Samsung Unveils Pricier Tablets and a Longer-Lasting Item Tracker

Samsung Electronics Co. introduced a pair of new Android-based tablets with upgraded performance along with its latest SmartTag item tracker that offers better precision and longer-distance tracking capabilities compared to previous models.

The new Galaxy Tab S12 series comes in two versions: There’s the top-tier Ultra device, priced at $1,399 (up $100 from the S11 Ultra), with a 12.6-inch display and thin 5.1-millimeter design, along with a $1,200 “+” (up $100 from the S10+) model with a smaller 12.6-inch screen.

Both share hardware specifications like a peak brightness of 1,600 nits, a 120 hertz refresh rate and IP68 dust and water resistance. The brighter display is a notable upgrade for the Galaxy Tab S12+, as its predecessor topped out at around 650 nits. Besides a bigger screen, the Ultra model bests the + version by adding an 8 megapixel ultrawide-camera on the back alongside the standard 13 megapixel sensor. It also includes Wi-Fi 7 support versus a cap of Wi-Fi 6E on the + model.

Apple Inc., which dominates the US tablet market, is planning to announce a new iPad mini with an OLED display in the coming weeks, so Samsung is getting out ahead of that long-awaited upgrade by introducing its own tablets today.

Both Galaxy Tab S12 tablets are powered by a 3-nanometer MediaTek processor with modest gains in performance and graphics. The company’s S Pen stylus comes bundled with the devices, but as with iPads, an external keyboard costs extra. Samsung is selling a simple book cover keyboard along with a “pro” version that includes a full-size trackpad.

With both new devices, Samsung is including a wide mix of extended free trials for software like Adobe Inc.’s Photoshop and Lightroom, Notability and a six-month trial for Alphabet Inc.’s Google AI Pro subscription. The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Tab S12+ will be available beginning Oct. 7 in dark gray or light silver.

Samsung’s new SmartTag 3 item tracker is 35% smaller, 33% lighter and more power efficient than the model it replaces. In power-saving mode, it can last for as many as 790 days (up from 700 days on the prior version) on a single replaceable CR232 coin battery. As before, the SmartTag 3 ties into Samsung’s own device network rather than Google’s Find My Hub, meaning only other Samsung-branded products can help pinpoint the location of a missing item.

And even though these item trackers don’t provide 24/7 location data, the company is also introducing more features for people who use them to track their pets. The SmartTag 3 tracker will cost $30 for a single unit or $100 for a four-pack when it goes on sale in early November alongside a wide mix of accessories that make it easier to attach the tracker to various items such as luggage.