It won’t be here in time for Christmas — and it’s unclear precisely when it might debut — but yes, Virginia, there will be a Galaxy Tab S6 with 5G at some point in the foreseeable future. That confirmation, spotted by SamMobile, comes directly from a Samsung promotion now running in its home base in South Korea that lists the Galaxy Tab S6 variant (model SM-T866N) as “coming soon.”
This does not exactly come as a shock. Samsung has been aggressive in adapting 5G connectivity in its smartphones, and there’s been buzz surrounding the possibility of a 5G variant of the Galaxy Tab S6 since last fall, when the upcoming model not only received Bluetooth certification but was also approved by Korea’s National Radio Agency.
The newest tablet features prominently on the company’s Galaxy Academy website, and though there are no details on specs aside from the inclusion of 5G, Samsung is using the same promo image as its S6 Tab, which may indicate that’s one of the few differences between it and the current Wi-Fi and LTE models. That means it will be a high-end product that may resemble the current S6 Tab, with specs like a 10.5-inch super AMOLED screen with 2,560 × 1,600 resolution (287 pixels-per-inch), a dual camera system with 13MP and 5MP rear and 8MP front shooters, and daylong battery life powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor. Samsung’s World of 5G page, part of the promo site that features other 5G product details, does not include this model.
While this allegedly imminent release would mark the first time a tablet includes 5G, the tech available to use it is still scarce on a worldwide basis. South Korea has some of the most advanced 5G capabilities, with between 4 and 5 million Koreans already owning 5G phones. It’s unclear both when and in which other venues Samsung intends to roll out the new tablet — whether it will be exclusive to South Korea or whether other countries will be targeted for distribution. As for the timetable, the smart money has it that Samsung could release the Tab S6 5G alongside the Galaxy S10 Lite and Note 10 Lite at CES 2020 next month.
