Walmart.com is offering a refurbished version of the seven-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 for $169.99. Shipping is not free, but the item can be sent to any Walmart for free in-store pickup.
This is one of the lowest prices we’ve ever seen for the Galaxy Tab 2, but not unexpected as we broke news last week that the device was dropped to $199.99 new.
Samsung has increased efforts to sell refurbished products via mainline retailers, but has focused efforts to ensure that refurbished stock stays off store shelves. This form of price discrimination allows savvy shoppers to pick up refurbished-to-new condition units for less, but ensures window shoppers pay full price in store.
The only major difference in the refurbished Galaxy Tab 2 is the warranty; 90 days versus one year. Many credit cards such as American Express and VISA offer optional warranty doubling, which may bump that out to six months (check with your card issuer, especially on refurbished items). Still, $169 puts the Galaxy Tab 2 far below the entry price of less powerful devices such as the fourth-generation iPod touch, which Apple continues to offer as a budget-tier offering at around $189 refurbished.
The Galaxy Tab 2 ships with Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, but Samsung has already committed to upgrading the device to Android 4.1, Jelly Bean. For more information, and a comparison with other Android seven-inch tablets, check out our review of the Galaxy Tab 2 at the $199 price drop.
