Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 looms large in leaked snap

Samsung's gigantic Galaxy Note 8.0 has shown its moon-sized face in a leaked photo, alongside a list of possible specs.

Samsung's head honcho recently confirmed that the plus-size sequel to the Note, Note 2 and Note 10.1 would be making an appearance at Mobile World Congress in February, but now it seems we may have an even earlier glimpse at the company's next gadget.

The sneaky snap was sent to Samsung blog Sammobile via a locked-down Twitter account, making verifying the picture nigh-on impossible. The font is certainly a match for Samsung's promo materials however, and there's nothing on the list of specs that looks implausible, or even unlikely.

In aforementioned list is an 8-inch screen with a 1,280x800 pixel screen (that's the same resolution as Google's Nexus 7), as well as a 1.6GHz quad-core processor, 16GB of on-board storage plus a microSD card slot, and 2GB of RAM. A 5-megapixel camera sits around the back, meanwhile.

HSPA+ is mentioned too, suggesting the Note 8.0 will have a SIM-card slot for mobile data, and raising the possibility of making phone calls on this new device. 

Samsung's Note tablets are separated from its Tab devices by the inclusion of an easy-to-lose stylus and a suite of doodle-centric apps. The photo above is rather blurry, but you can just about make out a line on the bottom-left corner of the Note 8.0's rear, which would likely be where the stylus slots in.

Cheap?

That's all well and good, but in my mind the real question is how much the Note 8.0 will cost. The Nexus 7 costs a mere £160, while even the pricey iPad mini can be yours for less than £300. If Samsung wants to compete with these tablets, I'll be looking for a price tag so low you could stub your toe on it.

As for the name, some reports peg Samsung's new tablet as the Galaxy Note 8, while the picture above adds a '.0' to the end. It doesn't make much difference of course, except to tech sites that live or die by guessing which product names people will be Googling. If you have strong feelings about which Note naming configuration you'd search for, then er, pop a note in the comments.

Would you invest in a massive Samsung phone, or a smaller Samsung tablet? What does Samsung need to do to stay on top of the Android pile this year? Let me know in the comments or on our Facebook wall.