Samsung has finally announced the final two editions of their Galaxy Tab 3 line-up. The 7" model was released more than a month ago, with the 8" and 10.1" models now joining it to form the Intel powered trio. While the Galaxy Tab 2 series has impressed the digital community, unfortunately, the newer 3 series seems rather underwhelming, especially considering rival companies are coming up with tablets having better resolutions and faster processors. Instead of weaving all the specs of the 3 tabs into text for a difficult comparison, we bring you a lovely table below with most of the relevant details listed.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Screen Size
7 inch
8 inch
10.1 inch
Resolution
1024 x 600
1280 x 800
OS
Android 4.1
Android 4.2
CPU
Dual Core 1.2 GHz
Dual Core 1.5 GHz
Dual Core 1.6 GHz
RAM
1 GB
1.5 GB
1 GB
Internal Storage
8 GB or 16 GB
16 GB or 32 GB
External Storage
MicroSD 64 GB
Rear Camera
3 MPx
5 MPx
3 MPx
Front Camera
1.3 MPx
Connectivity
Wifi or Wifi/3G
Wifi or Wifi/3G/4G
Battery Capacity
4,000 mAh
4,450 mAh
6,800 mAh
Interestingly, the 8" tablet even exceeds the 10.1" version in some aspects, such as having 50 percent more RAM and a much better camera. The resolutions of the screens are all disappointing. While Samsung claims that full HD material can be played on them, the screens are not even close to the 1080p resolutions that rival tablets are starting to show. While not a complete loss, the tablet series signifies a major breakthrough for Intel, as the tablets are fitted with what Intel says is the Atom Z2560 Clover Trail+. The company has previously had trouble establishing a grasp of the mobile market, so having their new line of atoms in the latest Galaxy devices is quite a claim for them.
The new development means that this tablet is built of the x86 architecture of Intel instead of the ARM design that most other phones still use. It will be interesting to see how long it takes before people start putting Windows 8 on the tablets with the x86 architecture. Tell us what you think of this new line of Galaxy devices and whether you would buy one, assuming the prices are similar to older Galaxy Tab on their launch, and that Samsung comes through with their promised worldwide delivery date of June 2013 (despite the month already having started).
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TBH, I wouldn't even consider an Android tablet with less than 2GB of RAM. Why would I want a tablet with less RAM than my phone? 2GB is not overkill. Where's the "future-proofing" in less than 2GB of RAM in 2013? ...and 1280x800? 1920x1080 is showing up on a lot of phones, why would we want a lower res'd tablet? These are obviously very low-end devices. Where's the mid- to hi-end? Again (didn't Asus just announce some similarly weakly spec'd tablet?), perhaps the market IS only demanding low-end low-cost designs.
It'd be nice to see at least one 8-10" tablet with the Exynos 4+4 "Octo" (or better) and 2-4GB of RAM with 32-64GB of on board storage, and a 1920x1080+ display. Asus? Samsung? Anyone?
EDIT: Asus is releasing an appropriately spec'd update to the Transformer Infinity.
