Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite 8.7" T225 2021, MediaTek MT8768T, 3GB, 32GB, Cellular, Gray

A cheap LTE tablet that's fine for streaming and light browsing, but the 3GB of RAM and fuzzy screen will test your patience. It's a kid's tablet or a backup device, not a daily driver.

The MediaTek MT8768T chip and 3GB of RAM land in the 89th and 11th percentiles respectively, which tells you the story: the processor is surprisingly capable for the price, but the RAM is a choke point. You'll get decent app launches, then hit a wall when you try to multitask. The 8.7-inch 1340x800 LCD sits in the 6th percentile for screens, and honestly, it looks it. Text is soft, colors are muted, and you'll notice it the second you open a webpage. The 5100mAh battery is middle of the pack, so expect a full day of light use, not a marathon.

The Apple iPad A16 absolutely destroys this thing in every category except price, but it costs several times more, so that's not a fair fight. The Lenovo Idea Tab Plus and Xiaomi Redmi Pad are the real competitors here. Both offer better screens and more RAM for not much more money. The UMIDIGI Active T1 is the rugged alternative if you need something that survives drops. If you can stretch your budget even slightly, the Redmi Pad is the smarter buy.

At USD 100 to USD 115 across two US listings, this is cheap, but cheap doesn't always mean good value. The Amazon Renewed route saves you a few bucks, and the USD 100 listing is the better deal if you're set on this tablet. But you're buying a device with a screen in the 6th percentile and RAM in the 11th. For a kid's first tablet or a dedicated streaming device, it's fine. For anything else, you're paying to be frustrated.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is a budget tablet that knows exactly what it is, and mostly what it isn't. It's a cheap, light, LTE-connected slab for basic tasks like streaming, reading, and keeping a kid entertained on a road trip. The one thing to know? It's fine for that, but don't expect it to be a productivity machine. Our database puts its productivity score at a rough 26.8 out of 100, which is about as gentle as a brick to the face.

If you're looking for a productivity device, this isn't it. Go get a Lenovo Idea Tab Plus or Xiaomi Redmi Pad instead. If you need a tablet for photo editing, video work, or heavy multitasking, you'll hate this thing within a week.

Buy it if you need a cheap LTE tablet for basic media consumption and nothing else. The Verizon-only LTE is a nice perk for travel, and the build quality is better than the price suggests. But the sluggish performance and dated screen mean this is a one-task-at-a-time device. If you need to do real work, look elsewhere.