Samsung’s Super-thin Galaxy Tab S Fit for the Enterprise

by Michelle Maisto

Ryan Bidan, senior director for Samsung Telecommunications America, took to a stage at New York’s Madison Square Garden, where he said such luminaries as Aretha Franklin have performed, to introduce something also pretty luminous, the Galaxy Tab S. It will come in 8.4- and 10.5-inch models, in white or gold. Or rather, Titanium Bronze, in Samsung-speak.

Shown off here by Michael Abary, senior vice president of Samsung Electronics America, the Tab S has a perforated look on the back, like the Galaxy S5. But while the smartphone has a feel like leather, the Tab S feels more like metal (though the material is a plastic). The shade of gold is also a little different from the one used on the GS5.

Two key features are the Tab S’ display, which is a Super AMOLED with 30 percent more pixels than “the competition’s tablet,” and its size. Because an AMOLED display requires fewer materials than an LCD, it enabled Samsung to reduce the tablet’s depth to 6.6mm, or 0.26 inches. Abary said this was about as thick as a “stack of five credit cards … and thinner than most smartphones.”

Abary explained that AMOLED captures more colors and richness than LCD (the technology Apple uses for the iPad) and offers a better outdoor viewing experience, since it’s 40 percent less reflective.

Contrasts are heightened and new details are revealed, said Abary. “The Tab S delivers the ultimate viewing experience, elevated to an emotional experience.”

Samsung made a series of partnership announcements, enhancing what’s possible on the Tab S. Milk Music is a new streaming music service said to make new music easier to discover.

Samsung introduced Papergarden, an application to which magazines, with embedded video, are downloaded. It offers an experience that print magazines alone can’t duplicate, said Abary, announcing a deal that will bring Conde Nast magazines like GQ, Vogue and Glamour to the Tab S.

Marvel Entertainment COO Joe Quesada pretended to lose his cool with J.A.R.V.I.S., the Just a Rather Very Intelligent System from the Iron Man films. A Tab S will appear in Marvel’s upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Galaxy device users will be treated to exclusive Marvel content.

A message somewhat lightly addressed during the Madison Square Garden event is that the Tab S is also a serious enterprise device. In addition to Samsung Knox “sandboxing” technology, it’s a Samsung Approved for the Enterprise (SAFE) device, runs VPN software, can support mobile device management software and, like the GS5, has an on-screen fingerprint reader.

The Tab S will have plenty of competition, says Carolina Milanesi, chief of research at Kantar Worldpanel. “Do I really need it? Is my 5.5-inch phone not enough?” the thinking will go, said Milanesi. And then there’s the price point. Consumers are likely to think, “It’s a great product, but why do I need to pay $400?” Amazon’s Kindle Fire HDX, for example, now starts at $199.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S is now available to preorder on the Samsung Web site. The 8.4-inch, WiFi-only model will start at $399, and the 10.5-inch model will start at $499. An LTE model will follow a few weeks later. AT&T has already announced its support, though others are sure to follow.