DailyTech - Samsung's Galaxy Family Rounds Out With 7.7", 5.3" Android Slabs

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Hardware Samsung's Galaxy Family Rounds Out With 7.7", 5.3" Android Slabs
Jason Mick (Blog) - September 1, 2011 10:06 AM

13 comment(s) - last by bill4.. on Sep 2 at 7:29 AM

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 (left) and Galaxy Note (right)

Whatever size device you want, it appears Samsung has you covered with its dizzying selection of Galaxy slabs

Is it a phone? Is it a tablet? The answers do not come easy.

But Samsung Electronics Comp., Ltd.'s (SEO:005930) latest multi-touch device sporting Google, Inc.'s (GOOG) ubiquitous Android operating system (version 2.3 "Gingerbread") will certainly make one big bulge in your pocket.

The device -- dubbed the "Samsung Galaxy Note" -- is the first Android phone (if we can call it that...) that beats the iPhone 4 in resolution, sporting a gorgeous 5.3-inch 1280 x 800 pixel Super AMOLED display. It also packs a super-speedy 1.4 GHz Samsung Exynos dual-core processor, a proprietary ARM chip design.

The phone is a hair thicker than the iPhone 4 or Samsung Galaxy S II, measuring in at 9.65 mm (0.38 in.), but it only weighs 178 grams (6.3 ounces). While the textured back plastic may detract from the visual appeal, it adds utility, allowing a better grip on the smartphone behemoth.

Battery life should be decent thanks to a beefy 2,500 mAh battery. The phone also features an HSPA+ modem (making it a likely target for AT&T Inc.'s (T) and Deutsche Telekom AG's (ETR:DTE) T-Mobile USA's networks) and dual cameras in the front and rear (front-facing camera: 2 MP; rear camera: 8 MP).

The device also revives the old stylus, which it dubs the "S Pen". The company revealed several stylus-centric apps, including "Virtual Whiteboard" and "S Memo". Samsung is even offering up an S Pen SDK for ambitious third party developers.

Along with the Galaxy Note, comes a new Galaxy Tab, the Galaxy Tab 7.7. The tablet features a 7.7-inch 1280 x 800 pixel Super AMOLED screen and 5,100 mAh battery (1,100 more mAh than the original 7-inch Galaxy Tab).

The tablet packs the same 1.4 GHz dual-core processor as the Galaxy Note, 16-64 GB of NAND flash storage, a microSD memory expansion slot (the Galaxy Tab 10.1 lacks this!), 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, an HSPA+ cellular modem, GPS, and twin cameras (front face: 2 MP; rear: 3 MP).

With two launches in the last week at the IFA 2012 in Berlin, it's clear that Samsung is focused on rounding out its cellular offerings. Here's a quick visual recap of the lineup, with the new additions: