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Samsung’s Galaxy Tab A has a premium all-metal shell, and a mid-range tablet’s heart

After remaining absent from the tablet space for the better part of a year, Samsung marks its return to the slate world with the Galaxy Tab A.

Marketed as a tablet that will let you keep in touch with friends and family, the Galaxy Tab A comes in 8-inch and 9.7-inch sizes. Both variants are powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor and 1.5GB of RAM, along with 1,024 x 768 pixel displays. Both run Android 5.0 Lollipop, and come with either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage, though that can be expanded via the tablet’s MicroSD card slot.

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Regardless of which size you choose, the Galaxy Tab A separates itself from its predecessors by having a 4:3 aspect ratio, where previous Samsung tablets had a 16:10 aspect ratio. In addition, the Galaxy Tab A models have a full metal chassis, which is a significant departure from the all-plastic construction of previous Samsung tablets.

There’s not much separating the two models of the Galaxy Tab A, though, save for the screen sizes and battery capacity. The 8-inch version sports a 4,200mAh battery pack and the 9.7-inch variant includes a 6,000mAh battery. Whether the differences between the two versions are significant enough to warrant a $70 bump from the 8-inch version’s $230 price tag to the 9.7-inch version’s $300 price tag is up to you, though there will also be an 8-inch version with Samsung’s S Pen for $350.

The 8-inch and 9.7-inch Galaxy Tab A will be available for purchase on May 1. The 9.7-inch version will come bundled with the S Pen and arrive on May 17. You can preorder your model of choice on Samsung’s website.

Williams Pelegrin
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