Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 LTE Tablet Review: One of the best tablets for less than 300 Euros (~$356)
While at 290 Euros (~$345), the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 LTE is an affordable Android tablet, it surprises with very solid equipment. With its octa-core Snapdragon 662 SoC, the performance of the 10.4-inch tablet places it in the midrange, which makes it sufficiently fast for all the multimedia tasks around web surfing, YouTube, and a Netflix video evening. In addition, not many affordable tablets offer LTE support.
The emphasis of the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE is entertainment. In order to prevent it from becoming low-quality entertainment, there are a total of four speakers together with Dolby Atmos support in the Android 10 tablet. In parallel, the DRM Widevine L1 certification ensures that, for example, Netflix streams can be reproduced in HD quality. Other positive points are the TFT display resolution of 2000 x 1200 pixels and the 7040-mAh battery that is meant to provide the tablet with a long battery life.
In addition to the LTE version that we tested, Samsung also offers a WiFi version of the Galaxy Tab A7, which is even more affordable at 230 Euros (~$273).
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Height | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81.7 % v7 (old) | 11 / 2020 | Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) SD 662, Adreno 610 | 477 g | 7 mm | 10.40" | 2000x1200 | |
| 78.9 % v7 (old) | 12 / 2019 | Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 MT8183, Mali-G72 MP3 | 504 g | 9.8 mm | 10.10" | 1920x1200 | |
| 84.7 % v7 (old) | 10 / 2020 | Huawei MatePad 10.4 Kirin 810, Mali-G52 MP6 | 460 g | 7.35 mm | 10.40" | 2000x1200 | |
| 79.4 % v7 (old) | 01 / 2020 | Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab YT-X705F SD 439, Adreno 505 | 580 g | 23 mm | 10.10" | 1920x1200 | |
| 80.7 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2019 | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 2019 Exynos 7904, Mali-G71 MP2 | 460 g | 7.5 mm | 10.10" | 1920x1200 |
Case - Galaxy Tab A7 LTE with a sturdy metal case
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 LTE is covered with a sturdy metal case, which makes it fairly impervious to attempts of warping. The back cover is not completely metal, since there is a small plastic strip covering the communication antennas on the long side that also houses the 8-MP camera. While the transition between the materials can be felt, this does not make the haptics of the tablet any worse at all.
The 10.4-inch display is surrounded by a plastic frame that minimally extends beyond the glass and is flush with its surface. Compared to its Galaxy Tab A 10.1 predecessor, the display frame became smaller on the short sides, but it is still not very slim at a width of 1 cm (~0.4 in).
At 477 grams (~1 lb), the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE belongs to the lighter 10.x-inch tablets, and with its slim height of only 7 mm (~0.3 in), it can be held comfortably in the hand. The camera in the back sticks out slightly from the case, but this is no hindrance with the tablet's large footprint.
Our test unit is the "Gray" color model. Additional color options for the back cover are "Silver" and "Gold." Only the silver version has a white case frame, while that of the other color variants are black.
Equipment - 32 GB of internal storage in the Samsung tablet
Samsung offers the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE with 32 GB of storage space. The WiFi option also does not offer any more than that. After you take the system files and preinstalled apps into account, what remains in terms of available storage is not very much at barely 18 GB. However, you can expand the storage by up to 1 TB via microSD card.
The tablet does not provide for moving app data to the removable storage. Even though you can activate the corresponding switch in the developer options, this had no effect in our test and we were only able to store media files on the microSD card.
The USB-C port of the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE operates at USB-2.0 speeds and supports USB OTG. The hardware equipment also includes Bluetooth 5.0, but not NFC.
Software - Android 10 and child mode
Samsung has equipped the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE with Android 10 and its in-house OneUI version 2.5 user interface. At the time of our testing (mid-November), the Android security patches were on the level of September 1, 2020, which still makes them fairly current.
Besides the Google and Samsung apps, Microsoft Office, OneDrive, and Outlook are also preinstalled on the tablet. In addition, there are Netflix and Spotify as third-party apps. With its DRM Widevine L1 certification, the Galaxy Tab A7 is able to play LTE streams in HD quality.
OneUI also includes a child mode, allowing parents to, for example, set the length of time the device can be used, lock or unlock apps, or monitor their children from afar via the smartphone.
Communication and GPS - LTE module and accurate locating
In addition to a microSD card, you can also insert a SIM card, allowing the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE to connect to the 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile networks. Samsung does not give any information on the maximum speeds. The LTE modem integrated into the SoC supports LTE Cat. 13, reaching download speeds of up to 390 Mbit/s, and upload speeds up to 150 Mbit/s.
The Samsung tablet is able to connect to local networks via WiFi 5 (WLAN 802.11ac). When connected to our Netgear Nighthawk AX12 reference router, it reaches about 330 Mbit/s when sending and receiving, a performance that is above average compared to other midrange tablets. The data transfer is very stable in both directions.
To locate its position, the tablet uses the GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, and Galileo satellite navigation systems. In our test, it succeeds in determining its location indoors with an accuracy of up to 6 meters (~20 ft). Outdoors, the accuracy increases to 3 meters (~10 ft).
We also evaluate the ability of the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE to record its position while moving during a bike tour, by comparing it with the Garmin Edge 500 professional navigation device. The result: on the almost 12 km (~7.5 mi) route, the Samsung tablet guides us to our target almost as accurately as the Garmin. So the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE is able to provide apps with location information that is quite accurate.
Cameras - Only useable in good light conditions
The camera equipment of the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE is relatively limited. There is an 8-MP camera with autofocus in the back, but it neither offers a flash or other extras such as a wide angle lens or optical image stabilization. It is able to record videos at a maximum resolution of Full-HD and 30 FPS. The selfie camera has a 5-MP resolution and offers a fairly good performance during video calls.
The inconspicuous specs of the main camera are matched by its performance. The image quality is decent for snapshots, but only if the light conditions are right. The pictures are then characterized by a harmonic overall composition and very realistic colors. But you should not look too closely, since fine image details are lost and darker image areas are noisy. In low-light scenarios, the camera is simply unusable, which is also due to the lack of a flash.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Tageslicht-Szene 1Tageslicht-Szene 25-facher ZoomLowlight
We also take some measurements under controlled light conditions. In simulated daylight (bottom color card), the camera captures the reference colors fairly accurately and also has no problems in reproducing the test chart sharply. The opposite is the case under low-light conditions (top color card). The color reproduction is then far from the ideal, and the test chart has become completely unrecognizable.
Accessories and Warranty - Optional 15-Watt quick charger
Samsung includes a 7.8-Watt charger, a USB cable (Type-C to Type-A), a SIM tool, and a quick start guide with the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE. As an optional accessory, the Samsung web shop offers the Book Cover and a 15-Watt quick charger.
The warranty period for the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE is 24 months.
Input Devices and Operation - Responsive touchscreen and 2D face recognition
While the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 SoC is no race horse, together with the 3 GB of working memory, it ensures a to a large extent smooth operation without any trouble for the Samsung tablet. Just after booting up the tablet, you have to wait a few moments until the system has completed restarting. Changing between apps also occurs with a slight delay at times, particularly when there are already several apps running in the background.
The Galaxy Tab A7 LTE does not offer a fingerprint sensor. Biometric authentication only works via 2D face scan. While that succeeds quite fast, it also quickly stops working under bad light conditions. Additional unlocking methods include entry of a PIN, pattern, or password.
The Galaxy Tab A7 LTE does not support Samsung DeX or the Samsung S Pen.
Display - A TFT LCD rich in contrast
While higher priced Samsung tablets such as the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite are equipped with an AMOLED display, the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE uses a TFT LCD display, which is solid standard fare. The display has a diagonal of 10.4 inches, so the size has slightly increased compared to its 10.1-inch predecessor, the Galaxy Tab A 10.1. The resolution, on the other hand, remained almost unchanged, and instead of 1920 x 1200 pixels, there are are now 2000 x 1200 pixels. This ensures a sharp display.
At an average brightness of 337.1 cd/m² (maximum of 366 cd/m²), the display remains slightly below the average of the comparison devices. With evenly distributed light and dark image areas (APL50 measurement), the maximum brightness of the TFT LCDs is 367 cd/m². With the brightness adjusted to the minimum, we still measure 3.66 cd/m². A positive point is the fact that the display does not use PWM flickering, so that sensitive users do not need to be concerned.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 82 %
Center on Battery: 365 cd/m²
Contrast: 1404:1 (Black: 0.26 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.5 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.91
ΔE Greyscale 5.3 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
97.3% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.12
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) TFT-LCD, 2000x1200, 10.4" | Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 IPS, 1920x1200, 10.1" | Huawei MatePad 10.4 IPS, 2000x1200, 10.4" | Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab YT-X705F IPS, 1920x1200, 10.1" | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 2019 TFT-LCD, 1920x1200, 10.1" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | -5% | -14% | 8% | -2% | |
| Brightness middle | 365 | 449 23% | 511 40% | 392 7% | 401 10% |
| Brightness | 337 | 425 26% | 472 40% | 359 7% | 396 18% |
| Brightness Distribution | 82 | 89 9% | 85 4% | 88 7% | 86 5% |
| Black Level * | 0.26 | 0.6 -131% | 0.53 -104% | 0.36 -38% | 0.5 -92% |
| Contrast | 1404 | 748 -47% | 964 -31% | 1089 -22% | 802 -43% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.5 | 3.1 31% | 4.6 -2% | 2.7 40% | 2.9 36% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 7.8 | 6.4 18% | 10.3 -32% | 5.4 31% | 5.8 26% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 5.3 | 3.8 28% | 6.5 -23% | 3.8 28% | 4.1 23% |
| Gamma | 2.12 104% | 2.09 105% | 2.19 100% | 2.24 98% | 2.36 93% |
| CCT | 7702 84% | 7202 90% | 7553 86% | 7276 89% | 7263 89% |
* ... 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 brightness of the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE is not distributed very evenly across the screen, but this was not very noticeable in everyday usage. It was neither a hindrance watching videos, nor during web surfing. The vibrant colors, on the other hand, which are due to the good contrast ratio 1401:1, are immediately noticeable. This is a noticeable improvement of the tablet compared to its predecessor.
Other than the ability to chose the Dark Mode, the user has no influence on the image display of the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE. The tablet display is already quite decent. Colors are reproduced relatively accurately, even if they are slightly too saturated. But this makes the image content more vibrant. The display has a slight blue tint, which makes it appear a bit too cool.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 32.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 16.4 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 16.4 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 87 % 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 | ||
| 47.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 22.4 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 25.2 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. » 80 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.8 ms). | ||
While the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE does a fairly good job outdoors, due to its limited brightness reserves, it is unable to counter bright sunlight, so a shady place is recommended.
The display darkens relatively quickly, unless you look at it directly, holding it perpendicular to your viewing angle. However, the viewing angle stability of the TFT LCDs is good, since you can still recognize the contents easily even from steep viewing angles.
Performance - Easily sufficient for multimedia usage
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 LTE uses the octa-core Snapdragon 662 SoC, which belongs to the lower midrange in terms of its performance. However, the eight-core processor brings more than sufficient performance for multimedia tasks, while supported by the Adreno 610 graphics unit and 3 GB of RAM.
As the synthetic benchmarks show, the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE belongs to the more powerful tablets in the price range of up to 300 Euros (~$356). It runs slightly faster than its Galaxy Tab A 10.1 predecessor and places at eye level with the Amazon Fire HD 2019. On the other hand, it is clearly left behind by the Huawei MatePad 10.4 in all the bench marks.
| AnTuTu v8 - Total Score | |
| Huawei MatePad 10.4 | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (167471 - 185542, n=9) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) | |
| Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab YT-X705F | |
Surfing the web is an easy task for the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE: Loading of web sites is fast, and even more complex web sites can be scrolled quickly. However, the fact that the SoC speed is not too fast becomes noticeable in demanding HTML5 games that won't run completely smoothly anymore.
As in the synthetic benchmarks, the Huawei MatePad 10.4 also leads the comparison field in the browser benchmarks.
| Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (19.9 - 334, n=70, last 2 years) | |
| Huawei MatePad 10.4 (Huawei Browser 10.1.4.303) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) (Chrome 86.0.4240.185) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (30.4 - 32.4, n=10) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 (Silk Browser 75.3.60) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 2019 (Samung Browser 9.2) | |
| Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab YT-X705F (Chrome 79) | |
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Huawei MatePad 10.4 (Huawei Browser 10.1.4.303) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (47.8 - 53.7, n=9) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) (Chrome 86.0.4240.185) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 (Silk Browser 75.3.60) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 2019 (Samsung Browser 9.2) | |
| Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab YT-X705F (Chrome 79) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Average of class Tablet (34 - 435, n=45, last 2 years) | |
| Huawei MatePad 10.4 (Huawei Browser 10.1.4.303) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 2019 (Samsung Browser 9.2) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (51 - 59, n=11) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 (Silk Browser 75.3.60) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) (Chrome 86.0.4240.185) | |
| Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab YT-X705F (Chrome 79) | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Average of class Tablet (2.59 - 572, n=64, last 2 years) | |
| Huawei MatePad 10.4 (Huawei Browser 10.1.4.303) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) (Chrome 86.0.4240.185) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (26.5 - 29.3, n=9) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 (Silk Browser 75.3.60) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 2019 (Samsung Browser 9.2) | |
| Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab YT-X705F (Chrome 79) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Tablet (763 - 105178, n=87, last 2 years) | |
| Huawei MatePad 10.4 (Huawei Browser 10.1.4.303) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) (Chrome 86.0.4240.185) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (8893 - 10247, n=14) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 2019 (Samsung Browser 9.2) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 (Silk Browser 75.3.60) | |
| Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab YT-X705F (Chrome 79) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab YT-X705F (Chrome 79) | |
| Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 (Silk Browser 75.3.60) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) (Chrome 86.0.4240.185) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (3779 - 4650, n=11) | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 2019 (Samsung Browser 9.2) | |
| Average of class Tablet (319 - 34733, n=75, last 2 years) | |
| Huawei MatePad 10.4 (Huawei Browser 10.1.4.303) | |
* ... smaller is better
The eMMC flash storage of the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE ensures relatively short load times and slightly increased the speed compared to the Galaxy Tab A 10.1. The Galaxy Tab A7 LTE reaches read and write speeds of up to 85 MB/s using our Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 reference microSD card. Even high-end tablets cannot do this any faster.
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) | Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 | Huawei MatePad 10.4 | Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab YT-X705F | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 2019 | Average 32 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Tablet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -5% | -3% | 10% | -20% | -28% | 293% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 298 | 266.2 -11% | 286 -4% | 295.6 -1% | 300 1% | 242 ? -19% | 1045 ? 251% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 89.9 | 180.1 100% | 97.2 8% | 238.9 166% | 90.7 1% | 100.5 ? 12% | 686 ? 663% |
| Random Read 4KB | 82 | 75 -9% | 67.8 -17% | 64.8 -21% | 62.6 -24% | 43.2 ? -47% | 189.4 ? 131% |
| Random Write 4KB | 83.6 | 23.28 -72% | 81.6 -2% | 16.76 -80% | 11.37 -86% | 22.4 ? -73% | 189.9 ? 127% |
| Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 85.4 ? | 77.2 ? -10% | 81.4 ? -5% | 86.5 ? 1% | 81.2 ? -5% | 71.8 ? -16% | |
| Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 70 ? | 52 ? -26% | 70.7 ? 1% | 65.4 ? -7% | 65.6 ? -6% | 52.9 ? -24% |
Games - Most only running smoothly in reduced detail settings
The Galaxy Tab A7 LTE accompanies games with great sound from four Dolby Atmos speakers. While older games run smoothly, more current games will mostly only run if you choose balanced graphics settings. For example, in "PUBG Mobile," you cannot use the "HD" preset, but the popular shooter game will only run smoothly with a maximum graphic option of "Balanced." Our measurements with the Gamebench tool show that even then, you won't get more than 25 FPS on average. On the other hand, the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE displays the graphically more simple "Armajet" and "Dead Trigger 2" games at 30 FPS and 60 FPS respectively.
PUBG Compare
Emissions - Four speakers for a good sound image
Temperature
The Galaxy Tab A7 LTE becomes at most hand warm while running and also remains cool beneath the surface. As the GFXBench battery test shows, the SoC performance is not throttled even under heavy load. In the graphically simple T-Rex test scenario, as well as during the demanding Manhattan scenario, where a scene is rendered thirty times, the frame rates remain as high in the last run as they were in the first.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 35.4 °C / 96 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 33.1 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 33.2 °C / 92 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.9 °C / 86 F, compared to the device average of 30 °C / 86 F.
Speakers
The Galaxy Tab A7 LTE is equipped with four Dolby Atmos speakers, with two placed on each short side. So you will always hear stereo sound, regardless of whether you hold the tablet in portrait or landscape mode.
The speaker quartet produces a powerful sound. While it is still slightly thinner compared to more expensive tablets since it lacks some bass, in this price range four speakers and the corresponding sound experience are still very rare.
You can connect external speakers or headphones to the tablet via the 3.5-mm audio port or wirelessly via Bluetooth 5.0.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 23.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.1% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 30% of all tested devices in this class were better, 6% similar, 63% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 22% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 73% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Huawei MatePad 10.4 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (88.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 16.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.1% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (12.8% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 18% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 78% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 129%
Compared to all devices tested
» 10% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 88% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Power Management - A good battery life
Power Consumption
The power consumption of the Samsung tablet is similarly inconspicuous as that of the Galaxy Tab A 10.1. However, the Huawei MatePad 10.4, Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab YT-X705F, and Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 also show that it is possible without any trouble to run even more efficiently.
The Galaxy Tab A7 LTE can be charged using the included 7.8-Watt charger, but this takes some patience, since it takes 4:20 hours to completely recharge the 7040-mAh battery in our test. Even though the tablet is equipped with a 15-Watt quick charge function, you can only use that in connection with an optional 15-Watt charger.
| Off / Standby |   0.02 / 0.34 Watt |
| Idle |  1.18 / 4.92 / 4.95 Watt |
| Load |
7.21 / 9.32 Watt |
    
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) 7040 mAh | Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 6300 mAh | Huawei MatePad 10.4 7250 mAh | Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab YT-X705F 7000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 2019 6150 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 19% | 7% | 11% | -4% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 1.18 | 1.14 3% | 1.29 -9% | 1.28 -8% | 1.66 -41% |
| Idle Average * | 4.92 | 3.71 25% | 4.57 7% | 4.5 9% | 4.28 13% |
| Idle Maximum * | 4.95 | 3.74 24% | 4.64 6% | 4.59 7% | 4.44 10% |
| Load Average * | 7.21 | 5.26 27% | 6.01 17% | 5.71 21% | 7.53 -4% |
| Load Maximum * | 9.32 | 7.68 18% | 8.06 14% | 6.99 25% | 9.09 2% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
The Galaxy Tab A7 LTE offers a decent battery life. About 12.5 hours each, with simulated web surfing and playing videos, are good values. However, the comparison devices use their battery capacity even more efficiently, achieving a longer battery life. This goes particularly for the Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 and the Huawei MatePad 10.4.
| Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020) 7040 mAh | Amazon Fire HD 10 2019 6300 mAh | Huawei MatePad 10.4 7250 mAh | Lenovo Yoga Smart Tab YT-X705F 7000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 2019 6150 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 19% | 28% | 4% | 1% | |
| Reader / Idle | 3192 | 1691 -47% | 2020 -37% | 2083 -35% | 1500 -53% |
| H.264 | 745 | 1480 99% | 1003 35% | 919 23% | 838 12% |
| WiFi v1.3 | 757 | 950 25% | 1190 57% | 795 5% | 723 -4% |
| Load | 235 | 228 -3% | 366 56% | 288 23% | 347 48% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - A very good price-performance ratio
Usually buying an affordable tablet will also include a bunch of compromises. However, in the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 LTE the advantages have the upper hand. Of course, compared to higher-priced tablets, the 10.4-inch Android tablet will be bested in terms of its equipment, since it lacks a fingerprint sensor and features such as pen support and Samsung DeX. In addition, the camera and the gaming performance are mediocre, and charging it with the included standard charger takes almost 4.5 hours.
However, at an official price of 290 Euros (~$345), the slim and robust Galaxy Tab A7 LTE also offers a lot of values. The quad speakers with Dolby Atmos produce a good sound experience, the battery lasts for a long time even in constant usage, and the power of the octa-core Snapdragon 662 SoC is easily sufficient for multimedia tasks. The contrast-rich WUXGA+ display is also convincing, even if its viewing angle stability cannot quite reach that of more expensive tablets and its color display is surpassed by any OLED panel.
A successful performance: In the price class of up to 300 Euros (~$356), the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE belongs to the best Android tablets that went through our testing lab this year.
Those who are looking for an affordable and light tablet for web surfing, Netflix, and YouTube will be well served overall with the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE. If you don't need an LTE module, the otherwise similar WiFi version that costs 230 Euros (~$273) is also recommended.
Additional alternatives: While the Amazon Fire HD 2019 is even more affordable, it is not quite as fast, the workmanship is not as good by far, and it is completely geared toward the Amazon universe. If your budget can handle slightly more than 300 Euros (~$356), the Huawei MatePad 10.4 is also interesting. It is significantly faster than the Samsung tablet, but comes without the Google Services and cannot offer a Widevine L1 certification either. At this point, the price of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e is close to that of the Galaxy Tab A7 LTE, but it can offer an AMOLED display.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020)
- 11/23/2020 v7 (old)
Manuel Masiero
Price comparison
