I bought it after a lot of research on the internet and I would like to mention some things that I have not seen anyone else mention in comments or reviews. The Galaxy Tab A7 Wi-Fi comes in two versions ............ the 2020 one with code T-500 and the 2022 one with code T-503. The T-500 (2020) has a Snapdragon 662 processor compared to the T-503 which has the Unisoc T618. Otherwise, the two models are the same although personally I would prefer the older one, because of the processor.
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What I received was the T-503 (2022) which I consider to be the most likely one to receive given that it is the most recent. It comes with Android 10 installed and gives you the ability to upgrade to 12 through the settings. It took about 20 minutes and three or four consecutive updates via the Internet/Wi-Fi 50 Mbps connection.
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For those looking to buy a tablet for the first time, they should know that unlike a PC, the operating system does not change and the pre-installed applications cannot be uninstalled. Some cannot even be disabled and unnecessarily occupy memory. Only by hacking (Root) the device can this be done and under certain conditions, while also voiding the warranty. Finally, depending on the support that each company is willing to provide, security updates are received for 2 to 3 years from the initial release date. This means that the software support for this particular tablet is nearing its end.
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The upgraded One UI 4 environment from Samsung, which accompanies the update, did not particularly please me in terms of font display. I do not know if it is due to the higher resolution (It does not change) of the screen or not, but the font size setting, within and outside the Browser, is problematic. It is larger in some places, smaller in others, or both sizes can coexist simultaneously, as shown in the photo I uploaded.
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I also had to change the virtual keyboard of Samsung because it did not have satisfactory responsiveness. Overall, the entire UI layout is problematic, at least for me.
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The display quality is slightly inferior compared to, for example, the Blackview Tab 12, perhaps because the Samsung has a TFT screen instead of IPS. The viewing angles are good and the clarity does not decrease by more than 10% when viewed from the side. Overall, the screen is quite good and I did not have any issues with color display, contrast, or brightness except for very dark movies that require more nits (candles/cm2) than the 360 nit max provided by the screen to be adequately illuminated. Also, in online tests, I saw that it is Flicker-Free because it does not use PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) to adjust the brightness. This means that it is more eye-friendly for the user and played a role in my decision to prefer it.
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As for the speed, it is marginally sufficient and often freezes. In desktop mode, it struggles moderately to quite a bit and raises the temperature. Also, the battery charging limit function up to 85% does not work if you plug it in to charge while it is off (power off). You will need to keep it on or at least in standby mode. The battery has a clear capacity of around 6700 mAh at 3.7 Volts and lasts at least 8-10 hours of continuous use in Browsing and Video watching. Also, the boot up is quite slow. From the moment you turn it on until the desktop icons appear, it takes about 70 seconds.
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The 3gb memory is marginally sufficient and seems insufficient when multiple applications are opened, one more reason being that the pre-installed applications occupy more than half of the RAM. Available for the user to have 1 Gb left. The result is that to switch from one application to another, the Tablet has to reload them from the beginning because it cannot keep them in memory.
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The capacity of only 32 Gb is not enough!!!. The 12 Gb are taken up by the operating system files and the pre-installed (Bloatware) applications on their own. The downside is that not only the pre-installed Google applications were enough, there are also those of Samsung, which also cannot be uninstalled. An SD card is necessary with this Tablet, one more reason being that at least there is the possibility of installing applications on an external SD card.
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It has a 3.5mm stereo port so I was able to connect external speakers without the need for adapters. However, its USB port is USB-C gen 2.0 and does not support video output so I don't know if it can be connected to an external monitor via HDMI. I, for one, could not connect it to the monitor.
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The speakers are four and have good performance but they start to crackle at an intensity above 75% with rich bass. There is the option to activate Dolby Atmos from the settings. The volume Up/Down button has poor responsiveness and often does not respond if pressed a little faster.
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The package includes a charger that is unsuitable for fast charging. I had to use another one with QC3 charging protocol. With its charger, it drew 1.5 Amps at 5 volts (7.5 Watts) while with mine, Ugreen 18Watt, 1.54 Amps at 9 Volts (14 Watts). The above means that to charge from 0 to 100% it takes 3 hours with its charger and around 1.5 hours with Ugreen. From the internet, I found that the device supports the PPS protocol, so theoretically the maximum charging power is 45Watt. I did not have any overheating issues during charging, neither on the Tablet nor on the charger.
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I bought it for 153 euros through Skroutz Plus deal and I consider it marginally worth the money and definitely not Vfm. Anyway, it is a Samsung which means that at least in terms of warranty and good operation, there will be support unlike other no-name brands. Overall rating 6.5/10.
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Edit 21/09/2023: Unfortunately, in two different cases and just when it struggled a little, it restarted on its own after freezing. I have uploaded a photo with the reboot and I could easily have lost my files if I happened to be writing a text at that moment.
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Also, with just a few months of use, the screen started to show intense light bleeding, as shown in the photos. Fortunately, Samsung has a representative in Greece and I sent it for repair but the entire screen + charging system had to be replaced. I remove one star for the glitches and general problems it showed. I did not expect such poor quality construction from Samsung. Final rating 5/10.