14 DAY TRIAL // This week we were greeted by an interesting surprise. The unannounced Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 (2015) was spotted on Samsung’s own website, giving us hopes that the tablet might be upon us until the end of the year.
The Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014) got unveiled on September 4 as a successor of the first-generation Galaxy Note 10.1, so Samsung might want to stick to tradition and roll out the new model this autumn (we still have one month left).
But given the fact that Samsung has a bunch of premium models available on the market, does it even make sense for the company to actually launch an update? I believe this is not the case and I’m going to give you a few reasons of that why is.
But first, I’ll have to remind you that the Galaxy Note 10.1 2015 leaked only in name and not with specifications, so what we’re working here with is just possible features.
New processor won’t be all that remarkable
This summer Samsung introduced the Galaxy Tab S lineup, which is available in 8.4-inch and 10.1-inch varieties, and to our purposes we’ll compare the Galaxy Note 10.1 2015 to the larger model.
The Galaxy Tab S has been launched as a media consumption device running the Exynos 5 Octa 5420 processor. But not so long ago we got word that Samsung might be prepping a new version of the slate to take advantage of the speedier Exynos 5433, the very same that pumps juice into some Galaxy Note 4 models.
But that’s exactly the same chip, we expect the Galaxy Note 10.1 2015 to bundle on the inside. So if Samsung is already prepping a faster Galaxy Tab S, why would it put out two tablets with the same chip and same form factor?
The display on the new tablet will take advantage of AMOLED technology
Because it’s an update, the Galaxy Note 10.1 2015 will have to receive a bump up in the screen department. Most likely, given the technologies at Samsung’s disposal, the new tablet will come equipped with an AMOLED display.
But that’s exactly what the Galaxy Tab S lineup boasts in the panel department. On top of that, the resolution is believed to remain the same, at 2560 x 1600 pixels.
Maybe if Samsung were capable of adding a 4K panel onboard, it might make a difference, but this scenario is not pretty likely to happen, at least not at this point.
The Smart Pen might be the only real difference
Bottom line is that the only real difference between the two models is the S-Pen functionality. The Galaxy Note 10.1 (2015) will take advantage of a smart pen right out of the box, but the Galaxy Tab S doesn’t.
However, if you really, really want to use a pen with the Galaxy Tab S, third-party partners are offering you that option. For example, ProCase is selling a Case with bonus stylus pen, so all is not lost.
Operating System
Given that Android 5.0 Lollipop has been announced to arrive in November, if the Galaxy Note 10.1 (2015) makes a debut into the wild, it will most likely come equipped with the OS.
On the other hand, the Galaxy Tab S runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat out of the box, but taking into consideration that this is a flagship device, it will most likely get bumped up to Lollipop among the first.