Just like Sony, Samsung has recently announced its whole new 8-inch Galaxy Note 8.0 as a direct competitor to the iPad mini. Overall, its design and built starkly resembles the Galaxy Note 2 and the older Galaxy S3 handset. This new idevice is powered by Android 4.1.2 Jellybean OS. It comes with S-Pen, Air View and handwriting functions and a new feature ‘e-reader mode’, which dims the screen to make it easier to read. Read more for the official specs and features.
galaxy note 8.0
Galaxy Note 8.0
                      specs at a glance
Chipset 
  • CP :  XMM 6262 AP : Exynos 4412 (1.6 GHz x 4)
Memory 
  • 2GB (RAM), 16/32GB microSD (up to 64GB) 
OS / Upgrade 
  • Android Jelly bean 4.1 
Battery capacity 
  • 4,600mAh which is fine for a couple of days of average usage 
GPS
  • A-GPS (3G/LTE), S-GPS(WiFi) + Glonass 
Wireless Connectivity 
  • WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 & 5GHz)
  • WiFi Direct, AllShareCast, BT4.0, USB2.0 
Camera / Flash
  • 5MP AF + 1.3MP 
Display 
  • 8.0" (203.2mm) WXGA (1280 x 800, 189PPT) TFT 
Dimension, Weight
  • 210.8 x 135.9 x 7.95 mm, 338g

UI / Web Browser 
  • Android + Samsung / Android Browser / Chrome Browser 
Audio
  • MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA, AC3, FLAC 
Video 
  • MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV, DivX (1080p Full HD video @ 30fps) 
Connectors
  • 3.5mm Earjack, 11 pin MicroUSB
Messaging 
  • ChatON 
Other apps 
  • Android Ecosystem / Samsung Apps Readers / Music / Game / Video(Media, Na) Hub / Learning Hub
Is it really an iPad mini killer ?


Not really is the answer. Although, the Galaxy Note 8.0 will most probably succeed in the global market due to its Galaxy series "tag" which has already acquired a cult-like following like Apple's idevices. 

 But it is powered by Android OS, so users do need to use Google's Play Store for apps, games and other stuff which is still light years away from the Apple's App store. Also, app store has a much larger application base and provides a plethora of choices to users. 

 Its exact price tag and official release date still remain under the wraps. What I believe is Samsung will surely release it sometime in May-June and the price will obviously be a bit lower than the iPad mini which costs $329 just to give it fierce competition in the overcrowded tablet arena. Till then do let us know your thoughts on this Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet in the comments section below. 

 [via Samsung]