Samsung met expectations with a slew of new Android hardware. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the direct sequel to Samsung’s very first mobile tablet and is also the first to use a tablet-sized AMOLED screen, fitting its own 7.7-inch, 1280×800 Super AMOLED Plus screen. Despite the smaller size, it’s also possibly Samsung’s fastest tablet with a dual-core, self-made 1.4GHz processor fast enough to play 1080p video.
In sync with the higher resolution screen, the Tab 7.7 runs Android 3.2 and is finally using a genuinely optimized tablet interface. TouchWiz sits on top with the same interface as from larger Galaxy Tabs.
Much of the hardware is an upgrade independently of speed. Helped partly by a 5,100mAh battery, the smaller tablet can still manage 10 hours of continuous video, even with a 0.31-inch thickness that’s thinner than earlier models. At 0.74 pounds, the design is also much lighter and closer to e-readers. It can reach up to 21Mbps on HSPA+ 3G and, in some versions, can still make phone calls. A version with 64GB built-in is also now a choice for those going beyond 32GB or who need more than what microSDHC cards can do.
Samsung is still conservative with the cameras, which stop at three megapixels on the back and two megapixels at the front. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 doesn’t have a definitive release date but is expected to come soon.
