Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab S8 series aims to improve our picks for Best Android tablet with a sleeker design, more powerful inside, and a better camera for video calls and family selfies. The lineup has also gotten bigger this year – both figuratively and literally.
Along with the $699 Galaxy Tab S8 and $899 Tab S8 Plus (which builds on previous-generation models) is the $1,099 Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: a 14-inch tablet that, when combined with a keyboard, could be a worthy replacement laptop.
Wondering if Samsung’s new vehicle is for you? We had some hands-on time with all three of them and here are our first impressions.
Where to pre-order Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+ and Tab S8 Ultra
Galaxy Tab S8, S8+ and S8 Ultra are All are available for pre-order right now on the Samsung website as well as at select retailers. The cheapest Tab S8 of the bunch starts at $699, while the Tab S8+ and Tab S8 Ultra are priced at $899 and $1,099 respectively.
Galaxy Tab S8
Color: Graphite, silver, rose gold
Storage options: 128GB or 256GB
Price: From $699 at Samsung
Galaxy Tab S8 +
Color: Graphite, silver, rose gold
Storage options: 128GB or 256GB
Pricing: $899 at Samsung
Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
Color: Graphite
Storage options: 128GB, 256GB or 512GB
Pricing: $1,099 at Samsung
Note that pre-ordering any of these tablets from Samsung’s website will get you a free keyboard. Those who buy the Galaxy Tab S8 and S8+ will get the Book Cover Keyboard, while those who buy the Tab S8 Ultra will get the Indoor Backlit Book Cover Keyboard.
The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is the highlight of Samsung’s latest tablet line, with a large design that can easily become a standard laptop when connected to a keyboard. But once we got our hands on it, we quickly realized how versatile this extra-large whiteboard can be for everything from working from home to doing some casual sketching and doodling. S Pen included.
Weighing in at 1.6 pounds and measuring just 0.22 inches thin, Samsung’s most premium tablet is lightweight and sleek looking for such a large machine. The model we tested is equipped with Samsung’s Backlit Book Cover Keyboard, both of which function as a kickstand for the tablet (same as Microsoft’s Surface line) and securely holds the S Pen attached to the back of the magnetic board. We only had to test the attached keyboard briefly.
The Tab S8 Ultra immediately caught our eye with its 14.6-inch display with Super AMOLED – that’s how Samsung uses fancy OLED display technology that allows for deep blacks and intense colors. We quickly noticed that the bezels around the screen were thinner than those of the Family Tab S7, which can make it easier to immerse yourself in TV shows and movies without the thick black border around the screen. This comes at the expense of a small notch near where the front camera is located, but we didn’t find it distracting.
Images looked sharp and colorful on the Tab S8 Ultra, whether we were swiping across the home screen or watching a movie trailer on YouTube. This tablet’s four speakers are surprisingly loud, so much so that a Samsung representative on the other end of our large event space could hear the screams of Tom’s Spider-Man teenagers. Holland. Swiping and scrolling feels exceptionally smooth thanks to the display’s 120Hz refresh rate (the latest standard is more flexible than the old 60Hz screens), and taking notes and doodling with the S Pen is also very natural. course.
The Tab S8 Ultra’s front-facing camera was another highlight of our hands-on time. The 12-megapixel shooter looked pretty sharp by default, but it really caught our attention when we activated the super panorama mode to capture us, our colleagues, and much of the room we were in. live in. This could make Samsung’s largest tablet especially ideal for video calling from home – or in a meeting room where you need to have a few people on screen.
Samsung’s newest tablet runs Android 12 and packs a new 4nm octa-core Qualcomm processor inside and while we’ll have to run the usual tests to see how it stacks up to the best tablet , do basic things like swiping around and opening apps feel fast . Once again, you’ll be able to take advantage of DeX mode, which allows the tablet to behave more like a PC and is now supported when you use blocking media both vertically and horizontally. The Tab S7 series gives us up to 15 hours of battery life, so we’re hoping the new lineups can at least match that.
Galaxy Tab S8 and S8 Plus: First impressions
While the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra gives shoppers a huge new option for serious computing use, the Galaxy Tab S8 and Tab S8+ are like solid upgrades to their beloved Android tablets. our current. The designs are similar across the board, just in smaller packages measuring 11 inches for the Tab S8 and 12.4 inches for the Tab S8+.
If you decide to go for one of the smaller, cheaper Tab S8 models, there are a few key differences worth noting. The standard Tab S8 has a standard full HD display as opposed to the Super AMOLED display on the S8+ and S8 Ultra, so you may not get the rich colors and contrasts found on the smaller models. The two starting S8 tablets are the only ones available in silver and rose gold color options – we’re a bit surprised that the promising Tab S8 Ultra is limited to dark graphite only.
Those looking for the most storage and multitasking will probably want to go with UItra – the two smaller Tab S8 options have up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, while the Tab S8 Ultra offers up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The Tab S8 and Tab S8+ also have slightly smaller batteries than their larger siblings, so we expect battery life to vary between the three models.
However, the Tab S8 and Tab S8+ looked sleek and felt snappy during our short hands-on, and the responsive S Pen experience is once again the highlight here (Samsung props really do). includes a stylus in the box on the board – something you won’t get on an iPad).
General, Galaxy Tab S8 series” It looks like it will build on what we love about the Galaxy Tab S7 series with a more seamless display, sleek design, and most importantly, a huge option for those who want a tablet. can double as a laptop. We’re eager to see how the entire range stacks up – not just against competitors like iPad Probut also with ours favorite notebook – so stay tuned for our full reviews.
Specifications of Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+ and Tab S8 Ultra
 Galaxy Tab S8 |
 Galaxy Tab S8 + |
 Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $699 | $899 | $1,099 |
| Display | 11-inch LED display with 120Hz . refresh rate | 12.4-inch Super AMOLED display with 120Hz . refresh rate | 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display with 120Hz . refresh rate |
| Screen resolution | 2560 x 1600 | 2800 x 1752 | 2960 x 1848 |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 |
| RAM | 8GB | 8GB | 8GB / 12GB / 16GB |
| Warehouse | 128GB / 256GB | 128GB / 256GB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
| Camera | 13-megapixel autofocus / 6-megapixel ultra-wide with flash (rear); 12 megapixel super wide (front) | 13-megapixel autofocus / 6-megapixel ultra-wide with flash (rear); 12 megapixel super wide (front) | 13-megapixel autofocus / 6-megapixel ultra-wide with flash (rear); 12 megapixel FF / 12 megapixel super wide (front) |
| The battery | 8,000mAh Li-Ion | 10,090mAh Li-Ion | 11,200mAh Li-Ion |
| Pen WILL | Consists of | Consists of | Consists of |
| Dimensions and weight | 10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches, 1.1 pounds | 11.2 x 7.3 x 0.22 inches, 1.27 pounds | 12.9 x 8.2 x 0.22 inches, 1.6 pounds |
