Samsung confirms Galaxy S II, Galaxy Tab II early

updated 04:25 am EST, Sun February 13, 2011

Samsung Galaxy S II and Tab II official early

Samsung confirmed its Mobile World Congress plans early with details of its two flagships. The Galaxy Tab II is now slightly larger than the iPad it goes up against with a 10.1-inch, 1280x800 display much like the Motorola Xoom. It uses what should be a stock version of Android 3.0 and runs on a 1GHz (likely dual-core) processor that can record 1080p video from the rear eight-megapixel camera.

The Galaxy S II mostly fits recent expectations and centers on a dual-core 1GHz processor, a sharper 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen, HSPA+ 3G and an eight-megapixel camera with 1080p video. It's now known to come with either 16GB or 32GB of included storage and to support mobile HDTV viewing, though in which countries wasn't mentioned.

Software will be a key factor as it will now have the same Music Hub and Readers Hub as the Galaxy Tab along with a Games Hub and the usual Social Hub. More details are expected to come from Samsung's press event in Barcelona this evening.

The Galaxy Tab II sets a potentially high hurdle for the next iPad, its main rival. Most now expect Apple to move to dual-core and to use much faster dual PowerVR SGX543 graphics that could achieve similar 1080p performance. A new iPad could be ready as soon as March or April and might leave Samsung just a short window in which to claim a performance lead.

Galaxy Tab II

Galaxy S II

By Electronista Staff

Post tools:

TAGS :

gadgets, Android, Samsung, PowerVR, Apple, Galaxy, iPad, Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab

Feathers

Grizzled Veteran

Joined: Oct 1999

02/13, 08:08am | report spam | close reply

Features vs Tech

It appears that new Samsung's will be feature laden; a decent camera, decent screen etc. Given that traditionally Apple have emphasized underlying tech over surface features; build quality, battery life etc., as the gap in tech closes, Apple may have to improve on features. The rumored iPod Touch spec cameras may not cut it. The addition of an SDXC card slot could be the first concession to the need for slightly better "features". I hope so. In this regard, I'm one of those people waiting for improvement on this side of the equation before I buy an iPad... and it will be an iPad, not an HP, Samsung, Blackberry or Motorola.

joecab

Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Apr 2004

02/13, 09:33am | report spam | close reply

I still don't get it

Why does everything have to have a freakin' camera? Especially something larger than an iPad?

hayesk

Professional Poster

Joined: Sep 1999

02/13, 09:43am | report spam | close reply

Don't get it

With the exception of a notification log, this Honeycomb OS doesn't seem to offer anything more than gimmicky eye candy - like the silly Windows Aero interface. I don't see anything that actually will increase productivity.

Jonathan-Tanya

Joined: Oct 2004

+11

02/13, 10:17am | report spam | close reply

the camera makes it useful for business

we used to do site survey's for installing satellite dishes - but the same could go for a lot of jobs - when you are carrying around the thing trying to document this or that, you don't want to just describe what you are seeing, you want to snap a photo and include that in the documentation.

Comment buried. Show

chippie

Joined: May 2009

-13

02/13, 11:02am | report spam | (1 reply) close | reply

@hayesk

You seem to not be able to see beyond your eyelids. How do you know the merits or disadvantages of Honeycomb when it is not commercially available and test models of tablets running it haven't been given to the tech press? You seem to be one who could not see productivity in a beehive at high noon( hah, hah). The ipad is nothing if not a big piece of eye candy posing as the door to apple's candy shop. People seem to like eye candy wherever they find it. What's your problem?

TomMcIn

Joined: Dec 2001

02/13, 02:03pm | report spam | close reply

Back Camera

I have waited for the iPad2 and would like it to have about a 5MP Back camera for both the odd picture and to "digitize / photocopy" some paper documents. Can live without a Retina class display. No way do I want to get lost in the Android maze.

IxOsX

Joined: Feb 2009

02/13, 03:28pm | report spam | close reply

I like it

This promise a lot. I think we are just watching a new technological leap.

Paper, Pencil and the abacus -> Giant Mainframes with valves -> Micro-Computers -> Desktops-> Laptops -> Tablets/Pads

Remember this day, that began with a visionary man called Steve Jobs.

-9

02/13, 05:17pm | report spam | (1 reply) close | reply

More screen real estate
More screen pixels
8 megapixel rear camera
Front facing camera
Dual core processor
HD video recording
SD card slot
Further OSX dashboard that you like has no iOS equivalent. The" app for that" has repeatedly been rejected by the Cupertino crew. apple inc.
If none of these are capable of increasing your productivity, your job may be as exciting as watching paint dry! And apple not approving your dashboard eye candy for ipad may explain why you have a bee in your bonnet.

chas_m

Moderator

Joined: Aug 2001

02/13, 05:51pm | report spam | close reply

Overly busy-looking

Based on the pictures above, Samsung seem to be making the same mistake Windows Phone 7 has -- substituting "cram tons of stuff into every inch of screen" for "design."

Still, that's just an initial impression, you'd have to get ahold of the product and run it through its paces to see how it goes, and as I always say (and ebeyer beat me to saying) "Competition is good."

lurkerdude

Joined: Jan 2005

02/13, 11:58pm | report spam | close reply

Camera

I really don't understand this camera business. Front camera I can understand for video conferencing. But if I want to take a good video, I'll use a camcorder (and Samsung announced wifi enabled camcorders, now THAT is the way to go), instead of holding some rectangle up with both my hands. If I want some quick crappy video -- well, everyone and their mom is already carrying around a phone with a camera on it. This is a case where people should be working on interoperability and building out the Personal Area Network, not duplicating every function on yet another portable device.

Personally, I would have liked to have had the choice of form factors (7 inch), not another 10 inch tablet, because I'm guessing there won't be a compelling difference between this and the next iPad. I guess we'll see.

tsmelker

Joined: Feb 2006

-2

02/14, 12:37am | report spam | close reply

Yeah, let's make it close enough to the iPhone...

... so that people might mistake our wannabe for Apple's spectacular product.

"Imitation... it's the sincerest way of saying that Apple got it right."

bonaccij

Joined: Jun 2003

02/14, 08:46am | report spam | close reply

is it a nice tablet?

I guess one could argue that this is a very nice tablet. The thing one has to ask is, "Is there a qualifiable good ecosystem to go along with it?" I have to say, at this time, no. Believe me, I have been waiting for a rival to the iPad for a year now. I think competition is wonderful - if there is competition. I see many, many competitors trying to up-end the iPad, but nobody is really going a bang up job. I think that HP is the first REAL contender, but even the stylish new pad they introduced last week really isn't a competitor for the iPad.

I'm not a huge believer in the "Everything should be free" model that Android is so heavily supporting. I can't bring myself to believe this is good for developers and I can't see how this is good for the consumer either. There is a sort of value-add when you actually pay for an application. One expects things to work because you have actually paid for something. I have a bunch of colleagues that have gone out and purchased the Galaxy Tab (the original) and all of them don't use them. They don't use them because the apps that they had on their iPads just don't exist on the Android model.

I don't know. I think 2011 is going to be interesting as every major manufacturer tries (again) to duplicate the success that Apple has had with their entrant into this new field. I can hope that others will eventually get it. But, effaced by the iPod, I just don't think that's going to happen and Apple will remain the industry leader in this new category.

05/23	AT&T GoPhone may get iPhone, LTE/HSPA...
05/23	Brazilian email may back Apple performing...
05/23	iOS 6 Flyover coverage expands to more...
05/23	Google posts Chrome 28 beta, integrates...
05/23	Google in 'holding pattern' with Apple...

05/23	AT&T GoPhone may get iPhone, LTE/HSPA...
05/23	Google posts Chrome 28 beta, integrates...
05/23	Google in 'holding pattern' with Apple...
05/23	Report claims details of iPhone 5S,...
05/23	iAd gets Media Ratings Council aaccreditation...

Samsung confirms Galaxy S II, Galaxy Tab II early

updated 04:25 am EST, Sun February 13, 2011

Samsung Galaxy S II and Tab II official early

Features vs Tech

Yay

Key question?

I still don't get it

Don't get it

the camera makes it useful for business

@hayesk

Back Camera

I like it

@hayesk

Overly busy-looking

Camera

Yeah, let's make it close enough to the iPhone...

is it a nice tablet?

Login Here

Most Read

Electronista Marketplace

Samsung confirms Galaxy S II, Galaxy Tab II early

updated 04:25 am EST, Sun February 13, 2011

Samsung Galaxy S II and Tab II official early

Related Articles

Recent Articles

Features vs Tech

Yay

Key question?

I still don't get it

Don't get it

the camera makes it useful for business

@hayesk

Back Camera

I like it

@hayesk

Overly busy-looking

Camera

Yeah, let's make it close enough to the iPhone...

is it a nice tablet?

Login Here

Recently Commented Articles

Related Forum Posts

Most Read

Electronista Marketplace