Orange reperesentatives were spotted showing off an unannounced Samsung tablet at the French Open. The 12-inch slate is packing a jaw dropping Ultra HD display with a resolution of 4096 x 2160.
Samsung has been toppling Apple when it comes to smartphone sales but the same can't be said about tablets. Apple's iPad has reigned supreme since its launch in 2010 and Samsung has already vowed to put the same kind of focus on its tablets as it has with the company's smartphones.
On June 12 Samsung is holding its 'Tab into Color' event where the company is widely expected to unveil a new series of Galaxy tablets. The Galaxy Tab S will be offered in both an 8.4-inch and 12.2-inch model, with both featuring high-resolution 2560 x 1600 AMOLED displays. If those resolutions sound very impressive, get ready to be even more impressed when the company unveils a 12-inch 4096 x 2160 4K Ultra HD Galaxy tablet.
Orange was recently giving a LTE Broadcast demonstration at the French Open and was spotted using an unannounced Samsung Galaxy tablet. TechRadar was able to score a demo and was told by a Orange representative that the tablet was a reference device for operators to perform tests with.
The site was able to confirm that the tablet was equipped with a 12-inch Ultra HD display and was using a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor. Orange reps would not disclose any other specs and it's safe to assume that when this tablet hits the market it will be powered by Qualcom's more recent Snapdragon 805 chips (or a future chip), which already include support for 4K displays and are able to upscale 720p and 1080p video much better.
When should we expect to see 4K Ultra HD tablets? According to Qualcomm's Senior VP of product Management, Raj Talluri who spoke at a Qualcomm event in Paris, the tablets are expected to hit store shelves later this year.
While Orange explained that the 4K tablet it was demoing was only a reference device, it's safe to say that if any manufacturer is racing to be first with an Ultra HD tablet, it's definitely Samsung. We'll keep you updated on any new information regarding this device as well as providing updates on Samsung's 'Tab into Color' event on June 12.
The original story source noted Qualcomm was demoing the tablet but has now changed that to reflect it was Orange.
