Skip to footer

Galaxy Tab 3: Everything you need, but little that you want

The 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 isn't exactly a marvel of modern engineering, but does it need to be? 

|
Samsung
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.
  • By Matthew Shaer

Last spring, Samsung launched the Galaxy Tab 2, an Android-powered tablet priced at $250. Today, Samsung has taken the wraps off the Tab 2's successor, the Galaxy Tab 3. The Tab 3 (not exactly a rousing name) is relatively well-equipped: 7-inch screen, 1.2 GHz dual core processor, 3-megapixel camera rear camera and 1.3 -megapixel front camera, 8GB or 16GB of storage, the Android 4.1 OS, and a thinner build than the Tab 2. 

Samsung will aim for a May launch date for the Wi-Fi Tab 3; a 3G version will follow in June. 

It's worth pointing out that the reaction to the Galaxy Tab 3 – and how do we put this politely? – hasn't exactly been ecstatic.

The device is "underwhelming," says TechCrunch, with a spec list that "sounds like it could’ve been released a year or two ago." Ars Technica points out that the Tab 3 sure does look a whole lot like the Tab 2. And over at Gizmodo UK, Jamie Condliffe calls the device "yet another boring new Android slate."

Of course, the Tab 3 isn't meant to compete directly with the iPad or Nexus 10. In fact, the price will almost definitely come in under $400, and maybe even closer to 200 bucks, which is a segment of the market that doesn't demand cutting-edge technology – only a reasonably-priced, modestly attractive tablet that performs ordinary tasks with competency and maybe a little bit of flair. We're willing to bet the Tab 3 fits that bill. 

Plus, the size of the device may appeal to folks who prefer the handheld portability of the Kindle Fire or Google Nexus 7 over the (relative) bulk of the iPad. 

In related news, Samsung recently introduced the Galaxy S4, the successor to the very popular Galaxy S3. Is it any good? Actually, yes, most reviewers agreed, although it doesn't exactly break any barriers. The S4, concluded JR Raphael of Computerworld, is "a standout smartphone with a lot of attractive elements. And despite its drawbacks, I think it's safe to say it's going to make a lot of people awfully happy." 

For more tech news, follow us on Twitter @venturenaut.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to Galaxy Tab 3: Everything you need, but little that you want
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Technology/2013/0429/Galaxy-Tab-3-Everything-you-need-but-little-that-you-want
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe