Samsung has been launching a watered-down version of its flagship Android tablets for a while now, with the most recent examples being the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite and the Galaxy Tab S5e. It appears that Samsung is ready to pull the same trick this year, launching a more affordable version of the high-end Galaxy Tab S7 tablet(s) later this year.
As per images – which appear to have been pulled from official marketing material – shared by a reasonably reliable leakster who goes by the username WalkingCat on Twitter, Samsung will launch the Galaxy Tab S7 in June. The leaked image suggests that the Galaxy Tab S7 Lite will take some design inspiration from the vanilla Galaxy Tab S7, rocking a 12.4-inch display surrounded by pretty slim bezels.pic.twitter.com/AJHLIKrOhY— WalkingCat (@_h0x0d_) February 18, 2021
The most significant upgrade appears to be support for 5G connectivity. If the leak turns out to be accurate, the Galaxy Tab S7 Lite will be the first non-flagship tablet in Samsung’s portfolio to bring 5G connectivity. It will reportedly offer support for the in-house Galaxy Continuity feature, which allows users to handle phone calls and messages on the tablet while paired with a compatible Samsung phone. Details about the rest of the internal hardware are scarce right now. However, a tweet from another leakster suggests that the Galaxy Tab S7 Lite might come equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor. Lately, the Snapdragon 765G has made its way to a bucket load of mid-range Android phones that offer 5G support on a budget. However, we won’t be surprised if Samsung decides to use one of its in-house 5G-ready chips, such as the Exynos 990 or Exynos 1080.Why I’m excited about the Galaxy Tab S7 Lite?
Samsung is among the few big names in the industry still committed to the Android tablet segment. While these machines don’t precisely double your work PC (at least for me), they do come in handy for media consumption, social media browsing, and a bit of casual gaming. But the high asking price of Samsung’s flagship Android tablets has been a deterrent for me. The ‘Lite’ tablets, however, offer an excellent alternative for those on a tight budget.
I’ve used the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e and the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite and have come out thoroughly impressed. Both the tablets had a slim metallic build, equipped with an adequately powerful processor that was enough for my needs, and had a decent quality screen. Plus, the speakers were excellent. In particular, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, with the bundled stylus for taking notes and support for Bluetooth keyboards, often helped me write a few articles while on the move.I hope that with the Galaxy Tab S7 Lite, Samsung improves the display quality of its affordable Android tablets, especially in the brightness department. And if Samsung manages to price it below the $500 mark, it would be a great budget Android tablet to rival the smaller iPads.
