Samsung's cheap new iPad rival just leaked — meet the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite
A cheap tablet that has its work cut out against the iPad
Samsung's Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is, no doubt, on the way. Samsung has previously leaked the model on European and Russian support sites revealing that it will be formally known as the SM-T225. The A7 Lite is a stripped-down version of the Tab A7, the already quite affordable 10.4-inch tablet.
According to, 91Mobiles, the new leak seems to suggest that the new Lite model comes with some reduced specs, including 3GB of RAM and a Mediatek MT8768N processor. That's all paired to a modest 1340 x 800 resolution screen which offers 213 dpi. A 4G version is also rumored, powered by a Snapdragon 750 processor.
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There's been additional leaking that suggests this tablet will have a 5,100mAh battery as well as USB-C fast charging (15W) and the now seriously endangered headphone jack. The A7 Lite probably won't have fingerprint scanning. It will be running Android 11 out of the box.
The A7 Lite could, at least in theory, provide a decent option for people with modest tablet needs. Older users and kids are particularly strong users of budget tablets as they offer more screen real estate than phones and are largely powerful enough for a bit of social media, watching video and light gaming.
Things get tricky for any tablet coming close to the iPad's price tag though. The 2020 iPad Air starts at $600, which isn't cheap, but it certainly offers a lot more power than budget android tablets. It also has an arguably more engaged developer community where Android tablets have consistently failed to design for larger screen sizes.
Things get even trickier when you remember that the iPad (8th generation, 2020) starts at $329 these days. While it has only 32GB of storage at that price, it still offers a lot of the features that people crave and for arguably Apple's most competitive pricing for any product it currently sells.
However, given the Tab A7 has an MSRP of around $230 the Lite version could be a much more affordable option. The A7 Lite is likely to be a lot more appealing than the $350 S6 Lite for people on a budget, but offers considerably lower specs and probably no support for the S Pen.
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Ian has been involved in technology journalism since 2007, originally writing about AV hardware back when LCDs and plasma TVs were just gaining popularity. Nearly 15 years on, he remains as excited as ever about how tech can make your life better. Ian is the editor of T3.com but has also regularly contributed to Tom's Guide.