The original 7-inch Galaxy Tab wasn't all that impressive. It was a premature release with an inadequate SoC running a version of Android intended for smartphones, not tablets. Since then Samsung has put forth some of the most impressive Honeycomb based tablet designs with its Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9. Today, Samsung is expanding the lineup to include a new 7-inch tablet: the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.

A bit thicker than the 10.1 and 8.9, the 7.0 Plus measures 9.96mm compared to 8.6mm for the bigger tabs. Weight is significantly lower at 345g, and obviously the overall footprint is smaller. Samsung continues to use its own PLS display technology although the resolution of the 7.0 Plus drops to 1024 x 600.

Samsung 2011 Tablet Comparison
  Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus Galaxy Tab 8.9 Galaxy Tab 10.1
SoC Dual ARM Cortex A9 @ 1.2GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 (Dual ARM Cortex A9 @ 1GHz) NVIDIA Tegra 2 (Dual ARM Cortex A9 @ 1GHz)
GPU ? NVIDIA GeForce NVIDIA GeForce
RAM 1GB 1GB 1GB
Display 1024 x 600 PLS 1280 x 800 PLS 1280 x 800 PLS
NAND 16GB 16GB 16GB
Dimensions 193.65 x 122.37 x 9.96 230.9 x 157.8 x 8.6mm 256.6 x 172.9 x 8.6mm
Weight 345g 447g 565g
Price ? $469 $499

No word on the SoC, but it is a dual-core solution (thus most likely making it a dual-core A9) running at 1.2GHz. The options include NVIDIA's Tegra 2 (like the 10.1 and 8.9), Samsung's own Exynos or Qualcomm's MSM8660.

The 7.0 Plus features an integrated HSPA+ (21Mbps) baseband capable of working 900, 1900 and 2100MHz networks. EDGE/GPRS are supported on 850, 900, 1800 and 1900MHz bands.

The tablet features two cameras: a 3MP rear facing unit with LED flash and a 2MP front facing sensor. Samsung will also integrate its TouchWiz UX into Android for the 7.0 Plus. Battery capacity is listed as 4000 mAh.

The 7.0 Plus will begin is life in Indonesia and Austria at the end of next month, with a gradual global rollout afterwards.

Source: Samsung

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  • briansct - Friday, September 30, 2011 - link

    Why not compare this to the Kindle Fire? It's obvious who the competitor is here.
    And about the Fire, missed a huge detail in that review too: 3G? 4G? I assume the Galaxy 7 will offer some connectivity.... you need another row in your comparison graphic to indicate connectivity!!!
    Duh!
  • sigmatau - Friday, September 30, 2011 - link

    Actualy, the detail missed you.

    "Given that the Kindle Fire is WiFi only...."

    That was on the first page of the review.
  • briansct - Friday, September 30, 2011 - link

    Right. . . but my frustration lies more in a lack of comparison of the tablets based on what I consider the most important detail. I do not plan on buying (and I am seriously considering the possibility) the Kindle Fire based on the fact that it is WiFi only. I want the ability to connect and access media while on the go!
    If I'm home I'm certainly not going to watch video on a 7" screen when I have options to watch the same media on 50", 32", 19" 15" screens!
    I'm just saying that we're not stressing and important determiner of sales.
  • sigmatau - Friday, September 30, 2011 - link

    I don't know why they didn't include a 3G chip. You would think something like that would cost a couple of bucks to Amazon at the most to buy.

    I can see some use of this when I was on the road too. Not so much at home.
  • Meaker10 - Friday, September 30, 2011 - link

    The chip itself? Not expensive, the legally required testing and validation, more expensive.
  • sprockkets - Friday, September 30, 2011 - link

    You want to lose a couple more bucks on a device they supposedly are losing money on?
  • SilthDraeth - Saturday, October 1, 2011 - link

    If you actually read the teardown, they most likely aren't losing money.
  • peldor - Friday, September 30, 2011 - link

    A nice upgrade on paper. Double the cores, double the RAM, Honeycomb over Froyo, thinner (by 2mm), and lighter (by 40g).

    Just need to maintain the battery life and, of course, bring it in at a good price. The last feat getting a lot harder with the Fire coming out soon.

    Looking forward to a head-to-head 7" tablet roundup!
  • surt - Friday, September 30, 2011 - link

    No table buy until I can watch movies without horrible artifacts from scaling.
  • elian123 - Saturday, October 1, 2011 - link

    I would have expected both the original 7 inch Tab and the announced Tab 7.7 in the comparison table. Specifically the differences with the latter are quite relevant if you're interested in a tablet of this size from Samsung.

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