Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE vs. Apple iPad 2: How Do They Stack Up?

Korean electronics giant Samsung has released an LTE version of Samsung Galaxy Tab, which may give touch competition to Apple's iPad 2 when launched in the U.S.

Samsung also announced an LTE-edition of GALAXY S II smartphone, and both products are expected to be launched initially in Europe.

The move comes as a German court recently lifted most of an injunction it had imposed on a rival to Apple's iPad being sold by Samsung.

With the introduction of Galaxy S II LTE and Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE, we will take the capabilities of these devices to a whole new level. LTE redefines the user experience made possible by these devices and opens entirely new possibilities in terms of content viewing, sharing, quality and connectivity, said JK Shin, president and head of Samsung's Mobile Communications Business.

This is a milestone in our commitment to lead the charge in 4G mobile telephony around the world, both in terms of back-end network solutions for service providers and the development of powerful consumer handsets, added Shin.

When connected to a 4G network, LTE technology allows portable devices to download high-quality files at speeds of up to 100Mbps, and to upload at speeds of 50Mbps theoretically - five times faster than even the quickest HSPA+ connection. This means that a four-minute long MP3 track can be downloaded in 0.3 seconds, or an entire film file in less than two minutes.

The LTE edition of the Galaxy Tab 8.9, which also runs on Android Honeycomb, measures 8.6mm thin and weighs just 1 pound. The device comes with an 8.9 WXGA screen providing a resolution of 1280x800. The TouchWiz interface enables an intuitive user experience, enhanced by the space and freedom provided by the large display.

Following is the specification of Samsung GALAXY Tab 8.9 LTE:

iPad 2:

iPad 2 is the second generation of the iPad, a tablet computer designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc.

The tablet, which runs on iOS 4.3.5, is 15 percent lighter and 33 percent thinner than its predecessor. Apple unveiled the device on March 2, 2011, began selling it on its Web site and retail stores on March 11, and released it in 25 other countries on March 25, including Australia, Britain and Canada.

iPad 2 has a lithium-ion polymer battery that lasts up to 10 hours, a new dual core Apple A5 processor and VGA front-facing and 720p rear-facing cameras designed for FaceTime video calling.

iPad is one of the best-selling gadgets, and Apple recently announced it sold more than 25 million devices since the iPad was launched in April 2010. In 2011, iPad is expected to take 83 percent of the tablet computing market share in the United States.

Wi-Fi models of iPad 2 starts at $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB and $699 for 64GB. Adding 3G costs $130 extra per model, so the most expensive model (64GB / 3G) is $829.

Following is the specifications of iPad 2: