Samsung unleashes wave of Ativ Windows 8 tablet laptops

Samsung has announced a trio of Windows 8 tablets that can transform into laptops by connecting with a portable keyboard dock. Showcased mere hours after Asus launched its similar Vivo Tab range, the Samsung Ativ range aims to combine the advantages of both a laptop and a tablet.

The Ativ SmartPC will have a 11.6in 1366x768 pixel touchscreen that can be used either with one's fingers or the included stylus. The detachable keyboard dock feels surprisingly responsive, especially when compared to the Vivo Tab keyboard docks, but it won't have an extra built-in battery. The SmartPC will come equipped with an Intel Atom processor, 2GB of memory and a 128GB solid state disk and will weigh 750g without the keyboard dock. With the keyboard attached, it's much heavier at 1.5kg.

Read more: Windows 8 news and updates | IFA 2012 news

The more powerful Ativ SmartPC Pro will have 4GB of memory and a faster Core i5 processor, but it will also be heavier at 884g, again without the keyboard dock. The weight balloons to 1.6kg with the keyboard connected. The SmartPC Pro will otherwise have all the features of the plain Smart PC including separate USB3 and USB2 ports, a micro HDMI connector and a microSD memory card slot. Samsung has crammed a massive 1,920x1080 pixels into the 11.6in screen.

A lighter option is the Ativ Tab which uses an ARM-based processor instead of an Intel chip. It therefore uses the RT variant of the Windows 8 operating system so it won't be able to run existing Windows programs. This Ativ will be lighter than the others at just 570g and will come with Microsoft Office 2013. Although it won't have a memory card slot, it will have USB2 and micro HDMI ports. The 10.1in screen will have a resolution of 1366x768 pixels.

As with all of its other mobile products announced at the IFA electronics expo in Berlin, Samsung has yet to confirm UK pricing and availability for any of its Ativ range of Windows 8 tablet-laptop hybrids.