A middling tab with an extravagant price-tag

The tablet, even though isn't a new product, has taken the world in a storm. Everybody wants one and most people have one. Today I'm going to talk about the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3. Even though it is called a tablet, in reality, it's a cross between a phone and a tablet.
Starting with the display: it's mediocre. Only about 170 ppi pixel density which means the pictures isn't crisp, sharp and appealing. Since it is a device you'll be using 10 inches from your face and you want as much detail as possible when playing games or watching a movie, so get ready to be disappointed. But Samsung is no inane. They compensated the screens sharpness by making the screen very bright (most of the time).

In terms of speed, it really has none. I mean this is your very basic tablet. Games struggle unless they are your basic games like DOTS or Flow Free. So don't expect to be playing the newest RAM- craving games. The NAND drive (ROM) is just fast enough to keep the tablet running. It is not that snappy unless you disable a lot of components. The read/write to the microSD (using a class 6 card) isn't fast either. So once you hook up your tablet to your pc to copy something, make sure you have time. A better alternative to this issue would be using apps like Wi-Fi file transfer or AirDriod. The device is quite heavy, so ready book off it while laying flat on your back becomes a workout in about 5 minutes.
The specs aren't great but it has support for GLONASS (Russian version of GPS), TV out and extra slots for your 64 GB microSD card if you want to store music or movies to watch when you go on trips or at home. The tablet has stereo speakers, so it does some justice when you listen to music or watch something on it. I'd say the speakers are just about right but a being a bit louder would not hurt anyone. The device is 3G ready too. So you'll have up to 21mbps on the go beside the regular Wi-Fi.

The tablet comes with the usual Samsung software customization; Group Play, Memo, S Voice (similar to Google Now). That is all good but the thing I didn't like much is Samsung's own app store. That means I have to sign into my Google account twice; once for registering with Google and once with Samsung; that's just too much work. I'm also not expecting any software update for this device. If you would like to try a newer version of android on it, you will have to root the device, install custom recovery and then find a ROM that you like.
If you do own one, here are some suggestions to make it snappier:

• Unlock → settings → about
• Tap on the section where it says “build number” 7 times.
• You will see the developer options is now on
• Scroll down to “windows animation scale” and tap on it, select “animation off”
• Do the same for the next 2 options
• Find “force GPU rendering” and enable it
• This is optional; you could select “do not keep activities”. That way your tasks are killed when you leave them.

Once you finish doing them, you'll feel the tablet is a little bit more responsive but still doesn't make it above average; it will still give you a better experience than before.

Reviewer runs Aalok IT and takes the occasional break by giving new smartphones a thorough workout

The Verdict

This isn't Samsung's top-of-the-line tablet. You could say that it's merely a response to the iPad mini or Google Nexus 7. The response would have been much well received only if the price of this chubby device was half of the current one. Still it managed to be one of the best sellers in Bangladeshi market. Till today we wonder why!
Our advice: If you really want a tablet to see what it's all about, get a Chinese non-brand one available for about 15 to 22k. Or a first generation Google Nexus 7. Or even the Samsung Note II provided you are OK with the 5 inch display!

SPECS

Display: 600 x 1024 pixels, 7.0 inches (~170 ppi)
OS: Android 4.1.2 (jelly bean)
CPU: 1.2 GHz Dual-core
ROM: 8/16 GB
RAM:  1GB
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, EDGE, 3G and IR port
Camera:  Primary 3.15 MP geo-tagging, autofocus & Secondary 1.3 MP.
Sensors:  Accelerometer, GPS etc
Battery: 4000 mAh
Price:  8 GB Tk. 35,000/-
(Limited time offer ongoing: Samsung ESI95 camera with per purchase)