If there’s one important gadget to take away from the plethora of announced devices at the Samsung Premiere 2013, it’s the new Samsung Ativ Q: a hybrid device that not only switches between laptop and tablet form, but also into either Windows 8 or Android.
No matter what fanboys say, Windows 8 is still lacking in many features, especially tablet-optimized apps. To remedy this, Samsung has included Android to let users access their favorite apps via Google Play. Syncing is also made easy, so that using files and folders between the two OSs is without any hassle. And unlike Samsung Ativ 7, the keyboard can finally be completely hidden away from view in tablet mode. In fact, the tablet can be used in a variety of positions, including the standard laptop typing and floating positions at specific angles.
Naturally, curiosity demands how difficult it is to transfer between the two operating systems, but Samsung Ativ Q pretty much has an easy and quick way to do such thing. When in Windows 8, for instance, a simple tapping of the Dual OS button lets users switch to Android, at such point the device acts just like any other Android tablets. To bring back Windows 8, users need only press the dedicated Start button. A nifty feature also allows users to pin Android apps in Windows 8’s start screen and launch them directly from there. With the Windows 8 Snap View, both OSs can even be used simultaneously.
Samsung Ativ Q Specs
- Windows 8 and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS
- 13.3-inch QHD+ (3200×1800) touchscreen, ~275ppi
- 4th-gen Intel Core i5 processor (Haswell)
- Intel HD Graphics 4400
- 4GB DDR3L RAM
- 128GB SSD internal storage
- microSD support for external storage
- USB 3.0, HDMI
- 720p HD webcam
- S Pen (1,024 pressure points)
- Dimensions: 327 x 217.8 x 13.9 mm
- Weight: 1.29kg
- Battery Life: Up to 9 hours
The Samsung Ativ Q is also designed to be portable and reasonably thin at 13.6mm. On the other hand, the device is notably heavier than pure tablets. It’s still easy to carry around, but not for long in just one hand. Nonetheless, the Samsung Ativ Q comes with impressive specs, including the latest Intel CPU and a decent GPU for on-the-go gaming.
Price for this dual OS beast has not yet been revealed. The exact date for a global launch isn’t known either, although a Q3 release is expected.