After remaining absent from the tablet space for the better part of a year, Samsung marks its return to the slate world with the Galaxy Tab A.
Marketed as a tablet that will let you keep in touch with friends and family, the Galaxy Tab A comes in 8-inch and 9.7-inch sizes. Both variants are powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor and 1.5GB of RAM, along with 1,024 x 768 pixel displays. Both run Android 5.0 Lollipop, and come with either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, though that can be expanded via the tablet’s MicroSD card slot.
Regardless of which size you choose, the Galaxy Tab A separates itself from its predecessors by having a 4:3 aspect ratio, where previous Samsung tablets had a 16:10 aspect ratio. In addition, the Galaxy Tab A models have a full metal chassis, which is a significant departure from the all-plastic construction of previous Samsung tablets.
There’s not much separating the two models of the Galaxy Tab A, though, save for the screen sizes and battery capacity. The 8-inch version sports a 4,200mAh battery pack and the 9.7-inch variant includes a 6,000mAh battery. Whether the differences between the two versions are significant enough to warrant a $70 bump from the 8-inch version’s $230 price tag to the 9.7-inch version’s $300 price tag is up to you, though there will also be an 8-inch version with Samsung’s S Pen for $350.
The 8-inch and 9.7-inch Galaxy Tab A will be available for purchase on May 1. The 9.7-inch version will come bundled with the S Pen and arrive on May 17. You can preorder your model of choice on Samsung’s website.
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