Samsung Galaxy Tab S3
Fast, long-lasting and gorgeous to behold, the Tab S3 is the most desirable Android tablet we've seen
If you’d given up hope of finding an Android tablet to match the quality of the iPad, Samsung has good news – and bad news.
Let’s start with the good. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is a gorgeous device. Admittedly, with its 9.7in 4:3 screen, it looks rather like an iPad, especially with the physical Home, Menu and Back buttons sitting beneath the screen. That’s no bad thing, though: virtual controls may be fashionable, but I much prefer buttons that don’t disappear when you’re running a full-screen app.
And while the Galaxy Tab S3 may draw visual inspiration from Apple, when you hold it in your hand the impression is quite different. The edges are more rounded, and while the Tab S3 is only slightly lighter than the iPad – 429g versus 469g – it’s also 20% thinner, which makes it feel more svelte overall. The glass on both the front and back is a lovely touch too, feeling cool and smooth in your hand.
The screen is excellent, albeit somewhat familiar: Samsung’s panel is not only identically sized to the iPad’s, it has the exact same 2,048 x 1,536 resolution. That means you get the full sharpness of a Retina display.
The big difference is that Samsung has used an AMOLED panel in place of Apple’s IPS display. It looks fantastic – much better than you would expect from the comparatively low maximum brightness of 292cd/m2. That’s because AMOLED pixels are individually illuminated, so there’s zero backlight bleed and an effectively perfect contrast ratio (our colorimeter software reported it as “infinity:1”). As a result, the screen looks as bold and vibrant as much brighter panels, with fantastic rich colours: given the choice between this and the iPad, I’d happily take the Samsung.
Inside, the Galaxy Tab S3's high-end Snapdragon 820 processor comfortably outperformed all other Android tablets in both the single- and multi-core Geekbench 4 benchmarks. It couldn’t keep up with Apple’s finest, but still, there’s enough power here to run the heaviest Android apps, and it’s partnered with 4GB of RAM for smooth multitasking.
The Tab S3 also impressed in the GFXBench gaming test. At native resolution, it averaged 33fps, beating the iPad and even Nvidia’s gamingoriented Shield K1. The supercharged iPad Pro models once more took the crown, but overall the Tab S3 acquitted itself very creditably.
The Tab S3’s ultra-slim chassis doesn’t afford much space for a big battery: its 6,000mAh battery is only two-thirds the size of the 9,000mAh unit found in the Google Pixel C. That being the case, it was actually rather impressive to see the Tab S3 achieve 80% of the Pixel’s longevity, delivering 11hrs 43mins of video playback on a full charge. Even so, an extra hour or two would have been most welcome.
I promised bad news as well as good, and you’re probably wondering what the catch is. It’s simply this: at £569, the Galaxy Tab S3 is way more expensive than the iPad, or any other Android tablet this month. Its closest competitor in terms of price is the
“The Galaxy Tab S3 is a gorgeous tablet with an amazing screen, plenty of power and a decent set of expansion options”
10.5in iPad Pro, which offers much stronger performance, as well as longer battery life and a larger screen. It also has twice as much storage and superior sound – the Galaxy Tab S3’s AKG-branded quad-speaker arrangement is nice and clean, but lacks the low-end punch of Apple’s.
Then again, while the Tab S3 only comes with 32GB of built-in flash memory, an inconspicuous microSD slot lets you add extra capacity as cheaply as you like. You also get Samsung’s S Pen stylus in the box, so if you like to jot and doodle it’s cheaper than shelling out for the iPad Pro plus a £99 Apple Pencil. A set of magnetic contacts down the left-hand side can be used to connect Samsung’s own Keyboard Cover; this doesn’t come in the box, but at £119 it’s £40 cheaper than the Apple Smart Keyboard. In short, the Galaxy Tab S3 is a gorgeous tablet with an amazing screen, plenty of power and a decent set of expansion options. If you were to switch to iOS you could get a more powerful iPad Pro for a similar price, but you might end up spending quite a bit extra on accessories. And if you’re committed to Android, this is a genuinely aspirational tablet that you can be proud to own – and that makes it special enough to justify the price.