Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 3 family arrives in the US on July 7th, prices start at $199

Samsung’s new low-end Galaxy Tabs are coming to the US in two weeks, with pre-orders starting tomorrow. The largest of the trio, the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1, is the first Samsung tablet to be powered by an Intel processor. It runs Android 4.2.2, has a 1280 x 800 display, front- and rear-facing cameras, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and a 6,800 mAh battery. It’s priced at $399, putting it in direct competition with Apple’s iPad 2, and the Samsung / Google Nexus 10 — a tough sell, if you ask us.

Perhaps offering better value is the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0. It’s powered by Samsung’s own dual-core 1.5 GHz Exynos processor and has a higher-density 1280 x 800 8-inch display, 1.5GB of RAM, front- and rear-facing cameras, a 4,450 mAh battery, and 16GB of internal storage. At $299, it’s not the cheapest tablet around — Amazon’s Kindle Fire 8.9 undercuts it even with Special Offers switched off, and Apple’s iPad mini is only $30 more expensive.

The smallest tablet in the family is the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0. It’s powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Marvell processor, runs Android 4.1, and has a low-res 1024 x 600 display, front- and rear-facing cameras, and 8GB of storage. Samsung has priced the Tab 3 7.0 at $199, which directly competes with the Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD. Interestingly, Samsung isn’t offering a version with mobile data in the US — international variants include an earpiece and can make phone calls.

All three Galaxy Tabs will come with a $10 Google Play voucher, three months free Hulu Plus, and a year of free Boingo hotspot use (it’s not clear what the data allowance will be). They’ll be available in either white or brown from a number of retailers including Best Buy, Amazon, and Wal-Mart from July 7th; pre-orders start June 25th.