Samsung Galaxy Tab S8: Everything we know about Samsung’s new tablets
If you’re in the market for a high-end Android tablet, there’s really only one company making them: Samsung. TheGalaxy Tab S7 and S7+ were released in 2020 to high praise, with many users seeing the device as the perfect iPad Pro alternative. While theGalaxy Tab S7 FE wasn’t quite as nice, the Tab S8 has been thoroughly leaked throughout much of 2021, hinting that a true successor might not be too far off. Here’s everything you need to know about Samsung’s next flagship tablet.
UPDATE: 2022/02/10 09:26 EST BY WILL SATTELBERG
The Galaxy Tab S8 series is official
It took nearly a year since the earliest rumors dropped, but Samsung has finally announced theGalaxy Tab S8 series, While you wait for our upcoming reviews, check out ourhands-on with the Tab S8, S8+, and the absolutely massive Tab S8 Ultra.
Three tablets, three sizes
Samsung released the Galaxy Tab S7 in two different sizes: a standard 11" model, along with a 12.9" “Plus” variant. The display was the most significant differentiator between the two — and not just in size. While the smaller Tab S7 used an LCD panel, its big brother had a gorgeous 120Hz OLED panel, still one of the best you can find today.
For its successor, Samsung is tripling down. Much like its flagship phones series, the company is introducing the Tab S8 in three sizes: an 11" S8, a 12.9" S8+, and a laptop-worthy 14.6" S8 Ultra. It’s hard to imagine how large the audience is for a slate that big, but it seems like Samsung sees it as an untapped market full of potential.
Like last year, the Tab S8 will keep its 11" 120Hz LCD panel,complete with a 2560 x 1600p resolution, while the larger two models both earn upgrades to 120Hz AMOLED displays. It’s slightly disappointing that Samsung continues to hold back its best screen tech for its larger models — not everyone needs or wants a 15" slate, after all. It’s something we hope changes with the Tab S9 — though we don’t expect that model to arrive until sometime in 2023. The Tab S8+ comes in at 2800 x 1752p — a single-pixel short of matching its 2020 predecessor. Finally, the Tab S8 Ultra gets a nice bump to match its larger display, coming in at 2960 x 1848p. Pixel density should be around the same for all three models.
There’s one more aspect that sets the Ultra’s massive screen apart from the others: anotch-shaped cutout for its front-facing camera. It’ll likely be a controversial switch for Samsung — and indeed, it’s already drawn comparisons to Apple’s latest MacBook Pro — butleaked images showcase a fairly minor indentthat shouldn’t make too much of an impact on daily use. There’s no doubt some potential buyers will be turned off by it, but at least it’s only on the largest of models.
Aside from the Ultra’s notch, the design of all three devices is nearly identical to that of the Tab S7, down to the same flat back with matching antenna lines and an S Pen magnet. Outside of the notch, the onlymajor difference between models is the size of the power button. The Tab S8+ and Ultra feature in-display fingerprint sensors, but the smallest S8 does not. Instead, it has an elongated power button for unlocking the tablet. It’s a small change and shouldn’t really take away from the entry-level model, should you be drawn to the 11" display.
As for colors, anearly Amazon leak gives us our best glimpse yet. Look for black, silver, and pastel pink options when the Tab S8 hits store shelves.
Performance and cameras
As you should expect from Samsung’s top-tier tablets, all three should be plenty fast.Recent rumors point to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chippowering the Tab S8 series, which — depending on when these actually ship — might make these slates one of the first ways to experience Qualcomm’s latest processor.
The smaller two models haven’t faced nearly as many leaks as the Ultra, but considering Samsung usually doesn’t change up the specs all too much between its different-sized gadgets, we can largely assume the following will apply to all three slates. The Tab S8 Ultra will include 8, 12, or 16GB of RAM, each respectively paired with 128, 256, or 512GB of storage. The 16GB/512GB SKU seems destined to be an Ultra-exclusive, but expect the other two combinations to appear on the S8 and S8+. Samsung’s biggest model will come in both Wi-Fi and 5G variants, in case you want to take that behemoth on the go.
Leaked spec sheets indicate massive batteries in all three models, ranging from 8,000mAh in the Tab S8 to 11,200mAh in the S8 Ultra. That’s on par with the Tab S7 models, so battery life should be fairly comparable between generations. Although it’s unclear how fast the Tab S8 and S8+ will charge, the Ultra will match its massive battery capacity with 45W charging.
Most people usually don’t buy a tablet because of its cameras, but that doesn’t mean Samsung is skimping out on its image capabilities. While we don’t know the exact specs for the two smaller models, the Ultra will use a standard 12MP wide lens and a 6MP ultra-wide for its rear-facing cameras, along with dual 12MP cameras in its notch for video calls.Capable of shooting in 4K at 60FPS, it could make the Tab S8 Ultra a must-have for anyone routinely stuck in meetings all day.
Don’t expect Samsung to rock the boat with its software experience on the Tab S8 series. All three models should run Android 12 with One UI 4.1, marking some of the first slates to arrive on the market with this latest OS version and following up on a similar update for the Tab S7.Recent rumorspoint to some nice quality-of-life improvements on the way, including window transparency levels, customization settings — likely matching what we’ve seen from Android 12 on the Galaxy S21 series — and dimming modes for late-night usage. Portrait orientation support is coming to DeX Mode, which should make the desktop PC-esque workflow a whole lot more usable on the go.
Pricing and availability
We’ve been hearing about the Tab S8 series since last spring, and thankfully, it’s almost time for Samsung to finally unveil all three models officially. The company is holding aGalaxy Unpacked event on February 9thto announce the S22 series, and the Tab S8 will be right alongside it. You don’t have to take our word for it, either —you can sign up right now to reserve a Tab S8 pre-orderwhen slots open up after the event. You’ll even get $50 in credit to spend on accessories.
It took months, butwe finally have some idea about how much each tablet will cost— and unsurprisingly, none of them are cheap. The smallest Tab S8 is rumored to start around $850, with the Tab S8+ running between $900 and $1,000 and that mega-sized Ultra model capping out about $1,100. Those are some premium prices for what promises to be premium hardware, so if you have your heart set on a 15" slate, it’s time to start counting your pennies.
Samsung proved itself the last real competition left for Apple with the Galaxy Tab S7, and with its successor, it’s looking to refine what a flagship tablet can do in 2022. While the Tab S8 series isn’t a dramatic reinvention compared to its last-gen model, a big, bold display might be enough to convince buyers to drop Windows laptops altogether in exchange for a near-15" slate. We’ll have to wait and see just how powerful — and how expensive — the Tab S8 really is.
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