Samsung has quietly launched their new line of Galaxy tablets in Australia, with JB Hifi announcing the new range of Galaxy Tab A tablets becoming available from Monday, the 25th of May next week.
The tablets are available in 8″ and 9.7″ screen sizes, with Wi-Fi and LTE models, with the LTE model coming with the vaunted Samsung S Pen. The LTE option only appears to be available with a 9.7″ screen, as no listing for an 8″ LTE mode has been announced. The Wi-Fi tablets are being offered in White, while the LTE model is being offered in Black – or Smoky Titanium as Samsung seems to have labelled it.
Spec wise, the tablets share the same relatively low 1024×768 resolution across both screen sizes, as well as the same Qualcomm processor, RAM and storage configs, as well as basic camera on front and rear. The 9.7″ LTE Model is the standout with the S Pen included, as well as the software enhancements to take advantage of it.
| Tab A 8″ Wi-Fi | Tab A 9.7″ Wi-Fi | Tab A 9.7″ LTE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen: | 8″ 1024×768 PLS TFT | 9.7″ 1024×768 PLS TFT | |
| Processor: | 1.2 GHz Quad-Core, Qualcomm APQ 8016 |
||
| RAM: | 1.5GB | ||
| Storage: | 16GB onboard storage with microSD up to 128GB |
||
| Camera: | 5MP Rear Camera with 2MP Front-Facing Camera |
||
| Connectivity: | 802.11 a/b/g/n; 2.4GHz+5GHz, HT40 Bluetooth 4.1 GPS, GLONASS, BAIDOU |
||
| OS: | Android 5.0 | ||
| Battery: | 4200mAh Li-Ion Battery Up to 12 Hours Video Playback |
6000mAh Li-Ion Battery Up to 14 Hours Video Playback |
|
| Price | $398 | $597 | |
So far the tablets haven’t made it to the Samsung Australia website as yet, but should do by the time they go on-sale nest week. The tablets will be available in JB Hi-Fi – possibly in other retailers as well – from Monday the 25th of May.
For the price of the most expensive one I would buy an iPad mini or an Nexus 9
I’m looking for an 8 inch tablet to replace my 32GB 2013 Nexus 7. Close, but nup. Maybe a N7 successor will be announced at I/O.
Squarely Samsung midrange.
Seems like it. I was hoping for a 8inch Tab S successor.
The Tab S2 is coming soon too.
9.7in 1024×768.
Who was the braindead monkey in design who said that pathetic low res was good enough?
Nobody said it was “good enough”, clearly they needed to design to a certain price point and for whatever reason they decided to skimp on the screen to get there
Really Jeni.. Would you quit this crap. It is a cheap device for basic needs, that is plenty if you just want to browse the web and run a couple of apps or give it to the kids.
You are the braindead monkey who can’t see what market they after. You must be dead bored to comment like this all the time.
The 9.7in variants are mid tier tablet guts, crippled by a bargain basement, below bottom tier, screen. In 2015, 9in and up, Name Brand, mid tier tablets SHOULD be able to natively manage 720p HD. These cannot. Even the no-name yum-cha entry level 10.1in Aldi tablet I bought in mid 2013 can manage 720p HD natively.
And I guarantee those ‘no-name yum-cha entry level’ tablets wouldn’t use any form of quality for it’s build materials. I’d rather sacrifice a little screen quality (that no one realistically notices unless they’re finding issues where there aren’t any) for a quality product, with 2 years warranty as a peace of mind, that I have confidence won’t fall apart in less than 6 months. Or just buy a TabS, maybe that’s more aimed towards your premium needs. Either way, the Tab4 and now TabA are an upgrade from the low-res/visibility screen on the Tab3 Lite and sit nicely for the… Read more »
I wasn’t talking about overall parts quality, or device build quality, or even WANTING to buy a Samsung device.
I WAS talking about the screen 9.7 in versions being too low res for today’s expectations of what otherwise is a mid tier tablet.
To keep the 4:3 screen ratio, and manage standard HD, which mid tier devices would be expected to play natively, a 1280×960 screen should have been used.
Jeni for once just SHUT THE #$@ UP
You do not have to comment on everything in your constant negative tone.
And you repeat yourself again. Jeni you really make it unpleasant to come to Ausdroid.
I have to say that $600 for that resolution for a tab at that is ludicrous. So expensive that I think it’s fair to say I agree with Jeni even though I have been critical in the past of her comments.