Samsung preparing massive 11.8-inch tablet with Retina Display-like resolution

The documents released for the Apple vs. Samsung trial have been a treasure trove for gadget bloggers, showing off Apple's early prototypes of the iPhone and iPad, amongst other findings. The Verge has also unearthed an intriguing skeleton in Samsung's closet: plans for a huge 11.8-inch tablet with Retina Display-like resolution.

While this is not the first time news of a large Samsung tablet has surfaced -- BGR reported a rumor about a similar slate, though it predicted a February 2012 release date -- we now have official confirmation (albeit indirectly) from the company itself.

Known as P10, the tablet would possess a pixel density of 256ppi with a resolution of 2,560x1,600. It would also come with LTE connectivity. But it would be one of the biggest slates available -- Toshiba introduced the 13-inch Excite 13 earlier this year -- which could hinder its commercial possibilities.

Though Apple is hyping the Retina Display feature for its latest iPad and special edition of MacBook Pro, the basic concept of pushing more pixels into fewer inches isn't proprietary, so it should come as no surprise that its competitors will join in with similar ultra-high-resolution displays of their own. What is a bit surprising is that Samsung would attempt it in a tablet that's 2 inches bigger than the iPad's 9.7-inch form factor.

Given that the time frame for the P10 seems to have been pushed back from BGR's initial report, perhaps Samsung is planning to adapt the concept to a convertible laptop/tablet hybrid for Windows 8. Or perhaps its display technology just hasn't been perfected yet. In any event, it looks like you should be expecting a Samsung 11.8-inch Retina-like display on a portable computer sometime this year.