Introduction
Samsung's flagship tablet lineup was due for a major refresh and the company came through with the Galaxy Tab S8 series in 2022. This was one of the most comprehensive updates to the flagship tablet lineup in years.
This is also the first flagship tablet series from Samsung to have three models being unveiled simultaneously. The Galaxy Tab S8 may be the base model but it shares many of its components with its more powerful and expensive siblings.
Design
The familiar high-end design that we have come to expect from Samsung's flagship tablets is present. The Galaxy Tab S8 provides a sleek look and feel courtesy of its Armor Aluminum body that also elevates the tablet's durability.
A groove at the back lines up with the rear camera module. This is where the S Pen attaches magnetically. AKG-tuned speakers are present on the frame in addition to the USB-C port at the bottom. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack.
Specifications
The beating heart of the Galaxy Tab S8 is the advanced 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. It's paired with 8/12GB of RAM with 128/256GB storage. The tablet does have a microSD card slot that supports external expansion up to 1TB. Both Wi-Fi and 5G variants of the tablet are on offer.
The ultra-low latency S Pen deserves an honorable mention as it significantly improves the productivity experience on the tablet. A fingerprint sensor is positioned on the power button for easy unlocking. Powering it all is an 8,000mAh battery that supports 45W super-fast charging. This is also the first Samsung tablet to support Wi-Fi 6E.
Display and cameras
The Galaxy Tab S8 has an 11-inch 2560×1600 pixel resolution LTPS TFT display with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The lack of an AMOLED panel might put off some customers, but this is the base model after all. Samsung has trimmed the bezels around the display a bit to improve the viewing experience.
There's a new ultra-wide front 12-megapixel front camera in addition to the 13-megapixel autofocus and 6-megapixel ultra-wide dual camera setup at the back that's accompanied by a flash.
Software and features
The Galaxy Tab S8 ships with the Android 12-based One UI 4.1 software out of the box. It brings plenty of useful features such as Samsung Dex, Multi-Active Windows, easy file sharing, Second Screen and more.
Samsung has also confirmed that the Galaxy Tab S8 series will receive four major OS upgrades. This means that the tablet is supported for Android upgrades until Android 16. It will also get five years of security updates.
Availability and price
February 25, 2022 is when the Galaxy Tab S8 is officially made available to customers. Available color options include Silver, Pink Gold and Graphite. Prices start at $699.