Samsung is putting some energy back in the PC business by bringing a sleek and innovative ultralight Windows “laptop” to the market. The Galaxy TabPro S is 6.3mm thick, weighs 693g and is powered by an Intel Core M processor (4.5W TDP).
Despite its very light weight, the TabPro S features an excellent 12-inch (2160×1440) Super AMOLED display. The 2.2GHz Intel Core M (Gen6) can access a maximum of 4GB of RAM, and there’s a 128GB SSD flash drive. Both these numbers seem to be the only option available.
For a mere extra 3 grams, users can opt for an LTE Cat 6 wireless broadband. Being one of the largest cell phones maker in the world, Samsung is no stranger to this kind of capability, which remains rare in the PC world. How much this will cost is unknown, but we hope it will be a competitive one.
The keyboard/cover is held by two sets of magnets: one in the back of the tablet, and another at the base, near the top of the keyboard. The feel of the keyboard is good, but as you can expect the travel key is very short. Also, Samsung did not opt for a chiclet key design, and I wonder how that would impact one’s typing speed. I’m assuming that it would be comparable to the Surface Pro 3 keyboard although it didn’t feel as clicky.
I did find the industrial design to be very impressive. The build quality is superior to previous Android tablet based on a similar design language. The overall package including the keyboard remains extremely compact and tidy. In terms of connectivity, a single USB Type-C connector is available, and from there, adapters can be used to perform various tasks such as USB legacy compatibility, USB HUBs, networking etc…
At the moment, the actual performance of the system is unknown, but regarding size and weight, it competes with the Surface 3, which is powered by an Intel Atom, so the Galaxy TabPro S will outclass it.
I don’t expect it to be able to replace any laptop that runs with an Intel Core i5 or Core i7, but it is certainly a competitor for any laptop that features a Core-M processor.
The typical use case is for a “productivity-oriented” person, which means: email, web, office documents and occasional movie streaming/watching. The Galaxy TabPro S seems like an excellent computer in this category. We’re looking forward to taking it for a spin.