Samsung Allegedly Testing Out 18.4-Inch Tablet on Korean Telecoms
Samsung is reportedly testing out a new 18.4-inch tablet on South Korean telecom providers to determine the demand for a larger-sized slate.
A few weeks after news emerged tech giant Samsung was in the middle of developing an outsized tablet, it appears the giant tablet itself will be released in South Korea via a number of the country's major telecom operators.
Samsung is said to be pitching its 18.4-inch tablet, codenamed "Tahoe" to seven carriers, including SK Telecom, LG U+, and KT. The telecom providers recently attended a meeting with Samsung's representatives who want to target the business and office niche for their large-size slate.
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The media got first wind of "Tahoe" when a cargo manifest listing seven pieces of the tablet was discovered accompanying a package allegedly containing several prototypes entering India "for testing and evaluation" purposes.
The manifest also stated the sample tablets were not for sale, and were destined to be destroyed after testing and evaluation were completed.
It appears the assessment phase was considered successful as Samsung is now pitching its new supersized device, which is reportedly scheduled for mass production in Q4 2015.
Despite its size, "Tahoe" is said to be carrying mid-range specs, with a 120ppi 1920 x 1080 pixel TFT LCD display over an Exynos 7580 processor. Supported by 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, it will run on Android 5.1 Lollipop and be powered by a 5,700mAh battery.
While the tablet is targeted at the corporate market, its larger screen may see a demand in the end-user sector for use in watching movies or for tele-calls.
Samsung's strategy to launch a supersized tablet may be due to falling sales in the tablet and phablet industry, necessitating a more diverse approach to differentiate the new handheld from the existing slates in the market.
