Samsung is selling some rugged Android devices under its ‘Active’ brand, but it’s been more than three years since the company released a new rugged tablet. Fortunately, businesses looking for tough devices now have a new model to choose from: the Galaxy Tab Active3.
The latest Tab Active model comes with 3 GB RAM, 16 GB internal storage, S Pen support and Android 7.1. Samsung’s replacement has an almost identical design (hello, Galaxy S7 navigation buttons!), Which according to Samsung should keep the existing accessories suitable, as well as the same IP68 water / dust resistance and MIL-STD-810 certified build. Most improvements are on the inside: more storage, more RAM, Wi-Fi 6 support, a bigger battery, newer software, and so on.
The Galaxy Tab Active3 supports wireless DeX, as well as a few other features that are especially useful in corporate settings – the ‘No battery mode’ can make the tablet run on wall power alone, and ‘Knox Capture’ makes the tablet a barcode scanner. It’s shipped with Android 10, but Samsung says an Android 11 update will be available soon, and the company promises “up to three generations of Android upgrades for Android.” It’s not clear if the Android 11 update counts as one of the generations.
Samsung mainly sells the Active3 for corporate use, with prices starting at $ 489.99 for the 64 GB Wi-Fi model, or $ 509.99 for the 128 GB version. Carrier-available LTE variants are also available for $ 589.99 (64 GB), or $ 609.99 (128 GB). You can also buy the tablet directly from Samsung’s website, but only the 64 GB versions are available.
