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Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 review: our verdict on the affordable, mid-range kids' tablet
Rated the best tablet for kids aged 10 and over, I put the Mumsnet-favourite Samsung Galaxy A8 Tablet to the test with my recently-turned 10-year-old.
By Jenny Wonnacott | Last updated Nov 30, 2023
Having only ever owned the Amazon Fire kids' tablets before, I was intrigued to find out how the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 - rated the best kids' tablet for age 10+ by Mumsnet - would compare.
If you're looking for a new kids' tablet which ticks all the boxes, has a lovely big screen and won't set you back a fortune, the Samsung Tab A8 is a great buy. And best of all, the older version is currently on sale at just £149, lower than both the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro Tablet (£210) and the Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Tablet (£150).
Unlike with the Fire Kids' tablets, however, the cost doesn't include a protective case and so if you are buying for younger children (or clumsy ones) you may want to buy this separately - currently a protective case such as the one pictured costs £14 from Amazon. (And don't miss our dedicated page rounding up the best Black Friday tablet deals if you're looking for the latest tech for Christmas presents!)
Great screen size, excellent for drawing and videos
Includes Samsung Kids which allows parents to control content, screen-time and set educational goals
Appeals to a wide range of users, not just kids
Expandable storage capability
Have to buy the protective case separately
It can feel tricky to set up if you're not used to a Samsung device
Not compatible with S-Pen (but can use other generic stylus pens)
Screen size: 10.5 inches | Battery life: 7,040 mAh battery - normal hours not specified | Parental controls: Yes | Platform: Android 11 | Storage: 32GB | Screen resolution: 1920 x 1200 pixels | Weight: 476g | CPU: Octa-core | Cameras: Rear camera 8MP, front camera 5MP
Having tested several kids' tablets now - the Amazon Fire 7 Kids which served us well as an entry-level kids' tablet when the kids were younger, followed by the Fire HD 8 Kids and the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro which are perfect as kids get older and need to be able to access the internet for homework tasks, etc, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Samsung A8 performs just as well, if not better, as a kids' tablet for older children.
Aside from its affordability, the stand-out feature of the A8 is its size. At 10.5 inches, its screen is bigger than even the Fire 10 Kids (our top-rated kids' tablet) and when you combine it with a keyboard, it feels more like a laptop than a tablet. It's also incredibly slim and lightweight, which makes it ideal for kids to slip into their backpack either for holidays or school.
As a Samsung phone user, I found it very easy to navigate (it feels just like a big phone in that respect!) and my 10-year-old loved using the different apps. It isn't as high-end in terms of graphics and gaming as the S-range of tablets, but for kids who like to play games, watch videos and complete homework or online tutoring, it's perfect.
It's also worth mentioning that the A8 supports use of external storage cards which can provide up to 1TB of extra storage so you never have to worry about running out of space.
Read next: Looking for good rainy day activities and gift options for kids this autumn? Check out our pages ranking the best family board games, best books for eight-year-olds and top-ranking lego sets.
I wanted a tablet for my children (then 6 and 8) to take on a long-haul flight. I needed it to be able to play the streaming services but also have enough storage to download films, as well as the ability to play games on and offline. The A8 covered everything whilst being reasonably priced. I have never regretted choosing it.
From £149
32 GB, 10.5" screen
Related: Are you shopping for kids of different ages this Christmas? Don't miss our bespoke guides for kids of all ages: Best toys for 4-year-olds | toys for 5-year-olds | toys for 6-year-olds | toys for 7-year-olds | toys for 8-year-olds | toys for 9-year-olds | toys for 10-year-olds.
What is the difference between an S8 and an A8 tablet?
According to Samsung, the S series of tablets are designed for 'power users, creators and professionals as they have the most processing power and the largest screens.' In comparison, the A tablets are slightly smaller and feature 'a more portable design' which Samsung says is 'perfect for everyday tasks like streaming the latest movies, browsing the internet or keeping the kids entertained.'
I'm currently using a Samsung Galaxy Tab A which I've had since December 2020. No problems with it at all in the past 2 years and still works great.
What is the newest Samsung tablet A8?
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 was released last year (2022) with the latest version from Amazon priced at £219 and including a three year warranty. The 'older version' available from £149 from Amazon lists slightly different product dimensions (6.37 x 0.27 x 9.72cm) and weight (476g) but the memory, OS and screen size remain the same.
Does the tab A8 come with a pen?
No, but the tablet is fully compatible with generic stylus pens such as these. However, you can't use a Samsung S Pen on the A8 because these are only designed for use with the S-series of Samsung Galaxy tablets.
Samsung Galaxy A8 Tab: final verdict
It's safe to say that we were pretty impressed by the Samsung A8 Tab not only for use as a kids' tablet but as a tablet in its own right. In fact, I ended up buying one myself to replace an old iPad Air (which, at 10 years old, had reached the stage where it would no longer support iOS updates). I use it as a larger version of my Samsung phone and it is particularly useful when paired with a keyboard for drafting and editing written work.
My ten-year-old loved the screen-size, the grown up feel of the tablet, and its capability with the apps she tried out. While it takes a little longer to set up for a child than the likes of the Amazon Fire Kids tablets (which come with tailor-made Amazon Kids+ content available) the Samsung Kids feature allows the parent to set restrictions and monitor content for the child user.
We've got a Samsung Galaxy A8 that we are happy with. Has everything you'd expect from a decent Android device. One thing that we find very handy is a wallet type case to keep it in.
About the author
Mum-of-three Jenny Wonnacott is a Content Editor for Mumsnet, specialising in writing, editing and optimising content surrounding children and pregnancy. Jenny has written several reviews for Mumsnet's child-orientated content (helped by her three enthusiastic testers aged four, six and ten) including a comparison of the Amazon Fire 7 Kids and Fire 8 HD Kids tablets, a review of the Amazon Fire HD 8 vs HD 8 Pro tablets and several board games, including Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne.
As a parent of three, Jenny is passionate about making Mumsetters' lives easier through rigorous research of all items recommended in buyers' guides and reviews, as well as sourcing expert advice on all things pregnancy and child play related.
Before joining the content team at Mumsnet, Jenny worked as a journalist for newspapers, radio, TV and b2b trades magazines for over a decade. She is also a bestselling sci-fi author (writing as J M Briscoe) and parenting blogger.
How we tested
Parent tester Jenny Wonnacott borrowed the Samsung Galaxy A8 Tab for a number of weeks, putting it through extensive testing herself as well by her 10-year-old daughter. Testing included use of a variety of apps, Netflix and exploring parental controls, as well as investigating battery and storage capability. She also questioned the tablet's owner (Celine M, quoted above) as to their reasons for buying the tablet, its standout features and whether they would recommend it to other parents.
About Mumsnet Reviews
All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real parents after weeks of research and testing – this includes recommendations from the Mumsnet Talk boards. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.