Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. released the Galaxy Tab S2 on Monday in Beijing, a month after its global introduction, as an update to last year's Galaxy Tab S.
According to a statement from the South Korean tech behemoth, the Galaxy Tab S2 is fashionably designed with the thinnest and most lightweight metal frame on the market, packed with powerful assets that guarantee improved usability, productivity and multitasking.
"We believe the Galaxy Tab S2 continues to lead the industry in development and provides more portable, more fruitful, and smoother experiences for its users," said Wang Tong, Samsung's mobile communications department president for Greater China.
Samsung stated that despite using a metal frame in the device's body, both Galaxy Tab S2 models are 5.6mm thick and weigh only 289g for the 9.7-inch model and 256g for the 8-inch model. It is considered to be thinner and lighter than the newest Apple tablets, the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3.
Put side-by-side, the iPad Air 2 uses Apple's 1.5 GHz triple-core A8X microchip processor and 2GB RAM, while the Galaxy Tab S2 runs with Samsung's Exynos 4533 octa-core application processor and 3GB RAM.
Both 9.7-inch and 8-inch models are equipped with Super AMOLED screens at a resolution of 2048x1536. The two also run on Android 5.0 Lollipop, and come with either 32GB or 54GB internal memory, which is expandable via micro SD.
Moreover, the Galaxy Tab S2 sports a display ratio of 4:3, giving users a visual experience that is similar with traditional print media.
Galaxy Tab S2 LTE edition will support 2G, 3G and 4G Internet service for both China Mobile and China Unicom subscribers.
The official prices have not been unveiled yet, but local media reported that it will likely be offered at about 4,000 yuan ($625).
Last week at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2015 event in New York, Samsung revealed a new Galaxy Note phablet and a bigger version of its curved-screen S6 edge smartphone, representing a fresh bid by the tech giant to regain its leadership in the mobile handset industry.
China Daily reported a slowdown in global shipments due to a lower demand for smartphones in China. Samsung's revenues for the second quarter dropped more than 7 percent year-on-year. Its income plunged 37.6 percent from last year.
Samsung still leads the worldwide smartphone market; however, it is the only company among the top five to experience a year-on-year revenue decline in the second quarter, according to research company International Data Corporation (IDC).
"The new Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge arrived with mixed results, as a limited supply of the Edge models did not keep pace with the demand for the new (curved-screen) handset," the IDC said.