Samsung quietly announced the Galaxy Tab S2 last month, but didn’t provide U.S. pricing and availability until now.
You can pre-order both the 8 and 9.7-inch versions starting today, and they will become available at select retailers and carriers on September 3. The 8-inch Wi-Fi version goes for $400, while the 9.7-inch Wi-Fi version will be $500. This is the same exact pricing as last year’s models. LTE versions of the tablets will also be available (see below).
The big difference with the Tab S2 versus last year’s Tab S is the displays have a 4:3 ratio just like the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3. The other notable improvement is the thickness, which is only 5.6mm and much thinner than the iPad Air 2 (6.1mm). The 9.7-inch version is also much lighter than the iPad Air 2 (389 vs 437 grams).
The rest of the specs include a Super AMOLED Quad HD (2048 x 1536) display, an octa-core Exynos 5433 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32 or 64GB (9.7 only) of internal storage, a MicroSD slot for up to an additional 128GB of extra storage, an 8-megapixel rear camera, and a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera.
The 9.7-incher has a 5,870mAh battery, while the 8-inch version has a smaller 4,000mAh battery for obvious reasons.
Both variants are offered in black, white and gold, but not all colors will be available at each carrier or retailer.
Availability
We will update this information, but here’s what we know so far.
Retailers and online
Pre-order now from Samsung.com – 9.7-inches / 8.0-inches (free shipping included)
Select retailers will offer the Tab S2 both in-store and online. Amazon and Best Buy will definitely be among them, and Samsung is working on a trade-in offer in which you can trade in a qualifying tablet for a $100 discount.
Carriers
T-Mobile will have the 9.7-inch version in black starting September 3 for $650 or $0 down and $27.09 for 23 months and $26.92 for the 24th month. The carrier will also let you match up to 5GB of your smartphone’s data plan for only $10.
AT&T will offer the 9.7-inch version in black for $30 a month for 20 months, $500 with a two-year contract, or $600 full price. You can order the tablet on September 4.
Sprint will offer the 9.7-inch version in black for $0 down and $27 per month for 24 months, $548 with a two-year contract, or $648 full price. It will be available starting September 3 at direct ship sales channels, including Sprint Stores, Web Sales, Telesales at 1-800-SPRINT1, and Sprint Business Sales .
US Cellular will offer the 9.7-inch version in black, but pricing and availability haven’t been announced yet.
Verizon Wireless will offer the 9.7-inch version in white, but here too, pricing and availability haven’t yet been announced.
Updated on 09-02-2015 by Robert Nazarian: Added Sprint pricing.
Updated on 08-26-2015 by Malarie Gokey: Added AT&T pricing.
