Scratch that, 4GB of RAM hurts. That m3 CPU is Skylake, so it'll be fine. But 4GB of RAM is hard to swallow in 2016 unless the price is very competitive.
Really? What kind of of heavy computing are you going to do on a 4.5W TDP chip? My windows tablet has 2GB and runs fine, my last laptop ran with 4GB a lot of the time and only had RAM issues when I was encoding a video in the background while playing a game. So I'm very interested in what kind of every day scenario you are going to have that eats up 4GB of RAM with a 4.5W CPU. :D
No heavy computing at all. Having windows eating 1.5 gb average, and 10 browser windows, will reach dangerously closely to 4 gb, and this is very very light computing. Now if you are pro, chances are you will need to search the internet with 20 or more windows open(which is considered and should be trivial), and have some office apps open(which is and should be trivial).
Since modern browsers have a habit of eating RAM like the Kraken(for no apparent reason), and as a pro you will probably open office apps near to the gigabyte territory, it's hardly enough. The dude above is right. It's 2016 and there's no excuse for any brand new windows machine to be sold with only 4 gigabytes of RAM; to be fair 8 gb should be considered entry level for your jobless average Joe who has nothing to do but has plenty of time to waste. Professionals or gamers should start from 16 and go higher , much higher. Having an overkill screen resolution for no good reason and a pen is no excuse for naming it premium or pro. You need horsepower, ram, hdd, connectivity with just about any screen and peripheral, this is premium and this is pro.
Then , computing for pros is not only about running legacy programs like browsers and office , but other as well far more demanding.
This would be a total waste if they put Android instead.
It's screen size and resolution is notable in that it's exactly the same as the SP3. It's very good that others are following MS's lead on 3:2, more generally taller screens.
So glad that it is 3:2. If the price with the pen is lower than a core M SP4 I might be tempted to go for this. I love OLED and really want to see it enter more markets/come down in price asap. Of course the SP4 has an amazing screen and is very well rounded, so unless this reviews very well on all aspects (pen included) then being a little cheaper may not be enough.
I just hope that this and the lenovo X1 yogo being OLED tempt MS to go the same direction for the SP5. I guess the market will see how these two products fare.
"The prospect of a Samsung tablet with an AMOLED display running Windows interests me greatly, because it opens up the possibility of manual calibration and different gamma targets..."
That is, if the thing isn't going to be pre-calibrated in hardware to sRGB or whatever. If we're getting the naked Samsung AMOLED gamut out of it, it'd be fascinating to profile exactly what that is.
This is a direct competitor to the $899 Surface pro 3 M3, with some advantages and disadvantages. It's lighter, at 693gr, has a LTE option and can be had with 256GB SSD. But has no kickstand. The keyboard is more SP3 like than SP4 like, but the trackpad is more similar to SP4. Also it has a USB 3.1 type C, which can be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on the point of view. The bluetooth pen it to be tested, but I am not that convinced. Pricing will be crucial. If this can be had with the keyboard cover, the pen and 4g, and maybe even 256GB at $899 it might be quite compelling.
Battery "size" doesn't matter. What matters, is battery "life". If this gets 10+ hours then who cares how big the battery is, especially at this thin of a form factor for a full Windows machine.
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osxandwindows - Tuesday, January 5, 2016 - link
Only core m3, only 128 or 256gb ssd, and does not ship with adapter?The only thing going for it is the AMOLED display.
MonkeyPaw - Tuesday, January 5, 2016 - link
A good price will make or break it. My guess is something higher than the closest Galaxy Tab S, so maybe $600+?ImSpartacus - Tuesday, January 5, 2016 - link
It would be a fine purchase at $600 as long as it has a 256GB SSD.ImSpartacus - Tuesday, January 5, 2016 - link
Scratch that, 4GB of RAM hurts. That m3 CPU is Skylake, so it'll be fine. But 4GB of RAM is hard to swallow in 2016 unless the price is very competitive.Death666Angel - Wednesday, January 6, 2016 - link
Really? What kind of of heavy computing are you going to do on a 4.5W TDP chip? My windows tablet has 2GB and runs fine, my last laptop ran with 4GB a lot of the time and only had RAM issues when I was encoding a video in the background while playing a game. So I'm very interested in what kind of every day scenario you are going to have that eats up 4GB of RAM with a 4.5W CPU. :Ddamianrobertjones - Thursday, January 7, 2016 - link
He's going to use Google Chrome so he'll need, at least, 8Gb straight away.IUU - Tuesday, January 26, 2016 - link
No heavy computing at all. Having windows eating 1.5 gb average, and 10 browser windows, will reach dangerously closely to 4 gb, and this is very very light computing.Now if you are pro, chances are you will need to search the internet with 20 or more windows open(which is considered and should be trivial), and have some office apps open(which is and should be trivial).
Since modern browsers have a habit of eating RAM like the Kraken(for no apparent reason), and as a pro you will probably open office apps near to the gigabyte territory, it's hardly enough.
The dude above is right. It's 2016 and there's no excuse for any brand new windows machine to be sold with only 4 gigabytes of RAM; to be fair 8 gb should be considered entry level for your jobless average Joe who has nothing to do but has plenty of time to waste. Professionals or gamers should start from 16 and go higher , much higher. Having an overkill screen resolution for no good reason and a pen is no excuse for naming it premium or pro. You need horsepower, ram, hdd, connectivity with just about any screen and peripheral, this is premium and this is pro.
Then , computing for pros is not only about running legacy programs like browsers and office , but other as well far more demanding.
khon - Wednesday, January 6, 2016 - link
The 256GB version is going to be a lot more than $600. I would guess at least $1000, based on the price of similar products.nathanddrews - Wednesday, January 6, 2016 - link
I'm going to guess closer to $900, unfortunately.Ratman6161 - Wednesday, January 6, 2016 - link
It is similarly speced to the lowest end Surface Pro 4 which Microsoft retails form $899 so $900 or a bit less is probably right.Tams80 - Tuesday, January 5, 2016 - link
"t. While it was initially thought to be an Android tablet to take on the likes of the Pixel C and the iPad Pro".If you'd been paying intention to the convertible community, you'd have known it was expected to be a Windows machine.
OEMG - Tuesday, January 5, 2016 - link
This would be a total waste if they put Android instead.It's screen size and resolution is notable in that it's exactly the same as the SP3. It's very good that others are following MS's lead on 3:2, more generally taller screens.
RdVi - Tuesday, January 5, 2016 - link
So glad that it is 3:2. If the price with the pen is lower than a core M SP4 I might be tempted to go for this. I love OLED and really want to see it enter more markets/come down in price asap. Of course the SP4 has an amazing screen and is very well rounded, so unless this reviews very well on all aspects (pen included) then being a little cheaper may not be enough.I just hope that this and the lenovo X1 yogo being OLED tempt MS to go the same direction for the SP5. I guess the market will see how these two products fare.
lilmoe - Tuesday, January 5, 2016 - link
In the chart you say it has Micro USB, it's actually a Type C connector.SeannyB - Tuesday, January 5, 2016 - link
"The prospect of a Samsung tablet with an AMOLED display running Windows interests me greatly, because it opens up the possibility of manual calibration and different gamma targets..."That is, if the thing isn't going to be pre-calibrated in hardware to sRGB or whatever. If we're getting the naked Samsung AMOLED gamut out of it, it'd be fascinating to profile exactly what that is.
ET - Wednesday, January 6, 2016 - link
The height of naming. There's a Galaxy Tab Pro, a Galaxy Tab S, and a Galaxy TabPro S, which uses Windows. I'm sure users won't be confused.digiguy - Wednesday, January 6, 2016 - link
This is a direct competitor to the $899 Surface pro 3 M3, with some advantages and disadvantages. It's lighter, at 693gr, has a LTE option and can be had with 256GB SSD. But has no kickstand. The keyboard is more SP3 like than SP4 like, but the trackpad is more similar to SP4. Also it has a USB 3.1 type C, which can be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on the point of view. The bluetooth pen it to be tested, but I am not that convinced. Pricing will be crucial. If this can be had with the keyboard cover, the pen and 4g, and maybe even 256GB at $899 it might be quite compelling.digiguy - Wednesday, January 6, 2016 - link
Sorry, meant Surface pro 4 M3digiguy - Wednesday, January 6, 2016 - link
to be added to the advantages of the TabPro S, the Superamoled screen and the integration with Galaxy devices, as shown here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njQLqz2sjFojjj - Wednesday, January 6, 2016 - link
PC makers just can't figure out the difference between a tablet and a laptop.Ok netbook though, at 200$ lol
SpartyOn - Wednesday, January 6, 2016 - link
Cutting corners on the battery, I see. Only a 5200 mAh battery with a 12" 2160x1440 screen and a 4.5W SoC? Good luck getting through the day.Even my inexpensive Lenovo Yoga 2 Tablet with only a 10.1" & 2W SoC has a 9600 mAh battery in it.
lilmoe - Friday, January 8, 2016 - link
Battery "size" doesn't matter. What matters, is battery "life". If this gets 10+ hours then who cares how big the battery is, especially at this thin of a form factor for a full Windows machine.damianrobertjones - Thursday, January 7, 2016 - link
This just seems like a 'me too' machine. Lazy, nothing special, easily forgotten and probably purchased due to the name on the front.