A tablet first and foremost.

We’ve previously said that Apple is the North Star for smartwatches and the same is true for the tablets of this world. It’s difficult to look past Apple’s iPads in any of the price brackets for tablets. But just because Apple and Microsoft are creating some absolute beasts to work on, it does not mean there’s no room for some slimmer, trimmed down versions. And this is something Samsung have proven quite adept at, launching the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, the more affordable version of the flagship Galaxy Tab S6. Design Straight off the bat, the best thing for me about the cheaper version of Samsung’s Tab S6 is its size. The 10.4 inch screen is big enough to sit, stream and scroll but with such narrow bezels on the device there’s an air of compactness about it which is very, very appealing. It’s also light as hell, weighing in at 464g so it’s no effort to lug around. And while it may cost less, you wouldn’t think it does and there’s a premium feel to it. Along the sides of the S6 Lite, you’ll find volume control keys, a power button, a microSD card slot, a USB-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. S Pen One very interesting and welcome part of the S6 Lite is the S-Pen, which is included in the box. The Apple Pencil, which is admittedly more sophisticated, will set you back €99. The S-Pen is easy to use and complements the device nicely, making it more enjoyable to use overall. It magnetically sticks well to the edge of the tab and it is handy for notes and doodles. Performance An area which could have been improved upon. The Exynos chipset powering the device is a favourite for Samsung in their mid-tier devices. It handles most every day tasks with ease and as long as you’re not multitasking excessively, I’m talking about trying to play a graphics heavy game and doing a video call at the same time, it will likely be a sufficiently quick machine for you. Other Features The battery is impressive, with the 7,040mAh cell lasting two to three days with occasional use and giving you about a full day with reasonably heavy use. But I was never hunting for the charger at the end of the day either. There's no fingerprint sensor which I found a little curious and the screen did register my palm a couple of times while using the S-Pen which was a minor inconvenience. On the front is a 2-megapixel camera which is quite detailed and will be more than capable for any video calls you'll be taking on it. It comes with 64GB of storage with a MicroSD slot that can expand it up to 1TB as well as 4GB of RAM. Overall This is just a really good Android tablet. It's not as heavy duty as it's older brother the Tab S6, but it is similar in many ways. If I was working from home, I would not use it as my primary device for work long term, but it could definitely do a stand up job if you needed it. It's a simple tablet which is well-designed, and with the S-Pen included will make it a satisfying choice for anyone who takes the plunge. I reviewed it for two weeks and was disappointed when I sent it back, which says a lot about how much I liked it. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is available from €349 at the Samsung Store.