Despite the fact that the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab, the first brand-name Android tablet, appears to be a potential iPad challenger, the fact that the device will be offered through wireless carriers may have an adverse effect on its sales.

The highly impressive Samsung Galaxy Tab, unveiled in Germany last week, will launch first in Europe and then in the US. However, the initial reports pertaining to the Galaxy Tab’s cost somewhat dampen the enthusiasm about the tablet.

Going by the reports making rounds, the Galaxy Tab will retail for an equivalent of US$1250 in Sweden; while the cost of the device in Germany, as per O2, will be an equivalent of US$972 - of which $127 will be initial deposit, and $35 per month will have to be paid for almost two years.

The nearly $1000 price-tag of the Galaxy Tab - which has an edge over the iPad because of its front and rear-facing cameras, and an SD memory card slot - is almost $200 more than the iPad’s top-end 64GB model which boasts Wi-Fi as well as 3G capability.

Meanwhile, about the pricing of the Galaxy Tab in the US, a recent Wall Street Journal report said that the forthcoming Samsung tablet will be subsidized by between $200 and $400 by a US carrier. As such, the actual cost of the Tab will either be similar to that of the Galaxy S smartphones or $200 more expensive!