Samsung’s next iPad Pro challengers are right around the corner, and although it remains unclear if the Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+ will go official together with the Galaxy Note 20 duo on August 5 or alongside the Galaxy Watch 3 slightly earlier, the key specs of these two high-end Android slates seem pretty much etched in stone.
Following a few scattered rumors, leaks, certifications, and benchmarks, a comprehensive report published today by
SamMobile essentially gathers all of that information together while adding a number of new details into the equation to provide a full picture of the Galaxy Tab S7+ specifications and features. Without further ado, let’s dig in.
The fastest SoC available right now, but not the fastest 5G
Even though the Galaxy Tab S7 and S7 Plus are unlikely to be able to take on the Apple A12Z Bionic chipset inside
2020’s iPad Pro duo in terms of raw speed, it’s definitely nice to hear Samsung is planning to use the newly unveiled
Snapdragon 865+ processor for its next big tablets.
That’s a refreshing change of pace compared to 2018’s
Galaxy Tab S4, for instance, which came packing a 2017 Snapdragon 835 SoC, thus standing no chance whatsoever against the Apple A12X Bionic-powered first-gen iPad Pro 11. Last year’s
Tab S6 shared a Snapdragon 855 silicon with the Note 10 and Note 10+ rather than adopting the slightly faster 855+ model, but it looks like 2020’s Tab S7, S7+, Note 20, and Note 20 Ultra will be cutting no processing power corners.
Unfortunately, we can’t say the same about the 5G support of the 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S7+, at least based on existing information. This calls for an absence of mmWave technology, which means the jumbo-sized slate may not work on
Verizon’s insanely fast 5G network. Of course, Samsung could be separately preparing a special Tab S7+ 5G UW edition designed exclusively for Big Red, but for the time being, we don’t know anything about that.
All we know is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ will offer optional 4G LTE and 5G functionality for low and mid-band networks, which is obviously more than we can say about the early 2020-released iPad Pro 11 and 12.9. For now, it’s unclear what US carriers (if any) will actually pick up the 5G-enabled variant, with T-Mobile and AT&T naturally leading the list of suspects.
Solid but far from groundbreaking specs
With the risk of repeating ourselves after reporting on the
leaked renders and
early benchmark results of the Tab S7 and S7+, there seems to be something missing here. A wow factor of some sort. Something big to tip the balance in
Samsung‘s favor when fighting yet another losing battle against Apple’s market-leading iPads.
The fact of the matter is the Galaxy Tab S7+ looks and sounds like an iterative update of the Tab S6, with the same old 6 and 8GB RAM options paired with 128 and 256 gigs of internal storage space respectively, a built-in S Pen capable of a bunch of cool Bluetooth-enabled tricks, dual 13 + 5MP rear-facing cameras, an 8MP selfie shooter, and an AMOLED display sporting a resolution of 2800 x 1752 pixels.
That latter tidbit, by the way, may sound like an improvement over the 2560 x 1600
pixel resolution of the Tab S6’s 10.5-inch screen, but given the size difference, it’s actually a pixel density downgrade, resulting in a ppi count of around 267. That’s still roughly on par with what
the fourth-gen iPad Pro 12.9 is capable of, although there’s no word today on whether or not the older
120Hz refresh rate rumor will ultimately materialize.
One considerable upgrade should see
the battery capacity of the Galaxy Tab S7+ cross the 10,000mAh mark in both 4G LTE and 5G-enabled versions, but on the not so bright side of things, there will be no super fast charging technology built into Samsung’s impending giant.
Much like the Tab S6, this bad boy is expected to come with an in-display fingerprint scanner and microSD card slot, while the beloved headphone jack is unlikely to be brought back from the dead. Pricing and availability details remain under wraps for the time being, but that’s obviously set to change before long.
