We got a chance to play with the new Galaxy Tab 3 series at the launch and we try to sum up our first impressions in this post.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 series marks a comeback for the company in the tablet segment, after it unveiled the Note 510 in the Indian market, a few months back.
The Galaxy Tab 3 tablets still employ the use of plastic, but sport smooth, rounded corners and well-placed hardware keys that don't feel cheap at all. One thing that we noted here is that all products under the Galaxy range have started to look similar in design and the only difference is the form-factor and the sheer size of the display.
All the tablets in the Galaxy Tab 3 range share the same design. They all run Android Jelly Bean, and each tablet features a physical home button accompanied by two capacitive Menu and Back keys on either side.
The same layout is featured on Samsung's high-end and even low-end devices, and it looks like the Korean giant is adopting it as its universal design concept. However, we were not disappointed as we feel the physical Home key is very useful at times. The Galaxy Tab 3 211 with a 7.0-inch display can easily be used with one hand thanks to the slim design and less weight.
Though, all the tablets in the Galaxy Tab 3 range have similar specifications except a few changes here and there, a major difference in the 8.0-inch Tab 3 variant is that it runs the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean while the smallest member of the family, the 7.0-inch Tab 3, still sticks to Android 4.1. This was a bit of a surprise to us. In our limited time with the tablets, we found that the Galaxy Tab 3 range of tablets were smooth operators while opening apps, switching between apps and also while navigating the user-interface.
On the software front, we found the Galaxy Tab 3 series to be well stocked when it comes to preloaded apps and features including Smart Stay which puts the tablet to sleep mode if not used, using the front camera as it detects the eyes of the users, Multi Window that allows users to work on two apps by splitting the screen in two, Reading mode that optimizes the display for paper like readability and Group Play that lets users share files with other Samsung devices using the same Wi-Fi network. All the apps have already been seen on previous Samsung devices such as the Galaxy S4.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 311 comes equipped with a 1.5GHz dual core processor with 1.5GB of RAM. It runs the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The device features an 8.0-inch WXGA display with a pixel density of 189 PPI and boasts a screen resolution of 1280x800. The Galaxy Tab 3 311 sports a 5.0-megapixel rear camera and a 1.9-megapixel front camera. It comes with 15GB internal storage which can be expanded up to 64GB with microSD card. It also packs a 4,450mAh battery.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0-inch is available in two variants. The Galaxy Tab 3 311 which has 3G (voice and data) support while the Galaxy Tab 3 310 comes in a Wi-Fi version only.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 211 is the smallest of the Tab 3 series and comes with 7.0-inch WSVGA display with 168 PPI. It is powered by a 1.2GHz dual core processor with 1GB of RAM. It also packs an 8GB internal storage that can be expanded up to 32GB. Backing the device is a 4,000mAh battery. On camera front, the Galaxy Tab 3 211 comes loaded with 3.0-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front camera. The tablet runs on the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
We'll have more with our review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 series, very soon.
Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2026 hub.