It’s been a long time coming, hearing of the release of a new tablet from Samsung. Yet, after Apple's first 9.7 inch iPad Pro from last year, this is a pretty big move since many Android tablets have yet to meet the expectations to become an Apple equivalent. Not only do Android tablets have a tendency to not to live up to their full potential, but the war waged against iOS is a tough one to beat. The Google Play Store isn't the most fulfilling in terms of apps that are fun, or even compatible on larger displays. Android tablets have been delegated as something you’d hand your 5 year old to keep them busy while you do the dishes, and although some parents would definitely let their kids get their tiny sticky hands on their tablet, even if it were an Apple device, Samsung is trying to revive their own tablet brand with the Galaxy tab S3 and change that narrative. Basically by making it more of a fancy commodity, built with a stylus and keyboard, this is a much more useful tablet than ever provided by the company.

So how high end must this thing be to literally be called “Samsung's iPad Pro for 2017”? It’s not that big of a deal, but it is the first premium tablet from the company in over a year. Because it's pretty much safe to say that most people who want a tablet have already had one for a while, the question is, if a consumer is going to purchase something top notch, it’s unsurprisingly either Samsung or Apple.

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So what was Samsung's best idea when coming up with its first big release against Apple in over a year? Well, naturally a tablet that is almost identical to the iPad Pro. The product, barely lighter than its competitor, is less than a tenth of an inch shorter, and measures exactly the same, at just 6 millimeters thick. The price is exactly the same as well, at $600 for a 32GB iteration. Samsung’s Tab S3 runs Android 7.0 Nougat, and comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor. It has a vibrant AMOLED display with 2048 x 1536 pixels (supporting HDR!), and comes with a stylus for drawing and writing. Cost wise, this is what makes the Tab S3 admittedly cheaper, since Apple charges a whopping hundred bucks for its Apple Pencil.

Both however, offer keyboard covers, Apple’s for $150, while Samsung offers for both the keyboard and cover for $130. Yes, the Tab S3 is being seen as quite the productive tablet, although there are still issues with the Android OS that just do not like to live, work, and breathe on the interface of a tablet. However, apparently you can get almost all your “things” done.

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Additionally, if you want convenience, you will most definitely be satisfied with the Galaxy Tab S3. Since it’s meant to live in the same world as a fancy Apple iPad Pro, expect business users to find this as a score in their world. Speaking of “their world’, this isn’t a cheap price, but it’s Samsung’s first big competitor in this arena in a while, and it’s going to make a rumble here and there. It’s not Apple, but who cares, as its features prove to be high-end, especially with an HDR-capable display for pure entertainment value. That being just a plus side, considering the entire spec list and design are just as effective as its counterpart, expect the Tab S3 to be a big deal in 2017.