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Latest update: We've seen our first glimpse of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and more detailed specs listings have emerged.
The iPad Air 2 is still at the top of the tablet heap, but Samsung came very close to knocking it off its perch with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S - a slim and powerful slate with a stunning screen and good battery life.
Now we're hearing rumblings of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 and if rumors are to be believed it could be an even closer iPad Air 2 competitor, with a slim build, a metal frame, a 4:3 aspect ratio and both 8.0-inch and 9.7-inch size options, making it a clear alternative to both the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Samsung's next super slate
- When is it out? Probably June
- What will it cost? Likely £319 / $399 / AU$499+
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 release date
It's rumored that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 will be announced in June, with both Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi + LTE versions of each size set to launch then. It's not known when in June it will be announced or how soon after the announcement you'll be able to buy it, but apparently it will launch worldwide, in the US, Europe and Canada among other places.
June was always our best guess for a launch date, as the original Galaxy Tab S launched in late June 2014, so the rumor is believable.
The tablet has also been spotted on a site which tracks imports to India. According to the listing it's been sent there for testing and evaluation purposes. If Samsung is shipping the slate around then it could be close to having a finished product.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 design
We may have caught our first glimpse of the 8.0-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S as new photos show a seemingly plastic-backed slate which is purportedly Samsung's next Galaxy Tab S.
They seem to largely line up with a render shared by @OnLeaks, so there's a good chance this is the real deal. We also have reason to believe it will be exceedingly slim, as China's certification center outed dimensions of 198 x 134 x 5.4mm and a weight of 260g for the 8.0-inch model, which lines up with previous rumors.
In a tweet @OnLeaks revealed that the 9.7-inch version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 will come in at 237.17 x 169.58 x 5.5mm, which would make it slimmer than the 6.1mm thick iPad Air 2. He also claims that it will have a design inspired by the Samsung Galaxy S6, so expect a metal frame and perhaps a glass back.
Other rumors also suggest the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 will be slimmer than the iPad Air 2, with Sam Mobile reporting that the 9.7-inch version is 237.1 x 168.8 x 5.4mm and 407g, while the 8.0-inch slate is apparently 198.2 x 134.5 x 5.4mm and 260g. That more or less lines up with what @OnLeaks claims and would also make them lighter than Apple's latest tablets.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 screen
Like the original Tab S the Galaxy Tab S2 is said to come in two different sizes, but this time they're closer to Apple's sizing, at 9.7 inches and 8.0 inches. The aspect ratio has also apparently been changed to 4:3, which again is much like what the iPad offers.
They're still expected to be Super AMOLED though, so look forward to bright and vibrant images. Surprisingly the resolutions have been dropped slightly to 2048 x 1536 according to Sam Mobile and that's echoed by a since-removed benchmark that's been tied to the slate.
But they're also slightly smaller this time, so the lower resolution might not be noticeable. In practice it means the larger version has a 264ppi display (the same as the iPad Air 2), while the smaller one has a 320ppi screen if true.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 rivals
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is shaping up to be a clear competitor for the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, not to mention the likely iPad Air 3 and iPad mini 4 once they launch.
It shouldn't face such fierce competition in Android land, but the Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet could prove a tempting alternative, with its slim build and high end specs and the Nexus 9 is an impressive option too, helped by speedy Android updates.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 camera and battery
According to sources speaking to Sam Mobile the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 will have an 8MP camera on the back and a 2.1MP one on the front - the same as the original Galaxy Tab S.
The same source claims that the 9.7-inch model will have a 5870 mAh battery, while the 8.0-inch one will have a 3580 mAh one, though they note that these sizes could change.
Those sizes are smaller than what's offered by the first generation models, so we hope they do get bigger before launch, but with such a slim body something's got to give.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 OS and power
A slate believed to be the Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 has passed through TENAA in China, complete with a 1.9GHz octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, Android 5.0, an 8MP rear camera, a 2MP front-facing one, 16GB of storage, a microSD card slot and LTE support. So those are likely the specs for at least the smaller slate.
They also add up with other rumors. According to Sam Mobile both versions of the Tab S2 will run Android 5.0.2 out of the box, which is exactly what we'd expect - if not the even more recent Android 5.1.
The same source claims the slate will have an octa-core Exynos 5433 processor, but it could possibly be upgraded to the octa-core Exynos 7420 that we've seen in the Samsung Galaxy S6. We expect that will happen, especially as the 5433 isn't even 64-bit.
A since-removed benchmark spotted by GSMArena also shows it running an Exynos 5 chip, clocked at 1.9GHz. RAM is likely to come in at 3GB, with the benchmark, TENAA and Sam Mobile all reporting as much. As for storage, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is rumored to come with either 16 or 32GB built in, but with a microSD card slot allowing for cards of up to 128GB.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 other features
One other titbit of information supplied by Sam Mobile is that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 will apparently support Cat. 6 LTE, theoretically allowing for download speeds of up to 300Mbps on 4G. Though the 4G version of the slate is likely to be an optional variant with a higher price tag.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 cost
There's little to go on in terms of what the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 might cost, other than looking at what the original Galaxy Tab S retailed for.
That slate was quickly price-matched against the iPad Air and iPad mini 2, with the larger option costing £399 (around $499 / AU$619) and the smaller one retailing for £349 (roughly $399 / AU$499), so there's a good chance Samsung will do the same here, especially since the Galaxy Tab S2 looks even more similar to Apple's tablets.
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