Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 first impressions: Your entertainment companion

The tablet market has some strong players despite Apple's dominance. Samsung is a crucial player that has made sure to make its presence felt despite stiff competition. After showing its capabilities to deliver a premium, best-in-class tablet - the Galaxy Tab S7, Samsung is making sure the customers are not at a loss of options by launching the Galaxy Tab A7.

Priced at Rs 17,999, Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 is looking to tap into the budget segment. The target audience can be anyone from students taking online classes to anyone who needs a spare large-screen device to carry out entertainment needs and for anyone who simply doesn't want to burn a hole through the pocket over a tablet.

There's also a 4G LTE variant for Rs 21,999, but that comes in handy in case you're willing to carry the tablet wherever you go. We received the Tab A7 for review and here's what our initial thoughts are of the device.

Design

Samsung Galaxy Tab A7's USP is the design. It's sleek and compact even for a 10.4-inch tablet. But the looks can be deceiving as it feels a tad heavy while trying to operate with single-hand. It weighs 476grams. After seeing the Tab S7, the Tab A7 feels outdated, but looking at the budget, it seems fitting.

Samsung has gone with a traditional design. The Galaxy Tab A7 is playing it safe, the logo takes a prominent spot on the back, the single-camera lens sits on the top right corner in landscape mode and the volume and power buttons sit just on the top. There's a USB Type-C port alongside the speakers and there are two more on the opposite side. There's also a 3.5mm headphone just in case you wish to plug those earphones in. But we felt the loudspeakers were sufficed for most of the talks, including watching movies and TV shows.

Display

The 10.4-inch display comes with 2000x1200 resolution with thick bezels surrounding. It's a bit old-school. But the display is generously bright so you don't have to struggle to view under direct sunlight. The display can also get dim in case you want to catch up on your shows without waking up your partner in the room.

Apps, UI and more

Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 has a familiar interface as it runs One UI. You'll easily get accustomed to it right from the time you take the tablet out of the box. There are some pre-loaded apps such as Netflix, Google and Microsoft apps to cater to your essential needs expected from a tablet.

But the Galaxy Tab A7 has only 32GB onboard storage, which many will find it to be too low. But there's an option to expand using microSD card up to 1TB, but nothing beats the convenience of integrated storage. The 8MP rear camera is helpful to scan documents and the 5MP front snapper will fulfil your video-calling needs. Surprisingly, there's no LED flash on the back, so you may need to rely on ambient lighting.

The Tab A7 is powered by an octa-core processor with 3GB RAM onboard. We are not betting huge on the performance besides day-to-day use. There's a 7,040mAh battery with 15W fast charging support, but it can take its own sweet time. But anything is better than standard 10W. Stay tuned for more in-depth analysis of how things are in our detailed review.