Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsIt is just ok. There are likely better options than this for much cheaper.
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2017
I have purchased this device and used it for a few days. I have some thoughts about it, both good and bad
For context I also have an asus minitransformer windows 10 tablet, I once had a samsung galaxy note 10.1 2014 edition, a galaxy note 12.2 tablet, and currently an ipad pro 9.7 inch tablet with apple pencil. I KNOW tablets!
Ugh I also have the oddly named Asus 3s 10 tablet--which is very simiilar to this tablet but half the price! Which is why this will get returned. And now for my review:
PROS:
Great AMOLED Screen
Android Nougat
Best Samsung S-Pen of all time
Pen does not require charging or pairing
USB C with fast charging
Micro-SD slot
Decent Battery life....so far
Split screen Apps
Better Speakers than prior galaxy tabs
Light and easy to hold with one hand
There is at least one good accessory--a keyboard with direct connection that doesn't need to use bluetooth and doesn't need charging
CONS:
2017 tablet using Snapdragon 820 processor. This is still a reasonably fast processor, but not state of the art like the Snapdragon 835. They didn't even go for the 821 Snapdragon
32 Gig of Storage. I know this tablet generally goes for $600 --same as the ipad pro 9.7 inch 32 gig model. But Android takes up a fair amount of that storage and more on-board storage is important, even if it has a microsd slot. Certain apps still prefer to run on main memory, and in 2017, 32 gig can fill up very quickly.
Currently no model options for larger storage
No LTE models available (I imagine those will come later)
Full glass back. Yes, this is a 9.7 inch tablet with a glass back. I guess it makes it lighter, but...I don't get it.
No place to store the s-pen. Not even magnetic attachment to the tablet. I personally would have preferred prior galaxy note options like a smaller stylus in the device with the option to buy a larger one to store elsewhere in a case.
Android 7.0 is not geared for major productivity applications and can struggle with certain apps refusing to go into landscape mode when the tablet is docked into the special accessory keyboard.
On tablet bezel buttons for a tablet designed to be used in tablet and landscape mode. Uh, on screen buttons would at least rotate when in different orientations. The new Galaxy s8 and s8 plus will have onscreen buttons--but not the tablet. Weird..
PLUS/MINUS your mileage may vary
4:3 Aspect ratio. I am a bit torn on this--Some might prefer this aspect ratio, but I don't find it to be ideal--watching movies in landscape mode is a little bit worse due to the black bars on either side. But I also know a 16:9 ratio has issues trying to use as a tablet in portrait mode. They went for something safe here--but I find it odd considering the upcoming S8 phone has an 18.5:9 screen ratio.
Price--for a tablet for $600 dollars going with a snapdragon 820 seems weird. They didn't even consider their own Samsung-made exynos processor? Maybe they had a ton of leftover 820s returned from the Galaxy note 7s...but..given the high price I would really have preferred something newer for future proofing. At least apple puts in state of the art custom processors in their ipad for the most part. For Samsung the processor is an afterthought most of the time.
Can you really get stuff done on a 9.7 tablet? I guess so. Depends on your needs. I think light word processing is ok. I did get the keyboard--best buy had in stock--and it is nice but not as good as the ipad smart keyboard in my opinion. At least it has a loop so you can attach the s-pen.
Split screen is a nice feature, and likely more flexible than on the ipad, but...its only a 9.7 screen. You can't go that nuts.
How much "work" can you get done with 32 gig of storage?
Battery life--in my limited experience using the keyboard does cause drain--faster than I would like- reviews are quite mixed about this so far. I think for media consumption it likely will be good, game playing fair, but work with keyboard and screen on ? Maybe not so great.
OPTIONS
Samsung Chromebook plus or pro is around the same price or a bit cheaper, better battery life, can run android and chrome apps, larger screen, and also has an spen. And..technically a keyboard is included. If you are trying to do word processing, excel/spreadsheets, content creation...this might be a better choice. As chrome Os gets further updated, I think this has more options although in a larger form factor. But the 12 inch screen on either model is amazingly bright, 3:2 aspect ratio helps in either laptop orientation or as a tablet in tablet mode.
If the chromebook has a 3:2 screen, why didn't they use that for this galaxy tab 3 ? I dunno.
Asus Transformer Mini--You have options on models, some with 64 gig of storage and some with 128 gig of storage but both have micro-sd card slots. Also includes n-trig style pen AND keyboard. Windows 10 though. Excellent battery life. But also great screen at slightly lower resolution, but at 10.1 inches it is good, and it gets VERY bright. Loud speakers also. Likely better for productivity -although size of keyboard is a limiting factor. No Usb-C is a downer. Can find at microsoft store for $249-with pen and keyboard thats pretty sweet for a mini-laptop with 11 hours of battery life--and fingerprint sensor!
Ipad Pro 9.7 inch. I have mixed emotions about this--it works ok, but I don't agree with Tim cook---I don't see this as a laptop replacement--it is expensive for what it does, the pen and keyboard cost a lot extra, and IOS still has a lot of issues with multitasking and doing work like you would on a laptop. It's the tablet thats MORE expensive than your laptop. But it has great app support, good battery life (GREAT standby life), tons of accessories and the pencil is great to use. But you pay the apple tax. Also, one proprietary port that has limited use to attach keyboards, accessories, and...no fast charging for the 9.7 model, only the 12.9 inch model. Why? I have no idea.
Split screen is nice but its only 9.7 inches and you can't use every app. I still find apps for the iphone only which are stuck in portrait mode. Ugh.
Ios has NO way to use a mouse in the operating system or even a touchpad....so apps that need a mouse--are really difficult to use at times.
This is also not true multi-tasking--items you edit in one app are not always available to edit in another--Ios can sandbox lots of files so the lack of true file system access makes this a poor and limited laptop replacement. But MORE expensive than a laptop!
Asus Zen Pad 3s Uh, its only $300, has a nice ips screen, similar specs, it even has an active stylus (which is not as good as the spen but..it works) .
But..its HALF price AND has 64 gig of main storage! I(the lte version only has 32 gig, weird). Build quality is very nice. Also USB C with quick charging. Since this is fine for media consumption, this is a much better deal for me and why I'll return the samsung.
I really wanted this to finally replace my galaxy note 10.1 2014 edition, but...it can't. The 4:3 screen at 9.7 inches is not a great fit for productivity or note taking...so I think Samsung made too many compromises and weren't clear on how to make this--so they had some odd and inconsistent design quirks.
I just wanted a tab s 10.5 inch with a better processor and s-pen support. But NOOO!
