How do you raise the bar on the best Android flagship tablet every year? That's a question Samsung grapples with when the time comes to put out another Ultra variant of its tablet, and somehow, it manages to do just enough to warrant another look at one of its most expensive and feature-packed tablets.
Samsung today unveiled the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, one that's unsurprisingly “purpose-built for AI,” according to the company. Platitudes aside, it's objectively a beast of a tablet, even if a bit too familiar for those who already own its predecessor. We came away impressed after our Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra hands-on session, because what it lacks in style upgrades it certainly makes up for in substance.
The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra looks and feels quite similar to last year's Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. That's not necessarily a bad thing, because you won't find another premium Android tablet quite like it. Everything from the metal build to the fit and finish is deserving of the price tag. The only minor style upgrade Samsung has made is the colored rings around the rear cameras like the ones we got on the Galaxy Z Flip 6. The new tablet is also a tad bit thinner which is always a welcome improvement.
The device's 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display gets an anti-reflective coating similar to the one Samsung introduced with the Galaxy S24 Ultra earlier this year, and what a difference it makes in the viewing experience. Using it outdoors or in well-lit environments is much more comfortable now as there little no reflections bouncing off the surface of the display. It also makes the colors pop out a bit more and elevate the contrast, which only adds to the elevated viewing experience.
When Samsung says that the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is “built for AI,” it simply means that the full Galaxy AI experience is available on this tablet out of the box. This includes features like Note Assist, Handwriting Help, Generative Edit, Live Translate, Browsing Assist, Sketch to Image, Circle to Search, Air Command with AI, and more.
Every Galaxy AI feature available on this year's flagship Galaxy smartphones is present on the latest tablet, tying it up nicely with the AI-first ecosystem that Samsung's so focused on now. It all works very well. In November this year, Samsung is also bringing math solving capabilities to the Samsung Notes app, though at this time it's unclear if this feature will use the same Google back-end as the math-solving functionality in Circle to Search.
One of the biggest changes has been made under the hood. You'd expect the top-of-the-line tablet to use Qualcomm's best Snapdragon chip like last year, but Samsung's gone in a completely different direction this year. It doesn't have an Exynos or Snapdragon chip, instead, Samsung's gone with MediaTek's flagship Dimensity 9300+ SoC. This is the first time that Samsung is using a MediaTek chipset for its best tablet.
That might seem concerning at first glance, but we're happy to report that the performance defies expectations. Samsung claims an 18% bump in CPU, 28% in GPU and 14% in NPU performance, but how does that stack up in the real-world?
We put the tablet under some intense loads and the chipset handles it all very well. Samsung DeX boots up much more quickly, it's perhaps the fastest it has ever been. The company does mention that it worked closely with MediaTek to optimize this chipset for Galaxy AI and that reflects in the snappier performance of Galaxy AI features. We look forward to really putting the chipset through its paces for our full review.
Samsung has equipped the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra with the same 11,200mAh battery as its predecessor. The initial battery life impressions have been promising with the tablet coming in close to Samsung's claims. Testing it for a longer period will reveal more nuances regarding how well the chipset has been optimized for battery efficiency and if it actually yields a better result than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 on last year's Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.
The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is understandably impressive. You'd find it difficult to come up with an alternative to it that runs Android, and it does mark the beginning of a new era for Samsung's tablet lineup, one where AI takes center stage.
Check out our Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra hands-on video above for more insights. We'll have a full review of Samsung's latest tablet up in the near future.
