Samsung unveils first Android tablet using Intel chip

Samsung said on Monday it will use Intel processors to power a new version of one of its top-tier Android tablets.

Its decision to begin using Intel in a marquee Android device is a coup for the US chipmaker as it races to establish itself in a mobile market it was slow initially to recognise and invest in. Samsung's announcement confirms an earlier Reuters story and media reports on May 30.

Samsung has previously used chips designed with energy-efficient technology from the UK's ARM Holdings for its best-selling mobile devices.

The South Korean firm unveiled two new tablets on Monday, an 8-inch tablet and the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1-inch, which uses Intel chips.

The 10.1-inch tablet, which competes with Apple's iPad, will be powered by Intel's 1.6-GHz dual core processor and run the latest version of Google's Android operating system.

Intel called the shots in the personal computer industry for decades, but was slow to make chips that appealed to makers of smartphones and tablets as the market boomed following the release of Apple's iPhone in 2007 and iPad in 2010.

The new 10.1-inch tablet will support 3G and 4G network connections and the screen will have 1,280x800 resolution.

Samsung said the new products will be available globally this month, but did not provide price details.

* Reuters