Samsung announces the Galaxy Tab S6, its iPad Pro competitor

Samsung today announced its Galaxy Tab S5e successor and iPad Pro competitor, the rumoured Galaxy Tab S6. The Tab S6 is its flagship slate for the year, pitting it directly in competition with both Apple’s iPad Air and Pro devices. It’s designed to be used for work with Dex and an optional keyboard attachment, and for play with the full suite of Google Play Store apps.

“Today’s inspiration comes at a moment’s notice and creatives and professionals need a device able to keep up with insatiable imaginations while complementing their busy, on-the-go lifestyles,” said DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. “Galaxy Tab S6 enables consumers to unlock their creativity, while delivering the top-quality productivity features and advanced technology they have come to expect from Samsung tablets.”

The nicest feature of the new Tab S6 is its new touchpad that ships with the keyboard attachment. While Dex mode is pretty nifty on my Tab S5e, the addition of a touchpad would make the laptop experience even more immersive as a user wouldn’t have to take their hands off the keyboard to select something or other. No more poking around when you have a touchpad in easy reach. It’s worth noting that while Apple’s iPad OS has hidden mouse support, Samsung will be putting this front and centre. The firm will also be bringing back the stylus, albeit attachable by a small groove in the back.

Specs-wise, this comes with a Snapdragon 855 backed by a combination of either 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, or 8GB of RAM and 256GB of Storage. It has a 16:10 2k OLED screen with minimal bezels and comes with an in-screen fingerprint reader. As for the battery, Samsung says it should last you up to 15 hours.

The Tab S6 will set you back $649 for the base model from August 23.