While Samsung’s CES 2016 press conference largely focused on home entertainment and appliances, its mobile division had two small announcements: that they are releasing new variants for the Galaxy Gear S2, and a brand new Galaxy tablet called the Galaxy TabPro S – that runs on Windows 10.
The Galaxy name have largely been reserved for Android, with Samsung using the “Ativ” brand for its suite of Windows-powered tablets. However, according to Samsung, the name is deliberate as the tablet balances “the best of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab [series] with the wealth of features on the Windows 10 operating system.”
“We’re thrilled to be working with Microsoft Corp. to deliver a 2-in-1 tablet that truly allows people to enjoy productivity and connections that matter most, through a seamless mobile station designed for all purposes,” Dongin Ko, the head of Samsung Electronics’ Mobile Communications Business division, said in a statement.
The Galaxy TabPro S is a two-in-one device like the Surface Pro – you can use it as a tablet, or as a laptop by attaching a full-size keyboard cover (which is included with the device). It features a large 12-inch Super AMOLED display, and two 5-megapixel cameras.
Internally, the Galaxy TabPro S features a dual-core 2.2GHz Intel Core M processor, 4GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB via a SSD drive. It also includes Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 4.1, and LTE Cat. 6 support.
The device will be available globally from February 2016. Samsung Australia has confirmed that it will be bringing the tablet to Australia, with no confirmed date or availability.