Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 review: Middle of everywhere

Design and controls

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 stands at 209.8 x 123.8 x 7.4 mm and weighs 314 grams. It is almost as tall as a Galaxy Note 8.0 and a hair slimmer. The width has been reduced significantly though- the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 has unbelievably slim screen bezel - slimmer than that of the seven-inch Galaxy Tab 3. It almost looks unnatural - the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 is more like a super-sized phone than a tablet.

The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 sized up against the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0

The design of the new generation of Tabs, much like the rest of the Samsung lineup, takes closely after the Samsung Galaxy S4 styling. The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 joins quite a clone army of differently-sized Hyperglaze-finished devices, including the Galaxy Mega couple, the Galaxy S4 mini, the other two third-gen Galaxy Tab 3's and even the Note 8.0.

If you have all of these laid down on a table you may have a hard time telling which is which - it's pretty much the same situation which saw Apple on the receiving end of jokes about old and new iPhones.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0

The front panel of the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 is a standard tablet affair - which, in Samsung terms, includes the usual trio of navigation controls below the display. Above the screen are the 1.3MP front-facing camera and an ambient-light sensor. The latter is the same RGB sensor as in the Note II and Note 8.0, the one that's capable of detecting the full spectrum of the ambient light, rather than just its green channel. This results in improved performance under some types of artificial lighting.

One the front there is the front-facing camera and light sensor

As in other recent devices, Samsung has a way of controlling brightness without disabling automatic mode. You define an offset, so your Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 screen will always be slightly brighter or dimmer than the automatically selected level.

Below the screen is the classic arrangement of physical hardware Home key flanked by the capacitive Menu and Back keys. A tap and hold on the Back key brings up the Multi-Window taskbar, a tap and hold on the Menu key starts Google Now, while a tap and hold on the Home opens the task switcher.

The familiar set of keys at the bottom

The left side of the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 features the microSD card slot (and the microSIM compartment in the 3G/LTE-enabled versions).

The microSD card slot at the left side of the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0

The Power/Lock key, volume rocker, and IR-port are on the right.

There are just a couple of keys on the right side

The top of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 has the 3.5mm audio jack only.

The 3.5mm audio jack

We find the stereo speakers at the bottom of the slate, in portrait mode, on either side of the microUSB port. The connectivity port handles charging and data connections to a computer. It is also MHL-enabled, so you can output HD video via an HDMI adapter or enable USB Host via another adapter (mice, keyboards and flash drives are supported).

The MHL-enabled USB port and the stereo speakers at the bottom

The back of the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 has the 5MP camera lens in the top left corner, slightly protruding so the slate rests on it when placed on a level surface, but its hardened glass is not too easy to scratch.

The back features the 5MP camera lens

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 is best operated with two hands, whatever the orientation. The super slim side bezels don't provide a comfortable resting position for your thumbs but the flat solid sides allow a comfortable grip of the tablet with one hand across the back in portrait. The ample space below and above the display makes two-hand operation quite comfortable in landscape. The auto-rotating homescreen and lockscreen are welcome.

Despite the good grip, you should be careful handling the Tab 3 8.0 - the hyperglaze case tends to get quite slippery.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3.0 8.0 held in hand

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 feels rock-solid thanks to its compact size and lack of detachable elements on the chassis. The tablet is entirely made of plastic, but the Tab 3 8.0 doesn't feel cheap or flimsy at all. It is quite lightweight though and no problem to carry around.