Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) Tablet Review: A budget Samsung tablet with great deficiencies
Samsung advertises its 8 mm (~0.3 in) thin and 345 g (~12.2 oz) Tab A 8.0 (2019) as the ideal companion for using on the go, which should primarily be used for streaming services. In addition, the tablet comes with two months of YouTube Premium and three months of Spotify Premium, free of charge.
The specifications of the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) are expected for a tablet at this price. The 8-inch display of the €160 (~$179) has a resolution of just 1,280x800, which Samsung complements with 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 underpins the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) too.
In addition to the Wi-Fi model that we tested, Samsung also offers a variant with LTE. The latter retails for €230 (~$257).
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79.6 % v7 (old) | 01 / 2020 | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 SD 429, Adreno 504 | 345 g | 8 mm | 8.00" | 1280x800 | |
| 81 % v7 (old) | 01 / 2020 | Lenovo Tab M8 HD Helio A22 MT6762M, PowerVR GE8320 | 305 g | 8.2 mm | 8.00" | 1280x800 | |
| 78.7 % v6 (old) | 03 / 2019 | Alldocube M8 T801 MT6797X, Mali-T880 MP4 | 345 g | 8.48 mm | 8.00" | 1920x1200 | |
| 77.7 % v6 (old) | 07 / 2019 | Amazon Fire 7 2019 MT8163 V/B 1.3 GHz, Mali-T720 MP2 | 286 g | 9.6 mm | 7.00" | 1024x600 | |
| 78.9 % v7 (old) | 12 / 2019 | Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 MT8183, Mali-G72 MP3 | 504 g | 9.8 mm | 10.10" | 1920x1200 | |
| 80.8 % v7 (old) | 09 / 2018 | Huawei MediaPad M5 lite Kirin 659, Mali-T830 MP2 | 475 g | 7.7 mm | 10.10" | 1920x1200 | |
| 73.7 % v6 (old) | 03 / 2019 | Trekstor SurfTab B10 MT8163 V/A 1.5 GHz, Mali-T720 MP2 | 505 g | 9.8 mm | 10.10" | 1280x800 | |
| 75.4 % v7 (old) | 12 / 2019 | Lenovo Tab M7 MT8321, Mali-400 MP2 | 236 g | 8.2 mm | 7.00" | 1024x600 |
Case - Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) with metal and glass
While the entire front of the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) is covered with glass, the back of the tablet is made of metal. Samsung has given the back of the Tab anon-slip matte finish that, unfortunately, is quite susceptible to fingerprints and is also difficult to clean.
In comparison to the previous model, Samsung has removed the home button and placed its company logo on the back of the tablet. Nevertheless, the bezels around the 8-inch display are very wide, with its screen ratio being correspondingly low at 70%.
In terms of case stability, we have hardly any complaints. Attempts to twist it reveal a certain flexibility, though. Overall, the build quality is at a very good level for a cheap entry-level tablet.
Connectivity - Samsung tablet only with Widevine DRM Level 3
The connectivity of the Samsung tablet is acceptable considering its price. Neither a fingerprint sensor nor a status LED are available; not even always-on functionality. Headphones can, however, be connected via the tablet's 3.5 mm jack. The Tab A 8.0 can wirelessly output video to an external monitor using Miracast too. Due to being Widevine DRM Level 3 though, services such as Amazon Prime Video and Netflix can only be streamed in SD rather than HD.
Charging the tablet's 5,100 mAh battery falls on the device's micro USB port, which sits on the underside of its frame. The port supports USB-OTG for connecting peripherals such as keyboards or USB sticks. It only operates on the USB 2.0 standard, though.
The internal eMMC flash storage has a capacity of just 32 GB, of which a good 20 GB is free upon delivery. A memory expansion of the Tab A 8.0 (2019) is at least possible and can be increased by up to a 512 GB microSD card. Micro SD cards cannot be formatted as internal memory, but the tablet supports the exFAT file system.
Software - Android 9.0 with Samsung One UI 1.1
The One UI user interface of the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) is based on Android 9.0 Pie, while our review unit has the June 2019 set of security patches installed. Whether an update to the current Android 10 will happen has not been officially confirmed, but reports say that the latest Android iteration will arrive in Q3 2020.
The number of pre-installed third-party apps is limited, but there are several Samsung apps on board that offer numerous additional functions. The Kids Home area can also create a safe environment for children and offers parents the opportunity to monitor the time that their kids spend on the tablet.
Communication & GPS - Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) without NFC
Only the LTE version has mobile connectivity. Its modem supports nine LTE bands and covers almost all LTE frequencies that are relevant to for Germany - at least for the time being. The increasingly more important LTE band 28 is not supported, though. The tablet also only supports Bluetooth 4.2. An NFC chip for near-field communications is not installed though, which precludes - insofar as an 8-inch tablet could be considered as a payment method - via Google Pay.
The integrated Wi-Fi module supports IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n, along with the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz networks. In daily use, the reception performance of the Wi-Fi module proved good and its signal stable.
The lack of support for MIMO antenna technology for Wi-Fi consigns the Tab to relatively low transmission rates on home networks - here the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) only ranks in the middle in our comparison devices. In conjunction with our Linksys EA8500 reference router, the Samsung tablet achieves average transfer rates of 101 MBit/s. The transmission power is somewhat higher at an average of 115 MBit/s.
In addition to GPS, GLONASS and QZSS, the Tab A 8.0 (2019) also uses the satellite-based supplementary system SBAS for navigation services. Outside, the Samsung tablet quickly detects our current position, but the number of satellites it found during our tests was low. The device cannot find a satellite signal indoors, though.
In practice, a comparison trip with the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) shows an unproblematic total deviation of around 60 metres (~197 ft) compared to the Garmin Edge 500, one of our reference bike computers. However, looking closely reveals that our review unit significantly straightens some routes, which can temporarily lead to a break in satellite contact.
Call Quality - Video calls with the Samsung Tab to a limited extent
A likely area of application for the Samsung tablet is videotelephony. With the Skype app installed, we took a closer look at the call quality of the built-in microphone. Our call partners remarked that while our voice sounded clear, it did not sound that loud. The built-in speaker slightly distorts voices too, and does not always sound natural.
Also, the LTE version supports the VoLTE standard for phone calls, according to Samsung.
Cameras - The Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) is not a photo miracle
The 2 MP camera on the front of the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) has a resolution of 1,600x1,200 pixels in a 4:3 aspect ratio. The South Korean company does not provide detailed information about the camera module that it has included. However, the quality of the built-in lens is only good enough for video calls, in our opinion.
The 8 MP camera on the back takes better photos, but our test shots can hardly keep up with the photo quality of current entry-level smartphones. In particular, the sensor often struggles with keeping objects in focus. Additionally, our photos have a noticeable red tint to them.
Furthermore, the sensors can record videos in up to Full HD.
We subjected the 8 MP main camera to further tests under controlled lighting conditions. ColorChecker Passport revealed that the tablet over brightens some colours, with green tones being particularly inaccurately reproduced. Black tones look grey too.
Moreover, our test chart only looks detailed at the centre of the image, as you can see below. Black text at the borders of the chart looks grey and blurry, for instance, while contrast and sharpness visibly drops off towards the edges of the image.
Accessories & Warranty - A Samsung tablet with headphones
The Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) comes with a 7.8-W power supply (5 V/1.55 A), a USB cable, a set of headphones, along with some safety instructions and legal regulations.
The tablet comes with 24 months manufacturer's warranty. Please see our Guarantees, Return Policies & Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.
Input Devices & Operation - Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) without a fingerprint sensor
The Samsung tablet uses on-screen buttons for navigation. Both the precision and the smoothness of the touchscreen on our review unit gives us no cause for complaint. It is sensitive enough too, and remained accurate even into the corners of the display.
The physical buttons on the right side of the case also have crisp pressure points. Text input is no problem due to the size of the display, either. However, it can sometimes take several seconds for the display to flip from portrait to landscape mode.
Samsung does not offer biometric identification with the Galaxy Tab A 8.0. There is no fingerprint sensor either, nor a facial unlocking system using the front-facing camera.
Display - A solid TFT panel in Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019)
The 8-inch display of the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) has a resolution of 1,280x800 with a 16:10 aspect ratio. The panel has a pixel density of less than 200 PPI, which is very low and is quite trying in everyday life. Text looks blurry on our review unit, for example.
The TFT panel is not particularly bright either, with a maximum luminosity of 397 cd/m² according to X-Rite i1Pro 2. It is only 87% evenly lit too, while maximum brightness drops even further with the ambient light sensor disabled. We measured an average luminance of 382 cd/m² with the ambient light sensor disabled, for reference. The more realistic APL50 test, which evenly distributes light and dark areas across the screen, yielded an average luminosity of 379 cd/m².
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 377 cd/m²
Contrast: 1300:1 (Black: 0.29 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 6.1 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.91
ΔE Greyscale 6.6 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
85.3% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.13
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 TFT, 1280x800, 8" | Lenovo Tab M8 HD IPS, 1280x800, 8" | Alldocube M8 T801 IPS, 1920x1200, 8" | Amazon Fire 7 2019 IPS, 1024x600, 7" | Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 IPS, 1920x1200, 10.1" | Huawei MediaPad M5 lite IPS, 1920x1200, 10.1" | Trekstor SurfTab B10 IPS, 1280x800, 10.1" | Lenovo Tab M7 IPS, 1024x600, 7" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 19% | -20% | 9% | 2% | -26% | -13% | -5% | |
| Brightness middle | 377 | 379 1% | 317.5 -16% | 391 4% | 449 19% | 514 36% | 223 -41% | 447 19% |
| Brightness | 372 | 346 -7% | 320 -14% | 385 3% | 425 14% | 492 32% | 211 -43% | 449 21% |
| Brightness Distribution | 87 | 88 1% | 94 8% | 75 -14% | 89 2% | 80 -8% | 81 -7% | 86 -1% |
| Black Level * | 0.29 | 0.21 28% | 0.5 -72% | 0.15 48% | 0.6 -107% | 0.96 -231% | 0.22 24% | 0.25 14% |
| Contrast | 1300 | 1805 39% | 635 -51% | 2607 101% | 748 -42% | 535 -59% | 1014 -22% | 1788 38% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 6.1 | 3.8 38% | 6.12 -0% | 6.3 -3% | 3.1 49% | 5.42 11% | 6.2 -2% | 7.1 -16% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 10.9 | 7.5 31% | 13.72 -26% | 19.3 -77% | 6.4 41% | 9.84 10% | 13 -19% | 20.6 -89% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 6.6 | 5 24% | 5.8 12% | 6.1 8% | 3.8 42% | 6.5 2% | 6.2 6% | 8.1 -23% |
| Gamma | 2.13 103% | 2.23 99% | 2.12 104% | 2.22 99% | 2.09 105% | 2.216 99% | 2.17 101% | 2.07 106% |
| CCT | 7861 83% | 7514 87% | 7633 85% | 8069 81% | 7202 90% | 6780 96% | 7022 93% | 8255 79% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8705 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
The Tab A 8.0 (2019) still has room for improvement when it comes to displaying blacks, but its 0.29 cd/m² black value is acceptable at this price. The black value and low luminosity combine to yield an excellent contrast ratio of 1,300:1. APL 50 records a slightly lower ratio at 1,264:1, but this is because of the 0.30 cd/m² black value that it also recorded.
We measured the colour accuracy of the display with a photo spectrometer and the analysis software CalMAN. The Tab A 8.0 (2019) is colour accurate enough for a tablet in this the price range. In relation to the Lenovo Tab M8 HD, for example, the Delta-E deviations of our review unit are more pronounced in mixed colours and greyscale.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 28.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 14 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 14.8 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 74 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 44.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 20.4 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 24.4 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 74 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.8 ms). | ||
Our review unit is difficult to read outdoors because of its low maximum brightness. While its glossy finish catches reflections too, its good contrast ratio ensures that the display remains readable in bright rooms.
The viewing angle stability of our review unit is satisfactory, while drops in brightness only occur at acute angles. These are only moderate too.
Performance - Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) with 2 GB of RAM
The Snapdragon 429 is a Qualcomm SoC from 2018 and contains four ARM Cortex-A53 cores that can clock up to 2.0 GHz. The integrated Qualcomm Adreno 504 GPU supports modern APIs such as Vulkan, OpenGL ES 3.1, OpenCL 2.0 and Direct3D 12.
The UI, despite the display's low pixel density, cannot be operated smoothly for the most part. The lack of performance reserves is particularly noticeable when starting or exiting complex apps, for instance, or when navigating extensive websites. Long waiting times are the rule here, during which the Tab A 8.0 (2019) does not respond to any new inputs or commands.
The Samsung tablet ends up at the back of our comparison field in synthetic benchmarks too. The Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) performed especially poorly in graphics-heavy tests, but it also struggled even in PCMark for Android. Our review unit even falls behind the Lenovo Tab M8 HD and its MediaTek Helio A22 SoC in the system performance benchmark.
The picture in browser benchmarks is similar to that of synthetic CPU and GPU benchmarks. Websites load very slowly, while scrolling animations become choppy when the tablet is displaying complex content. You will also find yourself encountering comparatively long wait times when changing the orientation of the screen when web browsing.
| Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (19.9 - 334, n=70, last 2 years) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 (Silk Browser 75.3.60) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 (14.6 - 16.1, n=2) | |
| Amazon Fire 7 2019 (Silk Browser 70.3.1) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 (Silk Browser 75.3.60) | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 (Chrome 72.0.3626.105) | |
| Huawei MediaPad M5 lite (Chrome 67) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD (Chrome 79) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 (25.1 - 25.1, n=2) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Trekstor SurfTab B10 (Chrome 72) | |
| Amazon Fire 7 2019 (Silk Browser 70.3.1) | |
| Lenovo Tab M7 (Chrome 79) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Average of class Tablet (34 - 435, n=45, last 2 years) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 (Silk Browser 75.3.60) | |
| Huawei MediaPad M5 lite (Chrome 67) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD (Chrome 79) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 (32 - 36, n=2) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Amazon Fire 7 2019 | |
| Lenovo Tab M7 (Chrome 79) | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Average of class Tablet (2.59 - 572, n=64, last 2 years) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 (Silk Browser 75.3.60) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD (Chrome 79) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 (13.5 - 15.6, n=2) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Amazon Fire 7 2019 (Silk Browser 70.3.1) | |
| Lenovo Tab M7 (Chrome 79) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (763 - 105178, n=87, last 2 years) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 (Silk Browser 75.3.60) | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 (Chrome 72.0.3626.105) | |
| Huawei MediaPad M5 lite (Chrome 67) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD (Chrome 79) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 (4297 - 4392, n=2) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Trekstor SurfTab B10 (Chrome 72) | |
| Amazon Fire 7 2019 (Silk Browser 70.3.1) | |
| Lenovo Tab M7 (Chrome 79) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Lenovo Tab M7 (Chrome 79) | |
| Trekstor SurfTab B10 (Chrome 72) | |
| Amazon Fire 7 2019 (Silk Browser 70.3.1) | |
| Lenovo Tab M8 HD (Chrome 79) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 (Chrome 79) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 (10433 - 10655, n=2) | |
| Huawei MediaPad M5 lite (Chrome 67) | |
| Alldocube M8 T801 (Chrome 72.0.3626.105) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 (Silk Browser 75.3.60) | |
| Average of class Tablet (319 - 34733, n=75, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
The internal eMMC memory is on par with its competitors for sequential read speeds, as well as the reading of small blocks of data. The access rates are correspondingly low depending on the type of memory, though.
We also took a closer look at the performance of the microSD card reader with our Toshiba Exceria Pro M501, a card that can achieve up to 270 MBit/s write speeds and 150 MBit/s read speeds. Our review unit gets nowhere near these speeds, but it is absolutely fine for a tablet at this price.
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 | Lenovo Tab M8 HD | Alldocube M8 T801 | Amazon Fire 7 2019 | Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 | Huawei MediaPad M5 lite | Trekstor SurfTab B10 | Lenovo Tab M7 | Average 32 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Tablet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -2% | -41% | -47% | 15% | 61% | -39% | -46% | -10% | 511% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 291.9 | 297.1 2% | 142.8 -51% | 164.9 -44% | 266.2 -9% | 308.1 6% | 109 -63% | 155.7 -47% | 242 ? -17% | 1045 ? 258% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 108.5 | 79.6 -27% | 103 -5% | 77.3 -29% | 180.1 66% | 82.6 -24% | 70.5 -35% | 53.1 -51% | 100.5 ? -7% | 686 ? 532% |
| Random Read 4KB | 57.8 | 77.4 34% | 19.5 -66% | 24.98 -57% | 75 30% | 73.5 27% | 16.96 -71% | 31.39 -46% | 43.2 ? -25% | 189.4 ? 228% |
| Random Write 4KB | 16.89 | 15.84 -6% | 10.01 -41% | 5.83 -65% | 23.28 38% | 77.3 358% | 8.43 -50% | 11.96 -29% | 22.4 ? 33% | 189.9 ? 1024% |
| Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 87.1 ? | 83.8 ? -4% | 59.2 ? -32% | 77.2 ? -11% | 83.7 ? -4% | 83.2 ? -4% | 38.97 ? -55% | 71.8 ? -18% | ||
| Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 69.9 ? | 64.3 ? -8% | 32.05 ? -54% | 52 ? -26% | 72.8 ? 4% | 62.5 ? -11% | 35.21 ? -50% | 52.9 ? -24% |
Games - The Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) is not a gaming tablet
The graphics performance of the Adreno 504 is not enough for demanding games such as "Asphalt 9: Legends", for example, even at low details. "PUBG Mobile" will only average around 23 FPS on low graphics too, which we determined by using the GameBench app. Less performance-hungry titles such as "Dead Trigger 2" do not pose any problems, though.
Incidentally, the accelerometer and associated sensors worked perfectly during our gaming tests. The touchscreen also worked precisely too.
PUBG Mobile
Asphalt 9: Legends
Emissions - Low surface temperatures from the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019)
Temperature
The surface temperatures of our review unit are not very pronounced even under load. It is interesting to see whether the Qualcomm chipset throttles under load despite the low waste heat, though.
We determined this by running GFXBench Manhattan, a battery test based on OpenGL ES 3.1. We ran the benchmark thirty times, during which framerates fluctuated slightly. However, this reduction in performance is only minor and does not represent throttling.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 33.3 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 33.7 °C / 93 F, ranging from 20.7 to 53.2 °C for the class Tablet.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 26.9 °C / 80 F, compared to the average of 33.2 °C / 92 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.3 °C / 81 F, compared to the device average of 30 °C / 86 F.
Speakers
The two speakers on the underside of the tablet are very powerful and reached 90 dB(A) during our tests. Our measurements also show a linear frequency response for mid-range tones, with super high tones breaking down a bit. We could not make out any bass, either.
Wired audio solutions are available, though. If you do not fancy using the 3.5 mm jack, then you can use Bluetooth for wireless headphones and speakers, which operates up to the 4.2 standard.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (90.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 23.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.8% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.9% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (18.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 45% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 48% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 40% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 52% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Lenovo Tab M8 HD audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 24.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.9% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 12.3% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (3.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (27.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 83% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 14% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 82% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 14% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Power Management - Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 with good runtimes
Power Consumption
Users of the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) must to do without fast charging technology. Correspondingly, the 5,100 mAh battery charges very slowly, with our review unit taking a good five hours to reach full charge.
The power consumption of the Samsung tablet is comparatively efficient too.
| Off / Standby |   0.01 / 0.16 Watt |
| Idle |  0.62 / 2.68 / 2.7 Watt |
| Load |
3.61 / 4 Watt |
    
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 5100 mAh | Lenovo Tab M8 HD 5100 mAh | Alldocube M8 T801 5500 mAh | Amazon Fire 7 2019 2980 mAh | Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 6300 mAh | Huawei MediaPad M5 lite 7500 mAh | Trekstor SurfTab B10 6000 mAh | Lenovo Tab M7 3500 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 15% | -178% | -30% | -60% | -109% | -136% | 1% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.62 | 0.66 -6% | 3.4 -448% | 1.1 -77% | 1.14 -84% | 2.8 -352% | 2.2 -255% | 0.85 -37% |
| Idle Average * | 2.68 | 2.15 20% | 5.1 -90% | 2.77 -3% | 3.71 -38% | 3.3 -23% | 3.94 -47% | 2.4 10% |
| Idle Maximum * | 2.7 | 2.18 19% | 5.3 -96% | 2.79 -3% | 3.74 -39% | 3.9 -44% | 4 -48% | 2.42 10% |
| Load Average * | 3.61 | 2.48 31% | 6 -66% | 4.5 -25% | 5.26 -46% | 5.2 -44% | 9.35 -159% | 3.17 12% |
| Load Maximum * | 4 | 3.49 13% | 11.5 -188% | 5.61 -40% | 7.68 -92% | 7.2 -80% | 10.92 -173% | 3.69 8% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
In our practical battery test with brightness set to 150 cd/m², the Galaxy Tab positions itself at the forefront of our comparison table with a Wi-Fi runtime of almost 14 hours and an H.264 looped video playback runtime of 15.5 hours. The former is clearly beaten by the Lenovo Tab M8 HD, though. Thanks to the low-performance SoC, the Tab A 8.0 (2019) can be used for almost 6 hours even under load.
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290 5100 mAh | Lenovo Tab M8 HD 5100 mAh | Alldocube M8 T801 5500 mAh | Amazon Fire 7 2019 2980 mAh | Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 6300 mAh | Huawei MediaPad M5 lite 7500 mAh | Trekstor SurfTab B10 6000 mAh | Lenovo Tab M7 3500 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 35% | -49% | -52% | -2% | -10% | -38% | -52% | |
| Reader / Idle | 3132 | 3581 14% | 1008 -68% | 1691 -46% | 2162 -31% | |||
| H.264 | 934 | 1696 82% | 536 -43% | 1480 58% | 934 0% | |||
| WiFi v1.3 | 831 | 1124 35% | 420 -49% | 462 -44% | 950 14% | 852 3% | 515 -38% | 402 -52% |
| Load | 342 | 374 9% | 169 -51% | 228 -33% | 299 -13% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - The Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) lacks performance
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) is a rock-solid tablet that offers a suitable overall package for the price of around €150 (~$168). The tablet has decent battery life, impressive speakers and a convincing TFT panel.
The affordable Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) is not a sensible choice for demanding users.
However, our tests also revealed some shortcomings. The security patches of our review unit are not up to date, for instance. While the tablet has slow Wi-Fi performance. RAM and storage is a bit tight too, despite having a microSD card reader on board. In addition, Samsung has included the now outdated micro USB standard on its 8-inch tablet.
Above all, the meagre performance is a heavy burden in everyday life. A Snapdragon 429 SoC combined with 2 GB of RAM struggles in most tasks, which is hardly surprising given how performance-hungry One UI is. The omission of a biometric authentication method on a device released in 2019 is incomprehensible too. Samsung does not even offer simple 2D face recognition using the front camera for the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019). We cannot understand the device to go with Widevine Level 3 certification, either.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 2019 Wifi SM-T290
- 12/30/2019 v7 (old)
Marcus Herbrich
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