12.2-inch Samsung tablet beats iPad

Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2-inch display

The new smartwatches and Galaxy S5 phone Samsung announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week may have hogged the headlines but what is equally interesting is a new 12.2-inch tablet, Galaxy Note Pro, announced in Singapore last week.

This is one tablet with a big screen, possibly the biggest around, and comes with some of the highest specifications for a tablet - quad-core A7 CPU, 1,600x2,560 screen resolution, 32GB memory, 9,500mAh battery, 8MP camera with 4X digital zoom plus 2MP front-facing camera, supports Wi-Fi and LTE and loaded with Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) OS.

Samsung is targeting this tablet at consumers and business users. Hence the large screen size and pre-loading of Cisco's WebEx Meetings platform for Web conferencing, Samsung's eMeeting and Hancom Office for Android.

There are other differentiating features too. With Network Booster, users can utilise both Wi-Fi and mobile network to download stuff at a faster rate.

With the Smart Switch app, data can be transferred from external devices to the Galaxy Pro. And when the Side Sync app is installed, users can view a Note 3 screen on the Note Pro and be able to drag and drop files between the two devices. This feature works on Galaxy devices with KitKat OS and above.

The Note Pro is quick and responds swiftly to taps and swipes. It plays video smoothly and functions much like a zippy ultrabook, quite unlike the lower-end Samsung tablets which tend to be laggy. I would also say it beats the iPad in features and functions in more ways than one.

To consumers, what could be most enticing are the freebies thrown in by Samsung. If one buys the Note Pro from a telco, there are two premiums that come with it - Samsung Book cover (worth $98) and a Samsung Bluetooth keyboard (worth $138).

And if you buy the tablet from one of Samsung's Experience Stores or some IT stores, there's an additional Galaxy Gear watch (worth $398) thrown in.

However, not everyone will get this whole package as it is apparently limited to a certain number of customers. So do call first before heading down to the store, to avoid disappointment.

How much: $1,198 (Wi-Fi & LTE), $1,098 (Wi-Fi)

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