Samsung has revealed two new Android tablets for release later this year.

The new tablets will come in 10in and 8.9in versions both with 16GB and 32GB options.

The fanfare seems to centre around the fact that these tablets are a whole half a millimetre thinner than the iPad 2, which will be of virtually no interest to anyone but hardcore Otaku, however it does mean Apple will have to stop marketing the iPad 2 as the worlds thinnest tablet.

The iPad 2 equivalent 8.9in version is a 134 grams lighter than the iPad 2 at  467 grams, which will be noticeable, but the reduced weight could imply lower build quality or a smaller battery.

The 8.9in version is expected to sell for around £50 less than the equivalent iPad 2, but I doubt that this will be enough of a difference to tempt people. The iPad 2 is – as the name suggests – a second generation product while Android tablets are a relative unknown to most people. Android 3.0 is Google’s first attempt at a tablet OS, and whether or not it’s polished enough to provide a user experience that’s on a par with iOS remains to be seen.

I’m pretty sure that given a bit of time Android based tablets will begin to eat in to Apple’s market share in the tablet market, but it’s going to take time. Apple has a large first mover advantage and a good product, not only that but it has an incredibly strong brand and a fanatically loyal following. For any of the handset manufacturers to compete they have to either make a better product at the same price or a similar product at a better price.

These Samsung tablets do look set to be a serious competitor to the iPad2, but Apple needn’t worry too much just yet.