Samsung is preparing to take on Microsoft's Surface tablet and Apple's iPad Pro with its 18.4-inch Galaxy View. The jumbo-sized tablet just received RRA certification, signaling an imminent release.
As sales of tablets continue to decline, manufacturers are looking for ways to entice customers into purchasing their latest and greatest slates. Their most recent tactic is something we've already seen in the smartphone arena — size increases.
Apple officially unveiled its long-rumored 12.9-inch iPad Pro at this year's iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus launch event a few weeks ago. We initially reported on the tablet back in May 2014, when an image of a prototype of the device leaked online and gave us our first look at Apple's giant iPad. The slate was expected to make its debut in the fall of that year, alongside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which both debuted with display sizes larger than previous iPhones.
When Apple finally showed off the iPad Pro at its 2015 launch event, the company clearly took inspiration from Microsoft's popular Surface tablet lineup. Two of its main accessories, the iPad Pro Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil have a striking resemblance in design and features to Microsoft's Surface keyboard and Surface Pen.
Microsoft is also believed to be readying a next-generation and larger Surface Pro 4. We recently reported that the slate is expected to adopt Intel's Skylake processor, in addition to a larger 14-inch display and 3D camera. Current reports suggest the Surface Pro 4 will be launched in October.
Samsung, long known for using larger displays to trump its rivals, showed off an 18.4-inch Galaxy View tablet at IFA in September but didn't provide any details on when consumers would be able to get their hands on the device. It looks like Samsung is one step closer to officially releasing its iPad Pro and Surface rival, as the jumbo slate just received certification from the RRA, which is Korea's equivalent to the FCC.
The Samsung Galaxy View is expected to feature an 18.4-inch 1920 by 1080 display and will be powered by a 64-bit octa-core Samsung Exynos 7580 processor and 2 GB of RAM. It will reportedly include 32 GB of internal storage and microSD expansion slot. The Galaxy View is also believed to pack in an 8 megapixel rear camera, 2.1 megapixel front-facing shooter, large 5,700 mAh battery and run Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.
As always, we'll keep you posted on any new details regarding the Samsung Galaxy View as they become available.
