Samsung GALAXY Tab 3 7-inch Pro Reviews

The 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 goes for an affordable device and is right now sold for around $150 for the Wi-Fi-only version while the cellular data enabled model is hard to come by and thus much more expensive, selling for over $250. It’s very affordable in its Wi-Fi version, and that’s its biggest plus. We also like the Samsung tablet experience that feels just a bit more intuitive and better optimized than others. Having the narrow side bezel is also hugely importantt for ergonomics and we appreciate this compactness in daily use. With all that, though, there is the Nexus 7 2013 out there that costs nearly a third more, but it also comes with double the storage and features a mind-blowing super sharp 1920 x 1200 pixel display, a much more powerful processor and a better camera, pretty much beating the Tab 3 in all conceivable ways. The Kindle HD is another alternative selling for the same or even lower price, and offering a better display, but has no Google Play store access, not essential Google apps like YouTube, Gmail and Google Maps. An alternative that matches the Galaxy Tab 3 yet offers a much sharper display and speedier processor is the Asus MemoPad HD 7-inch tablet. Truth comes in comparison, and after looking at modern day tablets the Tab 3 7-inch looks decidedly antique. Its screen is not as sharp as we'd like (it’s the same screen Samsung used in 2010!), its processor is lacking and the device feels a bit too chubby. At this point in time, the Samsung 7 incher - as cheap as it is - feels overpriced and dated.

There's no getting around it - the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 is a deeply average tablet that's been way over-priced by Samsung. Its specs aren't really good enough to show off the best of the Android platform. In particular, the tablet's 1024 x 600 display seems like it's from a bygone era before 720p YouTube videos became the norm. It seems to actively discourage protracted web browsing sessions, too, which is surely much of the point of a modern tablet. But then, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 isn't really a modern tablet - it's a reminder of the way tablets used to be in the not-too-distant past. If you want to see where the next generation of Android tablets is headed, check out the similarly priced Google Nexus 7.

The last generation of the Galaxy Tab 7.0 was priced at 429 Euros. Now Samsung wants less than half of that for the third generation. But at all corners and ends we see that the Korean manufacturer has taken the route of lower prices reluctantly and under pressure of the market. A lot was not upgraded from the previous generation: storage space, display resolution, and camera are all the same. In other areas, things have changes - the SoC is faster on paper, but it does not prevent interruptions in navigation and browsing or complete crashes when gaming. The weight has been drastically reduced and the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 is now one of the lightest tablets on the market. The display is bright, but has low contrast and an extreme blue tint. The battery life is average at best. Now let's turn to the positive sides: the operating system is trimmed down, compared to the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0, but it still offers a lot of features. The workmanship is good and the case is stable. There is also a good software package and the integrated GPS module is reliable. Probably nobody will succeed in building the perfect tablet for 199 Euros – even the Google Nexus 7 is not without flaws. But the problem is that the Nexus 7 will soon be replaced with the next generation. With the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0, Samsung now has an equivalent tablet in its portfolio, which must still be appealing to customers in several months and this could be a problem. Our advice - wait a bit and see what other manufacturers will release shortly. Or increase you budget by about 100 Euros, where the iPad Mini or the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 are a better deal than Galaxy Tab 3 7.0.