a guarantee the same will happen with TDP, but at least it proves they are not compulsively lying about zen.
Actually a 25W quad will be feasible for a beefier tablet. 25W is max, not typical. Definitely a niche product, as most tablets are about content consumption, thus thin and offering mediocre performance, a 4c/8t zen apu would be quite the powerhouse in comparison.
If they launch a 12 inch, half an inch thick tablet workstation with zen and 16 gigs of ram and 80% of that is battery, I will happily buy that at about 2500$. And I know plenty of people who will do the same.
I've used several "high end" x86 tablets, they were all mediocre in terms of performance, dual core just doesn't cut it. And intel quads at 45 watts are out of the question.
I`d very much like them to do so, seeing as 1080p is FINALLY getting into the low parts of the market. I don`t need any gaming capabilities whatsoever, just give me a passable screen and a processor to stay somewhat relevant for three or four years. If AMD can give me that, here`s my money, but it certainly won`t happen this year, and those new HP 430 G3s with Kaby Lake look very interesting.
Dream on. Remember for how long one had to wait for the mobile "Kaveri" APUs, which never happened? The fact that AMD places its latest CPU against the desktop i7 is quite telling regarding where they're heading.
Visual Studio isn't a heavy lifting sort of thing. Maybe more/larger screen space would be nice, but I can't see many problems in getting a little bluetooth keyboard and a clip-on arm to mount the tablet to a desk for that purpose. A 7 inch Toshiba Encore with 2GB of RAM and a Bay Trail processor even handles something as low-demand as Visual Studio.
SQL Server, aside from some maybe local testing of non-live data, would probably not run well on a tablet. It really belongs on appropriate hardware if its supporting something mission critical anyway and that rules out laptops and desktops too.
There are a lot of other basic applications that work only in Windows that would be perfectly fine on a 9 inch tablet. However, Samsung's also released a 10 inch Windows tablet that is only a tiny bit larger and has an Intel CPU so it'd be a better option than trying to use Windows on ARM on a platform like this.
VS is a bloated bag of trash. It doesn't really demand that much performance, unless when you are compiling, but it is so poorly written it just runs like a slug, regardless what's your hardware. I am so happy I no longer have to deal with that.
This with 6 gigs of ram would suit me just fine. 90% of the software I run is proprietary, and android is supported. The moment a cyano based rom is avaiable for it, which will be quick, I will install a google free android on it. No windoze spyware for me thanks.
As if Windows was a good tablet OS. The only way to get anything done with Surface Pro 4 is to plug the keyboard cover into it, and use it as if it was an ultrabook.
Not sure what your point is, but yea, Apple makes lots of nice, overhyped processors optimized for their software alone. Thing is, they're not sold separately, and probably aren't as good running Android. So yea, SD820 is as good as it gets for Android tablets you want to release _now_.
How do you know? We don't have Apple devices running SD835 either. What matters is what the user experiences, not the benchmark scores that many companies cheat at anyway.
How do I know? I'm almost certain that Android would keep an A10 running its CPUs at a significantly higher average clocks, significantly lowering its efficiency, compared with iOS. Android's rendering stuck is MUCH more CPU dependent, plus Android is usually doing more stuff in the background.
In a media consumption device, its all about the additional cores and/or more offloading to dedicated co-processors. The "claimed" advantage of single threaded performance is a wash. No one cares for split second advantages in Javascript (provided the Javascript engine is the same). Browsers usually have a much harder time actually rendering the content and dealing with media/ads in web pages. If you want better browsing performance, get a browser that supports ad blocking.
In smartphones, the equation is different. But we're talking ARM tablets here.
Yep, they're *finally* giving it the CPU it needs. Mind you, ever since the race to 64 bits and the car crash of the A57, we've been a bit short of decent CPUs for Android...
I think the SD820 and the subsequent SoCs fix a lot of issues of the previous generation SoCs. Don't also forget the Kirin 950, which is an A72 built on modern process. Samsung has put into Tab S, Tab S2, and Tab S2 2016 the best SoCs it could find at the moment.
There appears to be almost no reason to be using updated processors at the moment other than small improvements in efficiency as far as electricity use.
I cannot think of any Android application beyond a small number of applications, such as 3D games that few people play, that would meaningfully benefit from more CPU or GPU performance. Almost all apps are targeted to much less powerful devices because that's what's out there ATM.
*Small* increases? The 808 in my Nexus 5X chugs electricity at a ridiculous rate. The second gen of 64 bit ARM cores -- A72, Kyro -- are far more efficient.
No one is saying that using A57 cores is still justified even in a tablet. We can recall that Tab S2 came out with the A57+A53 Exynos processor in 2015, and then the 2016 S2 was updated to use the SD652. As for the Nexus 5X, despite its flawed SoC, I think another problem is with the Android 7.X. When I updated from mine from Android 6.x to 7.x, the reduction of the battery life, specially at idle was pretty obvious. As more devices are updated to 7.x, I think we're going to see more of this.
Now they only need to make it rootable and somebody needs to create a LineageOS Nougat for it, then I'd be pretty sure to buy at least one to replace my much loved Nexus 10 (running LineageOS 13).
Wouldn't mind an HDMI port (or DP), USB 3* etc. so it can drive a big TV without latency or overhead.
Agree, glass is plain stupid: Unfortunately most customers buy tablets with their eyes not their heads and Samsung shamelessly exploits the weakness of the women that can't help wanting beautiful things which look clean. I'd just put rubber all around it, if only to make sure my women won't take it away from me ;-)
That's true for my GS7e, but on the Note7 it was a different story. I've compared both with HDR file samples, and the Note7's implementation was far from software only.
Dear anandtech crew, you have been ignoring newer Android tablets lately. The Huawei Mediapad M3 and Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus haven't been reviewed yet. Hopefully, you'll post a review of this S3 soon...
It's difficult really. If they'd announced an 8" tab then someone else would have posted, "no 9.7 inch one ?" (Without any capitals as that's the new trend these days)
Why difficult? In the past, Samsung launched the small and big Tab S or Tab S2 simultaneously. For those looking for an 8 inch Android tablet, check out the new Huawei Mediapad M3 which is also a thoroughly modern device.
I was wondering the same thing. There's a time and a place for a large tablet, no doubt there. But there's also a time and a place for a smaller one, in the 7-8.5" range, in a 16:10 format.
10" tablets are too big to take with you everywhere, on a whim. You need to always have some kind of bag with you, or you really need to know ahead of time you'll need it.
A 7-8.5" tablet is something you can throw into a large jacket pocket, or a purse, or back pocket, and have with you pretty much everywhere. It's also much nicer for holding for long periods while reading or watching videos.
They just need to get the price down to the right level. The $50 throwaway tablets are too underpowered, but the $400 tablets are too expensive. A 7-8.5" tablet in the $100-200 range would be nice. CDN not US. ;)
But most android tablets are 16:10. And considering android tablets are more suited for entertainment purposes, 16:10 make more sense to me. Still, 3:2 is the best compromise.
Yeah, I feel they should have gone for 3:2 (I personally despise 16:10/16:9). It feels weird to emphasize HDR and the quad speakers so much on a 4:3 tablet.
I disagree. If you want a tablet to be your portable TV screen, then a widescreen tablet with stereo speakers in landscape mode should be preferred. On the other hand, if you use tablet primarily as a reader, browser, or for productivity, then 3:2 can be better. It looks like among the new tablets, the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus and Huawei Mediapad M3 have taken more "the entertainment role" with wide screens, while Apple and Samsung mostly continue with screens more optimized for reading and productivity.
Finally, a decent lightweight, powerful, up-to-date Android tablet! It's taken too long, but at least it's here. This will replace my original iPad Air (battery beginning to lose capacity).
Not waiting to see what Apple will release on the iPad side of things? Should be revealed this month it seems. But maybe you want an Android tablet instead?
I use my tablet as an entertainment device a lot, and for me it is crucial to be able to use storage cards or upload to the tablet media files bypassing the buggy monstrosity that is the iTunes app. For most other purposes, Apple dominates Android tablets. I think Apple tablets have been good enough for so long that I wouldn't mind buying even an "out of date" Apple tablet. These holidays, I picked up a 32GB iPad 2 for just 280 bucks. It's a fine device, and that's close to the most I am willing to pay for a tablet anyways.
Actually my use of 'will' was too strong. It will have to have an excellent screen (including low reflection, not just top-notch accuracy) and good speakers too -- and not cost the earth.
S-A, I'm not putting much stock on those 'new iPads in March' rumours. Though they're well overdue a refresh, that's never been a reason for Apple to do anything about it. Apparently the current iPads are still selling steadily.
But yeah, primarily I'd like to switch to Android. Things like OK Google and seamless sharing of almost anything between almost any apps are things I miss when using iOS.
The speaker positioning is still retarded. Placing both speakers on the smallest side reduces the stereo effect to a minimum. Plus, there's no way to hold that tablet in landscape mode without covering one of the speakers with your hand.
I keep hearing that tablets just don't sell large volumes. So investing design time into a niche product simply doesn't seem green-lighted in project reviews.
With production now shifting towards higher-end Exynos and 835 variants for the high-volume smartphones (where Samsung seems to control all supply), they simply may want to reycle the surplus 820s they didn't sell as Note 7s: They probably have a whole stockpile of them because selling yesterday's high-end chips into mid-range phonse doesn't seem to work out financially, either.
Shame, though, I'd like to see much more 820s in €100-200 devices.
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Gich - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
This with Win10, plz.MonkeyPaw - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
They did also launch some Windows 10 tablets with S-pen support.Michael Bay - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
I suspect the stylus is the draw here.Gich - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
Intel makes it too expensive.satai - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
So you want "this" wih a crappy OS on a CPU, that won't work with the OS... to have a cheap variant? Are we talking about this HDR AMOLED-equiped high-end tablet as a cheap option? :-OGich - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
Win10 on ARM. Might need a bump to SD 835, but still...Outside a smartphone Android is THE shit.
melgross - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
You're right. It is shit. And Win 10 on ARM? Do you want it to run, or not?Diji1 - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
Yes Android is a terrible OS - and I do not own any non-Android mobile devices just to be clear before the kneejerk reaction brigade jumps in.And that's before you take into account that it's a product made to spy on the user for the world largest internet advertising business.
Meteor2 - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Have you used the more recent versions, without crappy UIs added on? Android 7 is easily the best mobile OS.Gich - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
You must not have really used it, if you think it has really changed.StevoLincolnite - Thursday, March 2, 2017 - link
Yep. Android tablets are all garbage at the moment.They have absolutely nothing that entices me... And they have stagnated for the last few years.
It feels like all the innovation is over in the Windows camp with convertibles.
lilmoe - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
AND a low power Ryzen APU.FTFY
Gich - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
We'll see if AMD delivers, but sure.Michael Bay - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
>AMD>low power anything
ddriver - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
They claim to be launching an 8 core 16 threads desktop chip at 65 watts tdp.In that line of thought it won't be too much of a stretch to release cherry-picked lower frequency quads at below 30 watts, 25 watts outta be feasible at around 3-3.2 Ghz.
Meanwhile intel's cream of the crop mobile quads are 45 watts.
JoeMonco - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Why would any take an AMD claim seriously?ddriver - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
They didn't lie about performance, in fact they understated it. It turned out better than they promised. This is not a guarantee the same will happen with TDP, but at least it proves they are not compulsively lying about zen.Meteor2 - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Well, we need 5W parts for mobile, not 25Ws.ddriver - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Actually a 25W quad will be feasible for a beefier tablet. 25W is max, not typical. Definitely a niche product, as most tablets are about content consumption, thus thin and offering mediocre performance, a 4c/8t zen apu would be quite the powerhouse in comparison.If they launch a 12 inch, half an inch thick tablet workstation with zen and 16 gigs of ram and 80% of that is battery, I will happily buy that at about 2500$. And I know plenty of people who will do the same.
I've used several "high end" x86 tablets, they were all mediocre in terms of performance, dual core just doesn't cut it. And intel quads at 45 watts are out of the question.
Michael Bay - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
I`d very much like them to do so, seeing as 1080p is FINALLY getting into the low parts of the market. I don`t need any gaming capabilities whatsoever, just give me a passable screen and a processor to stay somewhat relevant for three or four years.If AMD can give me that, here`s my money, but it certainly won`t happen this year, and those new HP 430 G3s with Kaby Lake look very interesting.
UtilityMax - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Dream on. Remember for how long one had to wait for the mobile "Kaveri" APUs, which never happened? The fact that AMD places its latest CPU against the desktop i7 is quite telling regarding where they're heading.R. Hunt - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
Why? So you can have ,ore complexity, terrible UI, no mobile apps?Meteor2 - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
So you can run the software you need?R. Hunt - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
What software? Visual Studio? SQL Server?On a 9.7" tablet???
BrokenCrayons - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Visual Studio isn't a heavy lifting sort of thing. Maybe more/larger screen space would be nice, but I can't see many problems in getting a little bluetooth keyboard and a clip-on arm to mount the tablet to a desk for that purpose. A 7 inch Toshiba Encore with 2GB of RAM and a Bay Trail processor even handles something as low-demand as Visual Studio.SQL Server, aside from some maybe local testing of non-live data, would probably not run well on a tablet. It really belongs on appropriate hardware if its supporting something mission critical anyway and that rules out laptops and desktops too.
There are a lot of other basic applications that work only in Windows that would be perfectly fine on a 9 inch tablet. However, Samsung's also released a 10 inch Windows tablet that is only a tiny bit larger and has an Intel CPU so it'd be a better option than trying to use Windows on ARM on a platform like this.
ddriver - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
VS is a bloated bag of trash. It doesn't really demand that much performance, unless when you are compiling, but it is so poorly written it just runs like a slug, regardless what's your hardware. I am so happy I no longer have to deal with that.Meteor2 - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Mr Hunt, why do you presume to even possibly know what x86 software I use?R. Hunt - Tuesday, February 28, 2017 - link
Isn't that what you did, by assuming we all need to run x86 software on a tablet?ddriver - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
This with 6 gigs of ram would suit me just fine. 90% of the software I run is proprietary, and android is supported. The moment a cyano based rom is avaiable for it, which will be quick, I will install a google free android on it. No windoze spyware for me thanks.Meteor2 - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Wait until the Snapdragon 835 running Windows on ARM version. That's the future.UtilityMax - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
As if Windows was a good tablet OS. The only way to get anything done with Surface Pro 4 is to plug the keyboard cover into it, and use it as if it was an ultrabook.HardwareDufus - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
Supports a keyboard case and has 4 speakers.Comes with a pen, but nowhere to put it. Hopefully this keyboard case has a sensible place to keep it.
mmrezaie - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
What is up with Samsung and not using updated processors for their tablets?lilmoe - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
With the additional thermal headroom, this is as good as it. Better SoCs aren't yet.lilmoe - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
as good as it gets***melgross - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
Not for Android, no. The A10 kills this, and the A10x will bury it. But, that's nothing new.The real question is how many will pay this much for an Android tablet? Mostly, they're given away with Samsung Edges or Notes.
lilmoe - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
Not sure what your point is, but yea, Apple makes lots of nice, overhyped processors optimized for their software alone. Thing is, they're not sold separately, and probably aren't as good running Android.So yea, SD820 is as good as it gets for Android tablets you want to release _now_.
Diji1 - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
Clearly you've never used the devices you're talking about if you think that.And why would any Apple user care that Android doesn't run on it?
osxandwindows - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
What are you talking about.At the end of the day, its just an ARM chip with much better IPC.
MonkeyPaw - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
How do you know? We don't have Apple devices running SD835 either. What matters is what the user experiences, not the benchmark scores that many companies cheat at anyway.lilmoe - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
How do I know? I'm almost certain that Android would keep an A10 running its CPUs at a significantly higher average clocks, significantly lowering its efficiency, compared with iOS. Android's rendering stuck is MUCH more CPU dependent, plus Android is usually doing more stuff in the background.In a media consumption device, its all about the additional cores and/or more offloading to dedicated co-processors. The "claimed" advantage of single threaded performance is a wash. No one cares for split second advantages in Javascript (provided the Javascript engine is the same). Browsers usually have a much harder time actually rendering the content and dealing with media/ads in web pages. If you want better browsing performance, get a browser that supports ad blocking.
In smartphones, the equation is different. But we're talking ARM tablets here.
ddriver - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
For single threaded performance it will likely have an edge, but overall I doubt it will be faster.C0S@ - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
Like going from the Samsung Exynos 5433 processor in the 2015 Tab S2 to the Snapdragon 652 in the 2016 S2 to the Snapdragon 820 in the S3?Meteor2 - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Yep, they're *finally* giving it the CPU it needs. Mind you, ever since the race to 64 bits and the car crash of the A57, we've been a bit short of decent CPUs for Android...UtilityMax - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
I think the SD820 and the subsequent SoCs fix a lot of issues of the previous generation SoCs. Don't also forget the Kirin 950, which is an A72 built on modern process. Samsung has put into Tab S, Tab S2, and Tab S2 2016 the best SoCs it could find at the moment.Diji1 - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
There appears to be almost no reason to be using updated processors at the moment other than small improvements in efficiency as far as electricity use.I cannot think of any Android application beyond a small number of applications, such as 3D games that few people play, that would meaningfully benefit from more CPU or GPU performance. Almost all apps are targeted to much less powerful devices because that's what's out there ATM.
Meteor2 - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
*Small* increases? The 808 in my Nexus 5X chugs electricity at a ridiculous rate. The second gen of 64 bit ARM cores -- A72, Kyro -- are far more efficient.UtilityMax - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
No one is saying that using A57 cores is still justified even in a tablet. We can recall that Tab S2 came out with the A57+A53 Exynos processor in 2015, and then the 2016 S2 was updated to use the SD652. As for the Nexus 5X, despite its flawed SoC, I think another problem is with the Android 7.X. When I updated from mine from Android 6.x to 7.x, the reduction of the battery life, specially at idle was pretty obvious. As more devices are updated to 7.x, I think we're going to see more of this.lopri - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Screen resolution is actually lower than their phones'. Running mostly same apps, performance per pixel should be higher than the last years phones.abufrejoval - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
Thanks God, no "edge" on this one!Now they only need to make it rootable and somebody needs to create a LineageOS Nougat for it, then I'd be pretty sure to buy at least one to replace my much loved Nexus 10 (running LineageOS 13).
Wouldn't mind an HDMI port (or DP), USB 3* etc. so it can drive a big TV without latency or overhead.
R. Hunt - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
No edge, but they couldn't resist putting the dumb glass back there.Crazy price as well.
kenansadhu - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Has the price been announced?R. Hunt - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Not officially, no. But a retailer in the UK has it already listed at £600. Granted, it could be just an error but I'm not holding my breath.abufrejoval - Tuesday, February 28, 2017 - link
Agree, glass is plain stupid: Unfortunately most customers buy tablets with their eyes not their heads and Samsung shamelessly exploits the weakness of the women that can't help wanting beautiful things which look clean. I'd just put rubber all around it, if only to make sure my women won't take it away from me ;-)damianrobertjones - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
The HDR marketing train arrives to tablets.lilmoe - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
Hey, HDR is nice, for once.Lolimaster - Tuesday, February 28, 2017 - link
Software HDR, messing up with the original source colors, like "vivid mode".lilmoe - Wednesday, March 1, 2017 - link
That's true for my GS7e, but on the Note7 it was a different story. I've compared both with HDR file samples, and the Note7's implementation was far from software only.UtilityMax - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
These are fine specs. The tablet was probably worth waiting for. Hopefully, the reviews will be good.UtilityMax - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
Dear anandtech crew, you have been ignoring newer Android tablets lately. The Huawei Mediapad M3 and Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus haven't been reviewed yet. Hopefully, you'll post a review of this S3 soon...samer1970 - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
no 8 inch one ?damianrobertjones - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
It's difficult really. If they'd announced an 8" tab then someone else would have posted, "no 9.7 inch one ?" (Without any capitals as that's the new trend these days)UtilityMax - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Why difficult? In the past, Samsung launched the small and big Tab S or Tab S2 simultaneously. For those looking for an 8 inch Android tablet, check out the new Huawei Mediapad M3 which is also a thoroughly modern device.phoenix_rizzen - Friday, March 10, 2017 - link
I was wondering the same thing. There's a time and a place for a large tablet, no doubt there. But there's also a time and a place for a smaller one, in the 7-8.5" range, in a 16:10 format.10" tablets are too big to take with you everywhere, on a whim. You need to always have some kind of bag with you, or you really need to know ahead of time you'll need it.
A 7-8.5" tablet is something you can throw into a large jacket pocket, or a purse, or back pocket, and have with you pretty much everywhere. It's also much nicer for holding for long periods while reading or watching videos.
They just need to get the price down to the right level. The $50 throwaway tablets are too underpowered, but the $400 tablets are too expensive. A 7-8.5" tablet in the $100-200 range would be nice. CDN not US. ;)
0iron - Sunday, February 26, 2017 - link
Good that manufacturer are now realised that 16:9 doesn't make sense in tablet.Spectrophobic - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
But most android tablets are 16:10.And considering android tablets are more suited for entertainment purposes, 16:10 make more sense to me.
Still, 3:2 is the best compromise.
R. Hunt - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Yeah, I feel they should have gone for 3:2 (I personally despise 16:10/16:9). It feels weird to emphasize HDR and the quad speakers so much on a 4:3 tablet.UtilityMax - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
I disagree. If you want a tablet to be your portable TV screen, then a widescreen tablet with stereo speakers in landscape mode should be preferred. On the other hand, if you use tablet primarily as a reader, browser, or for productivity, then 3:2 can be better. It looks like among the new tablets, the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus and Huawei Mediapad M3 have taken more "the entertainment role" with wide screens, while Apple and Samsung mostly continue with screens more optimized for reading and productivity.Meteor2 - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Finally, a decent lightweight, powerful, up-to-date Android tablet! It's taken too long, but at least it's here. This will replace my original iPad Air (battery beginning to lose capacity).star-affinity - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Not waiting to see what Apple will release on the iPad side of things? Should be revealed this month it seems. But maybe you want an Android tablet instead?UtilityMax - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
I use my tablet as an entertainment device a lot, and for me it is crucial to be able to use storage cards or upload to the tablet media files bypassing the buggy monstrosity that is the iTunes app. For most other purposes, Apple dominates Android tablets. I think Apple tablets have been good enough for so long that I wouldn't mind buying even an "out of date" Apple tablet. These holidays, I picked up a 32GB iPad 2 for just 280 bucks. It's a fine device, and that's close to the most I am willing to pay for a tablet anyways.R. Hunt - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Same here. Also, Apple may be using the best LCD in the world but Amoled for me is simply a must.Meteor2 - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
Actually my use of 'will' was too strong. It will have to have an excellent screen (including low reflection, not just top-notch accuracy) and good speakers too -- and not cost the earth.Meteor2 - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
S-A, I'm not putting much stock on those 'new iPads in March' rumours. Though they're well overdue a refresh, that's never been a reason for Apple to do anything about it. Apparently the current iPads are still selling steadily.But yeah, primarily I'd like to switch to Android. Things like OK Google and seamless sharing of almost anything between almost any apps are things I miss when using iOS.
bug77 - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
The speaker positioning is still retarded.Placing both speakers on the smallest side reduces the stereo effect to a minimum. Plus, there's no way to hold that tablet in landscape mode without covering one of the speakers with your hand.
UtilityMax - Monday, February 27, 2017 - link
It has not two, but FOUR speakers for all corners. Check the specs again.xdrol - Tuesday, February 28, 2017 - link
820? What year is this?R. Hunt - Tuesday, February 28, 2017 - link
Judging by the insane prices, its indeed 2017.abufrejoval - Tuesday, February 28, 2017 - link
I keep hearing that tablets just don't sell large volumes. So investing design time into a niche product simply doesn't seem green-lighted in project reviews.With production now shifting towards higher-end Exynos and 835 variants for the high-volume smartphones (where Samsung seems to control all supply), they simply may want to reycle the surplus 820s they didn't sell as Note 7s: They probably have a whole stockpile of them because selling yesterday's high-end chips into mid-range phonse doesn't seem to work out financially, either.
Shame, though, I'd like to see much more 820s in €100-200 devices.