If you’ve been paying attention to Samsung’s mid-range portfolio, you’ve probably noticed that the company has introduced a series of “Lite” devices. The Trend Lite, the Fame Lite, and pretty soon the Note Lite. According to SamMobile, Samsung will announce a 100 Euro ($135) tablet known as the Galaxy Tab Lite next month. They don’t have any specs to share, but they do know there will be a WiFi variant and a 3G variant. The WiFi model will come in “cream”, while the 3G model will come in “ebony black”.
Realistically speaking, will Samsung offer something for $135 that’s actually worth buying? The key spec to care about here is the screen. If it’s a 1024 x 600 pixel resolution display, then run for the hills and don’t look back. But let’s say they manage to stick a decent 720p panel in there and enough horsepower for you to play back all those movies and TV shows you’ve pirated off the internet, then this Tab Lite might actually be an interesting proposition.
One thing Samsung does that Google doesn’t with the Nexus 7 is offer expandable storage, and that’s huge. You can buy a 64 GB microSD card for less than $40 these days. Combine that with a $135 to $150 tablet and you’ve got yourself a portable entertainment system. And you never know, that 3G model might come in at less than $200, making it instantly desirable to people in emerging markets.
Expect to hear more about this at CES.
