If you’ve been looking at snapping up a new high-end Android tablet recently, you might have noticed that the slates that are available don’t quite match up to the smartphone in your pocket.
Sure, there’s plenty of storage, stunning screens and more processing power than you’re ever likely to need, but on the more exciting features front, tablets still come up short.
According to Samsung, this is by design rather than a lack of ability. Although your next Android running iPad rival could feature the same array of coveted add ons as your feature rich handset, manufacturers actively scale back their abilities on purpose.
Why? Well, according to the Korean manufacturer, it all comes down to cost.
“We could put an iris scanner in there, we could put wireless charging in, it could be done, but we have to have a tradeoff between getting a great tablet for what users are going to use it for, and what they are willing to pay for it,” Samsung’s European Head of Product Management, Mark Notton, said speaking exclusively with TrustedReviews.
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“We can do all of the things on tablet that we do on smartphones, but generally across the European market, and especially in the UK where smartphones tend to be subsidised and you can pay monthly, we’re able to get more technology in there because [the cost] can be spread out over a longer period of time.
“With the tablet, there is still a ceiling of what people are willing to pay as an RRP.”
So, with manufacturers being more selective on the features that they add, how do they decide what should make the cut, and what should be added to the reserve list for future iterations?
According to Samsung, practicality is key to making the list.
On a device that’s less likely to leave your house than your smartphone, wireless charging and increased biometrics take a backseat, while things like image quality are given added focus.
That’s what the company has done with its latest super slate, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3, a 9.7-inch tablet with a HDR-enhanced Super AMOLED display. Still, even with display, the updates rollout has to be tapered.
“There’s no outlook on when we’re going to bring 4K to tablet,” Notton told us.
“Certainly, the HDR content, because we have these bright, vivid screens, really comes to life. Things like Amazon Prime Video are coming in with more and more HDR content, and more people are using tablets for viewing.
“Snacking on TV or even sitting and watch a whole boxset’s worth on tablet is becoming more and more popular. That’s becoming a more rich experience and HDR is a key component of that.”
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What features do you want to make it to tablet? Let us know below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
