When it comes to the smartphone market, there is a constant jostling for the position of number one global vendor between the Cupertino-based iPhone maker Apple and Korean tech giant Samsung. The tablet market is dominated by Apple’s iPad, but Samsung is looking to add to its tablet sales tally with the announcement of the Galaxy Tab 2.

According to Engadget, this new 7" (600 x 1024) tablet is the successor to company’s original Galaxy Tab. It boasts similar looks to that of its predecessor and a specification level close to that of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.

The new Tab sports a WSVGA PLS LCD display and comes with either 16 or 32 GB of internal memory and a microSD card slot to expand upon this. At a thickness of 10.5 mm, Samsung’s latest tablet is thicker than both its bigger Korean stablemate, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 (8.6 mm) as well as the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus (9.9 mm).

The new Tab 2 operates on Google’s Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) along with Samsung’s TouchWiz skin. It is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core processor (make not specified) and features 1 GB RAM, a 3 MP rear-facing fixed focus camera and VGA front-facing snapper, as well as a 4000 mAh battery. In terms of connectivity, the new Tab 2 offers HSPA+ support, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS with a-GPS and Wi-Fi.

Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab 2 is expected to launch in the UK first during March, with both Wi-Fi-only and Wi-Fi + 3G models being offered. No pricing or local release info is available yet.  

 

In other Samsung related news, Corning, maker of the protective Gorilla Glass which keeps scratches off many of today’s smartphone and tablet displays, has recently signed an agreement with Samsung’s Mobile Display division.