The new Galaxy Tab S2 comes in 9.7-inch and 8-inch form factors as well as 4G+ and Wi-Fi configurations, with 32GB memory and microSD support up to 128GB.
Prices range from S$598 to S$798 (see below). Black available from 7 August while Gold will be in later August.
At just 5.6mm thin and weighing only 389g (9.7”) and 265g (8.0”), Samsung claims that the Galaxy Tab S2 is the thinnest and lightest tablet of its size in the market, and is packed with powerful performance features to offer enhanced usability, whether for productivity and multitasking, or simply enjoying immersive content anytime, anywhere.
Samsung is targeting users looking for a premium tablet for multimedia entertainment and personal use.
The 4G+ LTE Category 6 capability (for the 4G+ versions) promise users faster Internet access for browsing and downloading content.
Prices and detailed descriptions from the press release below.
Samsung’s latest addition to the GALAXY series promises superior connectivity with up to 300 Mbps 4G+ LTE-Advanced networks. Available in Singapore at S$948 from 13 September.
The GALAXY ALPHA 4G+ will be available in Singapore in Charcoal Black and Dazzling White from 13 September and in Frosted Gold from end September.
The GALAXY ALPHA 4G+ features a compact body with a metal frame and finish, with curved corners and a tactile soft back cover.
At 6.7mm thick, the GALAXY ALPHA 4G+ is one of the slimmest GALAXY devices.
Mobile Broadband 150 will be offered with a mobile WiFi modem from 11 May and a USB dongle modem from 18 May. Price plans within.
SingTel launches commercial 150Mbps 4G service with “Mobile Broadband 150.
Singapore Telecommunications today announced the launch of Mobile Broadband 150.
“Our customers can look forward to a 150Mbps service for smartphones and tablets in the coming months when handsets compatible with these speeds become available in Singapore,” said Johan Buse, SingTel’s Vice President of Consumer Marketing.
It is the first 4G mobile broadband service in Singapore to offer speeds of up to 150Mbps, which is two times faster than conventional 4G services.
Customers can enjoy these speeds at outdoor locations nationwide, as well as popular indoor locations such as Jurong Point, Raffles City, Tampines Mall, Bishan Junction 8, Bugis Junction and Changi Airport.
SingTel today announced that it will launch Singapore’s first 4G service for tablets on 28 August. Two models will be offered: Asus Transformer Pad TF300TL and Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 (LTE). Details of price plans within.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 (LTE) and Asus Transformer Pad TF300TL will be available at launch from 28 August.
The service will offer tablet users theoretical download speeds of up to 75Mbps and typical download speeds between 3.4Mbps and 12Mbps.
It will provide mobile Internet access that is more than three times faster than existing 21Mbps 3G tablet services, with one-fifth of the network latency.
Tablet model
ASUS Tranformer Pad TF300TL
Samsung GALAXY Tab 8.9 (LTE)
4G tablet price plan
Prestige 75
Monthly subscription
$64.90
$49.90
$64.90
$49.90
Tablet price
$429
$549
$329
$449
Data bundle
10GB
Excess usage and data cap
$5.35 per GB (w GST) 1 July to 31 Dec 2012
$10.70/GB (w GST) from 1 Jan 2013
$94(w GST) cap applies
Contractual period
24 months
Two Android tablets will be available at launch from SingTel with the new Prestige 75 plans. Existing 4G smartphone customers can also purchase the tablets with a multi-SIM plan.
SingTel will launch the mio TV Play app for Android tablets on 28 August.
Model
Asus Transformer Pad TF300TL (LTE)
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 (LTE)
Operating system
Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Android 3.2 (Honeycomb)
Screen size
10.1″ WXGA(1280 X 800) LED Backlight screen with IPS
8.9″ WXGA TFT technology
Internal memory
32GB, 1GB RAM
16GB, 1GB RAM
Expandable memory
Up to 64GB
Up to 32GB
Camera specs
8MP, Front 1.2MP
3MP
Other features
Nvidia Tegra 3 Quad-Core 1.2Ghz
Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060, 1200 MHz
This app will offer an extensive library of on-demand movies, including new release Hollywood blockbusters and the latest titles from around the world.
Movies will be offered from $2.99, and users can charge purchases to their SingTel bill or credit card.
mio TV Play will be available for free download at the Google Play app store, and also pre-loaded into the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 (LTE).
RIM has unveiled the new 4G LTE PlayBook. Available in Canada on 9 August with 32GB and a more powerful 1.5GHz dual-core CPU. Prices TBA.
The new PlayBook comes with much needed cellular connectivity.
The 4G LTE version of the BlackBerry PlayBook will make its debut in Canada next Thursday, with availability in other countries in the following months.
Cellular connectivity
LTE
700, 1700 MHz
HSPA+
100, 1900, 1700, 800, 900 MHz
Given the incompatibility of 4G networks in different countries, it could be some time before a version compatible with your country becomes available.
In the meantime, the new PlayBook will at least bring much needed cellular connectivity (on 3G) for users from countries which do not have a 4G network yet (or who have incompatible networks).
Available in Canada on 9 Aug.
Research In Motion (RIM) had announced earlier that the PlayBook will eventually run on BlackBerry 10 OS.
So the 4G LTE should be upgradeable from the current BlackBerry Tablet OS when BB10 becomes available next year.
Apart from the 4G LTE connectivity and CPU speed-up, the hardware for the new PlayBook remains the same – which is a testimony of how advanced it was to begin with when the original PlayBook was launched last year.
During CommunicAsia2012, I had the chance to speak with Nigel V. Wright and Gene Zhang of Spirent Communications about the face of things to come as countries in Asia begin rolling out 4G LTE networks.
Spirent is a multinational telecommunications and network testing company headquartered in the United Kingdom.
Wright is the Vice President for Wireless Product Marketing & Corporate Marketing at Spirent, while Zhang is the VP & General Manager for Asia Pacific at the company.
With LTE rollouts in Asia-Pacific now progressing at an aggressive pace, and the region set to surpass 120 million LTE connections by 2015, operators are competing to become the first to offer 4G services in this high-growth subscriber market.
The Samsung GALAXY S II LTE is now available at SingTel (S$298).
Samsung GALAXY S II LTE is now available at SingTel (S$298)
SingTel officially launched its 4G services for smartphones in Singapore yesterday. From today, customers who purchase a 4G-enabled handset with a SingTel Flexi and iFlexi plan can enjoy the 4G service.
The Samsung GALAXY S II LTE (S$298) is one of three handsets available at launch. The other two 4G smartphones are the HTC One XL (S$318) and the LG Optimus LTE (S$198).
The specifications of the Samsung GALAXY S II LTE can be viewed or downloaded below.
SingTel’s 4G service will provide mobile Internet access that is up to five times faster than existing 3G-based smartphone services, with one-fifth of the network latency.
“We need to break away from the traditional one-size-fits-all approach, which is not sustainable in the long term. Today, 64 per cent of mobile data on our network is consumed by 10 per cent of our subscribers. This prevents the remaining 90 per cent from enjoying the full benefits of the network. With our tiered pricing model, subscribers will pay for what they use, and this ultimately allows us to keep prices for our plans the same over time despite rising network costs,” explained Yuen Kuan Moon, SingTel’s CEO Consumer Singapore.Users can enjoy theoretical download speeds of up to 75Mbps and typical download speeds between 3.4Mbps and 12Mbps.
SingTel will also introduce its Priority Pass traffic priority feature for the 4G service next year.
This will provide subscribers with priority for their data traffic when the network is loaded, thus ensuring smoother streaming and downloads.
Islandwide rollout of SingTel’s 4G network is expected to be completed in early 2013.
In areas where 4G has not yet been deployed, users will fallback to 3G connectivity with download speeds of up to 42Mbps.
Check the coverage diagrams at the end of this post to see when you will be enjoy LTE coverage.
Data bundle cutback
Data bundles for most of SingTel’s Flexi plans have been reduced drastically from 12GB to a range of 2GB to 12GB, although the number of bundled SMS has been increased.
“At the same time, heavy users will benefit from the significantly reduced excess usage rates. Data traffic on our mobile networks has been growing at 62 percent each year since 2010 due to the tremendous growth of smartphones, tablets and mobile content. By encouraging fair usage of the network, we will be able to deliver consistently high-quality services for our customers,” Yuen said.Charges for data usage beyond bundled allowances have been revised to $5.35 per gigabyte from 1 July to 31 December 2013, and subsequently to $10.70/GB from 1 January 2013.
Approximately 10 per cent of SingTel’s subscribers who are heavy SMS users will save from the new improved SMS bundles.
The plans will be available to all new and re-contracting customers from 1 July 2012, and will replace existing 3G Flexi and iFlexi plans.
So if you don’t want to relinquish the existing 12GB data bundle, you can let the existing contract run in perpetuity – but you’ll have to forego the handset subsidies that come with re-contracting.
Mr Yuen noted that based on current usage patterns, 90 per cent of subscribers should not incur higher charges, as their data consumption does not exceed the new bundles.
SingTel Plans
Flexi Lite
Flexi Value
Flexi Plus
Flexi Premium
Monthly subscription
$39.90
$59.90
$99.90
$205
Local outgoing minutes
100
200
500
2,000
Local SMS (new)
800
900
1,000
2,500
Local SMS (previously)
550
650
700
2,000
Local data bundle (previously 12GB)
2GB
3GB
4GB
12GB
Excess usage & data cap
$5.35/GB (w GST) for 3G subscribers.
Applicable to 4G subscribers during promotion from 1 July to 31 Dec 2013.
$10.70/GB (w GST) from 1 Jan 2013 for 4G subscribers.
Previously $2.76/MB.
SingTel claims that 90% of existing Flexi Lite use less than 2GB currently and hence will not be affected by the lowering of the data bundle from 12GB to 2GB.
Likewise, 90% of current Flexi Value customers use less than 3GB, while 90% of current Flexi Plus customers use less than 4GB.
Hence 90% of existing customers will not “suffer” from the data cutback – assuming their data usage remains unchanged.
Read about StarHub’s response to SingTel’s launch below.
The 4G LTE smartphone from LG will be launched in Singapore on 7 June 2011. With an RRP of S$898 (without line), those interested can purchase it from SingTel at S$198, to start enjoying 4G speeds.
LG Optimus True HD LTE will be available from 7 June at S$898 (without line) and S$298 with a SingTel contract.
SingTel officially is launching its 4G services for smartphones in Singapore today.
LG’s LTE pedigree
According to a 2011 report by Jefferies & Company, LG was listed as the global leader in LTE patents with ownership of 23 percent of approximately 1,400 LTE patents filed worldwide, with a financial value of almost USD 8 billion.
LG demonstrated the world’s first LTE technology in 2007 and developed the world’s first LTE modem chipset in 2008.
LG introduced the world’s fastest LTE technology in 2010 and conducted the world’s first video phone call on a LTE network in 2011.
LG’s first LTE smartphone, Revolution, was launched in the US in early 2011.
From tomorrow, customers who purchase a 4G-enabled handset with a SingTel Flexi and iFlexi plan can begin enjoying the 4G service.
The LG Optimus True HD LTE (S$198) is one of three handsets available at launch. The other two 4G smartphones are the HTC One XL (S$318) and the Samsung GALAXY S II LTE (S$298).
The LG Optimus True HD LTE has a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, running on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS platform, which is upgradeable to the Android 2.4 Ice Cream Sandwich OS platform.
The 4.5-inch 1280 x 720 (16:9 ration) True HD IPS display gives users sharp and crisp images with 2.76 million (1280 x 720 x 3 RGB) sub-pixels.
“Singapore’s 4G LTE mobile networks are taking shape, making the arrival of the LG Optimus True HD LTE in Singapore timely,” said Mr. Scott Jung, Managing Director of LG Electronics Singapore.Content on the smartphone can also be shared through HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) and DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance).
Each purchase of the LG Optimus True HD LTE will come with an Audio Technica headset worth S$168, while stocks last.
The phone has a 1830mAH battery. The specifications of the LG Optimus True HD LTE can be viewed or downloaded below.
HTC is the first handset maker to unveil a 4G LTE smartphone for the impending launch of the 4G LTE network in Singapore. The HTC One XL will be available in early June 2012 at an RRP of S$998 (without line).
The HTC One XL (S$318) is one of three handsets available at the launch of SingTel’s 4G service on 4 June. The other two 4G smartphones are the LG Optimus True HD LTE (S$198) and the Samsung GALAXY S II LTE (S$298).
The original HTC One X was first launched on 30 March this year and hit the shelves in Singapore on 2 April.
SingTel is expected to officially launch its 4G LTE service in Singapore in June 2012. The HTC One XL offers to combine the superb camera and audio qualities of HTC’s premium One series with the blazing speeds of next generation 4G LTE networks.
The HTC One XL is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with up to 1.5GHz dual-core CPU and a 1,800 mAh embedded battery, alongside software enhancements that promises improved battery performance by 50 percent.
The HTC One XL comes with Android 4.0 (ICS) and HTC Sense 4, the maker’s user interface.
The HTC One XL will be available in Polar White and Glamour Grey.
The main technical specs for the HTC One XL is listed below.
