Samsung has announced a new iteration of its mid-range Galaxy Tab S6 Lite tablet, with a bump for the processor and a new version of Android under the hood. But is it worth upgrading from the previous model?
When was the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024) released?
Samsung launched the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024) on 28 March 2024, although there may be slight variances depending on your region.
The name may confuse a lot of people considering the Galaxy Tab S9 series is the most recent range and the first Tab S6 Lite is from 2020, but Samsung seems insistent on updating the S6 Lite every two years without giving it a better or more appropriate name.
How much does the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024) cost?
The UK price of the new version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024) is £349 for the 64GB Wi-Fi only model or £379 if you want to bump up the storage to 128GB instead.
Both feature 4GB of RAM and there’s no LTE option shown on the current Samsung site, even though the press announcement cited an LTE version. We assume this will follow-on soon. You can buy the Samsung Galaxy S6 Lite (2024) directly from the Samsung UK site today.
We haven’t seen the US pricing at the time of writing, but the previous model – the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2022) – retailed at $349 for the 64GB version and $429.99 for 128GB. With this in mind, we would expect to see parity with the UK prices listed above, which means the prices shouldn’t change much from the 2022 release.
What features are in the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024)?
There’s not much that’s new with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024) when compared to its predecessors despite the original Tab S6 Lite coming out back in 2020. Essentially it boils down to four main things: Processor, Android version, Bluetooth capabilities and liveries.
The first is the processor, which gets boosted up to an unnamed octa-core (Quad-core 2.4GHz + Quad-core 2.0GHz), and should make the new model faster than the one it replaces. This also allows for Android 14 to run smoothly on the device, which is the second upgrade.
If you have the 2020 Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, then you’ll have already reached the end of the Android upgrades scheduled for the device, as it isn’t due to get Android 14. The 2022 model still has some life left in it and should reach Android 15. But the 2024 model is guaranteed three major upgrades, which would take it to Android 17.
Bluetooth gets a bump from the previous 5.0 version to 5.3 in the 2024 model, which should make connecting to wireless speakers and headphones more stable (a good thing as there’s still no 3.5mm headphone jack), although the stereo speakers onboard will play audio fine.
Lastly, there are new colours – Oxford Grey, Chiffon Pink, and Mint – so people will know that you’re using the latest model. However, only the grey colourway is available on the Samsung UK store at the time of writing.
For the most part, the 2024 model is the same as the 2022 variant, and indeed the 2020 one too. In terms of construction, they are identical, with the aluminium frame having dimensions of 244.5 x 154.3 x 7 mm / 9.63 x 6.07 x 0.28 in and a weight of 465g / 1.03 lb for the Wi-Fi version and (apparently) 467g for the LTE variant.
The 10.4-inch, 2000 x 1200 (WUXGA+), TFT LCD display is the same one that’s featured on the past few models, and you get S-Pen support as well as the stylus itself included in the package.
As mentioned above, there are two storage options – 4/64GB or 4/128GB – both of which can be further expanded by up to 1TB through the microSDXC card slot. The battery remains a 7040mAh cell with support for 15W wired (no wireless) charging.
Cameras also remain as they were on the 2020 and 2022 models, with an 8Mp front module and 5Mp rear that will handle video calling, but don’t really compete with anything on a modern smartphone when it comes to photography or video capture.
If you’ve always fancied an inexpensive Samsung tablet, then the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is solid budget/mid-range option, although you may be wise to save a bit of money and look for a discounted 2022 model instead, as it’s pretty much the same apart from that processor upgrade.
Alternatively, you can check out our best Android tablet chart for some more options.
