Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite goes official at last, US pricing starts at $350
UPDATE: Samsung has finally, properly, and globally unveiled the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, confirming... everything we already knew, while staying mum on availability. Stateside, the company is offering us a vague Q2 release timeframe, with pricing "starting at $349.99" and no further details.
Fortunately, that's where retailers like Best Buy and B&H Photo Video come in, predictably revealing that 350 bucks are only enough to get you a 64GB Wi-Fi-only configuration, with twice that storage space setting you back an extra $80 and no words on a release date or an LTE-enabled variant. Our original story follows.
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Similarly, T-Mobile made almost no fuss when it picked up the perfectly respectable mid-ranger, and worse yet, the higher-end Galaxy Tab S6 Lite appears to have randomly dropped on its manufacturer's official website in Indonesia with no buzz whatsoever. Although a proper formal announcement could still come in the next hours or days, the moment has undoubtedly passed, once again proving tablets just aren't that important for the world's largest smartphone vendor, at least from a marketing standpoint.
Of course, this particular slate's cover was already blown by several trigger-happy retailers in the US and Europe, which prematurely put up and then pulled down their Tab S6 Lite listings. What's sad is the new 10.4-incher doesn't look bad at all on paper, which probably means that its launch would have garnered quite a bit of enthusiasm if it was handled differently. Here's why.
Premium design and an S Pen in the box
Yes, ladies and gents, it's etched in stone now. Not only does the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite work with the company's iconic stylus, including such a handy writing accessory in its retail box as standard. We're obviously not talking about the same sophisticated S Pen bundled with the Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+, but apart from Bluetooth-powered tricks, this should be able to do largely the same things, letting you take notes, scribble, draw, and edit documents with "low latency and impressive pressure sensitivity."
Meanwhile, as the name suggests, the Tab S6 Lite bears a fairly strong resemblance to the "regular" Galaxy Tab S6, with both devices sporting an ultra-slim construction made entirely from premium and robust metal. The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite comes with an ever so slightly smaller 10.4-inch display than its 10.5-inch cousin, as well as a thicker 7mm profile.
Unsurprisingly, that means the new tab is heavier, at 467 grams, but interestingly, the Tab S6 Lite is also a little narrower. Overall, this thing looks great on the outside for an upper mid-range model, which brings us to what lies under the metallic and relatively lightweight hood.
Decent processor, decent battery, decent everything
There's been a bit of confusion surrounding the exact make and model of the chipset powering the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, and... unfortunately, today's Indonesian confirmation doesn't completely clear the air. We're still dealing with either the Exynos 9610 or 9611, both of which come with four CPU cores clocked at 2.3GHz and four at 1.7GHz. Naturally, the latter is slightly faster, but both processors deliver enough speed for day-to-day tasks like video playing, web browsing, and even some light gaming.
The octa-core processor is paired with 4 gigs of memory for a solid multitasking experience, while a microSD card slot can help you easily expand the 64 or 128 gigs of internal storage space available. The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite also promises to keep the lights on for up to 13 hours of continuous video playback between charges thanks to a 7,040mAh battery. If that number sounds familiar, it might be because the Tab S6 packs the exact same battery capacity, despite its lower weight and thinner waist.
Speaking of lights, the 10.4-inch screen here sports a respectable WUXGA+ resolution (2000 x 1200 pixels) that unsurprisingly falls short of the pixel count boasted by the high-end Tab S6. Other decent Galaxy Tab S6 Lite features include dual speakers with AKG and Dolby Atmos enhancements, a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB Type-C port, 8MP rear-facing camera, 5MP selfie shooter, and yes, pre-installed Android 10 software with One UI 2 on top. Not too shabby, eh?
Pricing and availability
Coated in Oxford Gray, Angora Blue, and Chiffon Pink, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is not up for grabs just yet anywhere around the world. We also don't know for sure when it will become available and for how much, but if B&H's early info proves accurate, expect to pay $350 and $420 for Wi-Fi-only configurations with 64 and 128 gigs of local digital hoarding room respectively.
At least one LTE-enabled variant is coming too, and although we can't be certain of anything at the time of this writing, a price tag of roughly $450 could be on the cards for that.
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