Korean technology manufacturer Samsung this morning revealed it would launch the new, 10.1″ version of its Galaxy Tab tablet device exclusively through Vodafone in mid-April, undercutting the price of its smaller 7″ model significantly by introducing the tablet at the price of $729 outright.
When Samsung’s first, smaller 7″ Galaxy Tab launched in Australia in the closing months of 2010, some saw its $999 price as being too high, given Apple’s larger iPad could be bought for several hundred dollars less — $799 for the 16GB 3G model. The new pricing on the 10.1″ model will bring the device more in line with prices on Apple’s iPad 2, which has also reduced in cost compared to the first iPad and will go on sale this Friday.
Samsung’s 10.1″ Galaxy Tab will go on sale initially exclusively through Vodafone in mid-April, the company said today, although Gizmodo has reported the device will not be locked to any particular carrier. Customers can buy it outright for $729 and receive 6GB of included data quota, which will expire after three months, or pay an upfront payment of $259 plus $39 per month over 12 months — and receive 1.5GB of quota per month.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is one of the first devices to be released running version 3.0 of the Android platform, which has been re-designed for the tablet form factor, in competition with the device currently dominating the local and global tablet markets — Apple’s iPad.
The Tab 10.1 will also feature a dual-core 1GHz CPU, providing grunt for the 10.1″ screen, running at a resolution of 1280×800 (WXGA). At 599 grams, the device will be lighter than Apple’s equivalent 3G iPad, and it supports access to Australia’s major mobile networks at HSPA+ (21Mbps) speeds.
“We are excited to partner with Vodafone to launch this limited edition tablet as part of our expanding range of tablet devices,” said Tyler McGee, vice president of telecommunications, Samsung Electronics Australia. “Samsung continually strives to deliver leading, first to market technologies and the Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1v is no exception.”
Ross Parker, general manager of devices and pricing, Vodafone said: “Vodafone is thrilled to offer our customers the first to market Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1v, operating on the highly anticipated Android 3.0 ‘Honeycomb’ platform. The Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1v is an exclusive limited edition enabling our customers to experience first the full mobile entertainment experience on the ultimate Android 3.0 platform.”
Image credit: Samsung
One of the most appealing things about this tab to me is that it records in 1080p24 (handy, but not that useful) but more importantly can output full 1080p24 video via HDMI. That makes is a truly portable HD media player that would be of great use to me. I want something that I can fill up with reference quality 1080p videos for home theatre calibration and demonstrations.
Still too expensive though. I’ll wait till I can get something of this calibre for $599. Either that or I’ll buy an iPad 2 and have to convert all my 1080p videos to H.264.
Any word on pricing for wifi-only models? I don’t want or need another 3G device, it’s redundant when I can make my smartphone a wifi hotspot.
I feel exactly the same way about 3G connections. Nope, Samsung have only told us about the 3G model at this point.
+1. There’s simply no need for 3G tablets if you have a decent smartphone and data plan.
Yer I’ve ot 2.5Gb of data on my phone, that I use for my netbook and would go fine for a tablet as well
Excellent point.. I never thought of doing that.
Now if only my Optus contract would expire so I can switch to Telstra!
You know, I never thought I’d have a use for a tablet, but now that I’m traveling on the bus a lot more, I’m starting to think I might like it. Maybe I should wait for a few more updates to the Android platform though…
3 is supposed to be a big ‘update’ and design for tablets.
I’m looking forward to this coming out
I agree this sort of thing is perfect for public transport. I’m surprised how much I use my HTC Desire on the train considering how small the screen is (can be a real struggle with some web sites), but with a 10.1″ screen it would be far more useful and convenient. Looking forward to getting my hands on one to see if it’s worth shelling out for or if it’s better to wait.
“The Samsung GALAXY Tab 10.1v is an exclusive limited edition”.
Do Vodafone mean limited as in it won’t last long on the market, or limited as in you are really limited if you try and use it on the Vodafone network.
I think we can safely say 2011 will be the year of the beta tablet for Android. Unless you are a dev or have money to burn, it’s probably better waiting a while for ipad alternatives, or at least until you can be sure they’re going to get updates for them.
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