It was only back in June when Samsung announced a refresh to some of their Windows 8 devices, including the ATIV Tab 3, which takes their previous 11.6 inch ATIV tablet down to a more nimble 10.1 inch format.
The 32-bit Windows 8 device features a 1366x768 display with an 1.8 GHz Atom Z2760, along with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of on board storage (expandable with microSD). The device also become a smidge thinner and more refined in design, adding a metal band around the edge for a more premium feel.
The device when announced had no release date, though we heard August being bantered around by Samsung reps. Now that information looks to be accurate as a third-party seller on Amazon.com is now offering the ATIV Tab 3 (XE300TZC-K01US) for $599 plus free shipping. That puts the device at $100 less than its older sibling, the ATIV Tab 5 (XE500T1C-K02US) with its larger 11.6 inch display (the specs are otherwise similar).
In our hands on with the device, we were impressed with Samsung’s refinements, though they seem to have omitted the super useful S-Pen, which can be found on the ATIV Tab 5. Weighing in at 1.28 lbs., the ATIV Tab 3 is certainly easier to handle than an 11.6 inch device and with the smaller display, the pixel density is higher as well.
You can head here to Amazon.com for more information, though we imagine other retail outlets will be getting this device soon too. [Note: you can try searching in your local Amazon store using the model number; it should be available in other regions too, not just the US]. Thanks, Win C., for the tip!
Reader comments
The 10.1 inch Samsung ATIV Tab 3 with Windows 8 shows up on Amazon.com for $599
I ordered this and they sent me the ativ smart pc 500t...F*&&ing idiots.
It's 549.99 5 minutes ago on Amazon, but there's no mention of the bluetooth keyboard or MS Office Home/Student that it's supposed to have. If these are missing, it's not such a great deal.
The keyboard and MS Office Home/Student is NOT included in the Amazon deal, which makes it a no deal for me.
When are we ever going to get a win tablet with a sim slot? IPad had it for years!
This tablet has both a sim slot and an S pen, and it is identical to the thinkpad tablet in every way except it doesn't have the keyboard, it's lighter and thinner, s pen instead of thinkpad pen, and you get metal/plastic instead of carbon fiber or whatever the TP is made of.
Look at the amazon listing:
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-ATIV-XE300TZC-K01US-10-1-Inch-Tablet/dp/B0...
Where are people getting no S-Pen from? It's on Samsung's website and all of the product images.
Can't believe nobody has said "I'll wait for a Nokia tablet" yet.
They will release RT version, which is quite useless IMHO
Just another cheap plastic Samsung tablet that is overpriced so that they can direct you to their allegedly innovative Galaxy Tabs. To put it anotber way, it is a middlng spec'd device with an uninspiring processor and lesser capabilities than the Lenovo Thinkpad 2 but with a higher price. Wow, but it has  a metal band around the edge - now that makes it worth the premium cost.
Isn't it basically exactly the same as a thinkpad tablet 2 though except for the camera?
A couple corrections:  I went to the link and it is $559.00, not $599.00.  It may not be much, but $40 is $40. Also, it does show it as coming with the s-pen. Check out the Amazon link in the article.
NEED SILVERMONT
Argh... Wish it was baytrail.
Interesting device... But I won't get a Windows 8 tablet until they push a 4th gen Intel Haswell processor on them.
+510
Omission of the S-pen kills the appeal of this device.
When are the next gen Atoms going to start coming out? I could have had a W510 for $250 (only 32gb), but I passed in order to wait for the next refresh that I heard are going to be so much better
I want some Gen 3 atoms now....a lot of these new tabs are still using last Gen chips
Without the pen? No thanks
Dan, was this the same tablet on display at CES? Â Sure looks like it.
No, this was only announced in June.
Waiting on the Ativ Q :), Dual boots Win 8 and Android, has the 13.3-inch super Hi-Rez display with a resolution of 3200 x 1800, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and 9 hours battery life... Yea Man!
Yep... I'm still using a crappy old non-touch laptop because I wanted something with an iSeries CPU, highres screen, last all day on single charge, has a pen, light (for such a device), thin, and could convert from laptop to tablet.  DING! DING! DING! We have a winner.Â
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I'm sorry, but after using the, Surface, I simply cannot go back to using Samsung's cheaply built Windows 8 tablets.
After using the Ativ 500xt with the 11.6" screen, holdig a 10.1" tablet feels awkward. More like a downgrade for me. But nice to see Samsung use their best selling designs for W8 and WP8.
What about accessories? I got the RT because the built in kickstand and keyboards are amazing a practicle for every day use.
Does samsung have any options?
I agree for me the Surface Pro and RT are the best tablets on the market for both work and play due to the Kick stand and Keyboard. I am really suprised how other companys have not looked at this and started to use them on there own tablets.
Meh, if it had the new bay trail and a better screen resolution, with W8.1 I'd be interested.
Or if it was bay trail with that screen res at 7". Yummy.
You can update it to 8.1 when available
But he wants a Bay Trail also.
Agreed! Why no one released at least 1980 HD screen with Atom ? I have ASUS VivoTab Smart and I like it, but when comparing it to my iPad3 with cRetina display :(
I don't like Surface Pro, 3-4 hours!? And to big to be a good everyday tablet.
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You can get older version with digitizer, 64gb for $399 at dealfisher.com
It has same specs as this plus you will get stylus extra and costs $200 less.
I like this tablet alot...Nice buy too.
Out of all my Windows 8 devices, the ATIV Tab 5 is one of the best bangs for your buck in terms of quality, battery life and performance, imo. I really like the size of this version though, much more manageable.
I'll even say its a better buy than the surface pro ATM.
Really? That Atom proc vs. A core i5, not even close, please. Plus only 2 GB RAM vs 4 GB. The Pro will run circles around that thing all day long!. Nice try
Not really, only about 4-5 hours. Its almost like the turtle and the hare. You can get more done on the Samsung Ativ because of its near 10 hour battery life.
I've only ever seen this in white, is there a black variant?
Not that I know of, at least not yet.