Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, user experience after three weeks

Samsung has created a reduced version of its professional tablet Galaxy Tab S6 to reach a wider audience. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite lowers some features compared to the premium version but maintains key elements such as the presence of the S-Pen . Thanks to this, we have a tablet that can work for both leisure and work, and that has a more affordable price of 400 euros compared to the full version (670 euros). I have had the opportunity to tinker with this tablet for several weeks, this has been my experience of use.

Data sheet

Once upon a tablet to an S-Pen stuck

Like Quevedo's famous sonnet, talking about the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is necessarily talking about its S-Pen. This optical pen that has accompanied the Note series from the beginning has also become an inseparable companion of some of the brand's tablets . If you consider buying the Galaxy Tab, you have to take into account that its price has to do with the inclusion of the S-Pen. By this I mean that if you are not going to use the pen you will surely be interested in looking for other cheaper models on the market or the same price but with more powerful specifications. For example, within Samsung we have the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e for 440 euros.

The S-Pen will allow you, above all, to create notes and sketches. It is very light, barely 7 grams, and does not have any type of battery so it will never wear out. In addition, to store it you can attach it directly to the right side of the tablet magnetically. Of course, you are in danger of letting it go. Samsung is aware that this tablet can be a great study partner, and has added several specific functions that will give you a lot of play. For example, in compatible applications such as Samsung notes, you can highlight text in another color, create labels to find your notes more conveniently, or add notes to PDF documents.

Another useful application if you like to draw is Penup . In this case, you have options to learn to draw with the pen and create your own sketches and digital artwork. I cannot be objective because I am a disaster at drawing, but it is a good way to start practicing if you want to move towards digital design over time. Finally, at the curiosity level, we have an app to draw on a face that captures the camera in augmented reality and that the drawing moves with the person.

If you buy this tablet, buy its cover

I have been lucky enough to test the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite together with its Galaxy Cover, which costs 70 euros . This book-style sleeve does its job excellently. In addition to protecting the tablet when we are not using it, it also works as a support when it is open to watch videos or movies without having to hold the computer. It allows you to place it in two positions, one more vertical if, for example, you have the tablet on top when you watch a movie in bed or more inclined if you are watching a video while working with the computer.

In fact, that is one of the uses that I have given the tablet the most and that I have been most grateful for in these weeks, that of turning it into a second screen . Very useful if, for example, you want to take notes on your laptop while watching a video of a course. The cover is also key because it has its own compartment to store the pen and keep it hidden when we have it closed . A good way to avoid getting lost. And all this with a very pleasant touch, somewhat rough and with a very thin design, which hardly adds thickness to the tablet. With all this, I consider it a more than recommended purchase if you get the Galaxy Tab, but you also have to take into account that the final price rises until it is close to 500 euros.

A design thought to facilitate its use anywhere

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is a lightweight tablet, weighing 465 grams and measuring just 7 millimeters thick . It is comfortable to handle and can be carried anywhere without problems. Their autonomy also helps. According to the official data of the company, it is capable of offering up to 12 hours of browsing through WiFi and 13 hours in the event that you play video. You will be used to the fact that the real times of use do not come close to the official figures. The case of the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is no exception. In my experience, I have been able to use this tablet for around six hours with a mixed use of browsing, video viewing and some apps. Not bad, but not impressive either.

A somewhat smaller but solvent technical set

To say that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is limited would be false. But it is true that the Korean company has reduced several of the technical aspects with which the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 came to market. Starting with the screen itself. The Lite sacrifices the Super AMOLED panel , a brand of its own identity that accompanies most of the firm's smartphones. The alternative is a 10.4-inch TFT screen with a 2,000 x 1,200 pixel resolution. In practice, some brilliance and liveliness is lost but the experience remains of a high level . The tactile experience is also solvent, so it seems to me a sacrifice that in the end it will not be noticed much unless you use this tablet a lot outdoors.

In the field of the processor, we have an eight-core chip that meets without problems to navigate and use different apps. Of course, at specific times I have missed a little more push. Along with this processor we have a 4 GB RAM, a value in which most mid-range tablets are usually placed. And an internal memory of 64 GB, a capacity that does seem a bit limited if we are going to use this tablet intensively. In any case, it has a slot to insert microSD cards up to 1 TB. By the way, in addition to the WiFi version, the Korean company also markets a version with 4G LTE to connect a SIM card and always have it connected. Personally, I think that this addition is less and less urgent since mobile devices work well as a modem and data rates are becoming more powerful.

Connection with mobile or PC through Samsung Flow

Another of the apps that can be very useful is Samsung Flow . It is a program that connects your tablet with your mobile and allows you to receive notifications from your smartphone directly on the tablet. You can even reply to WhatsApp messages or share content through connected devices. This connection is made through Bluetooth or WiFi . Personally, I find that this second connection is more powerful and stable (with Bluetooth, I sometimes cut off or not receive notifications well). Another option you have is to share files between teams quickly.

By the way, you can take this connection further to the Windows universe, since Samsung Flow has an app for Windows 10 . In this way, you do not need to be constantly looking at the tablet for new notifications. My experience has been quite good the time I have tried it, but be careful, the opinions of the app itself are not very good in general. One of the things I like the most is that if you are in the middle of an interesting or important conversation on WhatsApp (if you have the tablet with 4G version) you have the option to receive the messages in a pop-up screen in the lower right corner from which you can reply directly to the person.

You can also configure the mobile phone or the tab so that it only sends notifications from specific apps (this configuration is carried out from the tablet, not from the PC).

Price and reviews

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite has a special starting price of 400 euros through the Samsung store. Outside of this promotion, its price is 440 euros. That is to say, we are not looking at an economic tablet, and you have to add the 70 euros of the Galaxy Cover if you want to take advantage of its full potential. Worth? It will depend a lot on how you are going to use the tablet. If you are a student or you like drawing, this team will give you interesting alternatives to take advantage of its S-Pen pencil . Otherwise, there are other alternatives within Samsung itself with which you will get a higher performance for the same price.

In itself, we have an elegant tablet, well built and with thin frames , which does not attract particularly attention but does not clash in any way. By the way, in my case I had the opportunity to test the gray settings. It is true that the blue configuration can offer a differential touch and it has a quite beautiful tonality. In short, a tablet very aimed at users who want to combine study and leisure in a single device , and which also has a more affordable cost than its older brother Galaxy Tab S6.