Dubai: Samsung has launched two new tablets with an aim to eat into Apple’s market share and ahead of the rival’s launch of new models in October.
The Galaxy Tab S2 comes in two sizes, a larger 9.7-inch (24.63cm) slate having the same screen size as the iPad Air 2 while the smaller 8-inch (20.32cm) Tab S2 is slightly bigger than the 7.9-inch (20.06cm) iPad Mini 3.
Hayassam Yassine, head of IT and mobile team at Samsung Gulf, said that both the tablets are the world’s thinnest and the lightest.
The iPad Air weighs 437 grams and is 6.1mm thick while Sony’s Z4 10.1-inch (25.65cm) tablet is also 6.1mm thick and weighs 393 grams but the 9.7-inch (24.64cm) S2 tablet weighs 389 grams and is 5.6mm thick.
Yassine said the lightweight adds value as people use the tablet for reading with one hand.
The tablets are powered by 1.9GHz octa-core home-grown processor with 3GB of RAM and 32/64GB of internal memory. The microSD card supports up to 128GB. It houses an 8MP autofocus rear camera and 2.1MP front camera. The 9.7-inch is priced at Dh1,999 (WiFi) and Dh2,199 (4G LTE) while the 8-inch is priced at Dh1,599 (WiFi) and Dh1,800 (4G LTE). It will be available from August 15.
Apple’s iPad Air is powered by triple-core 1.5 GHz processor while Z4 is powered by 2 GHz octa-core processor.
Globally, the tablet market is slowing down and fell seven per cent in the second quarter of this year. Samsung has 17 per cent market share after Apple, with 24.5 per cent, as per IDC stats.
Jean Philippe Bouchard, research director for tablets at research firm International Data Corporation, said that there is a profound shift in vendor landscape and both Apple and Samsung have lost market share.
Fouad R. Charakla, research manager at International Data Corporation (IDC), said the market is marked by little hardware innovation, limited product updates, longer life cycles and increased competition from other categories such as larger smartphones.
With newer form factors like two-in-ones, and added productivity features, he said that vendors should be able to bring new vitality to a market that has lost its momentum.
The UAE tablet market is likely to grow six per cent this year, according to IDC.
Yassine said the tablet market is growing but at a slower pace than it used to be couple of years ago due to the growth in phablets (phones with more than 5.5-inches (13.97cm).
As per research firm GfK, he said that Samsung has 29 per cent market share in volume terms and 43 per cent in value terms and is the leader in the UAE. In the premium segment (above $450), Samsung has more than 40 per cent market share.
He said that tablets gave a blow to the sale of computers and phablets are now eating into the tablet space. It may reach a saturation point sooner or later but it is still a sizeable market.
“My view is that the tablet and the smartphone may be more converged in the future like a smartphone may become your tablet or a tablet may become your smartphone,” he said.
To add value to the buyers, he said that Samsung is giving software worth $500 (Dh1,836) free, including Microsoft Office.