New Samsung Galaxy Tabs Unveiled at CTIA 2011 in Orlando

Samsung has been talking of adding a couple of additional sizes to the Samsung Galaxy Tab lineup, and they were revealed to many “ooohs” and “aaahs” March 24^th at the annual Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association electronics-fest in Orlando, Fl. The new 8.9 and 10.1 inch tablets are very similar to the low-stock Apple iPad 2, and could be showing up at a great time for Samsung. In many insiders’ eyes, the Galaxy Tab is the most viable of the iPad 2 competitors.

The physical feel and construction of the tabs is solid. It feels sturdy without being heavy, and are thinner than the iPad 2, which Samsung execs had described as “very thin” when they first saw it. The interface seems a little slow, but that will no doubt be taken care of before release June 8^th. They join the already popular Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 inch tablet.

The tablets were presented for limited access to industry insiders and guests, and I had a chance to get my hands on one for a quick look. The Honeycomb 3.0 OS with full Flash support is on board now that Adobe has released their Android update, and it flew right along. The interface and control layout seemed much more natural than with the Tab 7, not that it was bad there.

These two new Galaxy Tabs will run Android Honeycomb 3.0, as tested, even though this is the beta version. Google claims to be able to have the standard version in place in time for the June release date. Visually, the Tabs are stunning. The 10.1 is aimed right square at the Apple iPad 2, which is the same size. Google Android OS access is the number one reason prospective customers said they would buy a Tab, Xoom, PlayBook or other tablet over the iPad 2, so it is good to see that the finalization by Google is happening in time for these new tablets.

The 7 inch retails for $250 with a two year data contract, and somewhere between $500 and $600 off contract. The 8.9 inch Galaxy Tab will retail for $469 for the 16GB version, with the 32GB going for $569. The iPad 2-aimed Galaxy Tab 10.1 will cost $499 for the 16GB version, with the 32GB going for $599. That is competitive pricing for the 10.1 that is hopefully, for Samsung anyway, going to take a bite out of the big Apple.