Samsung has finally introduced a new tablet – the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3! Their last tablet, the Galaxy Tab S2 debuted in September 2015 and ran on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop. Now, find out what’s new in the Galaxy Tab S3, and what it offers over its predecessor!
Updated @ 2017-09-06 : Updated various parts of the review with additional information and some corrections.
Originally posted @ 2017-07-03
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Specification Comparison
Unlike the Galaxy Tab S2 (which comes in 8″ and 9.7″ models), the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) only comes in the 9.7″ form factor. Here, we compare the specifications of the new Galaxy Tab S3 (SM-T820) against the 9.7″ model of its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab S2 (SM-T819).
| Specifications | Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 | Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 (9.7") |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 9.7" Super AMOLED display - 1536 x 2048 pixels (~264 ppi) | 9.7" Super AMOLED display - 1536 x 2048 pixels (~264 ppi) |
| Operating System | Android 7.0 Nougat | Android 5.0.2 Lollipop |
| System Platform | Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 | Samsung Exynos 7 Octa (5433) |
| Processor | 2 x Qualcomm Kyro cores (2.15 GHz) 2 x Qualcomm Kyro cores (1.6 GHz) | 4 x ARM Cortex-A57 cores (1.9 GHz) 4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores (1.3 GHz) |
| Graphics Processor | Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU | ARM Mali-T760 |
| Memory | 4 GB LPDDR4 SDRAM (933 MHz) | 3 GB LPDDR3 SDRAM (800 MHz) |
| Storage | 32 GB internal flash storage microSD slot (up to 256 GB) | 32 GB internal flash storage microSD slot (up to 128 GB) |
| Front Camera | 5 MP sensor with f/2.2 lens | 2.1 MP sensor with f/2.2 lens |
| Rear Camera | 13 MP sensor with f/1.9 lens - Up to 4K video recording | 8 MP sensor with f/1.9 lens - Up to 1440p video recording |
| Audio | 4 AKG-tuned speakers | Two speakers |
| Connectivity | 4G LTE (LTE-enabled model only) WiFi : 802.11 a/b/g/b/ac Bluetooth 4.1 USB : USB 3.1 Type C | 4G LTE (LTE-enabled model only) WiFi : 802.11 a/b/g/b/ac Bluetooth 4.1 USB : USB 2.0 |
| S Pen | Included Pen tip : 0.7 mm Pressure levels : 4,096 | None |
| Battery | 6,000 mAh lithium ion (non-removable) | 5,870 mAh lithium ion (non-removable) |
| Dimensions | 169.0 mm wide 237.3 mm tall 6.0 mm thick | 169.0 mm wide 237.3 mm tall 5.6 mm thick |
| Weight | WiFi only : 429 g LTE-enabled : 434 g | WiFi only : 389 g LTE-enabled : 392 g |
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Book Cover
Our review sample came unboxed, with the optional Book Cover, so there’s no unboxing video. However, you will get to check out how it works with the Book Cover.
As you can see, the Book Cover works just like the Apple iPad Smart Cover. It locks magnetically to the Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada), protecting the front and back glass covers against damage. Flipping it open automatically turns on the Tab S3. It also serves as a stand with three viewing angles.
The Book Cover offers much needed protection for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada). In fact, anyone who gets the Galaxy Tab S3 should at least The only downside is that, like other similar covers, you need to let the flip cover hang loose to use the rear camera. It also does not come with a stylus holder. If a stylus holder is a must, then you need to consider the Keyboard Cover option.
Next Page > The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Up Close, Cameras & S Pen
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The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Up Close
Superficially, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) looks like its predecessor, the 9.7″ Galaxy Tab S2. If you are hoping for a “bezel-less” display like the Infinity Display of the Galaxy S8 smartphone, you’re out of luck. It doesn’t come with the iris scanner either, just the same fingerprint sensor embedded into the Home button.
Like its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) comes in two variants – a WiFi-only model (SM-T820), and an LTE-enabled model (SM-T825). Our review sample is the SM-T825 LTE-enabled model, so it comes with a tray for a nano SIM card as well as a microSD card. The microSD card support, incidentally, has been doubled to 256 GB.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 also retained the front fingerprint sensor embedded into the Home button, as well as the dedicated capacitive touch buttons.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3’s biggest improvements are “hidden” from sight. It boasts the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC, which offers 18% better CPU performance and 3X better graphics performance. It also has a longer battery life of up to 12 hours, partly due to its slightly larger battery and a more power-efficient design.
In addition, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) now boasts a quad-speaker setup, which works great in the horizontal mode, when used with the optional Book Cover or Keyboard Cover. The four speakers have also been tuned by AKG.
The Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) also offers upgraded cameras. The puny 2.1 MP front camera of its predecessor was replaced by a 5 MP Samsung S5K4E6 ISOCELL sensor with f/2.2 lens. This is the same sensor used in the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge and the more recent HTC 10. The upgraded camera allows you to also record 1080p videos, and support Full HD video chats.
The main camera at the back was upgraded with a 13 MP Sony IMX260 sensor, up from the 8 MP shooter. This is the same excellent sensor used in top-of-the-line smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. It can record videos at up to 4K resolution, but does not support optical or electronic image stabilisation. We will share with you photo and video samples from this camera later in this review.
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The S Pen Stylus
New to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S series is the S Pen stylus. This is a redesigned S Pen with a thinner nib (0.7 mm) and 4,096 pressure levels. The S Pen is electromagnetically-powered by close proximity to the Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada), so there is no need to worry about batteries – which is just awesome.
It is thin at just 9.4 mm, and has a rectangular profile for a better grip. The metal clip at the end locks on to the magnets along the left side of the Galaxy Tab S3.
Next Page > Initial Setup, Ergonomics, Available Memory & Storage
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Setting Up The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) runs on the latest Android 7.0 Nougat operating system, and is very easy to set-up. If you are setting it up as a new device, it should take you only about 5 minutes to finish the setup process.
The Ergonomics
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) is now clad in glass, which gives it a more premium look and feel. However, the glass covers are very susceptible to fingerprint smears, and add about 10% more weight. The Galaxy Tab S3 with the Book Cover weighs just under 500 g, which is a significant amount of heft.
The glass covers are a little slippery to handle too, especially if you have oily or wet fingers. So it is recommended that you use it with the Book Cover, or the Keyboard Cover, for better grip.
Available Memory & Storage
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) comes with 4 GB of LPDDR4 memory, of which just 1.7 GB (42.5%) is free to use. This is far less free memory than other 4 GB devices we reviewed recently :[adrotate group=”2″]
- ASUS ZenFone 3 (Best Price) : 2.4 GB free memory
- Honor 8 (Best Price) : 2.4 GB free memory
- HTC 10 (Best Price) : 2.4 GB free memory
- Wiko U Feel Prime (Best Price) : 2.4 GB free memory
- Huawei Mate 9 (Best Price) : 2.3 GB free memory
- ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom (Best Price) : 2.2 GB free memory
- ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra (Best Price) : 2.1 GB free memory
That said, 1.7 GB of free memory is still more than what 3 GB devices have, so you don’t need to worry about running out of memory. Even so, we hope Samsung will seriously reduce the amount of bloat with their upcoming Android Oreo update.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) comes with just 32 GB of internal flash storage, of which 22.8 GB (71%) is free to use. For a 2017 tablet at this price point, we feel that Samsung should have given it at least 64 GB of storage. Of course, you can always top it up with a microSD card (up to 256 GB).
Next Page > Camera Performance – Photos & Videos
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Camera Performance – Photos
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) uses the Sony IMX260 sensor for its main camera, paired with an f/1.9 lens. However, it lacks any optical or electronic image stabilisation. The full 12.8 MP resolution (usually quoted as 13 MP) is attained with the 4:3 aspect ratio. Each picture has a resolution of 4128 × 3096, with a file size between 2.8 MB and 4 MB.
Here are ten full resolution, unedited photo samples for you to check out. Click on them to load the full-sized photos which you can download to examine.
This is the same sensor used in the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, so there’s no surprise that the pictures are excellent. The f/1.9 lens also allowed for very good low-light performance.
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Camera Performance – Video Recording
Thanks to the Sony IMX260 sensor upgrade, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) can now record videos at up to 2160p (4K) at 30 fps. Officially, it does not support any form of optical or electronic image stabilisation. However, our tests show that it actually performs some electronic image stabilisation at 1080p or lower resolutions. Take a look…
Test #1 : Piano (1080p)
The image quality is excellent, with great control of the bright background. The recorded audio was also quite clear. Surprisingly, the amount of handshaking was minimal.
Test #2 : Piano (4K)
When we recorded this clip in the 4K resolution, we noticed that there was significantly more handshaking. From this, we can surmise that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 actually performs some electronic image stabilisation at lower resolutions.
Test #3 : Street Market (1080p)
Even though this test involved walking down a street market, the video was surprisingly smooth. That is quite unexpected for a camera that officially does not support any form of image stabilisation.
Test #4 : Street Market (4K)
The jerkiness of the 4K video is readily apparent. The image quality is excellent, but the complete lack of image stabilisation (for real this time!) is nausea-inducing!
Next Page > Work Performance, Battery Life & Recharging Speed
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Work Performance – PCMark
We tested the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3’s performance using PCMark, which simulates work applications like web browing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 | Huawei Mate 9 | ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra | HTC 10 | |
| Work Performance Score (Average) |
6434 | 7593 | 6313 | 6105 |
| Web Browsing | 6294 | 8717 | 6257 | 5782 |
| Video Playback | 3903 | 4987 | 4287 | 3321 |
| Writing | 6584 | 7883 | 7166 | 7463 |
| Photo Editing | 10599 | 9702 | 8262 | 9694 |
Not surprisingly, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) performed well, matching top-0f-the-line smartphones like the ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra and HTC 10.
Battery Life – PCMark
We then tested the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3’s battery performance using PCMark. It basically ran the PCMark work tests until its battery capacity dropped to 20%.
Samsung claims that the Galaxy Tab S3 has a battery life of between 8 hours (Internet use time) to 12 hours (video play time). This battery test shows that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) will last about 8.5 hours of non-stop work – web browing, playing video, writing text and editing photos.
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Battery Recharging Performance
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 comes with a 10 W fast charger and a USB Type C cable. Take a look at how fast it recharged the 6,000 mAh battery.
It took the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) about 114 minutes (1 hour 54 minutes) to recharge its battery from 17% to 100%. Overall, it has a battery life : recharging ratio of about 4.4 : 1, which is rather low. Samsung should have packaged it with an 18 W fast charger.
Next Page > Gaming & Overall Performance, Our Verdict & Lowest Prices
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Gaming Performance – 3DMark
We tested the Galaxy Tab S3’s gaming performance using 3DMark, using the Ice Storm Unlimited test.
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 | Huawei Mate 9 | ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra | HTC 10 | |
| Gaming Score | 17878 | 27853 | 17719 | 23171 |
| Graphics | 18515 | 36605 | 21124 | 27512 |
| Physics | 15958 | 15164 | 11328 | 14925 |
| Graphics Test 1 | 88.8 fps | 202.5 fps | 115.2 fps | 136.6 fps |
| Graphics Test 2 | 73.6 fps | 131.1 fps | 76.3 fps | 106.4 fps |
| Physics Test | 50.7 fps | 48.1 fps | 36.0 fps | 47.4 fps |
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) is not the fastest gaming tablet, but it has good gaming performance.
Overall Performance
AnTuTu is a nice benchmark for testing various performance aspects of Android devices.
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 | Huawei Mate 9 | ASUS ZenFone 3 Ultra | HTC 10 | |
| TOTAL SCORE | 131430 | 123167 | 76096 | 113813 |
| 3D SCORE | 57553 | 40114 | 18816 | 50700 |
| – 3D (Marooned) | 36690 | 23313 | 10861 | 34778 |
| – 3D (Garden) | 20863 | 16801 | 7952 | 15922 |
| UX SCORE | 43151 | 39975 | 26794 | 30890 |
| – UX Data Secure | 6524 | 7943 | 5077 | 6319 |
| – UX Data Process | 3534 | 6985 | 4198 | 3379 |
| – UX Strategy Games | 9054 | 11860 | 7503 | 5433 |
| – UX Image Process | 21022 | 5580 | 6879 | 9521 |
| – UX I/O Performance | 3017 | 7607 | 3137 | 6238 |
| CPU SCORE | 24024 | 31992 | 23689 | 21915 |
| – CPU Mathematics | 8532 | 9680 | 6950 | 8494 |
| – CPU Common Use | 6041 | 11139 | 6311 | 5931 |
| – CPU Multi-Core | 9451 | 11173 | 10428 | 7490 |
| RAM | 6702 | 11086 | 6797 | 10308 |
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) did well in AnTuTu, coming in top actually. It bested even top-of-the-line smartphones like the Huawei Mate 9 and HTC 10.
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Our Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) is a long-awaited upgrade to the Galaxy Tab S2. If you are hoping for revolutionary changes that have been the hallmark of the Samsung Galaxy S smartphones, you will be sorely disappointed. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S team retained the same familiar design.
So there is no Infinity Display or iris scanner, as some of us have hoped for. Instead, they clad the Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) in glass, and focused on internal improvements. It now boasts a faster processor, a much faster graphics processor, more and faster DDR4 memory, and a quad-speaker system tuned by AKG.
Also upgraded were the cameras. The puny 2.1 MP front camera was replaced with the 5 MP camera used in the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge and the more recent HTC 10. The main camera also saw an upgrade to the excellent Sony IMX260 sensor used in the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge.
Other less obvious upgrades include the display and battery. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) used the same excellent Super AMOLED display, but it is now capable of displaying HDR images and videos. The battery also saw a slight increase in capacity, allowing the Galaxy Tab S3 to achieve a rated battery life of 8 to 12 hours. Needless to say, the battery has also undergone the new Samsung 8-point battery safety check.
Arguably the biggest upgrade the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 introduces is the improved S Pen. This is the first time a Samsung Galaxy Tab S tablet comes with the S Pen. The new S Pen is still powered electromagnetically, but now has a thinner nib and 4,096 pressure levels.
The only issues we have with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) are the memory bloat and its rather limited internal storage. At its launch price of RM 2,999 (US$ 599 in the US), we would have expected at least 64 GB of internal storage, or a Book Cover (RM 199 / ~US$ 47) thrown in.
If you find the Galaxy Tab S3 too pricey, you will be glad to note that the older Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is now on sale at almost half the price! Now that’s a really great deal!
Availability & Lowest Prices
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Amazon | Lazada) is now available in Black and Silver colour options. The Pogo Keyboard Cover comes in Gray colour and retails at RM499 / ~US$119.
[adrotate group=”2″]The Book Cover is available in Black, White and Green colours, and retails at RM199 / ~US$47. Check out the latest offers below :
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 LTE (Black) : Amazon | Lazada
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 LTE (Silver) : Amazon | Lazada
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Keyboard Cover : Amazon
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Book Cover (Black) : Amazon | Lazada
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Book Cover (White) : Amazon | Lazada
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Book Cover (Green) : Amazon | Lazada
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