Samsung unveils new Flagship Tablets

For Samsung's new tablets, it's all about colors. Not the hues of the physical hardware, but the ones on the screen.

The Korean electronics giant on Thursday took the wraps off two new tablets in its Galaxy Tab S line -- one with an 8.4-inch display, and the other with a 10.5-inch screen. The company introduced the new devices during an event in New York City at the Madison Square Garden theater.

The Tab S devices pack high-resolution WQXGA SuperAMOLED displays at 2560x1600 pixels. That's the same resolution as Samsung's earlier Tab Pro devices, but the first time we've seen such a high resolution SuperAMOLED panel on a tablet. On-stage, Samsung Electronics America SVP Michael Abary talked up SuperAMOLED's potential for more vibrant and accurate colors compared to LCD, as well as deeper blacks. Like the Galaxy S5, the Tab S devices include Adaptive Display for tweaked viewing experiences in different lighting situations.

The new devices double down on how lots of people are using tablets: for watching online video and reading magazines. Samsung called the new gadgets -- which it touts as its new flagship tablets -- "personal visual devices." To pump up the picture quality, the company brought a wider color range to the screen, and announced HD quality for Netflix and YouTube.

The 8.4-inch Tab S packs a 4,900mAh battery, while the 10.5-inch model features a 7,900mAh cell, and Samsung claims the devices can deliver more than 11 hours of 1080p video playback on a single charge. Elsewhere, the Tab S boasts a fingerprint scanner, like the Galaxy S5, and this fingerprint recognition can be used to toggle between users — 8 people on one device.

In the US, both tablets will be available in July, and will cost $399 for the smaller screen and $499 for the larger one. In other regions, the prices and launch dates will vary.

On the software side, Samsung will offer a new magazine experience called Papergarden, with content from partners including Condé Nast and National Geographic, optimized for the Tab S devices' 16:10 display. Like the Galaxy S5, the Galaxy Tab S series will come with free content and service deals through Galaxy Gifts. Besides that, signature Samsung features like Multiwindow return on Samsung's latest tablets.

While Samsung has demonstrated its might in the smartphone arena -- it's the No. 1 smartphone manufacturer in the world -- the company hasn't enjoyed the same success with tablets. Samsung's tablets, along with nearly two thirds of the tablets on the market, run Google's Android mobile operating system, according to IDC. Still, Apple remains the top tablet vendor in the world with its line of iPads.

But while Samsung hasn't been able to wrest the top spot from Apple, Samsung has narrowed the gap. The company's global tablet market share rose to 22 percent in the first quarter, from 18 percent the year before. Apple's lead, meanwhile, has dwindled from 40 percent to 33 percent during the same period.

If Samsung is able to up its tablet game, the company could exploit an Apple vulnerability. The most visible dark spot for the Cupertino, Calif.-based company in the most recently ended quarter was iPad sales that lagged behind analyst's expectations. Apple sold 16.4 million tablets while Wall Street anticipated 19 million.

But even as the two tech giants jostle for mobile supremacy, the tablet category overall has been hurt by consumers opting to buy larger-screen phones, or choosing to hold on to tablets longer before replacing them with new ones, according to IDC.

The two devices announced on Thursday join Samsung's growing line of tablets, including the 8.4-inch Galaxy Tab Pro and the 12.2-inch Galaxy Note Pro.

Samsung will also offer a range of cases for the device, including a snap-on case with uses magnets to hold the tablets in three different positions for typing or watching content. There'll also be a Bluetooth keyboard offered for both sizes.

Connectivity-wise, the global cellular version of the Tab S will support calls and SMS. The new tablets will also come with the new SideSync feature for answering calls from a paired Samsung phone, and transferring files between phone and Tab.

The tablet also features multi-window, a feature borrowed from Samsung's Galaxy Note products, and allows the running of two apps on the screen, in different windows, at the same time.