Apart from the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 inch, Samsung also launched the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 inch for the market earlier today. The device is available in 2 variants; WiFi only and 3G+WiFi, with the price tags bearing 25,725 INR and 21,945 INR respectively. The device is priced on the higher side, keeping in mind what it has to offer under the hood. What concerns us more is the fact that the device doesn’t show much of an upgrade from the last iteration of the Galaxy Tab.
The 8 inch form factor is something new for Samsung; they seem to have taken cue from Apple’s iPad Mini, a device which came with a similarly sized screen.
This post would help you decide if you should get this tab or look at other available options in the market.
Camera And Internal Storage
The tablet does slightly better on the camera department when compared to it’s 7 inch counterpart. The Galaxy Tab 3 8 inch features a 5MP rear shooter which features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, image stabilization and can take pictures up to a resolution of 2592х1944 pixels. At the price point, an 8MP camera was expected, since that’s about today’s standard.
On the front, the Tab 3 8 inch features the same 1.3 inch camera which we saw on the 7 inch version. No complaints here, a 1.3MP should do good for most users. The front camera isn’t used by many, so many manufacturers see it as a cost-cutting option.
On the memory front, the device impresses us with a generous amount of RAM; 1.5GB to be precise. Even the internal storage is decent, with the tablet being available in 16GB and 32GB variants, both of which can be expanded up to 64GB via means of a microSD card.
Processor And Battery
The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 from Samsung comes with a 1.5 GHz dual core processor. The chipset it comes embedded in is the extremely popular Exynos 4212. It can be said that the tablet is decently powered when it comes to processing power and RAM – 1.5GB of RAM coupled with a 1.5GHz dual core processor does make it seem so. People looking for an 8 inch tablet for productivity purposes might find this device extremely handy.
Apart from processing power, what you look for in a tablet is the battery; you don’t want a very powerful device paired with a teeny battery. This one isn’t; it comes with a rather impressive 4450mAh unit, which is non-removable. You can expect decent backup from this battery, with the word ‘decent’ suggesting a good 8-10hrs of run time.
Display And Features
The device features, as we’re aware of by now, an 8 inch touch screen. This display houses a resolution of 1280×800 pixels, which brings the PPI to 189 which is still little below today’s standards. There’s no Super AMOLED or IPS LCD here, however. The tablet features a standard TFT panel, which is a little outdated by today’s standards but does the job well enough.
Among other features, the device comes with a standard set, i.e., WiFi, Bluetooth with A2DP, DLNA, etc. The 3.5mm audio jack can produce good sound quality, which will be assisted by Dolby Surround technology.
Comparison
The device can be directly compared to Apple’s iPad Mini, a device which received great response all around the globe. There are quite a few other competitors from Chinese manufacturers, but not many mainstream manufacturers have an 8 inch tablet in their arsenal as of yet.
Key Specs
| Model | Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 |
| Display | 8 inches 1280x800p |
| Processor | 1.5 GHz dual core |
| RAM, ROM | 1.5GB RAM, 16/32GB ROM expandable up to 64GB |
| OS | Android v4.1 |
| Cameras | 5MP rear, 1.3MP front |
| Battery | 4450mAh |
| Price | 21,945 INR and 25,725 INR (3G) |
Conclusion
Samsung seem to have done much better on this device when compared to the Tab 3 7.0. There’s a decently powerful processor, big battery, and a generous amount of RAM; the only thing left to be seen is what people think of the price tag. The iPad Mini is available for about the same price, and offers the ease of use of iOS. However, people used to Android on smartphones will definitely choose the Tab 3 8.0 over the iPad Mini.
For people who use their tablet more at their WiFi enabled home, the WiFi only option might come across as a good deal; there’s a difference of almost 4,000 INR between the WiFi only and WiFi+3G models.
