Samsung To Release Retina Display Tablet: Will It Rival Apple?s iPad? Thinner Bezel, Ice Cream Sandwich, And Other Features To Expect

The device is codenamed "P10," according to BGR, and it would include LTE connectivity and an 11.8-inch display with a 2560 X 1600 resolution. The documents also indicated that the tablet would run on Ice Cream Sandwich, or Android 4.0, and is aiming for a release date next year. Samsung's Retina Display tablet is likely to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in February, a trusted source revealed to BGR.

The display for this new tablet is larger than that of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, but the source has told BGR that it is "barely larger" in size. This is due to the thinner bezel and resolution, resulting in a 16:10 aspect ratio. The Retina Display tablet will also run on a dual-core Exynos 5250 CPU that clocks in at 2GHz. Apple's new A6 CPU will be very similar to this upcoming Samsung CPU, BGR has learned, which is a dual-core Cortex A15 chip.

One of the newest features to come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Android Beam, will also be featured on the forthcoming Retina Display tablet. This allows users to easily sync media with a Galaxy Nexus device. Samsung is also throwing in a special wireless docking mode for gaming to high-definition televisions, which will also put the company against Apple's iTV as well.

The tablet appears at least twice in court documents, and has been listed under a "long-term action plan" behind three other tablet releases, as Geek.com notes. These other releases look as if they could be the Galaxy Note, Galaxy Tab 7 2.0 ad the Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE.

Samsung has yet to comment on the matter, according to BGR.

This, of course, begs the question as to whether or not the new tab will give Apple a run for its money in the Retina Display market. Apple was the first to bring this technology to the tech industry with its "new iPad," which launched this past March. If other major manufacturers begin to push out products with these enhanced visuals, will Retina Display become the norm? Apple has also begun to roll out its own line of Retina Display laptops, which come in a 15-inch model and a rumored 13-inch on the way. If these documents are valid and Samsung does come out with its own line of Retina Display products, it won't be long before other manufacturers being to follow suit.

The display on Apple's "iPad 3" is smaller than that of the reportedly upcoming Samsung device, which measures at 9.7-inches versus Samsung's 11.8-inches.

However, if the CPU found in this Samsung tablet is similar to that of Apple's next-generation model, there could be a chance that Samsung will fall behind the Cupertino, Cali.-based manufacturer. Apple is rumored to launch its iPhone 5 and iPad Mini simultaneously this fall, which is likely to incorporate this A6 chipset. Let's not forget that Apple has been pushing out Retina Display tablets since the tail end of 2012's first quarter, so the technology that they develop by the time Samsung rolls out this device is likely to surpass it.  

In the ongoing courtroom debates between the two rivaling companies, some have shown favoritism to Apple. Earlier in July, UK Judge Colin Biriss ruled that Samsung's Galaxy Tab does not infringe on Apple's iPad design essentially because it isn't as "cool" as the iPad.

He said that the Galaxy Tab devices "do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design."

"They are not as cool," he said in the ruling.

Perhaps Samsung's next line of tablets indicated in the documents will address these comments and come back with a vengeance.  We'll be sure to hear more about this at Samsung's New York City event in mid-August.

What do you think about the idea of a Samsung Retina Display tablet? Will it be as good, or better, than the iPad? Sound off in the comments below.