Samsung Galaxy Tab Lite review

The Galaxy Tab Lite doesn’t have a front-facing camera. This means no video chat with apps such as Skype; or at least, the video chat will be a bit one-sided. There is a low-resolution 2-megapixel camera on the back, and its performance was distinctly average. Even outdoors with ample light it produced noisy images. Saturation was at least acceptable but the images were very soft. We’d rather have a front-facing camera for video chat than a low-quality main camera.

The Tab Lite runs Android 4.2.2 along with a relatively understated version of Samsung’s TouchWiz Android customisations. Compared to tablets with newer versions of Android, some parts of the Tab Lite’s OS are starting to look distinctly old-fashioned. You have access to the usual Google Play store but also Samsung’s own Galaxy Apps store that occasionally has separate deals or discounts. As Samsung has changed the default Android soft navigation keys, you access the recent apps menu by holding the physical home button and access Google Now by holding the capacitive menu button. This might take some getting used to if you’re not already familiar with Samsung’s Android devices.

Even when you take into consideration its low price, the Samsung Galaxy Tab Lite is disappointing; we weren’t fans of its screen or sluggish performance. The Gigaset QV830, while no means a great tablet, at feels quicker, is cheaper and has a front-facing camera. We still think it’s not worth buying a tablet this cheap, though, and would always recommend saving up for a Tesco Hudl2 (or getting one with Clubcard points if you’re a Tesco customer).