Samsung Teases the Galaxy S8, Launches the Galaxy Tab S3, Gear VR with Controller at MWC 2017

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MWC 2017 is on in full swing, and Samsung’s keynote was one of the most anticipated events despite the lack of a new Galaxy flagship. What we got instead was a new Galaxy Tab, a new Gear VR with Controller, and a short teaser of the Galaxy S8

Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus

The teaser for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus is as cryptic as teasers go. The only part that gets confirmed by the teaser is the existence of curved edges on the device.

Samsung will be revealing the new flagship at a separate Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2017 event to be held on March 29, 2017 at 11.00 am EDT in New York. Mark your calender!

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 was one of the consumer product highlights at Samsung’s MWC keynote. The new Galaxy Tab S3 is aimed at tablet users who are looking for productivity but also want a device that can deliver all the multimedia functionality expected out of a modern tablet.

The Galaxy Tab S3 comes with a 9.7″ QXGA (2048 x 1536) Super AMOLED display in a body that is only 6mm thick and weighs about 430 grams. On the inside, the tablet is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC, coupled with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage as well as microSD expansion. The battery is a decent 6000 mAh in capacity, and the tablets features USB Type-C connectivity. The device also comes with a 13MP rear camera with f/1.9, as well as a 5MP f/2.2 selfie camera. The tablet is launched with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, along with Samsung’s Grace UX on top.

One of the major draws of this new Galaxy Tab S3 is the new S Pen stylus. Samsung is promoting hard on the productivity aspect of this tablet by bundling the S Pen in the box. There is also a dedicated Pogo pin-connected keyboard available as an accessory, which locks the tablet into place for better typing and productivity experience. Neither the S Pen, nor the keyboard require charging, so that is a plus. Focus is also given onto the audio experience on the tablet thanks to the presence of four speakers in each corner of the device, fine tuned by AKG by Harman.

A point to note though, the S Pen has no mechanism to attach or store itself with the Tab S3. This is why this tablet comes under the Tab lineup, as devices in the “Note” lineup do posses an area dedicated to S Pen storage.

Pricing and availability of the Galaxy Tab S3 were left unknown.

Gear VR with Controller

Samsung’s keynote also played host to the unveiling of the new Gear VR, which now comes with its own controller in the box. To keep life simple, Samsung is calling this the Gear VR with Controller.

The Gear VR with Controller comes with 42mm lenses that deliver a 101° field of view, and also feature distortion correction to minimize motion sickness. The Gear VR with Controller supports both microUSB and USB Type-C devices, which expands its scope to many past Galaxy flagships.

The Controller is a control stick for tracking movement and providing a better means of interaction with the VR world. The small device comes with its own touchpad and a few buttons for initiating and controlling actions like point, drag and drop, tilt, and shoot. There is also a strap, so you (and the Controller) do not get too carried away in the action.

While Samsung was missing from MWC 2017 with its flagship, it still managed to make its mark and left people in hot anticipation. We can’t wait for March 29th to see what Samsung has in store for their next flagship.

What are your thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3, the Gear VR with Controller and Samsung’s teaser? Let us know in the comments below!