You remember 2017? It was the year of the fidget spinner, the first Nintendo Switch, and a time when Samsung was desperately trying to prove that Android tablets weren't just "stretched-out phones." Enter the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3.
Most tech from nine years ago belongs in a museum or a junk drawer. Honestly, though, there is something about the S3 that keeps it popping up in second-hand markets and tech forums even now in 2026. It wasn't just a tablet; it was Samsung’s "Hail Mary" to compete with the iPad Pro.
What Made the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 a Big Deal?
When it first hit the shelves, the S3 was a bit of an anomaly. It ditched the plastic-heavy feel of previous generations for a glass-back design that looked expensive—and was incredibly fragile. But the real star was the screen.
That 4:3 Super AMOLED Display
Samsung made a massive pivot here. They moved away from the 16:10 widescreen ratio (great for movies) to a 4:3 ratio (great for reading and productivity). It basically looked like an iPad but with much better colors.
We’re talking about a 9.7-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 2048 x 1536 resolution. Even by today’s standards, the deep blacks and HDR support on this thing are kind of incredible. If you're watching a dark movie scene, the "black" parts of the screen are actually off. No light bleed. No gray tint.
The First "Modern" S Pen
Before the S3, the S Pen was often a skinny little stick hidden inside the chassis. With the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3, Samsung gave us a full-sized, chunky stylus that didn't need a battery. It felt like a real pen.
- 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity meant artists actually liked it.
- The 0.7mm tip was rubberized, so it didn't slide around like plastic on glass.
- Screen Off Memo let you scribble notes while the screen was black.
Audio by AKG
This was the first time we saw the "Tuned by AKG" branding on a Samsung tablet. It had quad speakers—two on top, two on bottom. The clever part? The tablet knew which way you were holding it. If you rotated it to landscape, the stereo channels swapped so the left sound always stayed on the left.
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The Reality of Using the S3 in 2026
Okay, let’s get real. Using a Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 today isn't exactly a "blazing fast" experience. The internals are a Snapdragon 820 with 4GB of RAM. In 2017, that was flagship power. In 2026, it’s basically what you’d find in a smart fridge.
The Lag is Real (Unless You’re Careful)
If you try to run the latest version of Chrome with 20 tabs open while background-downloading a Netflix series, the S3 will probably start sweating. The "Pie" (Android 9.0) update was the end of the road for official software, and honestly, many users found it slowed the device down compared to the original Android 7.0 Nougat.
Some enthusiasts actually "downgrade" their firmware back to Android 8.0 Oreo just to get the speed back. It’s a trade-off: you lose security patches, but you gain a tablet that doesn't stutter every time you swipe the notification shade.
Battery Longevity
The 6,000 mAh battery was decent back in the day, promising about 12 hours of video. Nearly a decade later, most original batteries are tired. If you find one for sale, don't be surprised if it only lasts 4 or 5 hours. Replacing the battery is a nightmare because of all that glass and glue. If you crack the back panel trying to get inside, well, that's that.
Why People Still Buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Today
You might wonder why anyone would spend $50 to $100 on an "obsolete" tablet. It comes down to specific use cases where the S3 still punches way above its weight class.
1. The "Ultimate" E-Reader
Because of that 4:3 aspect ratio, digital comics and PDFs look perfect. Most modern tablets are too "tall" or "thin," leaving massive black bars or cutting off text. The S3 feels like holding a magazine.
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2. Dedicated Note-Taking
The Wacom-powered S Pen is still better than 90% of the cheap styluses you find on budget tablets today. For a student who just needs to annotate PDFs or a hobbyist sketcher, the S3 is a steal.
3. Home Automation Dashboard
Because the screen is so pretty, many people wall-mount their old S3s to control their smart home. It looks much nicer than a plastic-framed Amazon Fire tablet.
Technical Snapshot: What’s Under the Hood?
Instead of a boring list, here is how those 2017 specs translate to the world of 2026.
The Snapdragon 820 is a quad-core chip. Most modern phones have eight cores. This means the S3 is okay at doing one thing at a time, but it hates multitasking. The 32GB of internal storage is laughably small by today's standards—the OS takes up half of it. You basically must use a microSD card if you want to store anything.
The USB-C 3.1 port was actually ahead of its time. It supports fast charging, which is a lifesaver given how long it takes to fill a 6,000 mAh cell. And yes, it has a headphone jack. Remember those?
Common Myths About the Tab S3
"It's too old to run Netflix."
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False. As long as the app supports Android 9.0, it works. However, you might not get the highest-end HDR streaming on newer versions of the app due to DRM changes over the years.
"The S Pen needs to be charged."
False. This isn't the Apple Pencil or the newer S Pens with Bluetooth "Air Actions." It uses electromagnetic resonance (EMR). It works forever without a battery.
Should You Actually Get One?
If you want a primary device for gaming or heavy work, absolutely not. Buy a Galaxy Tab S9 or S10. But if you’re looking for a secondary device specifically for reading, light sketching, or watching YouTube in bed, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is a bit of a hidden gem in the used market.
Just be prepared for the "Samsung Lag" and don't expect it to receive any more security updates. It is a legacy device, a relic of a time when Samsung was still figuring out its tablet identity.
How to Keep an S3 Running Smoothly
- Disable Bloatware: Use an app like "Package Disabler Pro" or ADB commands to kill off the old Samsung apps you don't use.
- Limit Background Processes: Go into Developer Options and limit background processes to 2 or 3. It helps the 4GB of RAM breathe.
- Use "Lite" Apps: Use "Google Go" or "Facebook Lite" instead of the full-fat versions.
- Don't Overfill the Storage: Once that 32GB hits 90% capacity, the whole system will crawl. Keep your photos and movies on the SD card.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 represents a specific era of tech—the bridge between "experimental" and "refined." It’s not a powerhouse anymore, but that AMOLED screen is still a thing of beauty.
Actionable Next Steps
If you currently own a Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 and it feels slow, perform a factory reset but do not restore from a backup. Set it up as a "new device" to prevent old, junk files from migrating over. If you are looking to buy one, check the physical home button carefully; these were notorious for failing or becoming mushy over time. Finally, verify the screen for any burn-in, which is a common side effect of older AMOLED tech, especially if the tablet was used at max brightness for years.