Samsung announced in December the release of its newest tablet in the Galaxy Tab A series, the Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021) - and this has now finally made it into the shops. Supposedly the most streamlined and powerful Tab A of the series yet, the Tab A8 has been designed for optimization by learning your everyday routine to bring entertainment paired with hybrid learning.
Not to be confused with the previous Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2017) model with a similar name, the new Tab A8 boasts a larger screen of 10.5", improved power with a 7,040mAh battery capable of 15W fast-charging (but necessary fast-charger is sold separately) and an enhanced overall performance with an increased CPU and GPU in a slim bezel design.
While this new Tab A8 does offer some great features, the camera unit is nothing to shout about - the rear camera has 8MP, with the front camera featuring a 5MP sensor, seemingly poor quality in comparison with the best camera phones. A redeeming aspect, however, would be the new screen recorder feature allowing the recording of tutorials, lectures, or the user themselves creating a video demonstration with voice and screen elements, matching what you say with what is seen.
This new device by Samsung appears to be aimed at students, teachers and gamers, with features such as the split-screen 'Multi-Active Window' designed for multi-tasking with the ability to use two apps side-by-side and a pop-up window too. A 'Drag & Split' feature has been introduced to open a second window for dynamic webpage browsing, so users will never miss a thing and can work flexibly.
Matthew Leem, VP of Global Brand Marketing Group MX Business at Samsung, shares that: “In a world where remote working and learning has become the norm, tablets have become an indispensable device for so many...We know people are increasingly turning to tablets for video calls, online classrooms, gaming and streaming, so we equipped the Galaxy Tab A8 with brilliant new features to help you connect on a new level.”
Also marketed for family use, the Tab A8 is equipped with robust educational interactive content to allow kids to enjoy a fun and personalized tablet experience thanks to Samsung's global content partners. The original press release from Samsung doesn't really elaborate on what this interactive content will entail specifically, although it does suggest that the Tab A8 can be used for streaming with the free Samsung TV Plus service.
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When purchased from certain retailers, the device will include a free two month trial of YouTube premium to enable users to enjoy ad-free viewing in a captivating portable experience with offline viewing. This may be a great benefit if gifted to a child or teen with a YouTube craze to occupy their interest for a brief time, with variations of the tablet to support Nano-SIM card use and 4G network features.
Samsung has stated that parental controls can be implemented with this device, with users able to access a comprehensive snapshot remotely showing the device usage and activity, taking action to limit and monitor screen time, set goals and track progress. Kids will supposedly be able to customize the devices home screen with playful icons and color schemes.
For an even further peace of mind, the Tab A8 will be backed by Samsung’s industry-leading Knox security platform that provides multi-layer protection. Face recognition on the Galaxy Tab A8 ensures that users will be the only ones with easy access to their device. The tablet can also seamlessly sync with other Galaxy devices that you may own to share features such as texts, webpages and images through simply copy and pasting.
The quad speaker dolby Atmos sound system housed in the sleek design of the Tab A8 should provide an immersive music streaming experience, even when using headphones via the 3.5mm jack located on the bottom of the device next to the usb type-c charging port.
Available in three colors: Gray, Silver and Pink Gold, the device can be purchased with either 3GB or 4Gb of RAM with storage options available in either 32GB, 64GB, and newly in the Tab A8 is the option for 128GB's of storage.
So there you have it, the new Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021) is now available for purchase and pre-order from major retailers. Prices for the Wi-Fi Only Dark Gray / Graphite 32GB model start at $229.99 / £219.00 available now from Amazon US, Amazon UK, and for pre-order from B&H.
A staff writer for Digital Camera World, Beth has an extensive background in various elements of technology with five years of experience working as a tester and sales assistant for CeX. After completing a degree in Music Journalism, followed by obtaining a Master's degree in Photography awarded by the University of Brighton, she spends her time outside of DCW as a freelance photographer specialising in live music events and band press shots under the alias 'bethshootsbands'.
