Samsung has announced plans to release a "Galaxy Tab 2," an official Android 4.0 follow-up to the first Galaxy Tab released in October 2010. The 7.0-inch Galaxy Tab 2's specs are underwhelming compared to the offshoot Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, a weird prospect given that the Tab 7.0 Plus is meant to be a bargain model.
The Galaxy Tab 2 will have a 1GHz dual-core processor of unspecified make, 1GB of RAM, a 3-megapixel "fixed-focus" rear camera, and a VGA-front facing camera. The tablet will be able to connect to both WiFi and HSPA+ networks, though Samsung has not yet announced a carrier. The whole thing will run on a 4,000mAh battery, and the 8GB/16GB/32GB storage options can be supplemented by a microSD card slot, up to an extra 32GB.
The Tab 2 comes only months after the Tab 7.0 Plus, which was released at a two-year contract price of $249 to compete with the Kindle Fire (through an extra $10 charge over the two years, customers would still end up paying the same $499 starting price as the original Tab). Despite the Tab 7.0 Plus's low starting price, it has slightly better specs than the Tab 2: a 1.2GHz processor and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
The Tab 2 will come with Android 4.0, which is a plus, though no release date or prices have been announced yet. The mitigated specs and may mean the tablet could be released off of a contract, finally, for a reasonable price.
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