Samsung Launches Galaxy Tab S12+ and S12 Ultra in Europe
On October 7, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S12+ and S12 Ultra are set to debut in Europe, priced at €1,299 and €1,539 respectively.
These new models reflect a price increase of approximately €180 compared to the S10+ they supersede, paralleling a $100 increment in the United States.
Notably, the entry-level 11-inch tablet remains unchanged; this stagnation is symptomatic of the ongoing memory shortage impacting budget devices throughout the year.
In tandem with the tablets, a new SmartTag tracker is introduced, notable for its impressive longevity of 790 days powered by a coin cell battery.
The arrival of Samsung’s latest tablets in Europe comes at the previously mentioned prices of €1,299 and €1,539. The Galaxy Tab S12+ now commands about €180 more than its predecessor, the S10+. Remarkably, the new lineup lacks any affordable offerings.
In the United States, Samsung has set the prices at $1,200 and $1,399, each reflecting a $100 increase from previous models, as reported by Bloomberg.
The European price hikes are approximately double that of their American counterparts, with an additional €200 for the 5G version. Alongside these tablets, a smaller yet enhanced SmartTag tracker is also being launched.
The hefty price tag encompasses a powerful 3nm MediaTek processor, offering modest performance improvements, an outstanding brightness of 1,600 nits, and IP68 water and dust resistance.
While the S Pen is included with the tablets, a keyboard accessory is noticeably absent. In the UK, the devices are available for £1,199 and £1,399.
Samsung has not disclosed the rationale behind the increased pricing of these tablets. Moreover, the omission of the 11-inch Galaxy Tab S11 from the new lineup signifies that the current range now commences at the former’s mid-tier position.
This pattern resonates within the technology landscape. The ongoing memory shortage has significantly disrupted the budget smartphone segment, with LPDDR5 prices soaring by 220% from the first quarter of 2025 to 2026.
As the world’s predominant memory producer, Samsung’s head of global marketing cautioned earlier this year that supply chain issues would reverberate across the industry, impacting not only Samsung but also competitors.
This scenario is increasingly familiar. For instance, Apple’s $599 Mac Mini was withdrawn from the market rather than having its price adjusted, illustrating how shortages typically eradicate entry-level options first.
Conversely, Amazon adopted a more abrupt approach by instituting device price increases of up to 60% overnight in August, attributing this decision to rising memory and storage costs, with no prior warning issued.
Fujifilm, grappling with similar challenges, announced camera price increases of up to €500 starting in September, forecasting a financial impact of approximately 11 billion yen this year due to the crisis.
European consumers were forewarned of these price adjustments. Currently, memory can constitute half of the expense associated with budget Android smartphones—a stark increase from about 15% prior to this crisis, with German DDR5 prices experiencing a staggering rise of 414% in the same timeframe.
In July, Currys’ CEO, Alex Baldock, acknowledged the impending impact of this squeeze, predicting “some cost price inflation coming through later this year.” Now, as October unfolds, that prediction comes to fruition.
The new SmartTag 3 boasts a 35% reduction in size and a 33% decrease in weight, while its operational lifespan has seen an enhancement to 790 days on a single coin cell, surpassing the previous 700 days.
Priced at $30, or $100 for a pack of four, it is scheduled to launch in early November. This device is exclusively compatible with Samsung products, dissociating itself from Google’s connectivity network.
In the coming weeks, anticipation builds as Apple is expected to unveil an OLED iPad mini. The industry is keenly watching to see if this upcoming model will offer a budget-friendly alternative.
Source link: Thenextweb.com.
