After announcing a trio of Galaxy Tab devices over the last couple of months, Samsung is finally ready to share US availability and pricing details for the next generation of its tablets. In a nutshell, they’ll start at $199, $299 and $399 for the 7.0- , 8.0- and 10.1-inch models respectively, and will be available from retailers including Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon and others beginning on July 7, with pre-orders starting tomorrow June 25.
As a refresher, the entry-level Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 sports a dual-core 1.2GHz processor paired with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. For anyone desiring more space there’s also a microSD expansion slot. Other than that you get a 7-inch 1,024 x 600 TFT display, front and rear-facing cameras at 1.3 and 3.0 megapixel respectively, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, as well as Samsung's apps and built-in hubs.
The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 bumps up the processor to an Exynos 1.5GHz dual-core, offers 1.5GB of RAM, and its 8-inch screen also improves resolution to 1,280 x 800. Base storage is doubled to 16GB while keeping the option to expand through microSD, and you’ll be running the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean release. A 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front camera round out the specifications sheet.
Lastly, the 10.1 inch model is perhaps the most intriguing of them all, due to the fact that it uses a 1.6-GHz Intel Atom Z2560 "Clover Trail+" processor. This will be the first Intel Android device released in the U.S.
The tablet features the same 1280 x 800 resolution as the 8-inch model, which means it has a lower PPI at 149, and as you might expect it sports a bigger 6,800 mAh battery to support the power demands of a larger screen. It is also lacking next to its smaller sibling in a couple areas. It has 1GB of RAM, down from 1.5GB, and while its front facing camera is the same, the rear unit is only 3-megapixels.
On the upside it does include a built-in IR blaster as well as Samsung's WatchON TV recommendation service, so you can use it to control your TV. It comes with Android 4.2, 16GB of memory and a microSD slot.
To sweeten the deal Samsung is including a $10 Google Play Store voucher, one free year of Boingo’s hotspot service, three months of Hulu Plus, and 50GB of free Dropbox storage for two years with all three models.
