Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite review: The Android alternative to Apple iPad

Brand: Samsung
Key specs: 10.4-inch display, 7040mAh battery, 8MP rear camera, 5MP selfie camera, Wi-Fi and LTE support.
Price: ₹27,999 (starting)
Rating: 3.5/5

Unlike smartphones or laptops, you do not get a wide range of options for tablets. Apart from Apple’s iPads, you have very limited Android alternatives that come close in terms of experience and quality.

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S series is among the top that clears the said benchmark. Just like Apple’s premium iPads, Samsung’s tablets come with stylus support and attachable keyboards.

Samsung’s latest tablet offering is the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. It is available in two variants with LTE and Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi-only Galaxy Tab S6 Lite costs ₹27,999, while the LTE variant retails for ₹31,999. As the name suggests, it is the lighter version of the Galaxy Tab S6, which is available at ₹59,990.

The price difference between the main and the Lite variant is evidently huge. Does this mean you have to compromise in terms of experience? How much of a downgrade is the Lite tab? Is this the elusive affordable Android alternative to the iPad? Find out in our detailed review.

Design & display

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S6 Lite comes with a refreshed design that entails slimmer profile and bezels. The blue, grey and pink colour models look quite good. While the tablet scores high on the looks scale, it is not all perfect. During our usage, we found it to be quite slippery. Since the review unit did not come with a case, I had to be very cautious while using it and carrying it around. A case should definitely solve the grip problem. But, if you have sweaty palms, do not forget to invest in the case.

As far as the display goes, there is a big difference between the main and Lite version. The cheaper model has an LCD whereas the premium one has an AMOLED panel. As in the case of smartphones, LCDs do not have that AMOLED’s range of colour vibrancy. The display experience on the Tab is not bad though. One of the workarounds we implemented was keeping the brightness higher than usual.