Home » Specs Comparison: Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7 vs Galaxy Tab S2 9.7

Specs Comparison: Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7 vs Galaxy Tab S2 9.7

The Galaxy Tab series doesn’t exactly share the same limelight as the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note devices, but finally, Samsung updated its flagship tablet line after a year and a half. The Galaxy Tab S3 now comes in one size though compared to the Galaxy Tab S2‘s 9.7-inch and 8-inch variants. Here’s a specs comparison for your guidance.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7	Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7
9.7-inch Super AMOLED @ 2048 x 1536 pixels, 264ppi	9.7-inch Super AMOLED @ 2048 x 1536 pixels, 264ppi
2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor	1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 octa-core processor
	1.9 GHz Exynos 5433 octa-core processor
Adreno 530	Adreno 510
	Mali-T760 MP6
4GB RAM	3GB RAM
32GB internal storage	32GB / 64GB internal storage
Expandable via microSD, up to 256GB	Expandable via microSD, up to 256GB
13MP f/1.9 autofocus rear camera, 4K video	8MP autofocus rear camera
5MP front-facing camera	2.1MP front-facing camera
LTE-A Cat6	LTE-A
WiFi 802.11ac, dual-band	WiFi 802.11ac, dual-band
Bluetooth 4.2	Bluetooth 4.1
GPS w/ A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO	GPS w/ A-GPS, GLONASS
Fingerprint scanner	Fingerprint scanner
Gyroscope sensor	Gyroscope sensor
Stereo speakers by AKG/Harman	Mono speaker
USB-C v3.1	Micro-USB v2.0
6000mAh battery (non-removable)	5870mAh Li-Ion battery (non-removable)
Android 7.0 Nougat	Android 6.0 Marshmallow (Updated)
White, Black	White, Black, Gold
237.3 x 169 x 6 mm	237.3 x 169 x 5.6 mm
429 g (Wi-Fi) / 434 g (LTE)	389g (Wi-Fi) / 392g (LTE)

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 advantages:

More powerful CPU and GPU
S Pen included
Upgraded rear and front cameras
4K video recording
Stereo speakers
USB Type-C ports
Slightly larger battery
Android 7.0 Nougat

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 advantages:

Same display size and resolution
Slightly lighter
64GB internal storage option

The main update we see for the Galaxy Tab S3 is its internal specifications. It’s now powered by a flagship-grade Snapdragon 820 processor with the Adreno 530 GPU. Before, the Galaxy Tab S2 is powered by a Snapdragon 652 or an Exynos 5433 — depending on where you purchase the slate. It also now has a more generous 4GB RAM. Storage is only 32GB but it’s expandable through the dedicated microSD card slot.

The camera also gets an upgrade and now has 4K video recording, thanks to the more powerful processor. The speaker also gets an upgrade to stereo with AKG/Harman tuning. Lastly, the physical port is now a USB Type-C port.

The Galaxy Tab S2 is far from obsolete though as it still sports the same resolution of its latest version but the S-Pen support is a nifty upgrade. The build and design are also pretty similar aside from the fact that the Galaxy Tab S3 is a bit more fragile with a glass on both and front.

If you have a Galaxy Tab S2, don’t worry. Your tablet is still a good slate for productivity and gaming. We do hope Samsung could push the Nougat update very soon.

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Daniel Morial

This article was contributed by Daniel Morial, a film school graduate and technology enthusiast. He's the geeky encyclopedia and salesman among his friends for anything tech.