Alongside the Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone line, Samsung has used its Galaxy Unpacked event to launch the Galaxy Tab S8 tablet range. Should Apple be quaking in its boots?
We’re going to have to spend some quality hands-on time with these three tablets before we can answer that, but two things are for certain: Samsung is the best Android tablet maker in the game, and these latest tablets are shaping up to be its best yet.
Last year’s Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 range was impressive, so we have high hopes for the follow-ups. Here’s how the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8, Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus, and Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra are shaping up.
Price and Release Date
Samsung didn’t confirm availability details on the Galaxy Tab S8 family, unfortunately. You can probably blame those ongoing supply chain issues for that. Still, at least we know how much these premium tablets are going to cost.
Prices start at £649 for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8, which gets you a Wi-Fi-only model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. If you want to add 5G into the mix, you’ll need to stump up £799. Doubling that storage to 256GB will cost £699 (Wi-Fi) and £849 (5G).
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus starts from £849, which gets you a Wi-Fi-only model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. £999 will invite 5G to the party, while doubling the storage to 256GB will cost £899 (Wi-Fi) or £1,049 (5G).
There are way more options with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, which starts from £999 for Wi-Fi, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. You can add 5G for £1,149. Stepping up to 12/256GB costs £1,099 for Wi-Fi and £1,249 for 5G. Topping out the range is a 16/512GB model that will cost you £1,249 for Wi-Fi only and £1,399 for 5G.
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 colours
At launch there will be three colours for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 and Galaxy Tab S8 Plus: Graphite, Silver, and Pink Gold.
The range-topping Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra only comes in Graphite, which is a bit of a downer.
Specs and Features
Samsung’s new range gets larger and heavier, but also thinner as you move up the range. The Galaxy Tab S8 measures 253.8 x 165.3 x 6.3mm and weighs 503g, while the Galaxy Tab S8 measures 285 x 185 x 5.7mm and 567g. Finally, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes in at 326.4 x 208.6 x 5.5mm and 726g.
This is reflected in the displays, which differ in type as well as size. Starting out with the Galaxy Tab S8, you get an 11-inch 2560 x 1600 LTPS TFT. The Galaxy Tab S8 Plus goes with a 12.4-inch 2800 x 1752 Super AMOLED, and the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra gives you a 14.6-inch 2960 x 1848 Super AMOLED (which gives it the best screen-to-body in any Galaxy Tab S device).
One thing all three tablets have in common is a 120Hz maximum refresh rate.
Elsewhere, all three tablets run on the same 4nm chips. Both the UK and the US models run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, which is the go-to SoC for 2022.
Another similarity is the camera system used by the three tablets. All are led by the same 13MP wide sensor and 6MP ultra-wide on the back.
While the Galaxy Tab S8 and Galaxy Tab S8 Plus both have a 12MP ultra-wide front camera, however, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra gives you a 12MP wide and a 12MP ultra-wide for selfies and video calls. Regardless, all three tablets share a three directional mic set-up for clear call quality.
All three tablets come with Samsung’s S Pen stylus as standard, which provides a 30% reduction in latency compared to the previous iteration. Another welcome shared feature is a set of quad stereo speakers tuned by AKG, complete with Dolby Atmos support.
We’ve run through the memory options in the pricing section above, but we should note here that it’s possible to expand the storage of all three tablets via a microSD slot.
In terms of stamina, the Galaxy Tab S8 supplies an 8,000mAh battery, while the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus ups that to 10,090mAh. The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra once again tops the tablet with a whopping 11,200mAh cell.
All three support 45W Super Fast Charging 2.0, though as is Samsung’s wont these days, the necessary charger is sold separately.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
