The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 is official and it arrives with Apple's 10.5-inch iPad Pro firmly in its sights.
It boasts a 10.5-inch, 2560 x 1600 Super AMOLED display, Snapdragon 835 chipset, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage (plus microSD slot), 13MP rear camera, 8MP front camera, Android 8.1 and a 7,300mAh battery.
You'll also get the S Pen stylus included in the box, a one-up on Apple which charges you extra for its Pencil.
There are four, AKG-tuned speakers which support Dolby Atmos for a surround sound experience. The Tab S4 measures 249.3 x 164.3 x 7.1mm and weighs between 482g (for the Wi-Fi-only model) and 483g (for the Wi-Fi + LTE model).
That makes it taller, thicker and heavier than the Galaxy Tab S3 (which has a smaller 9.7-inch display), and also thicker and heavier (but not as tall or wide) as the iPad Pro 10.5.
So how much is it? The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 price is $649 (£599, around AU$880), which is identical to the 64GB variant of the 10.5-inch iPad Pro. There's really no mistaking the competition here.
There's a more expensive Wi-Fi + LTE model as well, which will set you back £649 (around $850, AU$1,150).
- Read our hands on: Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 review
Productivity, but old power
Samsung is pushing being able to "get things done" with the Galaxy Tab S4, but there's no keyboard cover/stand in the box to help covert it into a hybrid laptop.
It is launching a separate Book Cover Keyboard though, which integrates a keyboard into the case, and it also provides Samsung Dex support, allowing you to use a traditional Bluetooth computer mouse with the Tab S4 - the first time Samsung has brought its DeX experience to a tablet.
There is a cost though, and the Book Cover Keyboard price is $149.99 (£119, around AU$200).
However, as much as Samsung is highlighting the computing-like functionality of its new slate, there's no getting away from the fact that it's chipset isn't the latest. In fact, the Snapdragon 835 was launched at the end of 2016, and has since been replaced by the Snapdragon 845.
It's a strange choice for a premium tablet that's going up against the well-established market leader in the iPad to not sport the latest power under the hood. That said, paired with 4GB of RAM, the Android interface should still run well.
There's also no fingerprint scanner or physical home button on the front, but the Tab S4 does come with an Iris Scanner to ensure there is a level of biometric tech on offer.
In the US, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 release date is set for August 10 with availability at Amazon, Best Buy and Samsung.com. Pre-orders open on August 9 - conveniently the same day as the Galaxy Note 9 launch.
At the moment it's not clear what the release date and availability of the Galaxy Tab S4 will be around the rest of the world, but we'll update this article as soon as we know.
