Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 could support the S Pen stylus

With the Galaxy S8 out of the running for MWC 2017's best mobile device, save for a rumored minute-long teaser video, it seems that Samsung will be throwing everything except the kitchen sink on the Galaxy Tab S3 tablet instead. In addition to some of the best specs to come to tablets, the Galaxy Tab S3 is now also tipped to be compatible with the company's Wacom-powered S Pen stylus, making it a direct rival of Apple's iPad Pro tablets and raising questions about Samsung's own Galaxy Note line.

It's been quite a while since Samsung put out an actually competitive Android tablet with an S Pen (no, that doesn't include the rare Galaxy Tab A with S Pen model). Just when you thought Samsung has given up on both premium tablets, not to mention ones with a stylus, the Galaxy Tab S3 comes along to shatter that assumption. Or so the rumors would have ua believe.

Like the Galaxy Tab S2 before it, the Galaxy Tab S3 is expected to come in a 9.7-inch screen form factor, though there has so far been no mention of an 8-inch variant. That screen will have the usual 2048x1536 resolution, a.k.a. a "retina" display. Inside, there will be the semi-latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and 4 GB of RAM, which practically spells high end, unlike the Galaxy Tab S2 before it. Or any Galaxy Tab A for that matter.

Now sources say it will also be compatible with the S Pen. The bad news: it won't have a dedicated slot for it, unlike the Galaxy Note tablets of the past. In short, it could very well be sold as an optional accessory. Other accessories include a keyboard folio and a book cover case. Sounds familiar? The size, high end specs, and stylus without a home pretty much pits the Galaxy Tab S3 against the soon to be defunct 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

This development also brings to mind a similar rumored movement on the smartphone front. The Galaxy S8 was also rumored to be compatible with the S Pen, though, unlike the Galaxy Note phones, it also won't have a silo foe the stylus. If both 2017 devices do land that feature, it could really mean that Samsung will be repurposing the Galaxy Note brand for a different class of devices, perhaps its much rumored foldable devices.

VIA: SamMobile