Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0 review: The toddler

Design and handling

At 116.4 x 193.4 x 9.7mm, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0 is a little taller and wider than its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab 3 7.0, but comes a tad thinner at 9.7 mm. The compact tablet is pleasingly lightweight at 310g.

The Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0 isn't the most imaginative device we've come across. Samsung is keeping the slim-bezel styling for its Pro lineup and the Galaxy Tab 3 Lite is left with the practical, unexciting design choices. The usual three button layout is non-negotiable though, regardless of price range. In honesty, a hardware Home key and off-screen capacitive buttons are not as questionable at this screen size.

There aren't any sensors or an earpiece above the display, as ours is the W-Fi only version, with no voice call support. We mentioned already that the Tab 3 Lite does without a front facing camera. Now, that's a bit strange. If it's a tablet, be it so compact, it would've been more reasonable to get rid of the rear cam. The Tab 3 Lite has a 2MP unit at that - hardly one to be missed.

The back lacks the soft leather-like feel but does have a nice texture to it. The back is flat but curved edges wrap around the front. The rounded sides favor grip in what's generally a pretty comfortable device to hold in one hand. The Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0 is officially said to come in Cream White and Dark Gray but our model has a white front and turquoise or cyan rear (we've come across a robin egg blue description as well). Interestingly, this color option isn't officially confirmed by Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0

The Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0 is comfortable for one-handed operation thanks to its size and weight. You won't be able to reach the far end of the screen with just your thumb but once you've settled into a YouTube video, movie or a website single-handed support is trouble-free.

Handling the 7-incher

We would've preferred slimmer bezels and the faux leather back is something we can live without. After all, the Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0 is an entry-level device, so just being portable and comfortable to hold is good enough.

Controls

Under the screen we find the physical home button flanked by the capacitive back and menu buttons. A double tap on the home button will prompt the task switcher while a press and hold will open up S Voice.

Under the display

The volume and power buttons are placed next to each other on the tall right-hand side of the slate. Both have good press feedback the power button's position is obviously favoring landscape hold. The left side features the microSD card slot under a port cover.

The sides

The bottom of the device has the microphone pinhole while on the top we find the microUSB port and 3.5 mm headphone jack. Ideally those would be on the bottom for when the device is lying flat on a table in front of you but we guess this layout works as well.

Top and bottom

The back, is not the faux-leather variety but still has a texture to it, which feels good to the touch. The 2MP flash-less camera lens and mono loudspeaker grille are in the top part of the back, the Samsung logo inscribed close below.

The back

Display

The display of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0 is the lowest resolution to have on a tablet - if you don't count a number of WVGA screes by the likes of Alcatel, Dell, Huawei and other, less-known brands. 600 x 1024 will do the job for an inexpensive tablet - but only just. There definitely are sharper screens in the Galaxy Tab 3 Lite's price bracket. At 170 ppi, things look far from impressive but, taking into account that you're holding the slate at arm's length, it's not that bad.

The display

Our display test shows the 7-incher mounted on the Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0 is one of the worse screens to have in the Galaxy Tab lineup. The blacks are good at 50% brightness but at higher levels quickly deteriorate, brightness is good but it's contrast that's a letdown.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0 pixel arrangement

Poor contrast makes the screen look washed out and viewing angles could've been better too. Add the low resolution and you have a below average display.

Battery life

The Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0 we're reviewing has no voice call support, so web browsing and video playback are the only routines we tested.

The tablet is powered by a 3600mAh battery, which sounds robust for the modest hardware.

In our web browsing test, the Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0 managed a respectable 8 hours and 20 minutes.

Web browsing

• Sony Xperia C
  12:45
• Nokia Lumia 1520
  12:40
• Acer Liquid E2
  12:39
• Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
  12:37
• HTC Desire 700 dual sim
  12:30
• LG G2
  11:22
• HTC One Max
  11:20
• Sony Xperia ZR
  11:20
• Nokia Lumia 1320
  10:58
• Samsung Galaxy S4 mini duos
  10:10
• BlackBerry Q5
  10:04
• HTC One
  9:58
• Apple iPhone 5s
  9:58
• Apple iPhone 5
  9:56
• Samsung Galaxy S4 mini
  9:47
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
  9:43
• Alcatel One Touch Hero
  9:40
• LG G Flex
  9:31
• Motorola RAZR MAXX (ICS)
  9:12
• Apple iPad mini
  9:05
• Apple iPhone 5c
  9:05
• Oppo N1
  9:05
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3
  9:04
• ASUS Nexus 7 (2013)
  9:03
• Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom
  8:51
• Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100
  8:48
• BlackBerry Q10
  8:42
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0
  8:20
• Nokia Lumia 810
  8:20
• Asus Padfone 2
  8:20
• Moto X
  8:17
• Huawei Ascend Mate
  8:17
• Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3
  8:17
• HTC One mini
  8:12
• Nokia Lumia 610
  8:01
• HTC One X+
  7:56
• Sony Xperia E dual
  7:42
• Samsung Galaxy S III mini
  7:38
• Nokia Lumia 720
  7:37
• Samsung Galaxy S4 Active
  7:35
• BlackBerry Z30
  7:34
• Samsung Galaxy S4 (S600)
  7:24
• Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
  7:23
• Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX
  7:23
• HTC Radar
  7:17
• Nokia Lumia 520
  7:15
• Samsung Galaxy S4 GPE
  7:13
• LG Optimus GJ
  7:11
• Gigabyte GSmart Maya M1 v2
  7:10
• Meizu MX3
  7:09
• Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos
  7:09
• Samsung Galaxy Express
  7:09
• Nokia Lumia 625
  7:07
• Motorola RAZR i
  7:06
• Samsung Galaxy S4 (Octa)
  6:58
• Apple iPhone 4S
  6:56
• Samsung I8262 Galaxy Core
  6:54
• HTC One V
  6:49
• LG Optimus G Pro
  6:40
• Samsung I9105 Galaxy S II Plus
  6:40
• Sony Xperia L
  6:40
• HTC Droid DNA
  6:40
• Samsung Galaxy Premier
  6:40
• Motorola Atrix HD
  6:40
• BlackBerry Curve 9380
  6:40
• Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
  6:38
• Sony Xperia Z
  6:37
• Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2
  6:35
• HTC Desire 600 dual sim
  6:34
• HTC Desire 500
  6:31
• Huawei Ascend P6
  6:30
• BlackBerry Z10
  6:27
• Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III (JB)
  6:27
• HTC Butterfly
  6:24
• Sony Xperia SP
  6:18
• Samsung i937 Focus S
  6:15
• Nokia Lumia 510
  6:13
• Sony Xperia ZL
  6:04
• HTC Windows Phone 8X
  6:01
• Sony Xperia Z1
  5:59
• Sony Xperia ion LTE
  5:56
• Samsung Galaxy Fame
  5:55
• Samsung Rugby Smart I847
  5:53
• Pantech Burst
  5:51
• Nokia Lumia 1020
  5:50
• Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G
  5:45
• HTC Desire V
  5:44
• HTC Evo 4G LTE
  5:41
• Nokia Lumia 920
  5:40
• Samsung Wave 3 S8600
  5:34
• Oppo Find 5
  5:33
• Sony Xperia T
  5:33
• Samsung Captivate Glide
  5:33
• Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam
  5:28
• Samsung Galaxy Note LTE
  5:24
• Sony Xperia Z Ultra
  5:23
• Samsung Galaxy S Duos
  5:23
• HTC Sensation XL
  5:20
• Meizu MX 4-core
  5:19
• Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
  5:17
• Sony Xperia acro S
  5:16
• HTC Rezound
  5:16
• HTC Desire X
  5:16
• LG Optimus G
  5:15
• HTC Rhyme
  5:08
• Samsung I9103 Galaxy R
  5:07
• HTC One X (AT&T)
  5:03
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro
  4:50
• LG Optimus Vu
  4:49
• HTC Vivid
  4:46
• LG Nexus 5
  4:46
• Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos
  4:45
• Meizu MX
  4:35
• Google Nexus 4
  4:34
• Nokia N9
  4:33
• Acer CloudMobile S500
  4:32
• Nokia Lumia 820
  4:24
• Samsung Galaxy S II
  4:24
• Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V
  4:20
• HTC One X
  4:18
• Nokia 808 PureView
  4:14
• LG Optimus 3D Max P720
  4:10
• Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T
  4:10
• Nokia Lumia 800
  4:07
• HTC Titan II (LTE)
  4:05
• HTC One S
  4:03
• BlackBerry Bold 9790
  4:02
• LG Nitro HD
  4:00
• LG Optimus 4X HD
  3:59
• Sony Xperia P
  3:59
• Nokia Lumia 710
  3:51
• Nokia Lumia 620
  3:50
• Samsung Galaxy Pocket
  3:47
• Samsung Galaxy Note
  3:35
• Huawei Ascend P1
  3:23
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus
  3:01

In video playback, the Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0 lasted for 9 hours, which will more than do on the commute or long flight.

Video playback

• LG G Flex
  19:57
• Motorola RAZR MAXX (ICS)
  16:35
• Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX
  14:17
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3
  13:32
• Nokia Lumia 1020
  13:12
• Samsung Galaxy S4 mini
  13:12
• HTC One Max
  13:11
• Sony Xperia C
  12:53
• Samsung Galaxy S4 mini duos
  12:52
• Apple iPad mini
  12:51
• Samsung Galaxy Premier
  12:51
• Samsung Galaxy S4 GPE
  12:32
• Nokia Lumia 1520
  12:31
• Samsung Galaxy S4 (S600)
  12:30
• BlackBerry Q5
  12:28
• Huawei Ascend Mate
  12:18
• LG G2
  11:51
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
  11:38
• Samsung Galaxy S4 (Octa)
  11:29
• Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100
  11:27
• BlackBerry Q10
  11:15
• Oppo N1
  11:15
• BlackBerry Z30
  10:35
• Apple iPhone 5s
  10:31
• Apple iPhone 5
  10:12
• HTC One
  10:02
• Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
  10:01
• Moto X
  10:01
• Samsung Galaxy Express
  10:00
• Samsung I9105 Galaxy S II Plus
  10:00
• Nokia 808 PureView
  9:53
• Alcatel One Touch Hero
  9:49
• Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam
  9:42
• Samsung Rugby Smart I847
  9:34
• Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom
  9:30
• HTC One S
  9:28
• Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III (JB)
  9:27
• Apple iPhone 4S
  9:24
• Nokia Lumia 1320
  9:17
• HTC Evo 4G LTE
  9:07
• Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7.0
  9:00
• Sony Xperia Z Ultra
  8:45
• BlackBerry Z10
  8:44
• LG Optimus G Pro
  8:40
• Nokia N9
  8:40
• Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3
  8:34
• HTC Butterfly
  8:28
• Samsung Galaxy Note
  8:25
• LG Optimus GJ
  8:15
• Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos
  8:11
• HTC One X+
  8:11
• Motorola RAZR i
  8:11
• Samsung Galaxy S II
  8:00
• Samsung i937 Focus S
  7:55
• Samsung Wave 3 S8600
  7:52
• HTC Desire 500
  7:50
• Samsung Galaxy S III mini
  7:46
• Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V
  7:45
• Apple iPhone 5c
  7:41
• Asus Padfone 2
  7:38
• Huawei Ascend P1
  7:38
• Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G
  7:33
• Acer Liquid E2
  7:30
• Samsung I8262 Galaxy Core
  7:30
• Sony Xperia ZR
  7:30
• HTC Droid DNA
  7:30
• Samsung Galaxy Note LTE
  7:30
• Samsung Galaxy Xcover 2
  7:30
• Sony Xperia SP
  7:27
• HTC One mini
  7:23
• Nokia Lumia 610
  7:23
• LG Optimus G
  7:16
• Samsung Galaxy S4 Active
  7:03
• Asus Nexus 7 (2013)
  7:03
• Huawei Ascend P6
  6:55
• Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
  6:54
• HTC Desire 600 dual sim
  6:49
• Nokia Lumia 720
  6:43
• Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
  6:40
• Meizu MX 4-core
  6:33
• Nokia Lumia 620
  6:32
• Nokia Lumia 625
  6:29
• HTC Windows Phone 8X
  6:27
• Sony Xperia E dual
  6:27
• Nokia Lumia 810
  6:27
• HTC Desire V
  6:26
• HTC Desire 700 dual sim
  6:26
• HTC One X (AT&T)
  6:26
• Nokia Lumia 820
  6:25
• Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos
  6:25
• Gigabyte GSmart Maya M1 v2
  6:24
• Nokia Lumia 510
  6:23
• LG Optimus Vu
  6:23
• Samsung I9103 Galaxy R
  6:21
• Nokia Lumia 920
  6:19
• Sony Xperia Z1
  6:12
• HTC Sensation XL
  6:12
• LG Nexus 5
  6:06
• Samsung Galaxy Pocket
  6:06
• Samsung Captivate Glide
  6:04
• Sony Xperia ion LTE
  6:03
• Samsung Galaxy Nexus
  6:02
• Sony Xperia T
  6:01
• Motorola Atrix HD
  6:01
• HTC Vivid
  6:00
• HTC Radar
  5:54
• Nokia Lumia 800
  5:52
• Nokia Lumia 520
  5:50
• HTC Titan II
  5:50
• BlackBerry Bold 9790
  5:47
• HTC One X
  5:45
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro
  5:44
• Sony Xperia Z
  5:39
• Meizu MX3
  5:38
• Sony Xperia acro S
  5:38
• HTC Desire X
  5:38
• Pantech Burst
  5:38
• Sony Xperia ZL
  5:28
• Meizu MX
  5:27
• HTC Rhyme
  5:23
• HTC One V
  5:20
• Acer CloudMobile S500
  5:18
• Oppo Find 5
  5:18
• Nokia Lumia 900 for AT&T
  5:18
• BlackBerry Curve 9380
  5:09
• HTC Rezound
  5:03
• Samsung Galaxy Fame
  5:02
• Google Nexus 4
  4:55
• Sony Xperia L
  4:44
• Samsung Galaxy S Duos
  4:30
• Sony Xperia P
  4:30
• LG Nitro HD
  4:17
• LG Optimus 4X HD
  4:14
• LG Optimus 3D Max P720
  3:28
• Nokia Lumia 710
  3:27

The Galaxy Tab 3 Lite turned out a portable tablet with good battery life, so that's two boxes checked for the daily commuter. The solid stand-by time is another point in favor - if you're in for the extra screen in the living room.