Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7-inch Tablet – Great value entry level tablet

Samuel Tan10-inch Tablets, Tablets 0

Just like the smartphone market, Samsung tries to cover all market segments and the Samsung Galaxy Tab A is one for the entry level. Available in smoky blue, white or black, this latest offering from Samsung uses the tried and tested screen ratio of 4:3 similar to that of the iPad, ideal for productivity and multi-tasking. The 9.7-inch display, again similar in size to iPad Air 2 is packed with only 1024 x 768 pixels, not even HD but is plenty for most applications.

As it is an entry level device, it does not have the most powerful processor neither does it have Samsung’s Super AMOLED display but it does come with 1.5GB of RAM memory and 16GB of storagespace. It is also the only other tablet that can go against Lenovo Yoga 2’s record battery life at 15 hours. WiFi only version is available with out without S Pen stylus and a WiFi and cellular (4G) model is also available.

Table of Contents

What You Need to Know

Processor: 1.2GHz Quad-Core, Qualcomm APQ 8016
Screen: 9.7-inch 1024 x 768 pixels PLS TFT display
Memory: 1.5GB DDR3 – MORE MEMORY
OS: Android 5.0 Lollipop
Storage: 16GB eMMC storage
Expansion: MicroSD card expansion up to 128GB
Cameras: Front 2MP and rear-facing 5MP cameras with 720p HD video capture support
Battery: 6,000 mAh Li-ion battery with up to 15 hours usage (Internet) – GOOD BATTERY LIFE
Connectivity and Sensors: 802.11 b/g/n Dual Band (2.4GHz and 5GHz, HT40) WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi Direct, Micro USB Port v2.0, Accelerometer, Hall Sensor, RGB Sensor. Location technology: GPS, Glonass, Beidou.
Dimensions and Weight: 242.5mm x 166.8mm x 7.5mm, 450grams – SLIMMEST & LIGHTWEIGHT

What Owners are Saying

We picked a handful of owners and list what they think about the performance, screen, cameras, battery life and design.

Performance

This tablet connects SUPER quickly to my home WiFi and has never ever dropped the WIFi signal no matter where I am in my home. WiFi is VERY STRONG using this device, even when I am very far from my router I still have 4.5 bars! *** To test the speed and strength of this WiFi and compare it to my other Android devices, I went to the Playstore and got the free app called WiFi Analyzer.

The stock browser does a wonderful job and it opens up webpages very fast. Also I tried Maxthon Browser and this worked very well yet I still prefer the Internet App. Also, I tried out the factory installed Chrome Browser and liked it OK, yet again, I went back the the stock Internet App (this is my preference). Note that the Playstore has many very good (FREE) internet browsers as Dolphin, Opera and many more!

– Daisy S

Leading the list of pros is the implementation of Lollipop on this tablet. The device turns on quickly, the menus are snappy, turning pages is quick with almost no loading and it ran Hearthstone smoothly (caveat: I only launched the game and went through the beginning menus, I didn’t play a match). Coming from the crippled Nexus 7, I am more than pleased with how fast this tablet ran.

– Mark Litchfield

I love how Samsung has really optimized touchwiz ( The user interface ). Touchwiz works very fast, looks clean and looks nice to. I honestly like Touchwiz more then stock Android. Samsung also did not install much bloatware on the tablet if anything the things that came installed I actually use! One of the things that came installed is called SMART MANAGER which is a application that tells you how much memory you have free, how much free space you have, how much battery is left and security software. Really cool how Samsung made this software to give the user good information about the device.

– The Geek

Screen

The resolution on this screen is not the highest one out there, yet I find the display clear and easy to view, read eBooks, etc. So. But do not let the resolution scare you away because the screen is clear and the colors are so vivid, they just pop with color! And I find it easy to read eBooks, watch videos, etc on this tablet. For the price of this tablet, I find that the tablet has been a great purchase because after 6 months of using it every day, I am still very happy with it. There are other tablets out there that are much pricier as Tab S2, as for me, I shall keep this one!

The screen aspect ratio is 4:3 vs the 16:1 type of screen. For me, I like this 4:3 screen because I found that the webpages are easier to read and clearer, I did not have to scroll to the right. Also I found that the pictures on a website were easier to view. I compared this tablet with my older Tab 4 10.1 tablet on my frequent webpages and while I viewed this tablet, I could read the larger text better, read my eBooks much clearer, emails better etc. This is my personal discovery from my testing of this and comparing it to my older tablet.

– Daisy S

I really like the 4:3 screen ratio much more then the 16:10 screen ratio like the galaxy tab 4 10.1 inch. The 4:3 screen ratio is great for tablets because it dont feel awkward when I hold my tablet vertically or horizontally whereas the galaxy tab 4 10.1 inch feels weird holding it vertically.

– The Geek

Cameras

Camera / Video Camera – I found it OK for a 5MP with no flash on this camera, however, in good lighting the pictures came out better had I expected. However, I rarely use this camera as I prefer to use my Nikon digital camera for my overall picture taking…the camera on this tablet is OK for backup camera, taking pictures to send in an email, etc). Do not expect the camera on this tablet to replace your digital camera since it does not have a flash and 5MP is rather low by todays standards.

– Daisy S

I have used this tablet to take some pictures. The pictures dont come out great but they are fine with a good amount of light, I am fine with that because it is a tablet so I dont expect the cameras to compete with my iPhones camera. Overall I am so happy I bought this tablet.

– The Geek

I has both a front and a back camera for taking pictures and video. The front camera can take up to 2 megapixels and the rear camera can take up to 5 megapixels. It takes good quality pictures and video in the bright light. However the darker it is the poorer quality you pictures or video will be because you don’t have external lighting or a flash of any sort.

– Cute Chihuahua

Battery Life

Very good battery life! For me, I have found that I am constantly on WiFi (Internet). However, I also find that this tablet gets me 2 to 3 hours MORE daily than my older Tab 4 10.1 did! The tablet I find is quite responsive and peppy with no lagging. The Lollipop runs this tablet wonderfully.

– Daisy S

This Samsung Galaxy tablet has a really good battery inside that has solved my one biggest problem. With most Android tablets it’s dead after about 2-3 hours of use if not sooner but I can use this tablet all day and not have to charge it until bedtime. Another problem I had in the past with Android tablets is if you charge them and let them sit unused the battery will drain very quickly. Usually within several days the battery is fully depleted. Again that is not the case with this tablet. I recently took a week long vacation and the battery was just fine with I returned and tried to use it. After over a week the battery level only dropped a couple % points. I would consider the battery life with this tablet very similar to what I am used to with the iPad.

– Cute Chihuahua

Design

I had the Tab 4 10.1 and the 8.0 before this tablet. The 10.1 was just too large and bulky and heavy. This tablet is lighter than my old Tab 4 10.1 and more comfortable to hold and to carry in my purse or backpack.

– Daisy S

Sure this tablet isnt made out of nice aluminum BUT that dont mean this tablet is cheaply made either. The plastic they use feels nice and sturdy and it dont dent or scratch like aluminum. Below I will list the positives and negatives about this tablet and weather I think its a good buy.

– The Geek