Samsung help! We need a Galaxy Tab mini to save small tablets

Return to the original Galaxy Tab

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You probably remember the firstApple iPad, but do you remember the first Android tablet? The originalGalaxy Tabwas not what you’d expect fromSamsung. It wasn’t a copy ofApple’s design; it wasn’t even close. The first Galaxy Tab was a mini tablet, which is weird because I checked recently and Samsung doesn’t offer any new mini tablets these days, even though it invented the category. It’s sad that theiPad miniis the only small tablet worth buying, because even the iPad mini’s future seems uncertain.

When I say mini tablet, I mean a tablet with a screen that is between seven to nine inches, diagonally. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why these tablets have mostly disappeared. The first iPad mini launched in 2012 with a 7.9-inch display. At the time, theiPhone 5had a 4-inch screen.

That’s a diagonal measure, so the iPad mini wasn’t just twice as big. It actually offered more than four times the screen area of the iPhone 5. Today, theGalaxy S24 Ultrahas a display that is 6.8-inches. The iPad mini only gives you around 60% more screen space than that huge phone.

A mini tablet was a great proposition when it was 400% larger than the best phone you could buy. If it’s only 60% larger, why bother? To put the final nail in the mini tablet coffin, theOnePlus Open, which is my favorite tablet-sized foldable phone, gives you even MORE screen area on its internal display than you’ll find on a new iPad mini. Might as well just buy a foldable phone.

A tablet is different than a phone … and cheaper

Except for one big difference – the price. The OnePlus Open is also the most affordable foldable tablet phone, but it costs $1,399 in the US, and that’s if you have a phone to trade. If not, you’re paying $1,699 / £1,599. A new iPad mini from Apple costs $499 / £479 / AU $749. Even a cellular-connected model is only $649 / £619 / AU $979.

There’s a big difference between the capabilities of a powerful foldable phone like the OnePlus Open orGalaxy Z Fold 5, and a mini tablet like the iPad mini. The iPad doesn’t have great cameras, and of course it lacks the second display. The latest iPad mini only has a respectable A15 Bionic processor, which is very fast but won’t top the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile phone processors.

In other words, the mini tablet needs an update. I’d love to see Apple offer a new iPad mini with an M1 or M2 processor, to match thelatest iPad Airat least. You know what I’d like even more? Apple fans, cover your eyeballs…

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I want a Samsung Galaxy Tab mini. I want a premium 8-inch tablet from Samsung, with all of Samsung’s bestGalaxy Tab S9 Ultratechnology inside. I want the latest S Pen, a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, and the same IP68 water resistance. Samsung’s latest tablet lineup, from the Tab S9 Ultra down to theGalaxy Tab S9 FEmodels, are all waterproof enough to take in the bath or sit in the shallow end of the pool. Apple doesn’t make any iPad water-resistant.

Even better, I want all of Samsung’s bananas-overboard features. The overwrought toolbars, edge panels, and settings menus that I complain about on the phone would be palatable on a tablet. I’d have more room to read everything, at least. Samsung has too many ideas to fit into even the largest phone screen. Maybe a mini tablet is what’s needed.

The latest Samsung tablets do things the iPad cannot

I would love a mini Galaxy Tab from Samsung with an S Pen included, a nice keyboard cover for typing, available in some of the latest Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab colors. Apple does a fine job with the iPad mini for an entertainment tablet, but a Samsung Galaxy Tab mini, with DeX to connect to a big monitor and keyboard, would be a great productivity tool that I could shove in a deep coat pocket or slip in a smaller shoulder bag.

There’s nothing else like it on the market, not at the moment. You can still find smaller old tablets from Samsung, like theGalaxy Tab A8-inch tablet, or the 8-inchGalaxy Tab A8(yes, those are two different tablets) atAmazon, but Samsung has no brand new, premium-spec tablets available for sale on its own site.

It’s time! Give me a Galaxy Tab S9 mini, Samsung, and I’ll carry it everywhere. I’ll give it a shot and see if it’s time for the mini tablet to make a comeback. I have a hope that a powerful, small tablet will make a comeback, and Samsung has the right tools to make it.

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Phil Berne is a preeminent voice in consumer electronics reviews, starting more than 20 years ago at eTown.com. Phil has written for Engadget, The Verge, PC Mag, Digital Trends, Slashgear, TechRadar, AndroidCentral, and was Editor-in-Chief of the sadly-defunct infoSync. Phil holds an entirely useful M.A. in Cultural Theory from Carnegie Mellon University. He sang in numerous college a cappella groups.

Phil did a stint at Samsung Mobile, leading reviews for the PR team and writing crisis communications until he left in 2017. He worked at an Apple Store near Boston, MA, at the height of iPod popularity. Phil is certified in Google AI Essentials. He has a High School English teaching license (and years of teaching experience) and is a Red Cross certified Lifeguard. His passion is the democratizing power of mobile technology. Before AI came along he was totally sure the next big thing would be something we wear on our faces.

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