Samsung Galaxy Tab A 7 Lite SM-T220 Tablet 8.7" WXGA+ Quad-core 2.30 2021 Review

So you're looking for a cheap Android tablet, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite keeps popping up. It's an 8.7-inch tablet running Android 11, with 32GB of storage (expandable via microSD card) and a MediaTek processor. At around $79, it's firmly in the budget category. People searching for a tablet for kids, a basic media player, or a super portable screen for video calls will find this on their radar. Just know what you're getting into.

Performance is exactly what you'd expect from a tablet in this price bracket. The MediaTek chip and 3GB of RAM land in the 34th and 92nd percentiles, respectively. That means the RAM is surprisingly decent for multitasking between a few basic apps, but the CPU is pretty slow. Benchmark scores show it's fine for streaming video, light web browsing, and simple games, but it will stutter if you try to do too much at once. It's not good for productivity or reading-heavy tasks, scoring only 25.4 and 21.2 out of 100 in those areas. For a student who just needs to access a web portal or watch lectures, it might scrape by, but it's not a good choice for any real work.

For $79, you're getting a functional, portable screen. That's the value proposition. It's a disposable price for a device that handles a few specific, simple jobs. The main alternative in this ultra-budget space is usually an Amazon Fire tablet, which is similarly limited but tied to Amazon's ecosystem. If you can stretch your budget even to $200, you'll find much better options.

Let's be clear: comparing this to an iPad Pro or Surface Pro is like comparing a scooter to a sports car. They're in different universes. For a real budget comparison, look at the Amazon Fire HD 8. The Fire tablet has a similar low-res screen and performance, but its software is more locked down. The Tab A7 Lite gives you full Android, which is a plus. If you need a tablet for reading, neither is great, but a used older-generation standard iPad would blow them both away for not much more money. The Lenovo Legion Go is a gaming handheld, not a direct competitor.

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite? Only if your needs are very, very simple and your budget is extremely tight. It's a decent choice as a first tablet for a young child, thanks to the durable build, or as a dedicated video player you can toss in a bag without worry. For anyone wanting to do real browsing, multi-task, or use modern apps smoothly, it's just too slow and the screen is too poor. If you can possibly spend more, do it. If $79 is your absolute max and you just need a small Netflix machine, it'll work.