Introduction
Samsung is making no secret of the fact that it wants to offer the best Android tablet on the market. That's precisely why it has launched the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. This is Samsung's biggest and most feature-packed flagship tablet yet. It's seriously impressive.
It's also the first time that Samsung has launched an Ultra tablet. This designation was previously kept only for its top-of-the-line flagship smartphones. In 2022, Samsung expanded its flagship tablet lineup to include an Ultra model
Design
Not unlike its siblings in the lineup, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is simply an oversized model. It has the same metal body made out of Armor Aluminum for a durable and sleek build. There's a massive glass display on the front.
All of the buttons are on the right side of the metal frame. You'll also find the AKG-tuned speakers and the USB-C port on the frame. The device doesn't have a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the back, there's a groove where the S Pen attaches magnetically.
Despite its significant size, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is actually the thinnest tablet in the entire lineup. It measures 208.6 x 326.4 x 5.5mm.
Specifications
The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra has the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset as the rest of the series. It does, however, get more RAM and storage. The tablet can be purchased with 8/12/16GB RAM coupled with 128/256/512GB storage. Up to 1TB expansion is also possible through the microSD card slot.
The ultra-low latency S Pen provides an incredible writing experience on the tablet. The entire Galaxy Tab S8 series also supports Wi-Fi 6E which provides up to 2x the bandwidth and speed of Wi-Fi 6. The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra can be purchased in both Wi-Fi and 5G variants. A chunky 11,200mAh battery is present with support for 45W super-fast charging.
Display and cameras
The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra has a 14.6-inch 2960×1848 pixel resolution Super AMOLED display with an up to 120Hz refresh rate. This is the largest display yet on a flagship Samsung tablet. It's also the first notched display on a tablet from Samsung. This has enabled the company to significantly reduce the bezels surrounding the panel. The fingerprint sensor is also embedded within the display.
The display notch houses the two 12-megapixel wide and ultra-wide front cameras that support auto framing for an enhanced video calling experience. At the back, you'll find the same 13-megapixel autofocus and 6-megapixel ultra-wide sensor with flash like the rest of the lineup.
Software and features
The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra ships with Android 12 and One UI 4.1, the latter of which succeeds version 4.0. The tablet features a variety of productivity tools for the S Pen, and for the first time, Samsung has developed a dedicated S Health app for this new generation of tablets, boasting in-depth analysis with a 3-column layout.
Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is supported for four major Android OS upgrades. This will make Android 16 the last major upgrade for the tablet. Five years of security updates will also be provided.
Availability and price
Starting at $1099, The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is only offered in the Graphite color. It hits shelves on February 25, 2022.