Samsung is taking on the iPad mini with the newest addition to its Galaxy line of tablets. The Galaxy 8.0 lands squarely in the mid-size tablet category with a feature set that makes it both portable and powerful.
Similar to other Samsung tablets, the Galaxy 8.0 includes the S-Pen stylus and the productivity features that go along with it. The tablet also has the same multi-tasking support that is seen on the Galaxy Note II. A plethora of bundled apps such as Chat-On, Awesome Note, Flipboard, Smart Remote and more will come pre-installed on the tablet.
Hardware-wise, the Galaxy 8.0 has a 1.6GHz A9 quad-core processor and 2GB RAM, which is plenty to power the Android 4.1.2 (Jellybean) operating system. The 8-inch tablet has a WXGA display with 1280×800 resolution and 189 ppi. Storage options include 16 or 32GB of onboard storage and microSD expansion up to 64GB.
This is a tablet and not a smartphone, so cameras are not a priority in this model. As a result, the Galaxy 8.0 will ship with a 5-megapixel rear camera capable of 1080p Full HD video @ 30fps and a 1.3-megapixel front camera. The Galaxy 8.0 has all the standard connectivity options like HSPA+ 21Mbps 850/900/1900/2100, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 & 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0 and A-GPS + GLONASS (3G Version).
The Galaxy 8.0 will debut in select countries European and Asian countries starting in Q2 2013. it will land in the US sometime in the future. Pricing details were not yet available.
[Via Samsung]