MWC 2017: Samsung Eyes Business Tablet Market With Galaxy Tab S3 & Galaxy Book 2 in 1

Samsung sees this as a key differentiator, especially in the business world, where Mac and iOS users are able to use the ‘handover’ feature. There are plans to extend this to Samsung’s Tizen-powered Gear smartwatches and one day It might be technically possible to read SMS archives and make phone calls directly from a PC.

The Tab S3 will be available in the UK at the end of March but there is no news on when the Samsung Galaxy Book will debut on these shores.

Silicon First Impressions

Samsung’s desire to diversify from the high end of the smartphone market is no secret and it believes the premium tablet sector is ripe for opportunity.

At first glance, the Galaxy Tab S3 will be the standard bearer for Android: Its premium design, high specification and user interface make it as close a competitor to the iPad as anything else on the platform, unless Google’s hardware ambitions extend to tablets too.

Video playback was impressive, as was the sound quality but the difference in the new S-Pen was hard to detect. It still worked well for drawing and doodling but power users will still be keen on using the optional keyboard, even if the use of Office apps and physical keys is no substitute for a full PC experience.

And that’s where the Galaxy Book comes in. As a user of the Microsoft Surface Pro, the Galaxy Book felt very familiar and the design quality is evident. The optional keyboard might even be better than the Surface’s but besides Flow it’s difficult to see what is unique about the Galaxy Book.

We’re expecting new, possibly several iPads, in the near future and Microsoft will update the Surface line too.

It might come down to the issue of price, which remains a mystery.