Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 review

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 review

samsung galaxy tab 8.9 review

What is the optimal size for a modern-day tablet? Is it 10 inches? Is it seven? Or, is it something smaller, like the economy-sized smartphone that is the Galaxy Note? We can’t say for sure, but we surely can say that Samsung is as much in the dark as we are. Like a gadgety Goldilocks traipsing between an endless sea of options, that company seems completely unable to make up its mind, splitting niches into sub-niches and then cleaving those in twain again with a seemingly endless array of fractionally different tablets.

Today we’re looking at the Galaxy Tab 8.9. This powerful slate exists because, apparently, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is too big and the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is too small.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 review

Hardware 

If you’re familiar with the Gal Tab 10.1 you’ll find the slightly svelter 8.9 a particularly comfortable beast. Where many companies are struggling to find a corporate image and common style to apply to all their devices, Samsung here had no problem simply shrinking down the elder tablet’s overall design by about 12 percent. It’s only when they’re side-by-side that you can see a few subtle differences — most notable being the repositioning of the speakers from the sides to the bottom where they now flank Samsung’s proprietary connector.