Samsung's latest Galaxy Tab could be the company's next big hit if the price matches its middling specifications.


OK, now this is just getting confusing. Samsung this week has unveiled yet another Galaxy Tab, but it's not a third 10-inch model or a second 7.7-incher. Instead, this latest Tab is the follow up to the original Galaxy Tab, with a matching 7-inch display in tow.

First impressions

This sure seems like unusual timing for a product of this size in this category. Samsung has only just released its 7.7-inch Galaxy Tab in the last few months, and we fully expect the Korean powerhouse to back up this announcement with a new 10-inch tablet at Mobile World Congress 2012.

The secret to the success of this latest tablet might be in its price, one detail Samsung is yet to reveal. With the furious uptake of the Amazon Kindle Fire in the US at Christmas last year, it would be wise for Samsung to devise a device to compete at a similar price point.

This would explain the tablet's comparatively underwhelming specs. Compared with its latest models, Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 makes use of a lower resolution 7-inch screen (600x1024 pixels) and a slightly slower dual-core 1GHz processor. It also has lower resolution cameras, with a 3-megapixel shooter on the back and a VGA resolution sensor on the front for video-calling.

There are a few ticks for the Tab 2, though, with 1GB RAM to keep the system chugging along smoothly and a 3G data connection supported downloads at 21Mbps. It is also the first Samsung tablet to be announced running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).


Outlook

We are big fans of 7-inch tablets here at CNET Australia, and if Samsung can keep the price of the Tab 2 low then this could be the tablet to beat out all the other more powerful models being sold at twice the price.