The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 will reportedly meet an unlikely competition in Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Tab S3. Ahead of its rumored release via the MWC 2017 this February, the Android tablet is said to come out bundled with S Pen stylus and an OS function that is similar to Windows 10's Continuum.
To be clear, Continuum ending up as part of the Galaxy Tab S3 package is still a moonshot as the feature is rumored to be one of the banner additions to the Samsung 2017 flagship phone that is expected to be Galaxy S8 (and S8 Plus). Continuum will allow the use of a mobile device as a desktop machine when hooked up on a compatible monitor or television.
The feature already exists in Windows 10 but speculations are rife that following the Windows 10 Creators Update rollout this coming March, Continuum will be further optimized in preparation for the Surface Pro 5 and Surface Phone releases in the months ahead.
But apparently, selling 2-in-1 or hybrid devices is a monopoly that Samsung will not allow Microsoft to enjoy. According to MSPowerUser.com, it's nearly confirmed that when Galaxy S8 is unboxed the handset will offer Samsung's own take of desktop experience in a mobile device. The feature has been discussed in a recently discovered Samsung patent application before the USPTO.
True, there was no mention that Samsung intends to extend its Continuum-like feature beyond the GS8 but the Galaxy Tab S3 delivering the same productivity function to tablet is not an entire remote possibility. After all, it is to the advantage of the South Korean tech giant if the flagship Galaxy devices will get the same Continuum treatment.
In the same way, another rumor is suggesting that the Tab S3 is indeed being set up for increased productivity use, making the new tablet line a direct rival of the Surface Pro 5 from Microsoft and the iPad Pro 2 from Apple. This year, the Android flagship tablet from Samsung is getting a stylus or the same S Pen that is the signature accessory of the Galaxy Note phablet series.
SamMobile reported that the tablet will ship out with pencil-like input instrument but "the tablet itself won't have a place for the stylus like we've seen on the Note series. Samsung will ship the S Pen as part of a bundle with the tablet."
And to complete the re-imagining of the Tab S3 as the latest challenger to the Surface Pro line, the device will be likewise offered with optional accessories such as Keyboard Folio and Book Cover case, the report added. Inside, the Tab S3 will be powered by the tandem of Android 7.0 Nougat and Snapdragon 820 chip, the latter tapped into 4GB of RAM for smooth and fast multi-tasking experience.
The same report indicated that initially the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 release date will happen in South Korea, likely by early March 2017 or days following its MWC 2017 unveiling that could be as early as February 26.