VERDICT
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is the best Android tablet to date, headlined by an HDR-ready screen, four powerful speakers and an upgraded S Pen that’s included in the box, although you’re going to have to pay for the keyboard. Just don’t expect to see much HDR video content right away, or have Android meet all of your 2-in-1 tablet needs next to a similarly priced laptop.
PROS:
- Samsung’s best tablet design yet,Includes the S-Pen stylus for free,HDR-ready future-proofed screen
CONS:
- Keyboard is a costly extra,Just as expensive as iPad Pro,Tablet multitasking can't replace a laptop
Update: The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 has now launched, and we recently found out about the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus . Our review has been updated with all of that in context.
Watching the dystopian alternate-history Amazon TV series The Man in the High Castle on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3’s HDR screen prompts an analogy: what if Apple’s iPad Pro ran Android?
That’s pretty much what we have here. It’s Android’s first worthy competitor to the iPad Pro 9.7, with top-of-the-line specs to match, and it pairs well with the elegant-looking Samsung Galaxy S7 – also feature-packed and enveloped in glass.
The Galaxy Tab S3 is easily the best Android tablet you can buy right now thanks to its all-glass design upgrade, future-proofed HDR-ready display and included S Pen. It's hardly a difficult call for us to make – the year-old Google Pixel C is its only real challenger at a similar size, and the Tab S3 replaces the now-cheaper Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 .
What is a challenge is determining who the Tab S3 is right for. It costs $599 (£599, AU$780), and while it comes with the S Pen (Apple’s tablet does not offer a stylus in the box), the keyboard is separate. When you add it all up, it borders on cheap laptopprices, and there’s no cheaper 8-inch Tab S3 to give you an affordable entry-level option.
The Galaxy Tab S3 is also Samsung’s best travel-friendly 2-in-1 tablet that can pull off productivity – if you’re willing to pay for the separate keyboard. It’s thinner and lighter than the equally tempting 2-in-1 Samsung Chromebook Pro laptop, which doesn’t have a detachable keyboard and includes a smaller S Pen, and it finally gives the iPad Pro some meaningful competition.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 price and release date
- Tablet with the S Pen costs $599 (£599, about AU$780)
- The keyboard is separate at $129 (£119)
- Released on March 24 in the US, March 31 in the UK
As mentioned, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 costs $599 (£599, about AU$780), meaning it’s around the same price as an iPad Pro 9.7 at $599 (£549, AU$849). Besides the Wi-Fi-only model, there will also be a Wi-Fi+cellular option, which we anticipate will be slightly more expensive.
No 'PC load letter' error messages here
The real value over Apple’s tablet comes from the S Pen, which is included with the Tab S3 – the Apple Pencil costs an extra $99 (£99, AU$145). You also don’t need to worry about recharging Samsung’s S Pen, and you’re getting more levels of pressure for drawing and handwriting.
The Galaxy Tab S3 keyboard is a separate purchase, with Samsung charging $129 (£119). In the UK, the company has tempting pre-order deal that includes the keyboard for free; in the US, we’ve found the tablet is only bundled with a 64 microSD memory card, which is a rather less generous offer.
As for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 release date, it became available in US stores on March 24, while the UK wasn't too far behind with a March 31 launch date. Both regions opened Tab S3 pre-orders on March 17.
Design
- Elegantly designed glass and metal tablet design
- More comfortable to hold than its plastic predecessor
- Otherwise looks exactly like the Galaxy Tab S2
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 touts a small but likable design upgrade over the Galaxy Tab S2, even if it’s easy to mistake it for Samsung’s year-and-a-half-old tablet from the front.
The best changes happen round back, where the Tab S3 sports a new glass back panel in either black or silver. It looks and feels better than the rubberized plastic cover of the Tab S2, and the glass is more comfortable to hold; while you’re trading instantly collected sweat marks on the older model for fingerprints and smudges on the Gorilla Glass back, you’re ending up ahead.
Samsung can technically still claim that the Tab S3 is thinner and lighter than an iPad Pro, with dimensions of 237.3 x 169 x 6mm and a weight of 429g (the iPad Pro is 6.1mm thick and weighs 437g). But don’t be fooled; the variations are hardly noticeable. The Tab S2 is 5.6mm and 389g, and we felt barely any difference between the three slates.
The Tab S3 looks and feels like a blown-up Samsung Galaxy S7 phone, with a useful physical fingerprint sensor home button, and 'back' and 'recent' capacitive buttons aligned at the bottom. Without the keyboard attachment, it excels at being an entertainment device first and foremost.
The real difference is seen and heard in the HDR display, which pumps up the contrast ratio, and the four speakers, which pump out the volume better than a tablet with a mono speaker. We got a taste of HDR on a mobile device with the short-lived Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and it's coming back to a Samsung phone with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. In between, it’s debuted on a tablet, bringing the promise of more true-to-life video content in the future.
HDR display and quad speakers
- Brilliant HDR-ready screen awaits HDR video content
- Future-proofed as the world's first HDR-ready tablet
- Its four speakers can get loud and are finely tune
Samsung tablets and phones already have the best screens going, with bright and pixel-dense Super AMOLED display panels. Now, by including HDR technology, Samsung is making them even better.
High Dynamic Range (HDR) gives the same 2048 x 1536 Quad HD resolution higher contrast ratios and brighter highlights. This is especially important in darker movie scenes in which you tend to lose too much of the picture to shadow.
The Tab S3’s support of the new HDR10 standard is actually a bigger deal than if Samsung packed a 4K screen into a 9.7-inch tablet. The expanded brightness range does more than extra pixels would at this small size – more pixels matter when you’re dealing with a larger 4K television.
Here’s the problem: there’s not a lot of HDR video content available today. It’s being rolled out with streaming video services like Amazon Video and Netflix already on board on Samsung, LG and Sony TVs, but we weren’t able to find HDR video on these services at the tablet's launch.
Instead, we had to rely on Samsung HDR demos and movie trailers to enjoy what’s ultimately the future of video. It’s definitely a jump up in quality, but as the content isn't here yet, you’re paying in advance for a tablet that will deliver that improved quality soon, but not right now. That makes the Tab S3 an amazing technical feat, but a hard sell to average consumers at launch.
What you can take advantage of right now are the quad speakers on the Tab S3. They reach a more powerful volume than what we've heard from the mono Tab S2 and so many other tablets. Better yet, they’re calibrated to your movements, so as you rotate the tablet the stereo speaker orientation changes, so you’re never holding it the wrong way for sound.
As long as you’re not expecting deep base, these AKG-tuned quad HD speakers go ear-to-ear with the those on the equally-rich-sounding iPad Pro 9.7. You can get some bass out of the Tab S3 with the right headphones, which you’re probably going to use more often when roaming with this tablet in public.
And good news: this tablet has both a 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom of the frame, and supports Bluetooth 4.2. No one is getting rid of headphone jacks in tablets – yet.
S Pen
- Larger than the S Pen in Note phones, tablets and Chromebooks
- Stylus design is flat and has a clip – it won't roll away on you
- But there's nowhere to holster it without buying the keyboard
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 transforms in look and potential with the included S Pen and keyboard attachment. They’re the must-have accessories to unlock the full potential of this 2-in-1 tablet.
The S Pen is an upgrade from the thin stylus we’ve been using on Note phones and the Samsung Chromebook Pro. At 9.4mm thick it’s bigger and easier to hold, and makes the previous S Pen look like a toothpick by comparison. It still has a fine 0.7mm tip (this time made of rubber instead of plastic), and a clickable side button for bringing up the familiar Air Command tools.
All the usual S Pen tools are here, including Notes, Smart Select (create cropped or lassoed screenshots and GIFs), and Screen Write (write directly on a screenshot). There are also three newer functions that can be added to the fanned-out shortcut list: Translate, Magnify (zoom in) and Glance (dock and quickly view an app).
Handwriting and drawing are naturally better on a tablet using a thicker S Pen, too. It’s around the same width as the Apple Pencil, but shorter and boasts four times as many pressure levels. It really captures every angle, which can be great for shading, depending on the app you’re using. Samsung includes two apps – Notes and the coloring-book-like PEN.UP – and there are more in the Google Play Store.
The S Pen doesn’t slot inside the thin tablet, so you can’t seamlessly hide the thicker stylus when it’s not in use. Instead, Samsung has added an pen holder loop for the keyboard – if you buy the keyboard. The good news is that the S Pen doesn’t need to be charged, and doesn’t roll away constantly, as it has two flatter sides and a clip. The Apple Pencil likes to roll off tables because there’s nowhere to put it and, if frequently used, is always at risk of being out of juice.
Keyboard attachment
- Doubles as a case that wraps around both sides
- Doesn't require charging or pairing – it just works
- End flap can't shut off the screen or close magnetically
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3's keyboard attachment is worth the extra money if you’re looking to substitute this tablet for a laptop. Its cramped layout (a necessity) is still useable, with decent travel when you hit the plastic keys – and all the important keys are here.
What’s missing? There are no function keys along the top (we’re okay with that), and it’s sorely missing a home button, requiring you to reach for the fingerprint home sensor on the tablet and possibly knocking your coffee over in the process. We’d also like to see the search key bring up Google Search instead of Google Now On Tap, requiring an extra screen press for the search bar.
Everything folds up nicely, enveloping the tablet in a soft plastic cover on both sides. That’s a big plus. Apple’s iPad Pro keyboard cover only protects the front screen – and aluminum does dent, much like glass shatters. Samsung basically throws in a back cover for free.
Best of all, there’s no need for Bluetooth pairing or charging. The keyboard has six Pogo pins above the top row of keys, and these magnetically clip to the Tab S3’s side frame. Samsung has its own version of the Smart Connector.
We just wish its magnets were stronger. Picking the tablet up by the screen often detaches the bottom part of the keyboard (luckily the back, where there are more magnets, stays secured). The end of the screen cover should also be magnetic, and should turn off the screen when closed. It doesn’t – instead, it can flap open if you’re not careful.
Android 7.0 and apps
- Samsung Experience software is easier to use than ever
- Split-screen multitasking remains the biggest weakness
- It can't fully replace your laptop without a proper app dock
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 runs Android 7.0 Nougat with the latest version of Samsung Experience software overlay, making it simple and easy to navigate through all the apps and settings.
Don’t be afraid of Samsung's software, formerly known as TouchWiz. It gets a bad name, but the company has fine-tuned the look and feel of its software in the last two years. It no longer feels overbearing, as it did when the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S5 launched. And yet it has more features than ever.
What’s new are the refined logistics from the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. Samsung’s quick settings row is no longer cumbersome, and Google’s latest update groups similar notifications together. The settings menu is searchable, and to make things less confusing, at the bottom of each of its submenus are suggests of closely aligned settings. In the notifications settings menu, for example it has a shortcut: “Looking for Do Not Disturb?” Turns out, it’s in the 'Sound and vibration' submenu.
Taking a page from the Note 7, there’s a special Secure Folder to partition off apps, photos and videos. Flipboard also returns, and the left-most menu for easy scrolling through the day’s news.
Samsung Flow makes its Android tablet debut and help transition to and from your smartphone. It allows you to wirelessly share files, sort through notifications and take calls on the tablet (and look like a fool doing it). Cross-linking between a phone and this tablet makes things like receiving phone-siloed SMS text messages less of a pain if you’re already holding a tablet.
Android 7.0 Nougat debuted split-screen multitasking, but Samsung already had this feature in the Tab S2. Old news. In that time, however, more apps have begun to support multi-tasking on the Android operating system. So Google’s push for split-screen in other devices is useful.
Multitasking is still the biggest weakness of an Android tablet (and even an iPad Pro). There’s no true dock for easy switching between apps, and the recent menu is just too slow to truly cycle back and forth between apps. “What do I have open again?” Until 2-in-1s merge mobile and computer operating systems, we’re left with ham-handed multitasking.
Movies, music and gaming
- Awaiting first HDR video content from Amazon Video and Netflix
- Nearly impossible to accidentally cover up the four speakers
- Game Launcher debuts on a tablet with tools tailored to gamers
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3’s strongest suit is being an entertainment pleaser. If you’re looking for the best Android tablet for movies, music and gaming, this is it.
Its HDR-ready screen looks great streaming normal HD content, and when companies like Netflix and Amazon flip the switch for HDR video on a tablet (it’s already in 4K TVs), it’s going to look even better. The toughest part is that you're just going to have to be willing to pay money now for something you’re going to like in the future. That’s the game of future-proofing.
Music benefits from the quad speakers along the frame. Even if they’re not front-facing speakers pointed at you, the viewer, they’re powerful even at a mid-range volume. We also like the fact that they change stereo orientation as you flip the tablet. They’re smart, powerful and tuned better than the speakers on most tablets, and just as much so as the iPad Pro’s four speakers.
Games on the Tab S3 get a boost from the bright Quad HD screen and extra speakers (covering up all four grilles when holding the tablet in landscape mode is now almost impossible now). With a modern Snapdragon 820 chipset and Vulkan API, this tablet is capable of running the best Android games we’ve been playing for the last year on our flagship phones.
Bonus points: Game Launcher, first seen on the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge , makes playing games on a tablet much easier. Importantly, it lets you disable those touchy capacitive recent and back keys while playing. You can also shut off alerts, take in-game screenshots and even record video, complete with a front-facing camera option for Let’s Play videos.
Specs and performance
- Older chipset found in early 2016 smartphones like Galaxy S7
- It's still going to play all of the 3D games you throw at it today
- microSD card slot lets you add up to 256GB of extra storage
The heart of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is the Snapdragon 820. It’s a new chipset for the tablet series, but one we saw in several dozen Android phones in 2016.
The good news here is that this Qualcomm SoC (system on a chip) is powerful enough to run all the latest 3D games, and it’ll be that way for a long time to come, as it’s going to remain compatible with newer titles for some time due to its immense popularity among handsets. Market rules.
Now for the sobering news: this is last year’s chipset, with 4GB of RAM – the one that made its debut in the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. The Galaxy S8 in the US is two chips ahead with the Snapdragon 835 .
When you’re buying a future-proofed device with the world’s first HDR-ready screen on a tablet, it’s kind of curious as to why the chipset lags behind other top-tier phones. It’s smooth, however – for now at least.
Samsung has chosen to include 32GB of internal storage, and you can easily expand that with an extra 256GB, with the Tab S3 including a microSD card slot for more future-proofing. What we like about this is you’re not pressured into buying more expensive storage sizes today, but can upgrade down the road when you need the space.
Battery life
- Smaller than expected battery still lasts long-haul flights
- HD video playback can go 12 hours with the right settings
- Adaptive Fast Charger juices it up to 23% in just 30 minutes
Yes, this is the first important Samsung device to launch since the recalled Galaxy Note 7 . No, it didn’t catch fire or blow up – that’s the first question we’ve heard when mentioning that we’re reviewing the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3.
Its 6,000mAh battery is slightly bigger than the Tab S2’s 5,870mAh, but it’s still undersized next to the power packs in the iPad Pro 9.7 (around 7,300 mAh) andGoogle Pixel C (around 9,200mAh).
In our testing we felt like the Tab S3 had above-average battery life, enough to last a long-haul flight across the US if you wanted to watch a couple of movies and do some work. Running a 90-minute HD video at nearly full brightness drained the battery by 13%, leaving us with 87%.
Samsung says the Tab S3 has enough juice for 12 hours of video playback, and that claim is just about backed up by our testing, with 30 minutes difference between what we saw and the official estimate. There’s a battery saver mode that can help the Tab S3 reach this benchmark, which could make all the difference when you’re not next an outlet.
You can recharge the Tab S3 quickly (for a tablet) when using Samsung’s Adaptive Fast Charger, which comes in the box (it’s the same one that comes with newer Samsung flagship phones, so you may soon have two; +1 for brand loyalty). It took two hours and 55 minutes to go from 0% to 100%, beating Samsung’s 165 minutes claim by 10 minutes.
Camera
- Tablet photography quality leaves something to be desired
- 13MP rear / 5MP front cameras are adequate for reference photos
- Includes the same excellent camera interface of the Note 7
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 has a 13MP rear camera that you’ll hardly use. It has autofocus, an f/1.9 aperture and a flash in case you want to attract more attention to yourself… a tablet-camera user.
The quality is good for a tablet, complete with gesture control and 4K video recording, although your smartphone camera is always going to be better. We’ve mostly seen people use tablet cameras for references shots, where the quality isn’t necessarily important.
More important to potential buyers is the front-facing camera for video chats. Here, Samsung has gone with an adequate 5MP camera with a f/2.2 aperture. As expected, its low-light performance leave something to be desired – just don’t log in to video conference meetings from dim restaurants.
What we do like is that the Tab S3 borrows the improved camera interface of the recalled Samsung Galaxy Note 7. Flipping between the two cameras is done with a swipe up or down directly on the screen (much better than trying to find the tiny camera switch button). Menus are one swipe to the left, and effects are one swipe to the right.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is the best Android tablet yet, and it’s built to last with 2-in-1 S Pen and keyboard capabilities, a beautiful HDR-ready screen and four bumping stereo speakers.
The iPad Pro has met its match when it comes to value. Samsung matches all of Apple’s major hardware features, and adds the S Pen stylus. You’ll have to pay extra for the keyboard case, but it’s at least cheaper than Apple’s keyboard attachment, and it wraps around the entire tablet. The microSD card slot puts Samsung over the top.
Value isn’t everything, though. It’s not a guaranteed universal recommendation; no Android tablet is at this price point. The iPad still has better software and large-scale app support. And while Android Nougat and TouchWiz have closed the gap, multitasking on a tablet isn't enough for productivity pros who can opt for a slightly thicker laptop at around the same price.
It’s the best Android tablet today, but just be aware that its solid entertainment value leans more heavily on the tablet side of its 2-in-1 classification, at the expense of your productivity efforts.
Who’s this for?
You want the best tablet, and demand only Android. That’s pretty much the audience for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3. It has a finely crafted design, powerful AV capabilities and high-end tablet specs, even if they’re the guts of many 2016 smartphones. It’s future-proofed enough with the HDR-ready screen, but you’ll have to make do with the limited HDR video content out there for now.
Should I buy it?
You’re paying a lot of money for tomorrow’s features, some of which you can’t use today. That said, if you’re an early adopter who wants to stay ahead of the curve, and watch movies on an HDR screen down the road, this is the best tablet to get. And the keyboard accessory offers a way to stay productive, if you can slow your work speed down to meet the pace of Android multitasking.
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