Samsung has churned out some great tablets over the years. The company’s lineup of Galaxy tablets is home to some of the best Android tablets you buy right now on both the hardware and software fronts. The Galaxy lineup, however, has a bunch of tablets that are either a part of its Galaxy Tab S or Galaxy Tab A-series. But what exactly are the differences?
Differences between Galaxy Tab A and Galaxy Tab S-series
Much like the Galaxy phones, Samsung’s tablets also fall into the Tab A-series or S-series based on which segment of the market they’re catering to. High-end tablets have always been a part of the Galaxy Tab S-series, while the midrange and budget models get the A-series badge. And those differences become apparent once you start breaking them down.
The first and most important difference to consider is pricing. The Galaxy Tab A-series carries a cheaper price tag, whereas the premium Galaxy Tab S-series models burn a bigger hole in your wallet. Just to put things into perspective, the current-gen Galaxy Tab A8 starts at $230, which can be made cheaper with trade-ins and other deals. The relatively premium but still entry-level Galaxy Tab S8 will set you back a cool $600 right now without trade-ins or deals. The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, by comparison, will cost you a whopping $1,100 at full price.
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8
$562 $700 Save $138
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is the entry-level device of the company’s 2022 flagship tablet lineup, featuring an S Pen and an 11-inch display.
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Source: Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8
$200 $230 Save $30
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 is a decent offering from Samsung in the budget space, with a 1920×1200 LCD panel, a Unisoc T618 chipset, respectable internal specifications, and an excellent price tag to match.
Paying a premium for the Galaxy Tab S-series devices gets you significantly better tablets with more premium designs, powerful internals, and lots of extra features. They also look decidedly more premium with high-quality materials like metal frames and glass elements. They also get the Gorilla Glass treatment, which is missing in the more affordable models in the Galaxy Tab A-series right now.
You also get better-looking displays on the premium Galaxy Tab S-series models with slimmer bezels, high-refresh-rate support, higher resolutions, and more. The Tab S8 Ultra and Plus, for example, have AMOLED screens, which produce more vivid images with more true-to-life colors. The Tab A8, meanwhile, has an LCD screen, which is fine for browsing the web but not as great for watching videos.
As high-end tablets, the Galaxy Tab S-series models are also powered by better internals compared to the Galaxy A-series models. The Galaxy Tab S8 series, for example, is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. The upcoming Galaxy Tab S9 models are also rumored to carry Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processors. The devices in the Galaxy Tab A-series, however, carry relatively less powerful chips. You’re looking at a 12nm Unisoc Tiger T618 and a 12nm MediaTek Helio P22T chips for the Galaxy Tab A8 and the Galaxy A7 Lite, respectively. This means you’ll be able to run most apps and accomplish basic tasks like web browsing, but you’ll run into trouble with games and more graphically intense apps.
Here’s a quick look at the Galaxy Tab S8 and Galaxy Tab A8 specs sheet to give you a better understanding of the kind of differences you can expect to see between the two:
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 Brand Samsung Samsung Storage 128GB, 256GB 32GB, 64GB, 128GB CPU Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Unisoc Tiger T618 (12 nm) Memory 8GB, 12GB 2GB, 3GB, 4GB Operating System One UI 5 based on Android 12 Android 11 Battery 8000mAh, 45W wired 7,040mAh, 15W wired Ports USB-C USB Type-C 2.0 Camera (Rear, Front) 13MP + 6MP ultrawide, 12MP selfie 8MP Rear, 5MP Front Display (Size, Resolution) 11-inch LCD, 2560×1600, 120Hz 10.5 TFT LCD, 1920×1200 pixels Price $630 $230 Size 9.99×6.51×0.25 inches (253.8×165.3×6.3 mm) 9.72×6.37×0.27 inches (246.8×161.9×6.9mm) Connectivity Wi-Fi, Cellular, Bluetooth Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Headphone jack No Yes Colors Graphite, Silver, Pink Gold Dark gray, silver, rose gold
The rest of the specs sheet also looks relatively weaker for the A-series models, which reflects the price difference. You get less memory and storage, weaker optics, smaller batteries with slower charging speeds, and so on. Notably, the Galaxy Tab A-series models also miss out on things like the fingerprint scanner, and they’re not bundled with an S Pen like the newer Galaxy Tab S-series models. I suggest you stop by our Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 vs Galaxy Tab A8 comparison to learn more about the differences.
Your choice comes down to your budget
It’s safe to say that Samsung’s S-series tablets — just like its Galaxy phones — represent its best efforts to deliver a solid experience for those who don’t want any compromises. The Galaxy Tab A-series models, on the other hand, are good for economical shoppers on a tighter budget. Samsung also has a Galaxy Tab S7 FE model in its portfolio at the moment that trades a few features from the S-series for a slightly cheaper price, but it’s better to stick with the regular Tab S models over that one to get a better price-to-performance ratio.
If you’re interested in buying one of the Galaxy Tab S8 models but don’t know which one to go with, then check out our article explaining the differences between Samsung Galaxy Tab S8, Galaxy Tab S8+, and the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.
