Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7" 3 9.7-Inch Black 2017

The Galaxy Tab S3's OLED screen ranks in the 81st percentile and looks fantastic, but the 32GB of storage lands in the 9th percentile and the battery sits at the 30th. User sentiment is a shaky 55/100 with recurring complaints about charging issues, overheating, and Verizon bloatware. At $161 renewed, it's a decent drawing tablet if you get a good unit, but it's a coin flip.

The octa-core processor lands at the 69th percentile, which translates to solid but unremarkable. It's a Snapdragon 820 from 2016, and while it handles drawing apps and reading without much fuss, don't expect it to keep up with anything modern. The GPU sits at the 66th percentile, so light gaming is fine, but anything demanding will chug. Owners describe performance as "fast for its age," which is the nicest way to say it's acceptable if you lower your expectations.

The 13MP rear camera and 5MP front camera are fine for document scanning and video calls. Nothing to write home about. The real performance story is the battery. Samsung claimed up to 15 hours when this thing launched, but the battery ranks at the 30th percentile in our database, and multiple renewed units show up with charging problems and overheating issues. A tablet that can't hold a charge is a paperweight with a nice screen.

Against the Apple iPad Air M3, the Tab S3 gets demolished in every category except price. The iPad Air M3 has a faster processor, better battery, and modern connectivity. But it costs several times more. The Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus and Xiaomi Pad 7 both offer newer hardware and better battery life, though they also cost more. The Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is a different beast entirely, a full Windows machine that runs circles around the Tab S3 for productivity. Where the Tab S3 wins is the OLED screen at this price point. None of the competitors at $161 offer an OLED display with stylus support. If you're buying it as a drawing tablet or media consumption device and you get a good unit, it's a niche bargain. For anything else, save up.

At $161, the Tab S3 is cheap, but cheap doesn't always mean good value. You're getting an OLED screen that would cost way more on a new tablet, and the S Pen is genuinely useful for artists on a budget. But the 9th percentile storage and 30th percentile battery mean you're likely buying a device that needs a microSD card immediately and might need a battery replacement sooner than later. For a renewed unit, the value depends entirely on which unit you get. A pristine one with a healthy battery is a steal. A Verizon model with charging issues is $161 wasted.

The Galaxy Tab S3 sits in a weird spot in 2025. Its 32GB of RAM lands in the 98th percentile of our database, which sounds absurd until you realize that's the total storage, not memory. The actual RAM is 4GB, and the 32GB of storage is the real story here: 9th percentile. Dead last territory. For $161 renewed, you're getting a tablet that was impressive in 2017 and now feels like a time capsule with a really nice screen attached.

The 9.7-inch OLED display is the saving grace. At 1536x2048, it ranks in the 81st percentile for screens, and owners consistently mention how vivid and bright it looks. But the user sentiment score of 55/100 tells the fuller story. Some people get a pristine unit with the S Pen and love it. Others get a Verizon model loaded with bloatware, a battery that won't charge, or a tablet that overheats. It's a lottery, and the ticket costs $161.

Skip this if you need a reliable daily driver. The 30th percentile battery with recurring charging issues makes it a poor choice for travel or all-day use. If you're buying it for productivity or business, the 37.6/100 score in that category should be a red flag. And if you can't stomach the idea of receiving a Verizon model with bloatware you can't remove, look elsewhere. Anyone who needs more than 32GB of storage without immediately buying a microSD card should also pass. This is a niche device for budget artists and readers who are willing to gamble on a renewed unit.

The Galaxy Tab S3 renewed is a gamble. The 81st percentile OLED screen and included S Pen make it tempting for artists and readers on a tight budget. But the 9th percentile storage, 30th percentile battery, and 55/100 user sentiment score mean you're rolling the dice on whether you get a functional unit. If you can verify the battery health and confirm it's not a Verizon model before buying, it's worth considering at $161. Otherwise, the risk outweighs the reward. This is a tablet for people who know exactly what they're getting into and have a microSD card ready to go.