During the 2011 Mobile World Congress that took place in Barcelona last month, Samsung unveiled the successor to the Galaxy Tab, the Galaxy Tab 10.1, with which the company aims to take on Apple’s iPad 2.

 

The Korean manufacturer isn’t just using this tablet PC in its battle against Cupertino’s ultra popular tablet though, as it has decided that two tablets are better than one. Joining the (updated) Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be the Galaxy Tab 8.9, which boasts an 8.9" WXGA (1280 x 800 resolution) TFT LCD display.  

 

Like the Galaxy Tab 10.1, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 operates on Google’s Android 3.0 operating system (aka Honeycomb) along with Samsung’s latest TouchWiz user experience (UX). Both models are a mere 8.6 mm thin (thinner than the 10.1 model Samsung unveiled at MWC), making them slightly slimmer than the 8.8 mm thick frame of the iPad 2. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 weighs in at 595 g and its little brother at 470 g. 

 

As is the case with the iPad 2 both of Samsung’s tablets feature a dual-core application processor, enabling faster web browsing and overall better performance.

 

It’s not only the width of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 that’s been reduced, as the pixel count for the rear-facing camera (on both models) now numbers three megapixels (down from eight, but still capable of 720p video recording though), with a 2 MP front-facing camera also included. 

 

Along with the HD video recording ability of these Galaxy Tabs, is the capability of both to provide users with full HD (1080p) video playback. Unlike the iPad 2, both will be able to play Flash video and content when unboxed, as they sport Adobe Flash Player 10.2.

 

Samsung’s new Galaxy Tabs will be available in the US as of 8 June with pricing for the 8.9 model kicking off at $469 (around R3253) and $499 (approx. R3461) for the Galaxy Tab 10.1. No word yet on a local release date.