Samsung Electronics has expanded its portfolio of tablets with the 10-inch Galaxy Note 10.1, as the company tries to differentiate itself from the barrage of other Android-based products by allowing users to write on the screen using a digital pen, the company said on Monday at Mobile World Congress.
The arrival of the Galaxy Note 10.1 was one of the worst kept secrets in Barcelona after Samsung had plastered a huge billboard at one the city’s most busy squares. One might have been forgiven for thinking that the original 5-inch model, which was introduced in September last year, was just an experiment from Samsung, but with the arrival of the 10-inch version the company seems serious about making it work.
Some customers have also shown an interest in the concept, or maybe they just like the big screen. But in December Samsung said it had shipped more than one million units.
Samsung describes the Galaxy Note 10.1 as combination of a mobile phone, tablet and digital notepad. The device is powered by a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor and uses Android 4.0 plus Samsung’s own Touchwiz user interface.
The screen resolution is 1280-by-800 pixels, and users can store their notes and drawings on 64 GB memory (there are also models with 16 and 32 GB), which can be expanded using a microSD card. The Galaxy Note 10.1 also has two cameras at 3-megapixels and 2-megapixels, and weighs 583 grams.
In Sweden, the device will start shipping in May and cost about 5,200 Swedish kronor (US$790) without taxes and possible subsidies. The company didn’t immediately provide availability or cost information for other parts of the world.
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