Will you ever switch from a laptop to a tablet for your work tasks? Some people have already done that. Others swear they never will. The better tablets get, though, the more that resolve will probably get tested and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra looks built precisely to sway some of those holdouts to the other side.
Easily Samsung’s most impressive tablet yet, the device combines elements that can challenge many laptops on various fronts, from display quality and processing power to custom software changes that make it more versatile in the field. And it’s huge, making the iPad Pro look like a recreational tablet in comparison, making it useful for folks who prefer a bigger screen when doing work.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra sports a 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display with a 2,960 x 1,848 resolution, making it suitable for detailed graphics work and visual projects. A 120Hz refresh rate should eliminate any lag when drawing and writing on the tablet, ensuring more responsive performance, while a new prediction algorithm should provide an even smoother writing experience. It has dual 12MP ultrawide cameras out front, with auto-framing technology that keeps you always in focus during video calls, apart from automatically zooming in and out, depending on how many people are in the frame. With two ultrawide cameras in tow, we imagine, this thing should be able to frame a large group without losing detail. It can record 4K video up to 60 fps.
Around back, it gets a 12MP main camera and a 6MP ultrawide sensor, so you can shoot 4K videos at 60 fps with this if you want. Given the tablet’s size, though, you probably won’t. As such, they also integrated LiDAR sensors, making it more useful for AR applications.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra runs on a Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, which combines an octa-core CPU with an Adreno 730 GPU, turning out the fastest processor a Galaxy tablet has seen to date. That chipset can be paired with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of onboard storage, which you can further expand via the microSDXC slot. Of course, you can use that 14.6-inch screen for entertainment, too, with four Dolby Atmos-certified onboard speakers, making this a veritable powerhouse for enjoying movies and shows. It also gets three precision microphones with built-in noise reduction technology to make sure you voice is captured loud and clear.
Preordering the device gets you a free Book Cover Keyboard, which should allow you to type on the tablet like a veritable laptop. With the improved multi-window mode, it allows multi-tasking on a single screen like a laptop, too, for greater productivity. Other features include an 11,200 mAh battery (rated at up to 15 hours of moderate use), power hub function (it can charge other gadgets like a laptop), an updated Samsung DeX desktop function, Bluetooth 5.2, and Wi-Fi 6E. It runs Android 12.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is now available for preorder, priced starting at $1,100.