11.6-inch Samsung (Galaxy Tab 11.6?) Android Ice Cream Sandwich Tablet Coming at MWC 2012?

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Earlier today we heard that the iPad 3 may be launched as early as February, according to some sources, but it appears that it’s not just Apple that working on a brand new tablet for early 2012. Samsung is now rumored to unveil a 11.6-inch Android tablet during next year’s Mobile World Congress, a device that will run Ice Cream Sandwich right from launch.

At first sight, 11.6-inch is an unusual screen size for a tablet, which could lead to some potential problems for any manufacturer. A larger display means the device could be longer and/or wider than the current 10-inch models and therefore heavier for users. Not to mention that a bigger display, which is already rumored to sport Retina Display-grade resolution, will consume a lot more battery juice and resources to work properly, which could affect overall battery life. But BGR reports that the new tablet will be “barely larger” than the Galaxy Tab 10.1 as Samsung will shrink the size of the bezel, a procedure that would prevent the company from significantly increasing the size of the tablet in order to accommodate a bigger screen.

Samsung’s tablet, which will probably be called the Galaxy Tab 11.6, is said to also offer an impressive 2GHz dual-core Exynos 5250 processor, which is probably the kind of power a display with 2,560 x 1,600 resolution would require. The device is also expected to sport 4G LTE connectivity, a feature likely to be encountered in more and more mobile devices to be launched next year, as more carriers start developing their 4G LTE networks.

MWC 2012 will take place from February 27 to March 1 in Barcelona, Spain, and while this rumored Galaxy Tab 11.6 candidate may become official at the most important mobile event of the year, there are no details regarding launch dates and pricing for what seems to be Samsung’s flagship tablet for 2012.