Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7-Inch, 32GB Tablet Black, Review

The renewed Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 tablet is a mixed bag. Its beautiful OLED screen and included S Pen are fantastic for under $100, but it's hamstrung by ancient Android 6.0 software and very slow performance. It's a decent pick as a cheap media player, but look elsewhere for a primary tablet.

If you're hunting for a cheap Android tablet under $100, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is probably popping up in your search results. And at this price, it's tempting. This is a renewed model of Samsung's 2017 flagship tablet, and it still has some nice features for the money, like a sharp 9.7-inch OLED screen and support for a stylus and keyboard. But let's be real, it's running Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which is ancient in tech years, and it only has 32GB of storage. We're here to figure out if those premium features from the past are still worth it today.

Let's talk about the elephant in the room: performance. The octa-core processor sounds good on paper, but our database shows its CPU performance lands in the 11th percentile compared to modern tablets. That means it's slow. Basic tasks like web browsing and video streaming are fine, but don't expect to multitask or play any demanding games. The GPU score is even worse at the 15th percentile. For artists or note-takers, the S Pen support is the main draw here, and it works well for simple sketches and handwriting. Just don't try to run complex art apps.

At $99, the value proposition is simple. You're trading modern performance and software for premium build quality and a great screen from a bygone era. If your main use is watching videos in bed or as a digital photo frame, it's a steal. But if you need a tablet for anything productive in 2025, you're better off looking at a newer Amazon Fire tablet or hunting for a deal on an older base model iPad.

The obvious competitor is the Apple iPad (any model from the last 5 years). Even an older iPad will run circles around the Tab S3 in speed and get years of software updates. For Android fans, a newer Samsung Galaxy Tab A series offers more modern software and better performance for not much more money. If you're specifically buying it for the pen, know that the S Pen experience here is good, but you're stuck with ancient apps. The Microsoft Surface Go is a pricier alternative but turns into a real laptop, which the Tab S3's keyboard connector can't really match.

Skip this tablet if you need a primary device for school, work, or serious creativity. The old software and slow performance will drive you nuts. Students should look at an iPad with Apple Pencil support. Business users are better served by a Surface or iPad Pro. Even casual users who want a smooth experience should consider a newer budget tablet. This is strictly for the ultra-budget, media-only crowd.

So, should you buy this? Only in a very specific scenario. If you need a secondary device purely for media consumption and you absolutely must have an OLED screen and stylus support on a shoestring budget, this could work. For everyone else—students, artists, professionals, or anyone who needs their tablet to actually keep up—the outdated software and sluggish performance are deal-breakers. It's a nostalgia piece, not a daily driver.