Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2017): Specs And What You Should Know

Last updated on

27/11/2017

Published on

September 8, 2017

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2017) is the newest addition to its cheaper Galaxy Tab A lineup. They haven’t released an 8-inch Android tablet for a while but now they’re back. As you might expect, the new Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2017) is not a higher end tablet. Instead, it’s a lower middle class device. It’ll cost you around 250 US dollars. Here is everything you should know.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2017) on* Amazon

Highlights

8-inch HD display
Qualcomm Snapdragon 425

Optional LTE with phone capabilities
Android 7.1 Nougat with TouchWiz

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2017): The Basics

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2017) looks like a typical Samsung tablet. Compared to their two predecessors, the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 and Galaxy Tab A 7.0, there are some major differences though. It doesn’t look as “square” and “simple” anymore. In fact, I quite like the design. It somehow looks elegant.

Even though Samsung is advertising it with a metallic design, the body seems to be made out of plastic. You’ll be able to get it in a couple of colors including black and gold. Don’t expect to get the thinnest tablet though. It’s not thin at all at 8.9-millimeter and not really light either. The device brings 364 grams on the scale.

Read now: My Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2017 Review

Specs Are Fine But Not Great

While you can’t really call it cheap, the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 does not have very high end hardware. The 8-inch display has an HD resolution only with 1280 x 800 pixels. Inside runs the lower middle class Qualcomm Snapdragon 425. This is a quad-core chip that’s clocked at 1.4GHz.

Other specs include 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2 and optional LTE and GPS. The battery has a capacity of 5000mAh and is said to last around 14 hours. There’s a USB Type C port and MicroSD card slot as well. The cameras have a resolution of 8 and 5 megapixel.

Samsung is shipping the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2017) with Android 7.1 Nougat. On top of it runs their TouchWiz UI which should be very similar to the one found on the Galaxy Tab S3. Without the S-Pen features though. An active pen is not supported.

Full Specifications

Tablet	Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2017)
Operating System	Android 7.1 Nougat with TouchWiz
Display	8-inch IPS with 1280 x 800
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 425
Storage	16GB
Expandable	microSD card slot (up to 256GB)
RAM	2GB
Rear Camera	8-megapixel
Front Camera	5-megapixel
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, optional LTE and GPS
Charging	USB Type C
Battery	5000mAh
Security	No fingerprint reader
Dimensions	212.1 x 124.1 x 8.9 mm
Weight	364g

Availability and Price

As of right now, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2017) is up for preorder in Vietnam only. But I’m very sure that it’ll be available in the United States, all over Europe and Asia as well. Depending on where you’re from, you should be able to get it for 220 to 270 US Dollars.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2017) Competitors

There are a couple of interesting alternatives to the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0. In fact, there even are two tablets with almost identical specifications. The Lenovo Tab 4 8 and Huawei MediaPad T3 8 have the same display resolution and the same processor. They’re noticeably cheaper though.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2017)

Read now: Our Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2017) Review

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2017 is a very solid tablet. Its highlights are a great battery life, recent software and an overall good performance. While the display is good overall, it offers an HD resolution only and is not laminated. A couple of direct competitors offer very similar hardware at a cheaper price.

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