Samsung Galaxy Tab A + S-Pen - A Hidden Gem?

Android Tablets seem to be dead in the west. Even the most ardent androidians seem to have an iPad. Apple is constantly pushing its iPad lineup as a “laptop replacement”. But that still hasnt stop stagnantion of sales. They are slowly creeping into the enterprise sector, but this is often in addition to a “company” laptop. So not really a replacement then.

A lot of us tech nerds are often looking out for the “perfect” device. Whether it is a phone, tablet, laptop, pc etc etc. My own journey for the perfect laptop and the best value work laptop have been discussed here in detail.

I am one of those guys that really likes stylus input. Its why I have had a couple of Galaxy Notes and a Lenovo Miix convertible devices (basically a Microsoft Surface clone). I find these very useful for my work. (This was before my Redmi Note 8T)

Now I would love to have an Android Tablet with that kind of functionality. Android tablets have generally dwindled in the West and apart from a few Samsung and Huawei devices, and are predominantly for content consumption. The Amazon Fire Tablets are another good example. The Windows tablet/convertibles are very good for productively, but suffer from the limitations of Windows 10 in tablet-only form

However, in other markets, especially in India and SE Asia, Android Tablets are still doing well. These are price sensitive markets, and often these may be the main computing platform for many. A quick look around Google and eBay shows that there are many other tablets out there that arent easily available in the UK. My cousins in India and the Middle East seem to have a much wider range with different funcitonality. One such relative told me of a Samsung Galaxy Tab A which included an S-Pen. This was available in both 8in and 9.7in form factors. That too at good prices.

After the theft of my Note 9 (have i mentioned that before?) I thought “why not?” I think I might have uncovered a hidden gem that works great for productivity and as an on-the-go content consumption device.

So ordered the device, and it came pretty speedily from overseas. I went for the 8in model (as I already had a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7in somewhere). On unboxing, its clearly made with polycarbonate materials, there isnt evena suggestion of premium here. But thats ok, at the price point, its perfectly reasonable, and if you want to subject to constant on-the-go use, well then plastic is going to be more durable then metal slabs or glass sandwiches.

The aesthetics of the device kind of what the love-child of a Nexus 7 and iPad Mini would be. Its tall with a 16.10 ratio, which makes it like a big phone. But then in landscape its a widescreen 1080p resolution. A good choice i thought.

A full spec sheet is below.

Exynos 7885 Octa Core

Android 9 + One UI

Internal Storage 32GB + MicroSD

RAM 3GB

S-Pen (non-Bluetooth)

DIsplay LCD TFT 1920x1200

USB - C Chanrging

3.5mm (Courage) Headphone jack

Mono downward speaker

8MP rear camere/5MP selfie camera

Non-removable 4200mA battery.

So the specs arent going to set the world alight….but then this doesnt need to.

A wise man allegedly said that “the right tool, is the tool that gets the job done”.

I go.to a lot conferences and courses as part of my work. I also am doing some theology classes (another one of my non-medical interests). My Lenovo Miiix seemed to be “ok” ant handling stylus input and making notes/taking pictures of slides etc. But it was heavy, slow, kept having wifi issues. No deal-breakers, but just sub-optimal.

But when I had bought my Note 9 (did i mention it was stolen?), it was like a revelation. Samsung have really optimised Android for a more productive (if bloated) experience. It was just so much easier and convenient. If only the screen was bigger and i still had all those features.

Thats were this Tab A + S Pen comes in. Its form factor, durability and price means I can throw it in my bag without worry. It has good battery life, the stylus input is great especially using OneNote or the Samsung Notes apps. I have the full library of Android apps to choose from and if i want on a train its easy to watch something on Netflix etc.

If i want to type something out, it has still small enough to type on for a device of this size without the need of a separate keyboard.

The cameras arent great, but then the only thing id use it for is to scan documents. The sound is also a bit meh، but the headphone jack helps.

“But its just a big phone!” I hear you cry (or was that the neighbours?)

Well if you havent noticed, phones are getting bigger and bigger. A decade ago the HTC HD2 was 4.3in. The OG Note was a massive 5.3in. The latest S20 Ultra has a 6.8in display. The Note 10 has a 6.7in display. Both of these are much much much more expensive.

For my needs, this form factor, small tablet/phablet/big phone, whatever you want to call it works for me.

Im just disappointed that you have to go so much out of your way to get a device like this.

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