T-Mobile Introduce HSPA+ Equipped Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus

With the WiFi SKU just a week from release, we knew we'd see a cellular radio sporting SKU crop up sooner or later. And so, T-Mobile and Samsung announced this morning that they would be bringing the latest Tab to T-Mo's HSPA+ airwaves. Device specs remain unchanged, so we're still expecting a 1.2 GHz dual-core Exynos SoC, backed by 1 GB of RAM and 16 GB of NAND for storage (expandable by microSD) pushing pixels to a 7" 1024 x 600 display, in a thin slate form factor. Though the tablet will run on HSPA+, buyers shouldn't expect to see the speeds they've come to expect from their SGS2 variant. Recalling our speculation and subsequent confirmation, the T-Mobile SGS2 uses a Qualcomm SoC in order to take advantage of DC-HSDPA+ speeds that, on T-Mobile, peak at a theoretical 42 Mbps. No other basebands are available that could enable these speeds in conjunction with another SoC, so unless Exynos has been bumped in the name of network speed again, we should expect peak downloads in the 21 Mbps range. 

All told what is most intriguing about this announcement is the QVC-esque way that T-Mobile is marketing their tablet line-up. Each tablet is marketed based on its "down payment" price. Come November 16th interested shoppers can choose the Tab 7.0 Plus for a $249 down payment, after $50 mail-in rebate. If the shopper's credit is good enough they can then pay 20 interest free $10 monthly payments, along with fees associated with the requisite 2-year agreement. That brings the actual price of the "4G" Tab 7.0 Plus to $449, a $50 premium over the WiFi version. So, if your credit is good, and you're in the market for a tablet for browsing, e-mailing, streaming and gaming on the go, head to your local T-Mobile on the 16th and have a look.