Samsung on Friday admitted that its Galaxy Tab tablet will face a tough challenge to compete with Apple's new slimmer and more affordable iPad 2 gadget. "We will have to improve the parts that are inadequate," Lee Don-Joo, executive vice president of the Korean firm's mobile division, told Yonhap news agency. "Apple made it very thin."

The iPad 2 tablet unveiled this week is one-third the thickness of its predecessor at 8.8 millimetres and also thinner than Samsung's latest 10.9-millimetre Galaxy gadget announced last month.

Samsung's seven-inch screen Galaxy Tab was priced at nearly $900 if bought without a two-year contract from mobile operators, while the cheapest iPad 2 costs $499.

Although Samsung has not annoucned the price of its 10-inch Galaxy Tab, it "was to be priced higher than the seven-inch but we will have to think that over," Lee told Yonhap.

In the meantime, Samsung could be prepping an 8.9-inch tablet computer to unveil at a March 22 event in Orlando, based on content in invitations sent to press yesterday.

The invitation includes an image of a tablet computer and the words: "What's your TAB life?" and then the number: "78910"

The number could refer to all three models of tablets, including the 7-inch and 10 inch at the ends. The 89 in the middle would refer to a new 8.9 inch model.

"Come discover what the buzz is all about and join us on our journey as we experience a world of endless technological possibility," the invitation says. "We'll unveil our latest mobile products and innovations and explore the exciting new consumer lifestyles they make possible."