Use cases matter. The companion to the very successful Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 has arrived when school sessions are in full swing. Called Galaxy Tab A7 Lite, it’s a budget option that’s surely for school students and more. What the new tablet shows is that inexpensive doesn’t mean poor quality. Further, this can also be a great entertainment device.

What you get is an 8.7-inch TFT display (1340x800, WXGA+) that can easily be handled using one hand. Bigger than a smartphone but smaller than most tablets in the market. I’ve used the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite for around 10 days and found it to be an excellent tablet for most people. Far cheaper than an iPad, it’s a surprisingly competent Android tablet.

Frankly, Android has done very little to make apps shine on tablets, yet Samsung has gone ahead to come up with a device that’s engaging in most use-case scenarios. If it’s a personal entertainment device you are looking for, here it is. Unlike most phones at this price point, the tablet comes with dual speakers, offering excellent sound and the TFT screen is of good quality. Plus, there’s a metal cover on the back with some plastic trimmings, giving it a sturdy finish.

Streaming movies while lying on the sofa can be a comfortable task. There is enough resolution to hide individual pixels while viewing from a comfortable distance and the speakers don’t sound crackly at all. Needless to say, it’s thin and light ensuring you won’t get tired holding the tablet. In case the budget allows, get a book cover, which acts like a stand (needs to be bought separately).

The target group which will enjoy the tablet involve kids who don’t need to go beyond videoconferencing classes, consuming YouTube content and accessing the e-mail. There is a 3.5mm headphone port if you want to watch video content or listen to music.

Galaxy Tab A7 is a perfect companion for reading e-books

Another good use case is reading books. A good Kindle doesn’t come cheap. Instead, get the A7 Lite, download the Kindle app and enjoy all the e-books you buy from Amazon. The TFT screen, in fact, has the right luminance for reading books.

In case you want to play games, we suggest cloud-gaming titles that work fine on the tablet. Or you can download game likes Stardew Valley that works well on the tablet, even while zooming out on the map. The size is just right for your thumbs to reach the middle of the screen which is good on games like Stardew Valley.

Samsung isn’t promoting its bigger tools, like DeX desktop software, which doesn’t have much use among students. There is no stylus or keyboard case available for it. Instead the focus is on content consumption and videoconferencing. The 8MP camera allows auto-focus and the pictures are quite clear unless you zoom beyond 3x (max 10x allowed) while the front-facing 2MP camera is just about enough.

Weighing 371g, there is a 5,100mAh battery, which lasts more than a day because of the light processor. This means around seven hours of screen time, most of which for me was spent consuming content on YouTube.

There are no downsides as such but it would have been helpful had there been an option for a 64GB storage. Sure, you can add a microSD to get 1TB of space but it’s good to have a choice. Samsung has made its focus very clear — Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is a durable tablet to keep you entertained and kids, educated.

More about the tablet

Galaxy Tab A7 is slim and can be combined with a book cover, which needs to be bought separately

Device: Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite

Price: Rs 14,999 for 32GB + 3GB

High notes

• Sturdy and the correct size for one-handed use

• Perfect for reading books, videoconferencing and consuming multimedia content

• No-frills tablet for school students

• Dual speakers

Muffled notes

• It would helped had there been a 64GB storage option