TL;DR
- Samsung is working on its next budget Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab A8.
- Renders show a rear camera bump that resembles the 2021 iPad mini.
- A release date and most specs remain unknown.
New renders purport to show the look of the upcoming Galaxy Tab A8 2021, which for better or worse may even more closely resemble the Apple iPad than Samsung’s other recent Android tablets.
That’s because of its rear camera bump, which has switched from a square shape on the Galaxy Tab A7 to a round one, similar to the 2021 iPad mini. The renders were produced by 91mobiles in collaboration with popular leak source Steve Hemmerstoffer, better known as @OnLeaks.
The A7 already borrows quite a bit from the iPad, including similarly-placed ports and speaker grills, the latter of which are even shaped like iPads. There are design differences of course, such as front camera placement that assumes landscape use instead of portrait. A common complaint about iPads is that in landscape mode, it’s easy to accidentally block the cameras during video calls or Face ID logins.
Few functional details of the A8 have leaked, but the tablet will reportedly use a 10.4-inch display, presumably with FHD+ (2,220 x 1,080) resolution or greater. It’s also said to have an 8MP rear camera, USB-C and 3.5mm audio ports, and quad internal speakers with Dolby Atmos. A 4G version could be made available, unlike the A7, which is currently Wi-Fi-only.
Pricing, a release date, and other details are still missing. It’s likely to cost about as much as the A7 though, which at launch was $230 for a 32GB model. Samsung could be forced to bump up base storage. 32GB is now often considered anemic for any tablet, even with a microSD slot.
