Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 leak reveals a disappointing returning feature

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 leak shows the return of the divisive Air Actions gestures

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7
(Image credit: Evan Blass)

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 will still have stylus air gestures, even though the feature isn't widely appreciated.

We know this thanks to Max Weinbach, who has been rummaging around in pre-release firmware for the Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S7 Plus and found tutorials for the gestures.

These gestures, called Air Actions by Samsung, were introduced with the Galaxy Note 10. By holding the S Pen's button and making a specific motion, you can do a few different things, as the GIFs below illustrate. 

The first is a clockwise circle, which lets you zoom in with the camera. The second is an upward motion, that allows you to swap between a device's front and rear cameras.

The last gesture on show on that involves holding the button for a shortcut to the camera app, with another tap actually taking a picture.

There's also another GIF, but this one shows the S Pen being stored in a slot on the back of a tablet, a feature that Samsung has used for the past couple of Galaxy Tab generations.

We're interested in how these gestures will benefit Tab S7 users. But we're also curious about what it could mean for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20. The Galaxy Note series also comes with a stylus, and as we mentioned earlier, the Galaxy Note 10 is where this feature was first launched. 

Obviously Samsung hasn't decided to abandon the Air Actions feature, despite its lukewarm reception from reviewers for being a bit clunky. Therefore it seems more likely that we'll see the Note 20 keep these S Pen abilities, and also get some new ones or upgrades to deliver a smoother user experience.

Other features we're expecting for the Galaxy Tab S7 include a Snapdragon 865 chipset, a keyboard cover, as well as the S Pen, and 120Hz display refresh rates. The standard Tab S7 is thought to have an  11-inch LCD display and a fingerprint sensor in the home button. And the Tab S7 Plus will have a 12.4-inch OLED display with an embedded fingerprint sensor, allowing for a much more attractive thin bezel frame.

Samsung's holding its Galaxy Unpacked event on August 5, which is when we expect to hear the official announcement of the Galaxy Tab S7 and the Galaxy Note 20. It'll also be the place we will see the Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Z Fold 2 make their debut appearances too.

Richard Priday
Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.