affordable tablet is perfect choice for family

The range of affordable tablets is quite wide, but here and there there are differences in the possibilities. Samsung released the Galaxy Tab A8 some time ago; an affordable tablet with all the possibilities. DroidApp has been testing it for the past few weeks.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 review

Samsung has been releasing tablets on the market for a long time. Affordable, but also tablets in the expensive segment. In the cheaper segment, Samsung has the Galaxy Tab A8. This tablet costs about 200 euros, has all the basics you need and that with a good update policy and therefore all the comforts you want. Is that enough to bring him home? In the past month, DroidApp has extensively tested the tablet, and our findings can be found in this Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 review.

Sales package

In the rectangular box of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8, we first find the tablet itself. Below that is some paperwork and Samsung has laid the charging cable with the adapter. This means that the device can simply be charged and you do not have to provide an adapter yourself.

Design and interface

You can’t ignore the fact that the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 is ‘just a tablet’. The device does not have an exciting design, and we do not ask that at all for the price of this device. The screen edges around the screen are quite thick, but with this size it is nice, so that you can hold it well. The screen itself measures 10.5 inches and offers a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. The image quality is sufficient and on sunny days the screen is also sufficient in terms of readability.

The Galaxy Tab A8 has a metal housing on the back, which also gives the device a luxurious look. At the back we see an 8 megapixel camera. We will come back to this later in the review of the Galaxy Tab A8. There is also a 5 megapixel camera on the front of the tablet. Not only for the selfies, but also for video calling, for example.

On the side we find the power button and there is room for the volume button. Samsung also provides the tablet with a USB-C port, but also with a 3.5 millimeter connection for a headset.

Interface

The interface is as we are used to from Samsung. Still, we see some minor adjustments in the area of ​​tablets. For example, on the lock screen, you can quickly move the PIN entry window. If you are used to a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, you will notice that many things look the same. With a swipe you open the notifications or the menu where you can find all installed apps. You can adjust several things in the settings. As far as speed is concerned, the Galaxy Tab A8 is fine, the processor can keep up with everything.

Connections

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy Tab A8 with WiFi 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz support. In addition, you can use the Bluetooth connection and there is location determination via GPS, among other things. Remarkable; just like in the Nokia T20 review, we noticed that the WiFi connection drops every now and then. It seems to be a combination of the components used and a WiFi network that can be used on one band with both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. However, unlike the Nokia T20, the Samsung itself does pick up the network again. You can prevent the problem yourself by creating two networks on the modem.

Multimedia: image and sound

A tablet is often used for playing videos. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 is also well suited for this. Watching a movie is no problem at all and we can’t complain about the image quality either. The screen is also easy to read on sunny days.

Although you have a mid-range tablet with the Galaxy Tab A8, that does not mean that you have to compromise on everything and anything. The sound quality of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8, for example, is more than good for the price of the device. The speakers are located at the top and bottom of the tablet and they do their job excellently. You really don’t have to be ashamed of this. There is a good balance in high and low tones and the bass is also quite present. At the bottom of the tablet is the option to connect a 3.5 millimeter headset. Of course, it is also possible to connect a Bluetooth headset to the Tab A8.

Camera

The cameras on tablets are usually often used for video calling and a quick photo every now and then. Photographing with a tablet remains a bit of a struggle due to the size of the device. With regard to the photo quality with tablets, this is also a point of attention, and we also see that with the Galaxy Tab A8. The camera is still sufficient for home, garden and kitchen photos, but if you want to do more with it, it’s better to grab your smartphone or camera.

Below you will find two photos that we shot for the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 review. We miss the detailed drawing and the capture of colors is also only moderate. You should not zoom in at all; because this is done digitally and the image quickly changes into a photo full of pixel blocks.

Performance: battery, speed and memory

Samsung provides the Galaxy Tab A8 with a Unisoc T618 chipset. The working memory depends on the chosen memory version. If you opt for the tablet with 32GB of memory, there is 2GB of RAM, with the 64GB model this is 3GB. The 128GB model is this 4GB RAM. The memory can be easily expanded with a memory card of up to 1TB. Enough space for everything you want to store.

We have the latter for the review. Bearing in mind that we are not dealing with a high-end tablet here, this is a very nice tablet to work with. Everything works smoothly and tasks are done quickly enough. We have not encountered any crashes or other annoying features in recent weeks.

About the battery life. Samsung supplies the Galaxy Tab A8 with a 7040 mAh battery. Consumption is very dependent on what you do with it. A week below average use should not be a problem. We note a screen time of approximately 5 hours. Excellent values. You won’t get a good value with the charger, which can charge with a power of 7.5W, although the tablet supports 15W charging. This means that a full charge takes a few hours. We can’t entirely blame Samsung given the price.

Update Policy

Samsung has a reputation to uphold when it comes to updates. Many manufacturers can take this as an example. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 2022, which was released in December 2021, will receive two Android updates; this tablet is still waiting for Android 12 and will also be updated to Android 13. Security updates will be rolled out for the device every quarter for a period of four years.

Rating

We have taken plenty of time in recent times to properly test the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8. Are you looking for an affordable tablet that you can use for everything, without being a fanatic gamer or really wanting to get the most out of it? Then this is a perfect tablet. With more than three years left of the security patches and Android 13 in the offing, you can be sure of a safe device in the coming time. The update to Android 12 is expected in the coming weeks.

Actually, the Galaxy Tab A8 does not fall short. Although the quality of the camera is only mediocre, we often see that with tablets, especially in this price range. In our opinion, you also do not buy a tablet for taking photos. A small thing is that a fingerprint scanner is missing, although we have certainly not missed it lately. Compared to the Nokia T20 which is in the same price range, we would go for the Galaxy Tab A8; just a little more refined interface aimed at tablets and clear smoother in performance when you put the two tablets side by side.

At the time of writing, you can already score a Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 for 199 euros, and that is a great price for this fine device. If you want to get started with the Tab A8 yourself, you can purchase it directly from Coolblue, Bol.com, Amazon, MediaMarkt and Samsung itself. For the small price difference, we would go for at least 64GB.