Samsung has updated its most basic 7-inch tablet, and announced the Galaxy Tab 3, however instead of refreshing the spec sheet, the company has only slightly tweaked the feature list. The prime difference comes with the design, which now fits with other Samsung products, such as the Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet and the Galaxy S4smartphone.
Like those, and many other Samsung mobile devices, the rear of the Galaxy Tab 3 is flat with curved edges, and a centrally mounted camera lens. The side profile reveals the Galaxy S4′s influence, while around the front it’s easy to see the link between it and the Galaxy Note 8.0. It’s also lighter and slimmer than the Galaxy Tab 2, which Samsung says makes it more comfortable to hold, and to its credit, it dips below the already lightweight Nexus 7′s figures.
So, the design has changed, but what about the spec? The processor has been upped to a 1.2GHz dual-core chip, plus a 1.3 megapixel video call camera has been added. Samsung has installed Android 4.1 Jelly Bean too, and covered it in the TouchWiz UI.
The screen has stayed at 7-inches, as has the 1024 x 600 pixel resolution, which does put it below many of its cheap Android tablet competitors. The 3 megapixel rear camera is also the same. Samsung will release two versions of the tablet, one with Wi-Fi and the other with 3G. The 3G tablet will double as a phone, which seems to be a growing fashion, following the launch of hardware such as the Asus Fonepad.
Samsung will put the Wi-Fi Galaxy Tab 3 on sale in May, with the 3G version coming in June, however prices have yet to be confirmed
