My first video review
This is my first video review for Android Digest. We are excited to be bringing more content via youtube to help people visually see if a device is worth buying. We also want to bring more news and other content through youtube.
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Pros:
- No wifi defect and wifi works great (which makes it a good buy in comparison to the S5e)
- Comes with Android 9.0 Pie, and should get updated to Android Q, possibly Android R
- Great 1920 x 1200 display for the price, which is good for reading and presentations
- Good performance for your money, and much faster than previous Tab A models (especially the 3 GB version)
- Comes with Android 9.0 Pie, and should get updated to Android Q, possibly Android R
Cons:
- No fast charging
- Flip cases will not wake up this tablet automatically
- For gaming, this tablet can only play PUBG on low to keep good performance
- 2 GB version is a little sluggish
- Does not come with an s-pen or support any s-pen or Wacom stylus
Review summary:
For as little as $229 for the model with 2 GB of RAM, or $279 for the model with 3 GB of RAM, this tablet stands out as a great tablet for the price. When you are paying a low price this like, you are really wanting to find value, and this tablet is a pretty good value.
The display for this tablet is great and has a 1920 x 1200 resolution, so it is great for presentations or reading. This tablet also has great speakers, and I really enjoyed using this tablet for movies or music. This tablet also performs admirably for the price, and in comparison it performs very similarly to the LG Stylo 4, the Moto G6, or the Moto G7. Just don’t expect the performance of a flagship phone or the Galaxy Tab S4, and remember that due to the price this tablet is missing some smaller features you may want.
Specs, design, and build quality
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1″ 2019 entry-level model comes with 3 GB RAM, 32 GB of eMMC flash storage, and a pretty good 10.1″ screen with a 1920 x 1200 resolution. It also comes with a 6150 mAh battery. There are two versions that hold 3 GB of RAM: one has 64 GB of storage and the other has 128 GB of storage. The 64 GB version isn’t sold everywhere but can be found on Amazon, while the 128 GB can be found pretty much wherever this tablet is sold.
The Tab A 10.1″ 2019 is pretty light and only weighs 16.5 ounces, which is just over 2 ounces more than the Tab S5e. Luckily, the Tab A is much lighter than previous Tab A models, as it comes in 11% lighter than the Tab A 2018.
I use tablets for presentations, at times without something to hold my tablet, which means the weight of a tablet is important for me. Luckily, this tablet was just light enough for me, and it was a joy to use.
As far as a headphone jack: good news! This device does come with a headphone jack and a USB-C charging port! This is good news and I am glad Samsung didn’t forget about the headphone jack.
This device does use an aluminum back, so it isn’t made from glass like the Galaxy Tab S3 or the Tab S4, but this tablet is still well made, has good build quality, and in my experience, I didn’t see any major flaws with the tablet.
Screen and display quality
In my situation, I was wanting to find a tablet with a good screen for under $300. I like to use a tablet for presentations since my Chromebook is a little heavy, and I was looking for a light device that would be easy to read. This tablet definitely fits that bill.
The Tab A 10.1″ 2019 has a 10.1″ IPS LCD display with a 1920 x 1200 resolution. If you compare it to $400 tablets, of course, you might be a little disappointed, but honestly, this display really shines and is really good quality.
The screen has good brightness and I was never squinting too much or having problems seeing. It is a joy to use this tablet for reading, entertainment, or video streaming. Honestly, if you are looking for a good device for reading, presentations, and entertainment, this will be a good option, especially for the price.
Performance
No matter how many reviews I do, I am always leery of praising a device for performance or crushing it, simply because everyone will come to this tablet with different expectations.
This tablet comes with a Samsung Exynos 7904 processor, and if you compare it to previous Tab A models, this processor is much faster than any processor previously in a Tab A. This is good news if you are wanting to upgrade from a previous Galaxy Tab A. Even the Tab A with 2 GB of RAM should be much faster than your older Tab A.
From my experience, this processor is pretty similar to the Snapdragon 450, the Snapdragon 625, 630, etc. With that being said, this tablet had similar performance to the LG Stylo 4 and the Moto G6. If you upgrade to the version with 3 GB of RAM, performance in this processor will probably be more similar to the performance of the Snapdragon 625 or 630.
I use mid-range phones pretty often, but using a phone with under 3 GB of RAM is tough for me. With that being said, when I used the Tab A 32 GB model with only 2 GB of RAM, I wasn’t too happy with the performance. If I opened up even a couple of apps it seemed like apps I previously opened had to reload, and this led to pretty slow performance. Android menus were also slower than I am used to. I will stress this again: I am used to faster phones with more RAM. If you came from a previous Tab A you will probably be happy with this phone’s performance!
Still, for around $50 more, you can upgrade your RAM to 3 GB and get more storage. Honestly, for almost every user I would recommend this. Once I upgraded to the model with 3 GB of RAM, I was very impressed.
The 3 GB version performed admirably for me. Android menus seemed much quicker, apps loaded much faster, and overall I had a much better experience. The 3 GB version of this tablet isn’t as quick as the Galaxy Tab S5e, but for around $280 it doesn’t need to be! This tablet still is very fast and performs well.
This tablet comes with a Mali-G71 MP2 GPU. When gaming, PUBG recommended medium settings, but for good performance, I did have to switch to low graphics settings. This tablet will do okay gaming, but if you game non-stop you might want to look at more expensive options like the Galaxy Tab S4, or wait for the newer Galaxy Tab S6 coming out soon.
If you compare this device with Lenovo tablets in this price range like the Lenovo M10 (normally around $180) you will find that the Tab A 10.1″ 2019 does admirably compared to its’ competition. The Lenovo M10 has a lower resolution display and the Snapdragon 429 processor should perform worse than the Exynos 7904. Samsung also has a better history with software updates. The Lenovo P10 is also an option, which comes equipped with a Snapdragon 450 and 4 GB of RAM, but the Lenovo P10 does not come with Android 9.0. It also costs more than the Tab A when it is at full price. The point is: this device isn’t slower than other tablets priced around the same price, which makes this a reasonably priced tablet with good performance. Granted, there isn’t a lot of tablets with Android 9.0 around this price, so there isn’t a lot of competition, but this device performs very well for the price.
Battery life
The Tab A 10.1″ 2019 comes with a 6,150 mAh battery, which is pretty good. This device does not come with fast charging, which might be a deal-breaker for some people, but for this price, I don’t blame Samsung for excluding features like fast-charging. The battery is a little smaller than the Tab S5e which comes in just over 7,000 mAh, but again, my expectations are lower for a tablet of this size. A 6,150 mAh battery is still pretty good, and managed to get me around 8 hours with this tablet. Most people will be able to use it throughout the day, let the tablet sleep, and use it some more without too many worries.
Other features
This tablet doesn’t have fast-charging and doesn’t work with an s-pen. One other feature I was really disappointed that Samsung didn’t include is smart cover functionality. Basically, if you have a flip case and you open the flip case, the screen does not turn on. This was a big let down for me since I use flip cases all the time. If you use a flip case and you want to wake up the screen, you will have to use double-tap to wake the screen, or you will just have to use the power button.
Compared to the S5e, the Tab A 10.1″ 2019 still has pretty great speakers. I didn’t expect loudspeakers or speakers of this quality, so I was personally impressed with the speakers in the Tab A.
Good bang for your buck?
So, is the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1″ 2019 a good deal? As always, I would say it depends.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 can be bought for as little as $229. In the past, the 3 GB version with 128 GB dropped to as low as $289, and you can typically get the 64 GB version of this tablet around $279.
If you want a mid-range tablet with little issues, the Tab A 10.1″ 2019 is one of the best options available. The Tab S5e has a wifi defect that makes it a tablet I would not recommend to many people, so for under $300 this is one of the few good options available. With all the controversy surrounding Huawei, I wouldn’t recommend purchasing a Huawei tablet, and the options Lenovo has around this price range are pretty inferior. Honestly, if you want a cheap Android tablet with a good screen, your options are very limited.
One option is to find a cheap Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 or Galaxy Tab S4 on eBay, just keep in mind that there are sellers that pretend to sell new items on eBay. Some of those sellers even have good feedback, so it is tough to find a Tab S3 in good condition for a good price. Best Buy also has some open box items, so you can always keep an eye out for good open box items at your local Best Buy.
Even having to list those options proves that the tablet market between $200 and $400 is pretty bare-bones right now. Most people are giving up on Android tablets. Don’t let this fool you though, if you are in this market, I would recommend getting the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1″ 2019 simply because it is a good tablet and it is a good value.
If you need something faster and you need a powerhouse Android tablet, I would recommend either buying a Chromebook or waiting for the Galaxy Tab S6. Chromebooks have access to Android apps, and Chromebooks like the HP Chromebook x360 14″ frequently go on sale, and the Chromebook x360 comes with 8GB of RAM and an i3 processor. The Chromebook x360 is heavier, but it has incredible performance. If you want a smaller lighter model, the Asus C434 is a great option, and you can normally find it for a good price too. It is smaller than the HP Chromebook x360 and looks absolutely gorgeous with those small bezels.
The Galaxy Tab S6 has already been leaked and is expected to come out in the next few months. It will most likely cost around $700, so keep that in mind as well.
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