Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 announced

Samsung today announced the Galaxy Tab 2, the successor to its first Android tablet. The original Samsung Galaxy Tab was a little ahead of its times, being launched before Google had created a dedicated tablet version of its Android operating system. The new version, by comparison, will take full advantage of the new Android 4.0 ‘Ice Cream Sandwich’, which though launching some months ago, has been slow to make it to market in tablet devices.

Like the original Tab, the new model also has a 7.0in display. This still retains the original’s 1,024×600 resolution – low compared to the 1,280×800 resolution seen on the Tab 7.7 and Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition. Its 1GHz dual-core processor doesn’t look cutting edge either.

All this points to a more affordable tablet design, which we would heartily applaud, as we’ve been looking for a big-brand tablet for significantly less than iPad prices for some time. With a 3G option also available, unlike the on the current Xoom, this could be a great little tablet for use on the move.

Unfortunately there’s no pricing available yet on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, but we’d be amazed if it wasn’t a more budget offering given the specifications.

We should get a closer look at the Tab 2 at Mobile World Congress in a couple of weeks.