The numbers are all there for the specmeisters, with this reworked Galaxy Tab rocking a slightly larger touchscreen over the iPad 2, higher resolution, a 1GHz dual core processor and lighter 595g weight compared with the 601g of the iPad 2 Wi-Fi. But the most important number of all is its price. Unlike Samsung’s overpriced predecessor, the 16 GB Wi-Fi Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will cost exactly the same as the iPad 2 Wi-Fi 16 GB: $499. Bam!
The first Galaxy Tab didn’t fare too well. In fact, the day of the iPad 2′s rollout, even Samsung’s Executive VP of its mobile division Lee Don-Joo admitted its shortcomings: “We will have to improve the parts that are inadequate… Apple made [the iPad 2] very thin… The 10-inch (tablet) was to be priced higher than the 7-inch (tablet) but we will have to think that over,” he said.
We didn’t care much for the first Samsung Galaxy Tab, either. When we got our hands on it earlier this year in Barcelona, it was flimsy, felt cheap, and we thought its much-ballyhooed Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) interface was confusing and buggy. And, the device got uncomfortably hot in one corner.
While this thinner, redesigned model reportedly felt much better in all respects, it’s still missing one key number, and that is the hoard of software Apple offers for the iPad 2, more than 60,000 apps specifically created for the platform. But that impressive number also includes the fart apps, too. Even so, Apple has a huge head start.
Meanwhile, Samsung introduced another contender it calls the Galaxy Tab 8.9, a little more than an inch smaller than its big brother. It includes the same 1GHz dual-core processor, and looks just about the same as the 10.1-inch model, as you’ll see in the gallery below.
Both of Samsung’s new tabs beat the iPad 2 easily in the camera spec department, with a 3-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel up front, both shooting 1080p video. In what could be the clincher for many users, the Samsung tablets boast another capability lacking in the iPad 2: Adobe Flash playback.
Want to try one? You’ll have to wait until June 8 for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-Fi, priced at $499 for the 16 GB version and $599 for 32 gigs. Samsung was not as specific with the release date for the Galaxy Tab 8.9 Wi-Fi, which it said would be available in “early summer” at $469 for 16 GB and $569 for 32 gigs.
So is the Galaxy Tab 10.1 an iPad 2 killer? I don’t think so, but it’s a lot closer to being competitive than Samsung’s first attempt. Tell us in the comments if you agree.
Here’s a gallery featuring both new Samsung Galaxy Tabs:http://mashable.com/2011/03/22/galaxy-tabs/
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