Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 now receiving Android 8.0 Oreo update in the U.S.

By Andrew Martonik
last updated

It's been a long time coming, but the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is finally getting its Android 8.0 Oreo update in the U.S. Months after the Galaxy S9 launched on Oreo and the last-gen phones also received the update, Samsung's near-forgotten big tablet now has the latest software the company has to offer.

The update clocks in at 1.23GB, which is pretty large, and includes both Android 8.0 Oreo as a base and of course the latest Samsung Experience 9.0 updates on top to fall in line with the Galaxy S9 and Note 8. It also moved up to the April 1 security patch, which is an improvement but is just a couple days away from being two months behind now. Everything you'll find on the latest software here will be familiar if you've used any Samsung phone that has received Oreo, and that isn't a huge change over Nougat. Visually you'll just see some color and icon refreshes plus notification badges in the launcher. Under the hood there are a few neat additions with Oreo — new autofill APIs, better low-level system control over background processes, and notification channels. Lots of little tune-ups that are all nice to have.

The Galaxy Tab S3 may be getting a little old at this point, but given the relative stagnation of the Android tablet market it's still our top pick for the segment. If you need to have a large-screened tablet that can handle keyboard input, take a look around and see if you can find one on a discount (opens in new tab).

Andrew Martonik
Andrew Martonik

Andrew was an Executive Editor, U.S. at Android Central between 2012 and 2020.

20 Comments
  • Yep just got my Tab S3 update. Not much is different for me since I also use Nova Launcher. I think LastPass has some improvements with Oreo so there is that. I use this tablet every day and I think it is almost perfect. I would highly recommend it. Article said that security update remained on April 1 update, but I think that is incorrect as I was still on January 1 security update before Oreo showed up today. I looked before the Oreo update installed as I had the notification for Oreo. I always look before I install every OS update because I like to know what I had and what it got updated to. And yes now with Oreo the security update says April 1.
  • I definitely worded that poorly. Meant to make it more that the security patch came to April 1, which is still out of date. Let me clarify that :)
  • I just received the update in Canada. It took noticeably longerthan other updates I've installed. In fact, its still running in the background and I can barely type. I did get the April 1 updates.
  • Wonder if my Tab S2 will be getting Oreo treatment.
  • Same here, but the problem is that Samsung hates putting money into products already in customers' hands. It's part of why updates for Samsung phones take forever - at least until after their new models are released. It's an attitude of I have the customer's money so why would I invest any money into products that I've already been paid for.
  • Me 3, also still waiting for my S7 to get it from Sprint.
  • Wonder when Verizon will release it? So far nothing for me in the US
  • The S3 is a beautiful tablet. I'd love to own one, but I positively do not need a tablet. Cheaper tablets serve a wonderful role in elementary school classrooms. It is well known large phones destroyed the tablet market.... And a significant reason why Apple was so slow to return to the market with a large display smartphone. Too many people forget that Apple's first smartphone had the largest display on the market at the time. Great product Samsung... Just such limited end uses. Tablets in 2018 are a consumer device in need of a profound end use.
  • When I am home, I use my tablet far more than I use my phone for consumption purposes.
    Email, YouTube, Twitter, ebooks etc etc - I prefer my tablet.
  • I'm jealous. I'd use one for books, and a couple of games: 8 ball pool by Miniclip and Real Racing 3. But it's firmly in 'want' category, not a need. The power of marketing is very real, and shiny toys like a premium tablet are terrific. But I've got a great phone, so I'm good.
  • I've got a great phone too but I still bought this table. No matter how big a phone is it still doesn't compare when trying to watch the baseball game in the kitchen while trying to cook. My wife wouldn't let me put a TV there so I settled for this instead.
  • I have 2 tablets that I use just as regularly as my phone. One for home use and a smaller one that I carry when I'm out. People simply expected tablets to bring something new on the table in terms of user experience so when they realized its just a bigger version of their phone without the phone stuffs they got disappointed. For me though that what makes tablets so appealing as I can do the things that I usually do on a smartphone but just on a much larger screen. I'm sad that the Android tablet market had plummeted but at least we're not totally being left out with the coming of Chrome tablets.
  • I have the Verizon version so I'm not expecting the update today or even in the next few weeks. That said, this tablet is beautiful but I've encountered serious lag with it over time and have reset it 3 times to help for a while. Plus, 32GB is just too tight these days.
  • agree
  • You don't have to settle for just 32GB. There is an SD card slot for you to add up to at least 128GB more.
  • So, those who have the Tablet S3. Try YouTube TV. I've done everything including the nuclear option (full factory reset) it will not play 60 FPS content without major stuttering and then gridlock to a still picture. I noticed this with the UK version. Downgraded to Nougat (ARA2 firmware). Fixed. Took the USA Oreo update today. Doesn't work. Same issue. I told YouTube TV support they said they'll look into it.
  • I'm in the US. My Tab S3 now with Oreo plays YouTube videos that are 60fps just fine. Both in the YouTube app and using Chrome and going to YouTube.com/TV.
  • Try in the actual YouTube TV application itself. YouTube (just YouTube) plays fine. Other 60 FPS video from other applications play fine. The YouTube TV application is what is at fault. I'm open to suggestions but I've done an entire full system format of the data partition with a clean install with that app being the only one installed and it still refuses to play smooth. The only fix is to firmware downgrade to Nougat for my device.
  • What we need is Android One tablets. Do they exist?
  • I have the Tab S3 and an iPad Pro 10.5 inch. I tend to use the iPad more because the battery life is greater than the Tab S3's, but the iPad acts up once in a while and the Tab S3 doesn't.