Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 2021 is aimed as a budget tablet, and the price matches that point. Being a budget tablet, what are you gaining or losing?

Design

Reviewers were pleasantly surprised that this tablet, being a budget device, did not feel budget. It has a hefty premium-feeling metal frame. There are color choices: Gray, Silver, and Pink Gold.

Display

While the display is not the higher version of those seen in other more expensive tablets, reviewers stated it was more than acceptable with a clear picture and vivid colors. The display has a slightly different ratio, and reviewers said it worked fine for some media and would create black bars at the top and bottom of the screen for others.

Performance

Having a lesser chipset than its predecessor worried reviewers. However, they were pleasantly surprised to see that it did remarkably well.

They saw no pausing or stuttering when opening multiple apps or switching between them. The only time they witnessed this was when trying graphics-intensive games.

Software & Storage

Storage is one area reviews were mixed in, mainly because the baseline tablet only had the option for 32GB, which isn’t much. The next two tiers are 64 and 128GB, which felt more capable of doing everything you would want or need.

The tablet comes with Android 11 but is guaranteed to have two more updates and a four-year policy of security updates.

Cameras

The cameras felt like an afterthought, according to reviewers. The cameras work okay, which is the consensus for most tablets these days, but they won’t win any awards. They’ll be somewhat grainy and with a lot of color drain.

Battery Life

Samsung does not make any outlandish claims regarding battery life for this tablet, and reviewers saw it to be adequate for the needs of someone who would be buying a tablet at this price point. However, one part of the reviewers’ contention is the lack of fast charging.

Audio

One of the things that stood out on this tablet against others of its kind was the dual Dolby Atmos speakers. Reviewers stated it was very good at projecting sound and not in a flat way compared to others.

Specs at a Glance

• Plastic design
• 10.5-inch LCD
• Unisoc Tiger T618 processor
• 3/4GB of RAM
• Android 11
• 32/64/128GB of storage
• 8+ MP camera
• 12 hours
• Dolby Atmos

The Bottom Line

Overall the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 seems like an excellent tablet, especially on a budget. When looking for details that included losing performance or graphics, the only failing feature was the cameras, at which point that’s not really why people want tablets anyway.

Notebook Check says, “As already the Galaxy Tab A7 predecessor before, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 distinguishes itself with a very good price-performance ratio.”

Android Authority states, “The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 earns its place among the best affordable Android tablets thanks to punchy speakers and a wide display with thin bezels that’s perfect for media streaming. Add in the top-tier build quality and you’ve got a budget slate that more than justifies its asking price.”