When will the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Lite be released?
Samsung has yet to confirm whether it intends to release a Lite version of the S7 tab at the moment, making it difficult to know when the device might actually arrive. However, prominent leaker Evan Blass claims to have obtained a roadmap for upcoming Samsung product releases. In a post on social media platform Voice, Blass says he’s expecting the Tab S7 Lite to arrive in June 2021.
It would act as a direct successor to April 2020’s Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, which itself was an affordable version of 2019’s Samsung Galaxy Tab S6.
How much will the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Lite cost?
Again, this is purely speculative at the moment, but examining the previous prices of models in the tablet range should give us a clue. Here’s how they break down:
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 – £610/$649
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite – £349/$349
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 – £619/$649
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus – £799/$849
If Samsung sticks with this structure then the Galaxy Tab S7 Lite should come in around £349/$349, although there are rumours of an S7 Lite Plus which will sport a bigger display and allow the Lite models to emulate the S7 and S7 Plus.
With the Tab S7 Plus being around £200/$200 more than the Tab S7, it could be that the Lite models follow suit, meaning the Tab S7 Lite would be around £519/$549.
What features will we see in the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Lite?
The big Tab S7 Lite leak so far comes courtesy of Evan Blass, the same person who revealed the June 2021 release date. He’s revealed what looks like an official press image for the devices, offering front, back and side views:
The design is very much in keeping with what we’ve seen from the Tab S7 and S7+. In fact, it’s hard to tell them apart. It does look like there’s only one rear camera (the Tab S7 and S7+ have two), as well as one downward-firing speaker next to the USB-C port. The latter means we’re unlikely to see quad stereo speakers, although the relatively slim bezels and magnetically-attached S-Pen remain. The screensaver makes it impossible to glean any information with regards to display quality.
Fellow leaker OnLeaks has also got in on the act. Via a post on social media platform Voice, detailed renders of what look very much like the Tab S7 Lite have been revealed. They were accompanied by the following 360-degree spinning video:
However, where the Lite range has typically made sacrifices is on internals. For example, where the Galaxy Tab S6 came with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, the Tab S6 Lite was powered by a slower Exynos 9611 instead that also appears in the Samsung Galaxy A50. That looks set to be the case again, with the same Evan Blass post as above suggesting the Tab S7 Lite will be powered by a Snapdragon 750G processor. This chip will bring 5G support to the line, while there will be at least one version with 4GB of RAM.
A recent Evan Blass tweet suggests the Tab S7 Lite will come in a range of colours:
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) May 5, 2021
The Tab S7 and S7+ are available in black, silver, bronze and navy, but it’s nice to see Samsung offer some different colour options. These images also reveal that there will also be official book covers in the same colour schemes, each offering two holders for the S-Pen stylus.
But will the more affordable device actually be known as the Tab S7 Lite? A recent tweet from prolific leaker Roland Quandt suggests it will actually be known as the ‘Tab S7+ Lite’. That sounds like a confusing name, although the ‘+’ might be used to refer to the screen size.
These kinds of choices are common throughout the rumoured spec sheet, with the 12.4in Tab S7 Lite display being an IPS panel, as opposed to AMOLED on the Tab S7 and S7+. It’s also highly unlikely that Samsung will bring a high refresh rate display to this more affordable price point.
Nonetheless, the Tab S7 Lite might not lag too far behind in terms of visual performance. An earlier GalaxyClub article suggested the Lite models will mirror the 11in and 12.4in sizes of the Galaxy Tab S7 and S7 Plus, although there’s no mention of the smaller model in more recent rumours.
We’ll be updating this article as more information becomes available, so be sure to check back regularly to see what Samsung has in store.
Until then, read our roundup of the best Android tablets to see what the Lite models will compete with when they finally appear.