The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 is an 8-inch Android-based tablet computer made by Samsung Electronics, and it is part of the 3rd generation of their Galaxy Tab series. Other tablets in this series are the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0 (7-inch) and the Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 (10.1-inch). This series of tablet computers were showcased in the Mobile World Conference in 2013.
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| The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 (SM-T311) |
- Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T310 - Wi-Fi only
- Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T311 - 3G and Wi-Fi capable
- Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 SM-T315 - 4G/LTE & Wi-Fi capable
I ordered the SM-T311 in midnight black in May 2014 when it was retailing in Flipkart for Rs. 22,499 inclusive of all taxes. The delivery was quick, and I had the device in my hands in two days. The box includes the tablet with the battery built in, a travel charger, a USB cable, and the user manual.
Setup
Setting up the device is simple. Just insert a SIM or USIM card into the appropriate slot on the left side, optionally insert a microSD card in the provided slot. Charge the battery if needed and you are good to start the tablet computer.
Calling
The SM-T311 is one of those few tablets that accepts a SIM card to make voice calls over 2G or 3G GSM networks. Making, receiving or rejecting voice and video calls on this phone is a breeze with the intuitive user interface. It also allows putting a call on hold, dialing a 2nd number and setting up a multiparty conference call, call forwarding, call waiting, and muting. It also stores the phone numbers of recent received, dialed and missed calls.
Performance
Running Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) and later Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) on the 1.5 GHz dual core Samsung Exynos 4212 CPU with 1.5 GB RAM, the tablet handles all tasks smoothly. Multitasking using the Multi Window Panel is effortless and apps run flawlessly with no visible lag or crashes.
Display
The touch screen display consists of an 8-inch WXGA TFT screen with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. The 16M color screen displays pretty crisp and vivid colors and is responsive to all touch and gestures.
Audio Quality
In-call reception audio quality is excellent, and the device plays music at amazing clarity.
Camera
The tablet carries a 5MP auto-focus primary camera with LED flash that can take 1.3-megapixel photos and HD videos at resolutions up to 720 x 1280 pixels at 30 fps. The image quality is fair. There is also a 1.3MP front (or selfie) camera. The camera also allows automatic GPS tagging of captured images.
Internal Storage
The 16 GB internal memory provides enough storage a large number of apps to coexist.
Expandable Storage
The tablet accepts a FAT-formatted microSD or microSDXC to extend the storage up to 64 GB for storing multimedia files. Loading the 64 GB microSD with audio, video, and document files of various formats showed no noticeable lag and the device has been able to handle the file-load smoothly.
Battery
As one of the major factors in a mobile computing device, the tablet is powered by a non-removable Samsung T4450E 4,450 mAh Li-ion battery built into the casing. The battery packs enough juice to last a long time even with heavy use. It takes about 5 hours to do a full charge from zero.
Connectivity
The tablet supports a single SIM card on GSM 2G and / or HSDPA 3G networks. On the WLAN front it supports Wi-Fi 802.11 on the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. It also has Bluetooth v4.0. For wired PC connectivity using USB 2.0, it accepts a MicroUSB data cable which is also provided in the box.
PC Connectivity
Synchronizing with the PC is possible using Samsung's Kies PC Sync software which can be used to manage media libraries, contacts and calendars on the tablet. Windows Media Player can also be used to synchronize media files. The tablet needs to be connected to the PC using the MicroUSB data cable.
Security
The tablet allows various ways to unlock, including the following:
- Face unlock
- Face and voice unlock
- Pattern unlock
- PIN unlock
- Password unlock
SAR (Specific Absorption Rate)
SAR value for this phone when tested for use at the ear is 0.535 W/kg and when worn on the body is 0.666 W/kg. The SAR limit set by the FCC is 1.6W/kg.
FCC ID
The FCC ID for the device is A3LSMT311 and the reports are available here.
Warranty
The product comes with a 1-year manufacturer warranty on the device and 6 months of warranty on the accessories.
Conclusion
If you are looking for an Andriod-based tablet computer right now, go ahead and get it. The user experience is flawless, and the apps run like a breeze.
March 13, 2021 Update: After various forms of usage over the last ~7 years, I finally let it go. The device is still working though it has gotten slow, and many apps won't work on it anymore. It has never visited a service center, so you see that the hardware has been very reliable.
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