Review: Galaxy Tab 3 10.1
From a gadget enthusiast’s perspective
Context / Disclosure
I was recently chosen to participate in a review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 by a group looking to see how the tablet might fit into the lifestyle of those who frequently use co-working environments. This demographic is likely one that uses technology heavily for all manner of business and hopefully pushes the product to its limits.
For context, I’m a UI/UX designer that works daily with all types of mobile devices, often chaining several devices together so I can see how all the changes will look in realtime as I code web applications and interfaces. On any given day I can be on a plane, in a meeting, coding in a co-working space, or sketching in a coffee shop. I’m the guy that tends to purchase new devices frequently as better specs and features hit the market. The main thread to take away here is that I tend to want to most out of my gadgets and I’ve often had to hack or root a few to get the functionality I want.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1
These days, my daily gadget array includes a MacBook Pro, Kindle Paperwhite, Nexus 4, and often some form of tablet. I like to have a tablet on hand because it’s a great way to tackle organizational tasks, consume media on a larger screen, look at visuals like charts or illustrations, and draw directly onto a digital canvas, all in an informal way.
For me, a tablet fits in the world between serious work (which my laptop takes care of) and personal assistant/communicator (which my phone accomplishes). I use my kindle for heavy reading as it’s my preference not to drain my phone and tablets are too heavy to hold for a long time. As such, my tablets need to justify their place in my bag because of all the overlap.
What’s in the Box
The packaging itself is cardboard and has the feel of recycled paper, but I have no clue on its green status. You’ll find just the essentials included with the tablet; pretty common for your average product today.
There’s the tablet itself, plus a quick start guide, a detailed warranty guide, a promo to keep you in the loop about other samsung products, a standard micro usb cable, and a 5V, 2A wall adapter.
Build Quality / Weight
My first big requirements for tablets are the build quality and weight: I need something incredibly light since I’m already lugging around the others and something study to toss into a pack. At 17.99 oz, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (SGT3) is certainly lightweight. This means I can hold it up for a while and not get any arm fatigue, plus it won’t take up a lot of space.
Weight aside, I can’t get over the feel of cheapness from this device. The back bubbles up because of the plastic shell and even warps with a bit of torque. Compared to the Nexus 7/10 or the iPad Mini/Air, who feel much sturdier, this tablet isn’t in the same league as the others in build quality.
Button / Component Layout
This tablet is clearly designed with be used in the landscape position, given the logo and home button locations. The volume keys in the top left are a great placement in my opinion because it keeps them within reach, but not likely to be hit while holding it. The headphone jack is located on the top left side as well, keeping headphone wires off the screen.
One beef I do have is that of nearly all the devices I’ve used, the power button is usually in the top right (with the exception of my kindle, which is on the bottom). Not so on the SGT3. I found the top left placement a quite irritating, as I instinctively tapped the wrong place when not thinking. It can be annoying, but it’s obviously not a deal-breaker.
On the other hand, I do very much like the micro-sd card slot at the top. I really wish I saw this more on mobile devices these days, but I do recognize the storage war isn’t as critical as it used to be. This tablet also includes an IR blaster for TV use, which is kind of cool for home theater set ups.
Display
To put things in perspective, the SGT3 has a 1,280 x 800 resolution, making it slightly larger than my Nexus 4 smartphone’s resolution.
For a company that’s been historically regarded as a pioneer in display technologies, this tablet disappoints. You can easily see the pixels which gives most of the icons and images a less-than-crisp feel that’s almost fuzzy. When you’re used to a retina screen from an iPad/MacBook or even the higher pixel densities and resolutions of competing tablets, the poor quality of the display really shows.
Sound Quality
You’ll find the speakers on the sides, which deliver decent sound, but certainly nothing to pull in the audiophile crowd. Sound volume tends to be quiet, so you’ll want to be a noiseless environment with it on max to hear your movies clearly.
Battery Life
The battery life for the SGT3 was a bit less than the averages I’ve seen in other tablets. I got about 5-7 hours out of it consistently with normal use, mostly browsing the internet, reading various new articles, and watching a YouTube video occasionally.
Initial Setup
Powering up the device out of the box led to a welcome screen where you set up the device, including picking your wifi network and signing up for a Samsung account. You can expect to get through everything in a few minutes and then likely update to the latest supported android version.
OS / Interface
The tablet runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, which is currently a generation behind the latest 4.4 KitKit.
I’m a major fan of Android, but I found the skin Samsung uses (TouchWiz) quite distasteful. Combine that with the bloatware apps that were included and this makes for a poor Android experience.
Coming from a pure Nexus environment, the SGT3 brings me back to the days when you bought a PC from Best Buy and spent the next few hours uninstalling all the applications it came with. There were a handful of 3rd party and Google-specific apps that were more welcoming, like Dropbox, Youtube, and Google Maps. All in all, the tablet functioned like any Android tablet and all the mechanisms were essentially the same, but I very much prefer the overall aesthetic of both iOS7 and vanilla Android, not only visually, but from a usability standpoint as well.
General Touch Recognition
Typing proved to be quite inconsistent. The input would lag or the keys wouldn’t register, making the first impression of the tablet a poor one. Sometimes pulling down a menu or clicking an app required several pecks. The general performance can be very spotty. Definitely a frustration from time to time.
Performance
Besides text input and random hiccups with TouchWiz, most of the regular apps were about as snappy as the other tablets I’ve used. You don’t have the smooth buttery feel you’ll get from the Nexus and iPad lines, but it’s not labored or jerky.
Final Thoughts
The SGT3 summed up in one word would be “okay”. It does many things okay, but nothing really stands out. Factor in the relative price of the Nexus 7 and 10 or the iPad, iPad Mini, and iPad Air and this tablet doesn’t even come close. If you’re looking for a full-form tablet in the 10" range, make the extra leap for an iPad or wait until the latest rumored Nexus 10 iteration.
In the end, this tablet didn’t justify its place for my daily usage and there are superior options at similar or less cost that will serve anyone better.
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