Samsung may have had you with the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 3 and the Galaxy Note 8.0, but their tablet line up isn’t complete yet; enter the 10-inch and the 8-inch variants of the Galaxy Tab 3, finally announced.
To note, one of the announced tablets is a new step for Samsung; the 10.1-inch variant hosts a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, the first Samsung device to run on an Intel.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 specs:
8-inch 800 x 1280 TFT LCD display, 149ppi
1.6GHz dual-core Intel Atom processor
1GB RAM
16/32GB internal memory
micro SD up to 64GB
WiFi
Bluetooth
3 megapixel camera, no flash
1.3 megapixel front-facing camera
Android 4.2.2 Jellybean
6,800 mAh battery
243.1 x 176.1 x 8 mm (dimensions)
510 g (weight)
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 specs:
8-inch 800 x 1280 TFT LCD display, 189ppi
1.5GHz dual-core Exynos processor
1.5GB RAM
16/32GB internal memory
micro SD up to 64GB
WiFi
Bluetooth
5 megapixel camera, no flash
1.3 megapixel front-facing camera
Android 4.2.2 Jellybean
4,450 mAh battery
209.8 x 123.8 x 7.4 mm (dimensions)
314 g (weight)
At first glance with the specs, you’ll feel that Samsung is already pushing the Tab series towards the affordable line, while the Note series is destined to be the company’s premium tablet line.
The tablet is said to be available starting this June worldwide, and pricing is yet to be announced.
Samsung and HTC have been very competitive with each other for the past years. HTC was like the king of Android back in the beginning with phones like the Nexus One & the Desire line, while Samsung is the successful challenger since they have managed to outgrow HTC in sales and volume through the highly popular Galaxy line.
The battle has always been a close one, from the Galaxy S2 and the Sensation, to the Galaxy S3 and the One X. HTC might have found its refuge with the One but in order to win the market it will have to go against the other beast – the Galaxy S4.
The Galaxy S4 has been launched and priced already, with postpaid plans from our local telcos already available. On the other hand, HTC has been facing delays with its shipments and launches, reported to be caused by shortages in UltraPixel components.
But enough of that. Our review of the Samsung Galaxy S4 is out, and we have yet to look at the HTC One in full detail after it gets released in the 3rd week of May. Also, the price tags are already available; the Galaxy S4 will be at Php30,990 while the HTC One will retail for Php32,990.
Note: The Exynos Octa variant is also available through a higher gray market price.
So, we’d like to know. Will you go for the all-aluminum, UltraPixel-packing, BoomSound-carrying HTC One? Or the feature-packed heavy-spec’d plastic Samsung Galaxy S4? Let us know in the comments below.
A few people would want powerful Bluetooth speakers, but most speakers out there are massive in size, making it not ideal for users who are on the go. Enter Samsung’s BS300, which is a pocket-friendly bluetooth device. We go hands-on, so read on to find out what we think about it.
Getting started
When we first saw the casing, we thought that it was gonna be a huge gadget. Turns out it was something that could easily fit in your pocket. But enough with the rhyming, and get to the the unboxing.
We had a hard time getting started with the BS300, from taking it off the casing to pairing it with a device through Bluetooth, so we figured we’d make a short video since we almost broke the transparent packaging at first.
After reading the manual, you’re pretty much good to go because if you didn’t read it, you’re going to have a hard time. The manual’s very short and it only looks long because it ranges in many languages. After that, pairing and all – operation is a breeze.
Controls
On top are the controls – volume, power, playback and DNSe (Digital Natural Sound engine), which is Samsung’s take on surround sound. On the back are labels, while on the sides you’ll find the port for charging, line-in and a place to put accessories. Up front are air holes, the speakers, the mic & the button for taking calls.
Sound Quality & Microphone
In practice, the sound is significantly louder than your smartphone or your tablet. It can’t match larger sized speakers, but it’s enough to fill a small room with decent volume. Quality on the other hand is subpar; it doesn’t deliver clear bass tones, and trebles create quite a hiss. It’s in the mids where the BS300 succeeds for the most part, and it does get the job done with audio that involves voice – podcasts, vocal-rich songs and the like.
The microphone reminds us of other Samsung devices, especially since we have a few Galaxy phones still with us. It captures clear audio for the most part, but it isn’t as sharp and as accurate as you’d expect. We used the microphone in recording the voice-over on our unboxing video, so check that out.
Battery & Conclusion
We kept the BS300 playing songs over Bluetooth on maximum volume. From a full charge, the blue LED light (good battery) didn’t even turn red (low battery) for two hours. However, at that time frame, there was an obvious degrade in quality already.
Samsung’s rated 4 hour use may come very accurate on this one, although like we’ve said, quality turns bad halfway. Expect slightly better battery life when using a wired connection.
It’s a little hard to look at especially because of its size and its limitations in power, but if you take a minute to consider it, it’ll get you thinking. If you need great speakers that fit in your pocket, the Samsung BS300 is exactly that. Widget City has it selling it for a price of Php1,500 (see listing here).
Samsung YA-BS300 specs:
Bluetooth 2.0
46 x 94 x 13 mm (dimensions)
62.2 g (weight)
560mAh battery
A few people would want powerful Bluetooth speakers, but most speakers out there are massive in size, making it not ideal for users who are on the go. Enter Samsung’s BS300, which is a pocket-friendly bluetooth device. We go hands-on, so read on to find out what we think about it.
Getting started
When we first saw the casing, we thought that it was gonna be a huge gadget. Turns out it was something that could easily fit in your pocket. But enough with the rhyming, and get to the the unboxing.
We had a hard time getting started with the BS300, from taking it off the casing to pairing it with a device through Bluetooth, so we figured we’d make a short video since we almost broke the transparent packaging at first.
After reading the manual, you’re pretty much good to go because if you didn’t read it, you’re going to have a hard time. The manual’s very short and it only looks long because it ranges in many languages. After that, pairing and all – operation is a breeze.
Controls
On top are the controls – volume, power, playback and DNSe (Digital Natural Sound engine), which is Samsung’s take on surround sound. On the back are labels, while on the sides you’ll find the port for charging, line-in and a place to put accessories. Up front are air holes, the speakers, the mic & the button for taking calls.
Sound Quality & Microphone
In practice, the sound is significantly louder than your smartphone or your tablet. It can’t match larger sized speakers, but it’s enough to fill a small room with decent volume. Quality on the other hand is subpar; it doesn’t deliver clear bass tones, and trebles create quite a hiss. It’s in the mids where the BS300 succeeds for the most part, and it does get the job done with audio that involves voice – podcasts, vocal-rich songs and the like.
The microphone reminds us of other Samsung devices, especially since we have a few Galaxy phones still with us. It captures clear audio for the most part, but it isn’t as sharp and as accurate as you’d expect. We used the microphone in recording the voice-over on our unboxing video, so check that out.
Battery & Conclusion
We kept the BS300 playing songs over Bluetooth on maximum volume. From a full charge, the blue LED light (good battery) didn’t even turn red (low battery) for two hours. However, at that time frame, there was an obvious degrade in quality already.
Samsung’s rated 4 hour use may come very accurate on this one, although like we’ve said, quality turns bad halfway. Expect slightly better battery life when using a wired connection.
It’s a little hard to look at especially because of its size and its limitations in power, but if you take a minute to consider it, it’ll get you thinking. If you need great speakers that fit in your pocket, the Samsung BS300 is exactly that. Widget City has it selling it for a price of Php1,500 (see listing here).
Samsung YA-BS300 specs:
Bluetooth 2.0
46 x 94 x 13 mm (dimensions)
62.2 g (weight)
560mAh battery
With the Galaxy Note line stealing the limelight from Samsung’s own tablet line, we were quite unsure of what happened with the Galaxy Tabs. Looks like Samsung still has plans for it as they have officially unveiled the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.
The Galaxy Tab 3 will be launching in a 7-inch form factor just like the very first Galaxy Tab. Samsung only announced one iteration of the Galaxy Tab 3 (no 10.1, 7.7 or 8.9 versions), but since we have no assurances that they won’t launch more, we won’t close on the possibility that there might be various iterations of it in the future.
The Tab 3 will feature a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 8/16GB of internal memory (expandable via microSD), a set of cameras and Android 4.1 Jellybean. The WiFi-only version will launch in May, while the 3G variant will come in June.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 specs:
7-inch WSVGA (1024×600, 169ppi) TFT display
1.2GHz dual-core CPU
1GB RAM
8/16GB storage
micro SD up to 64GB
3MP rear camera
1.3MP front-facing camera
3G HSPA?21 / 5.76
WiFi a/b/g/n, WiFi Channel Bonding, WiFi Direct
A-GPS + GLONASS
Li-ion 4,000mAh battery
Android 4.1 Jellybean
188 x 111.1 x 9.9 mm
306g
Seeing that it runs on a minimum of 8GB memory, a 600 x 1024 display and a 3MP camera that is lower than the 5MP ones on the Note-tablet line, we can probably expect it to be priced affordably like the previous generation of Galaxy Tabs. Will you bite if this comes near the Php15k mark? Share your thoughts below.
