Barnes & Noble’s next NOOK tablet won’t be made by Barnes & Noble. Following disappointing sales for its NOOK HD tablet line the book retailer announced it would seek hardware partners for future devices… and now it looks like Samsung is the first of those partners.

The next tablet to wear the NOOK name will be a custom version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 called the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK. It’s due out in August, 2014.

samsung galaxy tab 4 nook

Over the past year, Barnes & Noble has given mixed signals about its tablet strategy. The company said it was still involved in the design process for future tablets. At one point we even saw evidence that the company was testing new hardware with NVIDIA Tegra 4 chips. But by February it looked like “hardware partners” were again key to the company’s strategy.

That’s kind of a shame in some ways — the NOOK HD line of products actually had some great hardware including excellent displays and case designs that were meant for holding in your hands for long reading sessions. On the other hand it’s probably a lot cheaper to slap some custom software and the NOOK name on an existing product, which could make the Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK a much more profitable device for B&N.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK will feature a 7 inch display and it will probably have a 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU, a 1280 x 800 pixel display, 1.5GB of RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, a 3MP rear camera, and 1.3MP front-facing camera. It should have a microSD card slot, at least 8GB of storage, and a 4,000mAh battery.

Samsung’s version of the tablet runs Android 4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz, but the Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK will feature NOOK software with an emphasis on eBooks, magazines, and other content from the NOOK Shop.

When the Samsung and B&N co-branded tablet launches in August it’ll be available at Barnes & Noble stores across the United States and online at bn.com.

If you don’t want to wait until this fall, B&N is offering a Father’s Day deal on the NOOK HD. Buy one now for $129 and up and you get a free cover. Or you can pick up a refurbished model from A4C for as little as $70.

B&N will also continue to offer the NOOK GlowLight for customers looking for an digital book reader with an E Ink display.

 

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3 replies on “Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK will be B&N’s new tablets”

  1. I really hope this works out well for Barnes & Noble. I’ve been a NOOK fan from the beginning. eBook sales are going to be crucial for the vitality of the company in the long run. So far the NOOK division has cost the company a lot of money. Hopefully this can get them on the right track. If B&N doesn’t get this right, not only will Amazon have a virtual monopoly on eBooks, but the future of B&N doesn’t look good. I am going to miss the gorgeous screens and high quality feel of the NOOK HD and HD+. I’m willing to give up the high resolution screen for cameras and a better selection of cases (hopefully there will be an OtterBox for the Tab 4 7.0).

    I have a few concerns. First is price. I doubt the new models will be priced at $129 considering the Tab 4 7.0 goes from $180 to $200. I think they need to keep the price below $170, and preferably about $150. I’m not sure if that’s going to be possible. Second, there’s no mention of the larger model. I hope there’s plans for a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK 10, Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK+, or maybe a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 BIG NOOK. Third, I really hope they’re planning on keeping Google Play on the next NOOK. I’m sure B&N isn’t happy about people being able to install Kindle on their NOOKs or the lost revenue from people no longer buying from the NOOK App store, but removing the Play Store would be product suicide.

  2. What about the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK Plus, Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 NOOK, Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 NOOK Plus, Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK Pro, Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 NOOK Pro?

    Serious though Samsung naming schemes are ridiculous. I haven’t even gotten into the lite versions.

  3. I think that is a great idea. It seems to be a long the lines of ‘why re-invent the wheel’ sort of thing. I am glad they are still making the e-ink e-reader since it is great for those who just want to read a book and have many of them in one device.

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