Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 311 Hands on

Alongside the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 211, the Korean manufacturer also introduced a larger 8 inch tablet dubbed the Galaxy Tab 3 310 and 311 depending on the variant. The Galaxy Tab 3 311 aims to provide a potent mix of power and focus on multimedia consumption capabilities. Does it succeed in doing this ? Read on to find out our first impressions of the product. 

The front of the tablet is dominated by the 8inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1280 x 800. The screen is bright and vibrant with excellent viewing angles. The pixel density is a bit low at 189ppi but the quality of the panel makes up for it. Above the screen is an earpiece with a front facing camera and relevant sensors placed on either side. The bezel has been kept to a minimum on the sides but is adequate to place your finger while holding up the tablet.

Below the tablet lies the single hardware home key and it is flanked on either side by the menu and back keys. These are of the capacitive variety. The volume rocker and power key lie on the right side of the tablet and are fairly comfortable to reach. A metal finish band runs around the proximity of the display but is made of plastic.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 311 sports the same hyperglazed plastic finish at the back as seen on the Tab 3 211 and other devices from Samsung’s stable. The glossy finish has a slight pattern to be and can be a fingerprint magnet and doesn’t feel very upmarket. You can spot a 5MP camera towards the corner. Under the hood is a 1.5Gz dual core Exynos 4412 processor. You also get 1.5GB of RAM which should aid multitasking. There is also 16GB of storage that can be boosted via the microSD card slot.  Powering the show is Android 4.2.2 with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI layer thrown on top for good measure. You get features like Reading Mode, Smart Stay, Multi Window amongst the several other features pioneered by Samsung across its device portfolio.

Weighing in at about 314 grams and with a svelte profile of 7.4 mm thickness, we quite liked the Galaxy Tab 3 311. Depending on the variant, your connectivity options include 3G HSPA+ (Only in Tab 3 311) ,WiFi a/b/g/n (2.4/5GHz), WiFi Channel Bonding, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS +  GLONASS (Only in Tab 3 311). The battery is rated at 4450 mAh which should be more than sufficient for a day of usage.  We found the tablet to be quite nice to hold and the ergonomics are definitely in place. Performance on first glance seems to be adequate. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 310 and 311 will be available at a price point of Rs. 21,945 and Rs 25,725 respectively with the former lacking in built 3G capabilities. You can check out additional images of the product below.