Samsung’s Galaxy Tab Active 3 is a new rugged tablet designed for tough environments, the company announced today. Alongside more typical features like an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, the tablet can survive drops of up to 1.5 meters. It’s also backed by Samsung’s promise to support “up to three generations of Android OS upgrades.”
Like last year’s Galaxy Tab Active Pro, the Tab Active 3 has a couple of optimizations to make it easier to use with gloves. Its navigation buttons are physical rather than touch-sensitive, and Samsung says there’s an option in the settings to make the tablet usable while wearing “thin work gloves.” Its S Pen is also IP68 certified, so it should be able to put up with water and dust like the tablet itself.
Otherwise, in terms of specs, the Tab Active 3 is a pretty typical Android tablet. It will launch with Android 11, Samsung says, and it’s powered by an Exynos 9810 processor, with 4GB of RAM and either 64 or 128GB of storage (expandable by up to 1TB via microSD). It supports fast-charging over USB or POGO pins, its 5,050mAh battery is removable, and it can also be used without a battery in a fixed location like an information kiosk when connected to a “dedicated power source accessory.” There’s a 13-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel selfie camera, and Samsung specifically notes that the tablet’s cameras are optimized for barcode scanning. It’s available with LTE connectivity and a Wi-Fi-only version.
Samsung’s announcement doesn’t mention specific pricing information, but it says that the Tab Active 3 is destined for Europe and Asia, releasing in unnamed “select markets” from today. For reference, the Tab Active 2’s Wi-Fi and LTE versions retailed for $420 and $520 when they hit US retail in 2018, while the Tab Active Pro was more expensive at $599.99.
