Samsung introduced its latest tablet today, the Galaxy Tab 3, and it’s clear that the Tab line is destined to play a distinct second fiddle to the Galaxy Note brand. The Tab 3 sounds like it could’ve been released a year or two ago, with a 7-inch 1024×600 display at just 169 PPI, a 1.2GHz dual core processor and a 3 megapixel rear-facing camera.
The Tab 3 also has cellular connectivity in one version, but caps out at 3G and doesn’t offer an LTE option, and it’s running Android 4.1. There are two memory options, at 8 and 16GB respectively, though that’s expandable via Micro SD. The Tab 3 improves on the Tab 2 7.0 with a thinner bezel, borrowing design styling from the Galaxy Note series. The Wi-Fi version will be available in May, and the cellular-capable model goes on sale in June.
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Samsung is clearly streamlining its tablet line here, since the Tab 3 naming indicates we probably won’t see a follow-up to the Tab 2 10.1. The Android OEM has moved a lot of the focus on its higher-end Galaxy Note line when it comes to tablets, like the recently introduced Galaxy Note 8.0. The Note 8.0 has a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and a 5 megapixel rear camera, plus an 8-inch 1280×800 display.
There’s no retail price for the Galaxy Tab 3 as of yet, but the Galaxy Note 8.0 is $399 so expect it to come in under that, as it’s less impressive under the hood and also lacks S-Pen integration. The Tab line is likely Samsung’s way of staying competitive with cheap, small tables like the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire, but I wouldn’t expect this to light a fire under that many consumers.