The original 7-inch Galaxy Tab wasn't all that impressive. It was a premature release with an inadequate SoC running a version of Android intended for smartphones, not tablets. Since then Samsung has put forth some of the most impressive Honeycomb based tablet designs with its Galaxy Tab 10.1 and 8.9. Today, Samsung is expanding the lineup to include a new 7-inch tablet: the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.

A bit thicker than the 10.1 and 8.9, the 7.0 Plus measures 9.96mm compared to 8.6mm for the bigger tabs. Weight is significantly lower at 345g, and obviously the overall footprint is smaller. Samsung continues to use its own PLS display technology although the resolution of the 7.0 Plus drops to 1024 x 600.

No word on the SoC, but it is a dual-core solution (thus most likely making it a dual-core A9) running at 1.2GHz. The options include NVIDIA's Tegra 2 (like the 10.1 and 8.9), Samsung's own Exynos or Qualcomm's MSM8660.

The 7.0 Plus features an integrated HSPA+ (21Mbps) baseband capable of working 900, 1900 and 2100MHz networks. EDGE/GPRS are supported on 850, 900, 1800 and 1900MHz bands.

The tablet features two cameras: a 3MP rear facing unit with LED flash and a 2MP front facing sensor. Samsung will also integrate its TouchWiz UX into Android for the 7.0 Plus. Battery capacity is listed as 4000 mAh.

The 7.0 Plus will begin is life in Indonesia and Austria at the end of next month, with a gradual global rollout afterwards.