Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7" 2 9.7in 2017, Exynos 5433, 3GB, 32GB, Cellular, White

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7in has a stunning Super AMOLED display and surprisingly strong GPU performance for its age. But the battery life is rough, with many users reporting it drains within three hours, and refurbished units have a high failure rate. It's a gamble at $79, and most people should look elsewhere.

The Exynos 5433 is an octa-core chip with a 1.9GHz quad-core cluster and a 1.3GHz quad-core cluster. In our database, the CPU lands at the 74th percentile, which means it's solidly above average for tablets in this class. The GPU is the real surprise here, sitting at the 99th percentile. That's the absolute best right now for this category, which is wild for a tablet this old. It means games and video playback will run smoother than you'd expect from a 2015 device.

The screen is another bright spot. The 9.7-inch QXGA Super AMOLED panel ranks at the 81st percentile, which translates to a strong, impressive display. Colors pop, blacks are deep, and text is crisp at 2048x1536. For streaming Netflix or reading comics, this screen punches way above its price point.

But the RAM and storage are where things get rough. 3GB of RAM puts it at the 11th percentile, which is disappointing and lags behind most modern tablets. And 32GB of storage lands at the 9th percentile, one of the worst we've seen. You'll fill that up fast with apps and offline content. The battery is also a weak spot at the 29th percentile, which matches what users report about real-world drain times.

The most obvious comparison is the Apple iPad 9.7. The iPad has a similar screen size and a much better app ecosystem, plus Apple's build quality is consistently reliable. The iPad will cost more, but you're not rolling the dice on battery life or hardware defects. The Tab S2 wins on display quality and GPU performance, but the iPad wins everywhere else that matters for daily use.

The Xiaomi Redmi Pad 25040RP0AL is another competitor worth mentioning. It's a newer device with better battery life and more modern software support. The Lenovo Idea Tab Pro TB336FU also offers a more current Android experience with better RAM and storage options. The UMIDIGI Active T1 is a rugged alternative if durability matters to you. None of these have the Tab S2's AMOLED screen, but they all have working batteries that last more than three hours, which honestly matters more.

At around $79 USD, the Galaxy Tab S2 9.7in seems like a steal for a tablet with a Super AMOLED screen and LTE connectivity. And if you get a good unit, it kind of is. But the value proposition falls apart when you factor in the battery problems, the Verizon lock, and the fact that many refurbished units fail within weeks. You're essentially gambling $79 on whether you get a functional tablet or a paperweight. For the same money, you could find a used Amazon Fire tablet or an older iPad that will be more reliable, even if the screen isn't as pretty.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7in is a refurbished Android tablet that sits in the budget end of the tablet market, usually around $79 USD when you can find it. It's a 2015-era device with an Exynos 5433 octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage. The headline feature is that 9.7-inch 2048x1536 Super AMOLED display, which still looks better than a lot of budget tablets released years later. But this is a Verizon-locked, renewed unit, and that comes with some real baggage.

People searching for this tablet usually want to know if it's still usable in 2025 for basic stuff like streaming, reading, or light browsing. The honest answer is: sort of. When it works, it's fine for Netflix and casual use. The problem is the refurbished units floating around have a pretty rough track record, and the battery situation is genuinely bad.

We pulled data from our database and user reviews across multiple vendors. The specs look decent on paper for the price, but the real-world experience tells a different story. This is one of those products where the gap between spec sheet and actual ownership experience is wide enough to drive a truck through.

Skip this tablet if you need reliable battery life, plan to use it away from a charger, or want to switch carriers. The Verizon lock is a dealbreaker for anyone on a different network. Students should especially avoid it, since it scored only 34 out of 100 for student use in our database. If you need something for note-taking, research, or all-day classes, look at a used iPad or a newer budget Android tablet instead. Also skip it if you're buying for a kid or non-technical user who won't want to deal with charging issues and potential hardware failures.

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 9.7in in 2025? Probably not. The screen is genuinely lovely and the GPU performance is surprisingly good, but the battery life is a dealbreaker. Multiple verified buyers report the battery draining within three hours, and some units fail completely after about 40 days. That's not a tablet, that's a countdown timer.

If you're dead set on this specific model because you love the AMOLED display and you're okay with the Verizon lock, then buy from a seller with a solid return policy and test the battery immediately. But for most people, there are better ways to spend $79. The risk of getting a dud is just too high.