Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to Drop Exclusively in New York City

Samsung's sequel to the first 7-inch Galaxy Tab touts a bigger screen and thinner chassis. Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com

Samsung announced Thursday morning that its latest Android tablet is slated for release next week, but initially only in Manhattan, and only in one store.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 hits the shelves in New York City’s Union Square Best Buy on June 8, exclusively available from the store for over a week. The tablet won’t roll out in wider release until 10 days later, on June 17.

Initially available in a Wi-Fi only version, the new Galaxy Tab’s price is on par with Apple’s iPad 2 Wi-Fi version. Each costs $500 for 16 GB of storage, and $600 for the 32-GB model.

Verizon announced there will also be a 4G version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 on its LTE network, available for pre-order June 8. Though the company hasn’t given a ship date for 4G tablets pre-ordered that day, it’s interesting to think that Samsung will be the first to release a 4G-capable device.

Motorola’s Xoom — the flagship tablet for Android’s tablet-optimized Honeycomb operating system — promised 4G connectivity on Verizon’s network, but didn’t launch with it. Xoom owners are waiting to mail in their devices for a 4G upgrade, though Motorola and Verizon haven’t announced when the process will begin.

4G-enabled versions of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 cost $530 and $630 for the 16- and 32-GB models, respectively.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 enters the already-clogged tablet market with a list of specs similar to others. It’s powered by Nvidia’s dual-core Tegra 2 processor, has front- and back-facing cameras, and as the name suggests, a 10.1-inch display.

But with a svelte 8.6-mm waist, Samsung’s is currently the thinnest tablet offering from manufacturers, even skinnier than the iPad 2’s 8.8 mm. And unlike a number of other devices we’ve seen, the new tablet will ship with Android version 3.1 (Honeycomb). Currently, the Xoom is the only device running Android 3.1.