Announced June 24th, Samsung is coming out with the Jelly Bean-using Galaxy Tab 3 Series of tablets. The tablets will come out in 7, 8 and 10 inch variants, with each version differing somewhat in specs. Each tablet will be available in white and new “gold brown” and will come with the traditional Samsung suite of apps and services: Samsung Apps, Music Hub, Game Hub, Samsung Kies, Samsung Kies Air, Samsung ChatON. And Each of the tablets will support Samsung’s Multi-Window functionality, a strong feature seen in the latest Galaxy Note releases. And At Engadget+gdgt Live in New York, we get got to dive into Samsung WatchON on the new Tab 3 line-up with Nick DiCarlo, VP of Product Planning & Marketing for Samsung Mobile.
Each of the three tablets of with all of the basics you’d expect from a tablet today. In the connectivity department, they sport Bluetooth, GPS, Wi-Fi (a/b/g/n bands @ 2.4/5GHz), Infrared Blaster, and USB 2.0. In visual/audio, you’d have rear and front facing cameras, Sound Alive (technology) and Dolby Surround for sound, and an HD screen (which will differ in resolution between the three) capable of Video Playback: 1080p Full HD @30fps. Also varying between the three is the onboard storage, but all three do accept a microSD card of up 64 GB of storage.And As expected on current-day Android devices, each tablet is also loaded with Google Standard Vanilla Apps: Google Search, Gmail, Google Play Store, Google Plus, YouTube, Google Talk, Google Maps (Turn-by-turn Navigation), and Google Now.
But how far separated are the three in specs?
Galaxy Tab 3 7.0
The Galaxy Tab 3 7.0, is geared to be the most portable of the three. The approach is clear: Everything you need reasonably crammed in the smallest package possible. Running Android 4.1, it’s powered by a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM and a Li-ion 4,000 mAh battery. The display resolution for this one is 1024×600. Equipped with 8GB’s of onboard storage, this tablet attempts to set the bar for the minimum requirements for a 7″ tablet costing $199.
Galaxy Tab 3 10.1
I’ll skip ahead and speak of the largest of the three, geared for movie-watching and being the “hub of the living room”, the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1. The screen resolution jumps to 1280×800 for this one. In comparison with the Tab 3 7.0, enhancements include Android 4.2, a 1.6 GHz dual-core processor, Bluetooth 4.0 (as opposed to 3.0), and 16 GB of internal storage. The layouts of the Tab 3 7.0 and the 10.1 cameras are the same with the Main (Rear) at 3-megapixels and the Sub (Front) at 1.3-megapixels. The “hub of the living room” concept is solidified with the built-in I/R blaster coupled with Samsung’s WatchON TV recommendation service. The Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 will be available for $399.
Galaxy Tab 3 8.0
Now when comparing the three Tab 3 tablets, it is an interesting twist that the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 has a bulk of the power of the Tab 3 10.1 while having almost the same portability of the Tab 3 7.0. You have the same resolution of 1280×800, same internal memory of 16GB, Bluetooth 4.0, and Android 4.2 (as opposed to 4.1 on the Tab 3 7.0). It takes a negligible step down with a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, but gets a RAM boost to 1.5 GB. And it sports the best camera layout of the three, Main (Rear) at 5-megapixels and the Sub (Front) at 1.3-megapixels. This middle man will go for $299.
The new Galaxy Tab 3’s will be available nationwide on July 7 for purchase at major retailers. And if you are interested in hearing a little about the Samsung WatchON service, take a look below at the demo conducted by Nick Dicarlo.