Tablets may not be the must-have gadgets they once were, but they remain incredibly useful for portable productivity and entertainment, which is why most major manufacturers are still introducing new models.
Samsung is amongst the most prolific tablet producers, with rumours of an all-new device emerging this month which point to the likelihood that the Samsung tablet will be closely tied to its high-end smartphones.
Galaxy Tab S5 features
The expectation at the moment is that the Galaxy Tab S5 will sport precisely the same chipset that can be found powering the recently announced Galaxy S10 range of mobile handsets. This makes sense not only from a technical perspective but also because Samsung will have ample access to the Snapdragon 855 from Qualcomm.
The rest of the hardware specifications have yet to be confirmed or even hinted at in rumours, but it should fall in line with industry standards in this respect, sporting a large 10 inch screen and ample storage for files to go along with its powerful CPU.
Potential competitors
The sheer scope of Samsung’s range of smartphones and tablets means that in addition to the need to compete with rival devices from other manufacturers, the rumoured Galaxy Tab S5 will also need to push to the front of the pack amongst its own-brand stablemates.
This might be particularly challenging, given that Samsung’s boundary-pushing Galaxy Fold is slated for launch this year.
The Galaxy Fold is set to be one of the first smart devices with a truly flexible screen and it will effectively blur the lines between a smartphone and a tablet. When fully unfolded, it will have a display area of 7.3 inches which, while still smaller than a full-sized Samsung tablet, could be close enough to lure some buyers away from the Tab S5.
Those who prefer to own both a smartphone and a tablet will still need multi gadget insurance, of course. The benefits of gadget insurance are amplified when you have several devices protected under a single policy.
Samsung’s strategy is an interesting one. If the Korean manufacturer is to give consumers the option of combining all of their needs into one foldable hybrid, it could well be cannibalising its own share of the tablet market. Time will tell.
New Note expectations
Another likely disruptor in this space is the latest generation of the Galaxy Note, which is expected to be introduced at around the same time as the Galaxy Tab S5, in the second half of 2019.
Bigger and bigger screens spurred on by the Note range have resulted in softening consumer demand for tablets over the past few years, which clearly helps to explain the fall in sales volumes.
With Samsung still pursuing this market with the Galaxy Tab S5, it is clear that there is sufficient residual interest amongst consumers to justify the development of new devices. The fact that Samsung tablets now borrow much of their capabilities from mobiles is of little surprise in the current market.