The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 was finally unveiled to the public. The 9.7-inch tablet doesn't disappoint, but some of its features can be annoying for some users.
Probably the most notable aspect of Samsung's latest tablet is the S Pen -- a feature that wasn't seen in previous iterations of the device. The S Pen mirrors the Apple Pencil seen in iPad Pro, which makes sense because the Galaxy Tab S3 is directly competing with its biggest rival's tablet.
The accessory, however, can be an inconvenience for users because of the absence of an appropriate slot or a magnetic part that will house the S Pen when it's not being used, Phandroid pointed out. Despite this, the S Pen is still helpful for scribbling down notes, capturing screenshots and creating GIFs from videos.
The stylus doesn't require recharging and Samsung made its sides flat to prevent it from rolling away and falling to the floor. It should be mentioned too that the S Pen has a rubber tip instead of plastic, giving users the illusion that they are holding a traditional pen or pencil while jotting down notes or drawing caricatures, according to Trusted Reviews.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 runs using Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820, 4 GB of RAM and a 6,000mAh battery. Its 32 GB of internal storage can be expanded up to 256 GB using a microSD card slot. The tablet charges via the USB Type-C charging port.
Two cameras adorn the tablet -- a 13 MP primary one and a secondary 5 MP shooter for selfies. You can see a physical home button, which also contains a fingerprint scanner, in the middle of two capacitive keys.
Users are praising the device's new HDR mode, which delivers bright and vibrant colors for both photos and videos. The tablet isn't just good for watching movies and playing games, though; it is meant for people who want to be productive, too. Simply attach a physical keyboard that also comes with a slot for the S Pen.
The keyboard, however, is being criticized as an inadequate accessory by some users. Though it comes with a complete QWERTY keyboard, it doesn't have any backlight and its size is too small for a device attempting to be a hybrid of a laptop and a tablet.
Samsung is proud of the tablet's quad speaker setup, promoting it as "one of the loudest and clearest" among the tablets currently out in the market. Android 7.0 Nougat with Samsung Touchwiz OS serves as the Galaxy Tab S3's software.
Pricing isn't revealed yet, but it is expected to be expensive. The tablet will likely be released in April.
