Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0

Pros Well-built, thin and light design. Android 4.2.2. Excellent display. Solid Wi-Fi. Acts as a universal remote.

Cons Relatively expensive. Finicky touch screen. Bottom Line The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 is an excellent Android tablet that can multitask and serve as a universal remote, but it doesn't quite stand out.

By Eugene Kim

Samsung tries to make a product for everyone: every size, every price, every feature. The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 ($299.99) tries to hit the sweet spot for small tablets, but ends up straddling an uncomfortable fence—more expensive than the Google Nexus 7, but less capable than the Apple iPad mini and the outstanding Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0. It's a very good tablet, buoyed by its multitasking and universal remote abilities, but it's outflanked by competitors.  

Design and Features
The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 looks like a comically large Galaxy S4—you get the same all-plastic construction, glazed finish, and faux-metal accents around a strikingly similar silhouette. Fortunately, the Tab 3 8.0 also mimics the S4's thin bezels and slim dimensions, measuring 8.26 by 4.87 by 0.28 inches (HWD) and weighing 10.9 ounces. That's right in line with the iPad mini (0.28 inches thick and 10.9 ounces) and a good deal thinner and lighter than the 7.8-by-4.7-by-0.4 inches, 12-ounce Nexus 7. This tablet is eminently comfortable to hold, despite packing a larger screen than most Android competitors.

The 8-inch, 1,280-by-800-pixel LCD is excellent. It's sharper than the iPad mini's, appears brighter side by side, and has really high contrast. The contrast isn't quite as high as Samsung's OLED displays, but you also get far more accurate color representation here. Below the display is a physical Home button flanked by capacitive Menu and Back buttons. Along the left edge is a flap covering the microSD card slot, while the opposite side houses the Volume and Power buttons, as well as an IR-emitter for remote control functions. Along the bottom edge are two speaker grilles and, thankfully, a microUSB port in lieu of Samsung's older proprietary port.

This is a Wi-Fi only tablet that connects to 802.11b/g/n networks on both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies. I had no trouble connecting to multiple routers in our lab, and where many tablets only have a weak signal from my desk, the Tab 3 8.0 consistently held onto a strong connection. Also on board are Bluetooth 4.0 and satellite GPS, but not NFC. Samsung offers the Tab 3 8.0 in single 16GB model for $299.99, and our 32 and 64GB SanDisk microSD cards worked without issue.

Performance and Android
The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 isn't a speed demon like its pen-wielding stablemate, the Note 8.0, but it gets the job done. Powering the Tab 3 is Samsung's dual-core 1.5GHz Exynos 4212 processor, Mali 400 GPU, and 1.5GB RAM. In our overall system benchmarks, the Tab 3 8.0 turned in numbers just shy of the Nexus 7, but gained ground in our graphics tests, outpacing the aging Tegra 3-powered tablet. Anecdotally, the Tab 3 8.0 felt very smooth in operation, whether it was flicking through heavily populated homescreens, switching between running apps, or scrolling through various websites. There was the occasional stutter and lag when opening more resource-hungry apps, but that's the case with nearly every Android tablet. My biggest complaint here is somewhat finicky touch input. The slim bezels are great for keeping this portable, but the palm rejection that worked so well on the Note 8.0 seems to be less effective here. I noticed errant touches, zooms instead of scrolls, and other inconsistencies when not careful about my hand placement.

In our battery test, which loops a video with screen brightness set to maximum and Wi-Fi switched on, the Tab 3 8.0 lasted 6 hours, 48 minutes. That's close to the Kindle Fire HD's 7 hours, but falls well short of the Nexus 7's 10 hours, 50 minutes on the same test. Battery life shouldn't be an issue, but it's not a strong point here.

Camera performance is pretty basic—you get the same lackluster 5-megapixel rear-facing and 1.3-megapixel front-facing cameras found on the Note 8.0. Images looked flat and devoid of finer detail, regardless of lighting conditions. Exposure is a problem for stills and video, as the Tab 3 8.0 tends to overexpose scenes. Video maxes out at 720p and looks pretty mediocre even in good lighting, and pretty bad in low light scenarios. The front-facing camera is serviceable for video chats, and that's all I'd recommend using it for.

The Tab 3 8.0 is running the latest Android 4.2.2 "Jelly Bean," which already gives it a leg up on most tablets that are still stuck on 4.1.2.  Samsung is relentless when it comes to its Android skin TouchWiz, but while purists might cry out, the modifications here don't really get in the way and are, for the most part, pretty useful. You get the usual bevy of pre-loaded apps and Samsung tie-ins. These include ChatOn, Samsung's chat service; Samsung's app, game, and music stores; Group Play and Samsung Link for sharing between Samsung devices; S Planner, S Translator, and S Voice; and various other apps and services.

The great pen support of the Note is missing, but there are still a number of useful modifications to Android itself. You get Samsung features like Smart Stay that keeps the screen on when you're looking at it and Voice Commands for easily pausing videos or snoozing alarms. Even the excellent Multi Window multitasking support is here, letting you run two apps side by side in split screen mode. Not every app is supported, but there's a good selection of Samsung apps and Google apps like Chrome and Gmail that make this a pretty useful feature.

Multimedia and Conclusions
Samsung has done a good job with multimedia support and features for its Galaxy tablets. For video, the Tab 3 8.0 supports MP4, H.264, DivX, Xvid, and WMV files at up to 1080p resolution. For audio you get MP3, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WAV, and WMA support. You can also mirror your screen using DLNA with supported HDTVs or use an MHL adapter to connect the Tab 3 8.0 with an HDMI cable.

IR emitters are becoming the norm for Galaxy devices, and the Tab 3 8.0 benefits from the same universal remote control features found on the Note 8.0. You can use the pre-loaded WatchON app from Samsung or Peel Smart Remote app to browse local TV listings and control a variety of home entertainment devices, from HDTVs to set top boxes. Both apps worked in my tests, but neither can schedule recordings for DVR boxes.

The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 gets so much right, from the thin and light design to the multitasking to the built-in remote control features. But it's amazingly forgettable. There's just something utterly bland about this tablet, lacking the ineffable desirability that leads to an Editor's Choice. It's priced much higher than capable Android competitors like the Nexus 7, and just a little too close to the iPad mini with all the great tablet apps that come with iOS. The Tab 3 8.0 fills a void that may not exist. Some will find it absolutely perfect, at a price they can stomach. Most, however, will be better served stepping up or down to an iPad mini or Nexus 7.

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Samsung Galaxy S 4 Google Play Edition (Unlocked)

Pros Beautiful display. Very fast performance. Runs stock Android 4.2. No carrier bloatware, non-removable Samsung apps, or OS update restrictions.

Cons Expensive. Plastic build doesn't look like $650. Some of Samsung's apps were actually useful, and they're missing here. Bottom Line The Samsung Galaxy S 4 Google Play Edition isn't really what Samsung wants you to buy, but it's the purest form of Android on a phone anywhere—and that's a great thing.

By Jamie Lendino

If you're a fan of stock Android phones, raise your hand. OK, maybe that isn't all of you, but if you're reading this review, chances are that you may be one of them—or, at least, curious as to what all the fuss is all about. The Samsung Galaxy S 4 Google Play Edition ($649), just like other versions of the phone, gives you five inches of beautiful 1080p display, a quad-core processor, a great camera, and a lightweight form factor. But unlike regular Galaxy S 4 models, this one also gives you Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean in its purest stock form—meaning without the unreliable OS update schedule, inconsistent UI, and carrier and vendor bloatware. It's a clear Editors' Choice for unlocked smartphones, even over the HTC One Google Play Edition.

Design, Setup, and Voice Calls
The Galaxy S 4 Google Play Edition looks just like any other Galaxy S 4, and on the hardware side, it works like one, too. For more details, please read our review of the T-Mobile version. In this review, I'll quickly recap what makes the Galaxy S 4 awesome, and then dive into the Google Play-specific stuff.

Much has been made of the phone's plastic build. But really, the end result is that it's lightweight and super-thin; you'll only be disappointed if you're looking for the feel of an aluminum phone, in which case the HTC One Google Play Edition is a better choice for you. The Galaxy S 4 measures 5.4 by 2.75 by 0.31 inches (HWD) and weighs 4.6 ounces. The 5-inch 1,920-by-1,080-pixel, 441-ppi Super AMOLED display is covered in Gorilla Glass 3 and looks brilliant and vivid. Beneath the display, you'll find a hardware Home button, plus capacitive Menu and Back buttons; the combination makes for easy navigation.

This is a powerful unlocked phone, with 4G LTE (700/850/AWS/1900MHz), HSPA+ 42 (850/AWS/1900/2100MHz), and quad-band EDGE (850/900/1800/1900MHz) support, and there's also 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi and NFC. That means it'll work perfectly on both AT&T's and T-Mobile's networks, unlike the HTC One which lacks one of T-Mobile's HSPA+ bands. I tested the Galaxy S 4 with an AT&T SIM card for this review. Repeated, back-to-back Ookla speed tests confirmed that there's no difference between the Google Play Edition and other Galaxy S 4s with regard to data speeds. 

Voice calls sounded warm and full through the earpiece; this is a great sounding phone even without Samsung's processing software. That said, this is one place where Samsung's missing custom EQ can help even more, as the carrier-subsidized version is one of the best-sounding cell phones we've ever tested. Transmissions through the microphone were clear, albeit with a bit more background noise than the regular model. This version still sounds great, though; good hardware is good hardware.

User Interface and Performance
Now about all that software. Samsung spends a tremendous amount of time talking up its endless array of software enhancements on the Galaxy S 4. Some of them are a lot of fun, while others are barely functional or even downright annoying. And all of it adds up to a cluttered, inconsistent eyesore of a UI design that's more intent on pimping the company's own media services.

All of that is gone with this version of the phone. Depending on your philosophy, that's either a great thing, or a not-a-big-deal thing. You can tell where I fall on this spectrum, but many Android smartphone owners just ignore any bloatware they don't like. Besides, you can install and run any of Google Play's 900,000 third-party apps, and install and use only the streaming media and a la carte services you prefer. You do lose access to Samsung's nifty pull-down notification bar enhancements and dual-window multitasking, but commonly accessed settings like screen brightness are just an extra tap away on the Google Play Edition.

I was wondering if benchmark results would tell a story between the two versions of the Galaxy S 4, but they actually didn't. All benchmark results were within the margin of error, with an ever-so-slight edge to the stock Android version. Samsung's software isn't slowing down the handset much on paper, it turns out, but moving around the UI, the stock handset responds more quickly and consistently. Regardless of the model, though, you'll be thrilled with the performance of the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor.

Multimedia, Camera, and Conclusions
On the multimedia side, you get 16GB of internal storage (12.65GB user accessible, as compared to only 9.62GB on the Samsungged version), plus a microSD card slot that accepts 64GB cards. The battery blocks the card slot, so you'll have to pull it and reset the phone in order to swap cards, but that's the price you pay for a phone that's barely over three tenths of an inch thick, and the HTC One doesn't even have a card slot.

Camera performance doesn't suffer with the Google Play version. Test photos from the 13-megapixel sensor looked a little sharper, if slightly more pixelated; it's as if Samsung's own software was smoothing out the edges of things, at the expense of sharpness. It's a really slight difference, though. Recorded 1080p videos were smooth and crisp at 30 frames per second, just like with the carrier-subsidized Galaxy S 4. You do lose access to the regular Galaxy S 4's various photo modes, such as Dual Shot, Best Face, and Drama Shot. At least it has Google's Photo Sphere, which takes 360-degree panoramas. There's also a front-facing 2-megapixel camera for video chats.

This brings us to the price, which is usually what kills it when it comes to unlocked phones. An extra $450 up front is a hefty price to pay for what amounts to a clean stock UI and access to some future OS updates. It's not like the current carrier-subsidized Galaxy S 4s are running an old version of Android, either; they've been shipping with Android 4.2.2 since launch. So really, this is about having the stock UI, future OS updates without excruciating delays, and zero preloaded bloatware of any kind.

If you want the best possible unlocked smartphone—or if the idea of a phone-sized Nexus 7 appeals to you—the Samsung Galaxy S 4 Google Play Edition is the one to get. It takes Editors' Choice away from the Google Nexus 4, thanks to the Galaxy S 4's faster performance, larger and sharper screen, and vastly better camera. Anyone who prioritizes the look and feel of the phone hardware itself will probably like the HTC One better, thanks to its beautiful aluminum body; just know that with the HTC One, you're getting a slightly smaller screen, no microSD card slot, no removable battery, a weaker camera, and a display that is a little less bright.

As far as whether this phone is worth springing $450 for over the regular model, given the various trade-offs involved, for nearly everyone the answer is no. But I can only imagine how things would be different if they were the same price up front.

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