Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 311: Top 5 Tablets Which Will Pose Direct Threat to Rs 13,900 Wi-Fi Only Device

Recently, Samsung came out to be one of the major tech brands at the CES 2013 event last month. Moving forward, as the MWC 2013 is all set to kick off in February, all tech maniacs are waiting to see the stunning gadgets to be unveiled by the South Korean giant at the showground. However, prior to that Samsung has come up with a new device for all its Indian fans out there.

Yes! The guess is right, the talk is about the recently unveiled Galaxy Tab 2 311 - the Wi-Fi only version of its highly acclaimed tablet launched last year at MWC - Galaxy Tab 2 7.0.

The new tablet is available for pre-order from Samsung's official e-store at a price of Rs 13,900 and will be released into the market in the first week of February 2013.

Specwise, Galaxy Tab 2 311 is quite similar to its Wi-Fi + 3G counterpart and sports a 7 inch PLS TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen display with 1024 x 600 pixel resolution, 1GHz dual-core processor, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, 3MP rear camera, VGA front-facing camera, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, microSD card slot, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS and 4,000 mAh battery.

As mentioned above, those consumers who are interested in the device can pre-book one from the official Samsung eStore for Rs. 13,900. Available in White and Silver color options, Galaxy Tab 2 311 will start shipping from the first week of February. Further, Samsung has assured a surprise gift with every purchase of the new tablet.

While the lack of a 3G SIM support for voice calling may be disappointing, it is quite clear that Samsung has launched the tablet to bring the market a premium level competition to the other Wi-Fi only tablets available in India including Nexus 7, iPad Mini, Iconia B1 A71 and also the ones from homegrown vendors including Micromax, Karbonn, Byond and others.

Gizbot has come up with a list of 5 threatening rivals of the newly announced Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 311 tablet. Swirl through the slideshow to know more details on the specs and pricing of the challengers of Galaxy Ta 2 311.

Google Nexus 7

Google Nexus 7 sports a 7 inch 10 point multi-touch IPS display with 1280 x 800 resolution, quad core 1.2GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS (upgradeable to Android 4.2 Jelly Bean), 1GB RAM, 16GB/32GB internal storage, 1.2MP front camera, WiFi, Bluetooth, 4,325 mAh battery and NFC connectivity.

The tablet has started receiving the OTA update for Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS and is available on online retailer sites starting at Rs 17,999.

With increased internal storage and better battery, Nexus 7 could be a stiff challenger to the Samsung tablet, however, the latter has a rear camera and comes at a relatively lesser price tag.

Apple iPad Mini 16GB

iPad Mini has a packs a 7.9 inch LED-backlit IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display with 1024 x 768 pixel resolution, which is not a Retina Display, 1GHz dual core Apple A5 processor, PowerVR GPU, 5MP iSight rear camera, 1.2MP front camera for video calling, iOS 6, 16GB/32GB/64GB internal storage, 512MB RAM, Lightning port, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a 16.3 Whr Li-Po battery delivering up to 10 hours backup.

When it comes to pricing, the 16GB Wi-Fi only variant of iPad Mini sells at Rs 21,900 in India. With a larger display, better camera performance and improved battery backup, the Apple offering should be a prominent rival of Galaxy Tab 2 311.

Acer Iconia B1-A71

Iconia B1-A71 was made official at CES 2013 with a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels, 1.2GHz dual core MediaTek processor, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, 0.3MP front camera, 8GB internal storage,k 512MB RAM, micro SD card slot, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, micro USB 3.0 and a 2,710 mAh battery.

Estimated to be priced at Rs 7,999, the tablet is available on online retailer site Infibeam.com at a price of Rs 8,199.

Though Galaxy Tab 2 311 is priced higher than the Acer offering, it comes with a rear camera, increased storage capacity and a better battery backup.

HCL ME U1

HCL is well known in the Indian tablet space for its affordable Android offerings under its ME lineup. ME U1 is a 7 inch tablet that can be a considered to be a potential rival to the latest Samsung tablet.

ME U1 sports a 7 inch capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich OS, 1GHz processor, 0.3MP front camera, 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage, micro SD card slot, 3G via dongle, Wi-Fi and a 3,000 mAh battery.

Priced at Rs 5,950, the HCL tablet might cost lesser than the Galaxy Tab 2 311, which is available at Rs 13,900. However, the latter comes with increased internal storage, better battery, faster processor, a rear camera (lacking in ME U1) and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean platform.

Intex iBuddy Connect

Intex iBuddy Connect boasts a 7 inch capacitive touchscreen display with 800 x 480 pixel resolution, 1GHz processor, Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich OS, 2MP rear camera, VGA front camera, 4GB internal storage, 512MB RAM, micro SD card slot, Wi-Fi, 3G via dongle, Bluetooth, HDMI and a 3,000 mAh battery.

Intex iBuddy Connect comes in White and Chocolate colors and is priced at Rs 7,990. As an introductory offer this would be bundled with an exclusive leather cover with attached keyboard worth Rs 1,500 free of cost. With a lesser price tag and attractive freebies, the Intex tablet could definitely be a challenger for the Samsung tablet with improved specs.