Samsung Unveiled New Galaxy Tab4 Line While No One Was Paying Attention

As you probably know by now, April Fool’s Day tends to be something of a lousy day to try and catch up on news via the Internet, with websites deciding that they can GETCHA with their clever articles and fake reports. The result, of course, is tons of misinformation, and most people deciding to just not pay attention for 24 hours until the calendar shows April 2. So that’s why it’s strange that Samsung picked this day to unveil three brand new Android tablets today while everyone was distracted by a bunch of garbage.

So what are these tablets? It’s actually a whole new line of devices, tagged the Galaxy Tab4 series. Its display comes in three flavors: 7 inches, 8 inches, and 10.1 inches, and there are actually almost zero differences between them. They’ve all got 1.2GHz quad-core processors—though what CPU that is hasn’t been revealed—1.5GB of RAM, 3MP rear cameras with 1.3 front cameras, and 3G/4G LTE capabilities along with the standard combination of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth accessibility. They also all come with 16 GB of internal storage, though the 7-inch model also comes in an 8 GB configuration, and they all support microSD cards up to 64 GB. Not only that, they all run the latest version of Google’s mobile OS, Android 4.4, also known as KitKat.

Importantly, the tablets just qualify as high-definition. According to Samsung’s specs, the Tab4 line features WXGA displays that clock in at 1280 x 800 resolution, which matches that of the second generation Kindle Fire HD tablet—or, in other words, the Tab4 offers 720p resolution. Apparently Samsung wasn’t interested in that next level of high-definition visuals for its latest tablet line. It’s a bit puzzling since last year’s Tab 3 was 720p, and the Galaxy S5 smartphone will be 1920×1080, or 1080p.

The company hasn’t announced a price yet, though the release date is targeted for second quarter of this year. It seems likely that as the cost of manufacturing goes down each year, Samsung already has the high-end market covered with the Galaxy S5 and its line of Gear smartwatches. With the Tab4 and its last-gen display, the company has a chance to sell its tablets to more budget conscious consumers who still want to get the newest Samsung gadget without paying a premium.

At least, that’s my thinking. If the Tab4 winds up costing an arm and a leg when it comes out, I’ll just be stumped.

[Samsung Galaxy Tab4]