Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 Specs, Release Date, And First Image: Will Take On The iPad Mini

From the looks of its upcoming lineup, Samsung will not be holding any punches back this year against Apple. The South Korean-based electronics manufacturer is looking to tackle Apple's iPad mini head on with a tablet of it's own: the Galaxy Note 8.0. Here's what we know about it so far, ahead of its Mobile World Congress (MWC) unveiling. 

To begin with, the picture posted above is the first leaked image of the Galaxy Note 8.0 in the wild. As you can see, it resembles a Galaxy Note 2 handset, and seems to keep Samsung's aesthetic in line. The only other details we can really extrapolate from the picture is that the tablet will be available in white (marble, pearl, vanilla, who knows?) and that it contains the Samsung-standard one home button at the bottom center. 

The tablet's specs have also leaked out onto the Internet, and while they aren't incredibly mind blowing, the Galaxy Note 8.0 looks like it will offer enough juice for those interested in picking up a smaller tablet. 

According to leaks, the Galaxy Note 8.0 will have an 8-inch display (hence the name, and the comparison with the iPad mini, which has a 7.9-inch screen) with a resolution of 1280X800. It will be powered by a 1.6GHz quad-core processor and 2GB RAM. The Galaxy Note 8.0 will also feature a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The tablet will be offered in 16GB and 32GB variants, with microSD support for expandable storage. The Galaxy Note 8.0 will also offer 3G support, sport a 4,600mAh battery, and be running Android 4.2 at the time of its release.

Seems like pretty standard stuff, but before we speak too soon, let's not forget about the S Pen. An electronic stylus found through the Galaxy Note series, the S Pen allows users to have a pen-like device at their fingertips for note taking and other functions. Samsung even has a few S Pen-specific apps that show off its capabilities, but we'll have to see if Samsung can make the S Pen truly useful and unparalleled. 

The Galaxy Note 8.0 is expected to revealed in its full glory at MWC 2013 in Barcelona, which begins Feb. 25.  Expect it to be priced competitively with the iPad mini and other smaller, budget-based tablets out there. 

Thanks to: Android Authority