Samsung launches rugged Galaxy Tab Active 2 with water-resistant S-Pen in India

Samsung launched the Galaxy Tab Active 2 in India on Thursday. The Tab Active 2 is a rugged Android tablet that is seemingly designed for tough work environments and will be available for buying from mid-March at a price of Rs 50,990.  

“The Galaxy Tab Active 2 is protected against vibrations, accidental shocks and drops, and rain and dust, can remain 1.5-meter underwater for 30 minutes. It can take extreme temperatures inside and outside (storage –40-degrees Celsius to 80-degrees Celsius, operating –20-degrees Celsius to 71-degrees Celsius),” Samsung says about the Tab Active 2, adding that its “IP68 certification enables the user to access and work even in rainy or inclement weather conditions.” The bundled S-Pen is water-resistant too.   

Samsung is trying to attract business consumers here saying the Tab Active 2 will last at least three years with a “proven defect rate of only 4 per cent,” during the first year of usage as opposed to non-rugged tablets that apparently have a 30 per cent defect rate during the same period.  

Because it is targeting business consumers, Samsung is also highlighting the security aspect of the Tab Active 2, aka its in-house Knox security platform. A Samsung spokesperson in fact claimed it was in the same league as a BlackBerry. Ironically, the demo devices it showed off to media today were all running Android 7.1 and even when Samsung is ready to ship them, the Tab active 2 will run Android Oreo and not the latest Pie. Regardless, Samsung is promising to offer software support for at least three years, which is something to look forward to. 

Moving on, the Tab Active 2 packs a 4,450mAh battery which is user replaceable and Samsung will also be offering a Pogo pin connector so businesses can charge multiple devices all at once. 

In terms of core hardware, the Galaxy Tab Active 2 comes with an 8-inch WXGA TFT display with a 1280x800 pixel resolution and a 1.6Ghz octa-core Exynos processor with 3GB RAM and 16GB storage (expandable). It has an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 4.2 and micro-USB.

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