Samsung announced today its Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet will land in the United States this Thursday. The 16GB Wi-Fi-only model will cost $399 and is slated to be available at major retail outlets like Staples and Best Buy, as well as Internet stores including Newegg, TigerDirect and Amazon.
The Jelly Bean-based tablet, which has already seen its United Kingdom debut, is likely Samsung's response to the popularity of Apple's iPad Mini and Google's Nexus 7 which run $329 and $199, respectively. The device isn't cheap by comparison, but the tablet does promise an extra inch of real-estate without fully encroaching on its bigger brother's terrority: the Galaxy Note 10.1.
The new Note's specs include an 8-inch WXGA screen (1280 x 800), a 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos 4 APU partnered with 2GB of system memory and 16GB of internal storage. The tablet also features a microSD card slot which can accommodate high-capacity 64GB cards. Additionally, the device boasts a generous 4,600 mAh battery, although Samsung skimped on both the rear and front-facing cameras a bit: they weigh in at 5MP and 1.3MP, respectively.
One interesting feature found on the Galaxy Note 8.0 is an integrated infrared transmitter. With this built-in IR transmitter, the tablet can act as a universal touchscreen remote for televisions, Blu-ray players and more.
Samsung is also bundling a number of special offers with its Galaxy Note 8.0, including 50GB of Dropbox storage for two years and a $25 Google Play store credit. For some, this may help offset the tablet's otherwise steep entry price.