Which tablet should you buy?

• Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite

  The cheapest option

  Good for watching Netflix

  The Galaxy A7 Lite is worse in every category than the newer Tab A8; however, if you’re looking for a tablet that can stream your favorite content, it’s a decent Netflix machine — especially since it’s only $160.

  Pros

  • Less expensive
  • Same max charging speed
  • Same rear camera

  Cons

  • Very low performance
  • Smaller and less sharp display
  • Smaller battery

• Samsung Galaxy Tab A8

  A solid basic tablet

  A bit more power to do basic tasks

  If you can afford the $230 MSRP, you should get the Galaxy Tab A8. The battery performance is quite good, it has a nice larger 1080p display, and the Android experience is much less clunky. It’s a great affordable tablet for accomplishing those basic daily tasks.

  Pros

  • Slightly more powerful
  • Better front-facing camera
  • Larger 1080p display

  Cons

  • More expensive
  • No LTE version in the U.S.

While plenty of expensive Android tablets are great for productivity and running the latest and greatest games, they aren’t really cost-friendly, especially if you don’t need all that power. Luckily, Samsung makes some of the best cheap Android tablets you can buy that are perfect for watching content or browsing the web.

The Galaxy Tab A7 Lite and Galaxy Tab A8 are affordable tablets that provide excellent value for anyone looking for a basic tablet with a larger screen around the house. Here’s how they stack up.

Price, availability, and connectivity

Both tablets are widely available via the usual retailers you’d expect — Amazon, Best Buy, and the Samsung Store. And although both are somewhat affordable, the A7 Lite is the more budget-friendly model coming in at an MSRP of $160 as opposed to the Tab A8, which retails for $230.

In terms of connectivity, the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite and Tab A8 have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0. The A7 Lite also has an LTE cellular option in the U.S., while the A8 only has a cellular model available in Europe and India.

Design

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 appears a little more modern at first glance, thanks to its uniform bezels and squared edges, whereas the A7 Lite has uneven bezels making for a chin and forehead bigger than the sides of the device. Of course, the A7 Lite is smaller overall (only 8.7 inches), which does make it lighter and easier to carry around or hold in one hand. Still, the Tab A8 will feel nicer due to its slightly more premium design and heftier weight.

The good news? Even though both models are Bluetooth 5.0 compatible, you don’t have to connect to wireless earbuds for audio, as a headphone jack is present on each tablet — a saving grace in these times.

Display

There’s no doubt that the Galaxy Tab A8 has the better display. Not only is it larger, but it also has a higher resolution — a full 1080p. This makes it ideal for watching Netflix or streaming your favorite Twitch channels since you should get decent picture quality.

The A7 Lite only has a 720p screen, which is certainly less than ideal; though, as we mention in our review of the Galaxy A7 Lite, it doesn’t look too bad on a screen this size. It also has a widescreen aspect ratio of 5:3, which is nice for viewing content without giant black bars on your screen.

Neither screen is very bright, so watching videos in direct sunlight isn’t advisable. However, the 327 nits on the A8 and the 315 on the A7 Lite are adequate for most situations.

Software

The Galaxy Tab A7 and Tab A8 come with Android 11 out of the box; however, they can be updated to Android 13 — and there’s no reason not to.

When it comes to future support, the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is done getting any major updates as it has already received the two promised. The Galaxy Tab A8 is likely in the same boat.

When it comes to the software experience, budget Android tablets can be a little rough around the edges. For example, multitasking leaves much to be desired on both models, with no taskbar at the bottom and only a pop-up view available instead of displaying the two windows side-by-side. Of course, it’s not like these tablets are meant for that, but something to keep in mind.

Performance

If you’re looking at either the A7 Lite or the A8, you may already know that performance is the top priority for both tablets, although the Galaxy A7 Lite is noticeably lacking lots of power. It will stream your Netflix and let you browse the web, but expect app loading times to be hiccups and stutters anytime you do something that takes a little more juice.

The Galaxy Tab A8’s Unisoc Tiger T618 chipset fairs a little better. It can handle most of your basic app needs, like scrolling social media or even some light gaming. But it won’t impress if you’re trying to get some serious work done. Still, less stuttering when updating apps and moving through the UI, in general, is a good thing.

Both models come with either 3GB or 4GB of RAM. You’ll want to get the one with 4GB to squeeze every bit of power out of these low-performers.

Battery life

Even though the Galaxy A8 has a much bigger battery, its larger form factor means it doesn’t save too much battery compared to the A7 Lite, thus making them both comparable in terms of screen-on time.

The Tab A8 will easily last you a full day with average mixed-use, and if you’re streaming content constantly, you should still get around 9 hours. That’s better than the 5,100mAh battery on the A7 Lite, which only lasts about 6–7 hours on-screen and about 10–12 hours with average use.

Charging on either device takes a long time. With only 15W wired charging available on each device, you’ll need a good few hours to go from 0-100%.

Cameras

If you’re looking to take photos with your Android tablet, these aren’t the devices for you, as the Tab A8 and A7 Lite only feature an 8MP sensor on the back. They are a far cry from anything you see on smartphones; even in perfect lighting, the photos are average.

Being relativity lightweight and easy to carry around is what makes tablets like these so good for video calling. If that appeals to you, you’ll look a lot better to your friends and family using the 5MP front-facing camera on the Tab A8. It’s not immaculate by any means, but it is noticeably better than the 2MP selfie camera on the A7 Lite.

Which is right for you?

The Galaxy Tab A8 is the clear winner across almost every category. It’s got a little more power to make using the tablet a little less clunky, better battery life to keep you going all day, a larger and higher resolution display, and the list goes on and on. If you’re looking for a tablet that can do the basics well, the Tab A8 is a solid option.

On the other hand, if you’re looking for a device to stream your favorite content and carry it around wherever you go, the Tab A7 may be worth its very affordable price point. Yes, the screen is only 720p — but on a screen this small, that resolution doesn’t look so bad. Plus, its 5:3 aspect ratio makes for slimmer black bars around your Netflix shows, which is always a bonus.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A8

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 offers pretty great value thanks to its $230 MSRP. You’ll probably want the upgraded model with 4GB of RAM, but all in all, it’s a tablet that can handle those basic needs very well.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite

The Samsung Galaxy A7 Lite certainly won’t be winning any awards for power or performance. Still, if you want a very affordable tablet to stream and watch content, it may be worth the $160 asking price.