I got this tablet as a (late) Christmas present. I hate my laptop that I have (keyboard sucks, and despite decent specs runs too slow for normal/light tasks). This tablet was bought to replace my laptop, and it works great. This tablet with a keyboard case replaces a laptop with no issues. It can play games with no issues (maybe nothing as serious as CoD or other console/PC games), but can play decent to good looking titles from the playstore no problem. With the pen, you don't need a mouse and is only a small adjustment to get used to using the pen instead. The writing/drawing is amazing, and that comes from someone who has horrible chicken scratch and can't hardly draw anything. It even has pretty good pressure sensitivity, and Samsung even spent the time to program in some light pencil and pen sounds that come through the speakers as you write/doodle. I use this for my notes during the day now, no longer carrying around pens/paper, this is clean and sleak for a nice professional look (have even used during recent interviews). Overall, this is a great tablet and I would highly recommend. It does come with a dismal 16 gigs of storage, which is mostly eaten up with OS and apps that can't go to SD card, so I highly recommend getting an SD card with it. I tried a SanDisk from Amazon, and it didn't work correctly in 2 of these tablets, and I ended up getting a Samsung 128gig class 10 card (80MB read and 20 write). That worked flawlessley, and with all the apps that can move stored on the card I still only have about 3-4 gigs free on the device storage. Hopefully some day Samsung/Microsoft/Google will allow their applications to move over to the SD card as well (or be removed), as those are taking up a good chunk of the storage. Overall, this is a great tablet for a wordprocessor/internet/arcade game machine. It even supports split screen on the apps (snap, I will attach a screenshot where I have 4 applications open on the screen at one time), and I use it to remote into my laptop as a media hub and the remote desktop app on this 10.1 inch screen is great! Very happy with the purchase, and with the support of Best Buy. All in all, with the keyboard case, tablet, SD card, and screenprotector, I am probably only about $400 tops (including tax) into the device, and you won't find a new 8-core laptop or PC for that price. You might be able to get one used, or try to build a low-spec desktop, but for the mobility of the tablet, 8-cores for the processor and the performance of this device, I haven't seen any laptop on the market that would compete with that price point. I got this on sale for $100 off, so no laptop is going to beat a $266 price point and be worth anything. Case-in-point, I got a 1 day return open-box Toshiba at home with 4-6 gigs of ram and a quad core processor clocked at 2.3 ghz, and bought this tablet to replace it. 2-3 years ago, that open box laptop still cost about $250-$300, and it doesn't hold a candle to this tablet, and is MUCH heavier and less mobile. Also the battery life on this tablet is 2-3 times as long as I typically get on any laptop. I allow the tablet to adjust brightness as needed, and play apps/games on it, get on the internet, and watch videos for a good portion of days on the weekend, and this tablet still typically still lasts about 2-2.5 days with that usage. Most laptops I've tried with that level of usage or less, with the screen completely dim, still only get me about 6-10 hours best, maybe upwards of 12 if you shut off the NIC, but at best I've never seen anywhere close to 1 day let alone 2.

Be warned, this is a long review, but I'm trying to be specific. This tablet is not going to replace a laptop, but it has done exactly what I wanted it to do. I teach literature and writing, and I was excited by the s-pen feature on this tablet. The pen allows the TAB A to be for me, a cheaper compromise than buying a new laptop with Microsoft Ink or a compatible pen-interface. It's also extremely portable, light, and has a long-lasting battery. The android system is capable of running an app for the learning module my university uses, which means that I can grade papers and assignments with the tablet using the s-pen. This functionally allows me to have electronic submissions and yet grade the old-fashioned way, with pen in hand, which is MUCH MUCH faster for me than grading through the learning system on a computer. Doing that requires constant back and forth from a mouse or trackpad and the keyboard. I can do everything with the s-pen, including write comments that are then converted to text whenever the samsung touch keyboard would otherwise pop up on the screen. I can also use similar features in Microsoft Word's app, which the tablet can run and in which, by signing up with MS, you can access "pen" functions and drawing capabilities. It doesn't seem to have the same inkspace capabilities that the new MS Ink-compatible laptops have, but it has so far proved a great tool for commenting and editing on work as well. If you pay MS for a 365 subscription, or fully install one from your work or school, you can probably access a greater suite of compatible products. What has really impressed me is how well the pen works, and how good the samsung keyboard is at converting writing to text. I have terrible handwriting, but I am able to use the interface relatively easily. I can compose an email in longhand, and it will be easily converted to text. I also really like the note spaces available, which means I can sit in a meeting or at a talk and take notes in longhand on the tablet and save them, eliminating having to carry the laptop to meetings or talks, and allowing me to have organized electronic note files. Limitations: There are limitations, the first of which is that this is only built with 16GB of onboard memory. That is really really too bad. The expandable memory is huge, and SD cards are now pretty cheap, so it's workable, but 32 GB or 64GB would make this thing an i-pad killer, in my opinion. To get the apple pencil, you need an I pad pro, and you have to spend about 3x what this gadget costs. Since i got this on a great sale, it's even more crazy to me. Another limitation is the chip, which is ok, but not the speediest thing in the world. A surface or an I-pad is going to run faster and probably be able to do more complicated things or hold open more web windows. Finally, Android. Android can make me a little crazy, because it's just a mess. There is a settings menu that allows you to see the file organization on here easily, but I still have trouble making sure things are actually saving where I want them and finding things that I save. I don't know if this is just because I'm too used to real operating systems, but I don't find android efficient or navigable, and it's harder to search for files that are missing. "Saving" is also mysterious in certain apps, and I don't feel like I have control over my content in the way I do on a real operating system. That said, as a supplement and a tool, this thing is perfect. I haven't been watching video on it, because I didn't get it for that, but it has a beautiful screen and is nice and thin. We have a kindle fire, and this thing is bigger and nicer. The kindle does other great things, and is a wonderful tool in its own way, but it can't do what the TAB can do. The camera also works well, and with a few drawing apps I've been able to do some art projects that would have been a total pain on a standard computer. I should also be able to cast from this device to my TV, but I haven't even tried that yet so I can't say how well it works. To be clear, I would not have bought this if it didn't have the pen. The pen is absolutely what I wanted, and this tool gives me the capability I wanted at the best price. I may eventually upgrade to a new MS laptop with the compatible Inkspace and pen, but the Tab A has made me very happy and saved me a lot of time already.

I've been using the 2014 Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet since it was released (I also had the original Note 10.1 tablet.). I absolutely love this tab. Unfortunately it can no longer be updated. It's gone as far as it can go. So I waited for the release of a newer version. Obviously, nothing happened. When I saw this A tablet, I figured it could be a good substitute for the Note since it has the one item that separates the Note from all other tablets.... the S Pen. I wouldn't think of buying a tab without it. I read everything I could find about this new tablet. I did a comparison of both tabs, the Note & A. The only thing I had trouble finding info on was the features of the new S Pen. Did it do more than the original? This was important. I read tons of reviews without any mention of the Pen. Why spend the extra money if you weren't interested in the Pen? Even Samsung's site made no mention of the uses. I decided to buy one anyway since I wanted the latest OS and more speed. Well I'm very glad I did. Even though the A doesn't have the same screen quality as the Note, it still has great clarity. You get amazing colors & details when watching videos and playing games. And the 10" screen is just right for watching whatever while it sits on your lap. It runs extremely fast, especially if you have high speed Internet which I have. Searching is awesome! It's instantaneous. Storage capacity is only 16GB, but you can install a MicroSD card up to 256GB. And only 3 gigs of ram, but I've opened many tabs at once without any problems. You can open 2 apps side-by-side. Even though this isn't a new feature, more apps are available. I do miss the side panel that's on the Note. It seems easier to get to other apps from there. The S Pen is my favorite feature. One new thing It does is translations. I was reading a review written in French. I touched the Translate option and, voila! It immediately went to English after choosing the language. I've done many things with the S Pen which is why I love these devices. I've 'clipped' articles and then emailed or added them to my scrapbook. I've played games in newspapers writing answers on the screen. I've copied complete articles that are on different pages and shared or printed them. There is so much you can do with the S Pen. I did have to get used to the home, back & open apps buttons being on the side (I use tab in landscape mode) instead of the bottom. I thought I wouldn't like this, but I actually like it better since the tablet is usually on my lap. Now these buttons are on the side making them more accessible. Also I found that the open apps button is no longer used as a Menu key which I've been accustomed to. But the best thing about this tablet is its battery. I live on my tablet for most of the day & night. So it takes me through this time and partially through the next morning without having to charge it. Its battery saving ability is awesome! And this is without putting it in either powersaving mode while using it. I do put it in ultra powersaving mode when I'm done with it for the day. It uses little to no juice while in sleep or powersaving mode. I've never had any device run for a day without charging. I was dumbfounded when I realized how long this tablet lasted me. All-in-all, the Tab A 10.1 is a great device. I also bought one without the S Pen for my husband since he's not into using a stylus. It does take some getting used to with a couple of features that are different. But I would totally recommend either one if you're looking for a new, user friendly, inexpensive tablet.

I've been in Information Technology for over 35 years, so did quite a bit of research before purchasing this. Also demo'd in-store before the purchase. My conclusion up front is that this product ROCKS!! I have a Samsung Galaxy smartphone which has the same Android OS version as this Tab ("Marshmallow"), so that makes them similar in function and able to "play well" together. One thing I love about the Androids vs. "iThings" is that they function much like a Windows PC and don't require special software (e.g., iTunes) in order to transfer files, etc. This Tab accepts a micro-SD card up to 256Gb, which gives it nearly the storage capability of a laptop computer! Not only can you store office-type documents, music, audio recordings, pictures, etc. ... but you can configure most of the apps to automatically store their data on the SD card also. This more than offsets the LIMITED 16Gb internal memory. ONE IMPORTANT CAUTION HOWEVER: I initially purchased a SanDisk Micro SC card (one of their top models -- an "Ultra PLUS"). After much trial and consternation, I found that it was NOT COMPATIBLE with this particular Galaxy model. Although I use SanDisk cards almost exclusively in my pro cameras and other applications (they're tops on the market), I was disappointed to find that this particular card didn't work in the Tab A. SO ... I returned the SanDisk card and installed a Samsung EVO micro SD card and it worked perfectly! MORAL: purchase Samsung add-on card for this device and you'll live happily ever after! After getting through the aforementioned challenge, I am totally in love with my Galaxy Tab and would HIGHLY recommend it to others! ONE ADDITIONAL TECHNICAL NOTE: Besides other obvious uses, I utilize this Tab a lot for playing music. I'm a picky audiophile and wanted to get out of it all that it would produce. Again, after much research, I ended up with PowerAmp Pro music player app coupled with the Sennheiser PX 100-II portable headphones. WOW! This baby has an awesome sound processor, and coupled with the aforementioned app & phones, rivals the sound of my 1000w home audiophile system coupled with headphones costing 10 times as much. Just sayin ...

I got the Tab A with S-Pen to replace my Note 10.1 that I have had since Nov 2012. The old one decided to die on me after 5 years of faithful service. I have had the Tab A for just over a month. In general, I like it, but it does have some cons. Some of the cons are moving from Android 4.2, but others are the Tab A. First initial setup. I got the Tab A while traveling for Christmas, so I was in a hotel room on New Years Day when I was doing the initial setup. 1. The charging cord is way to short. I had to use an extension cord on the charger to be able to sit on the bed to use it. 2. Setup would hang testing the internet connection. Since the hotel required you to signon, and setup just assumed it was on an open network. I finally connected it to my travelling puck and it finished setup. 3. I was presently surprised how much of my former environment was automatically restored to the new tablet. However, once all the Apps were installed, available storage was under 2 gig. Such bloat ware, and you can’t delete it. Strangely, after about 2-3 weeks, I noticed the available storage jumped up to about 6 gig. I could not find anything missing or changed. I assume some App update shrank the size of some App to a more reasonable size. 4. To hold it in portrait mode, while the charging cord is connected, the buttons are on the bottom. Sitting on my chest, they get buried in my sweater. 5. The s-pen that comes with the Tab-A is very slim and takes a while to get used to. I found I could use the S-Pen from the old 2012 Note 10.1 which my fingers were used to, but I had to keep it in my pocket when not in use. Of coarse after a month I have managed to lose both my old S-Pens. (I also found I had to tweak the settings to let me use another S-Pen while the original was in its slot). 6. Every time Google tries to open something in Chrome, you get a 20-30 second hang followed by a popup saying Chrome is not responding. About the time the popup arrives everything frees up. Google / Chrome / Tablet? 7. I used the 64gig microSD card from the old Note 10.1 with no problems for a month. Now the Tab A says it’s corrupted. Windows Laptop reads it fine, and a Tab 7.0 has no problem with it. Searching online shows I’m not the only one with this problem. 8. I ordered the Official Samsung Hard Cover for the tablet. The bare tablet is too slippery to work with and the hard cover is not any better. I’m waiting on a MoKo Leather cover now.

Tablet works great and looks nice! I'm able to do everything I need to for school except watch lecture presentations for my online class because whatever plugin that's required is not supported. I wanted it mainly to be able to take notes on power point lectures during class. It is great for that, and I'm happy with that aspect. Downside and why I didn't give it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: While in the store, I asked if there was one on display that I could try out (an open box special is what drew my attention to this product). There was. But, it was only the tablet; not the S pen which is the component I was most interested in. So, I asked if there was an S pen on display with another product. There was. I loved it! Perfect size, shape, performance. EXACTLY what I was looking for. Instead of the open box special, I opted to just buy a brand new one. I was SO excited to try it out that I opened it up in the car on the way home. Open the box ✔. Find the tablet ✔. Find S pen ❎. Remove all packaging to find S pen ❎. WHAT??! WHERE IS MY S PEN??? Come to find out, it slides into the corner of the tablet. It is NOT the same pen I was shown in the store. It is TEENY TINY, has almost NO weight to it, and my wrist hurts after using it for an entire class. What's worse? The S pen I tried out in the store won't work with this tablet, so I can't just buy that one and use it! This very uncomfortable pen that comes with the tablet is the only one that will work. So, if your hands are bigger than a toddler's and you expect to use the pen for more than a couple minutes at a time, get something else. Sidenote: in addition to the product review, I'd like to add a comment for the Best Buy supervisors. It would be FANTASTIC if your salespeople knew enough about the products in your store to properly inform the people who are there to spend hundreds of dollars. For instance, when I asked if there was an S pen I could try out, I would have expected that salesman to tell me that it was NOT the same one that comes with the product I was interested in buying. I HAD THE PRODUCT IN A BOX IN MY HAND. It was obvious I was serious about the purchase. Very disappointing!

So I bought a Note Pro 12.2 back in 2014. It was incredibly smooth, sharp screen display, and it was near perfect: No AMOLED display, and my Note 4 phone had slight more S Pen features (OCR, extracting text out of clipped images, etc). My intent was to be able to clip things out of textbooks and work word problems (engineering), and I ended up returning that tablet for missing that ONE feature that my phone could do. Everyone warned that Samsung doesn't support old products, you get what you buy... so I took their word for it. Fast forward to late 2016: Samsung has not released any new Note Pro models. The Note 7 suffered a premature death. To apologize to the public for its massive let-down of s-pen fans, it decided to release this Galaxy Tab A 10.1 w/ S-Pen to fill the void of making "gifs on the tablet." Whatever. What you need to know is that for all the S-Pen featured devices that Samsung ever released, this one does NOT have S-Note. You know, that handy note taking app that let you select the sheet type (e.g. ruled paper, grid paper, even use your own image and can make a blackboard), select your drawn shapes and refine geometry, convert math formulas, etc? Well, all of that is GONE. You get in place of all that a stripped-down "Samsung Notes" with just the ability to write on ruled paper. Yep, that's all you get. Can't do any of what you used to do. No, you cannot download S Note. Keep in mind that 16 gb really means 11 gb, as Android has moved towards a dumber design that's supposed to be more efficient for the OS and does not allow for a majority of apps available on the google play store to be moved to your microSD. Expand that memory all you want, but all you can use it for is your own music and videos, etc. Not a lot of apps can go on the SD, and often when you restart the device, those apps take a long time to be accessible. This is a huge disappointment going into 2017 and I have officially lost faith in samsung.

I got this tablet as an early birthday present, and I've been waiting to post a review until I had a chance to really test it out and see what this thing could do. First, the negatives (because even the greatest piece of tech isn't perfect): 1. the charging cable is woefully short. But most people should have an extra USB cable, or five, lying around to help remedy this. 2. The fact that Samsung removed the best feature that started with Android Marshmallow: the ability to make an SD card into internal storage. This may not sound like a big deal, but when the device storage is only 16GB and you're left with about half of that and not all applications can be moved to the SD card, this can pose a problem. It hasn't for me yet, but still. And now for the flip side of the coin: the pros! 1. This tablet is crazy fast. You may worry because this model is almost two years old, but it holds up exceedingly well. I would definitely recommend the P580 model over the T580 because of the extra RAM. It definitely helps keep everything running smooth. 2. The display is beautiful, even though it isn't as great as some of the higher dollar tablets. I've read from others that the display washes out and is next to impossible to see if you're out in the sun. But for my purposes (writing, reading, and watching videos indoors), that is a moot point. 3. If you buy a case with a detachable keyboard, this thing is practically a mini laptop, and the included Microsoft Office programs really helps to set it apart (in my opinion). 4. The pen. I never would've thought I would use the S pen, but it really helps set this tablet apart. I use it to make notes and highlight important passages in ebooks I'm reading, etcetera. So in closing, my only real complaints about this tablet are the super short charging cable and Samsung removing the option to make the SD card internal storage.