Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Goes Bigger At The Samsung Unpacked Event

It’s not only the Galaxy S22 lineup that made it to the Samsung Unpacked Event, the Galaxy Tab S8 also did too. The company thinks the conventional tablets available this day is too small and then took the opportunity at the unpacked event to announce the Galaxy Tab S8 lineup. With the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra sitting at the top of the lineups, which also includes the Tab S8 and Tab S8 Plus, all successors to the 2020 Tab S7 models.

The Tab S8 Ultra sits at the top of the latest tab chain and takes on the approach that Samsung uses for its smartphone range. The Ultra model boasts more features than the other models in the lineup. With its 14.6-inch screen, it’s that type of mobile device screen you just want to watch your movies on all day long because it’s big, bright and colour-rich with regards to its OLED panel. The Ultra’s new screen is said to be 20 per cent larger than the 12.4-inch screen of the 2020 Tab S7 Plus also bigger than the biggest screen you can get on an iPad today. The Ultra possesses a refresh rate of 120Hz and a resolution of 2,960 x 1,848 a storage of about 512GB in and up to 16GB of RAM. It possesses two front-facing cameras, and Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon Gen 1 chip, the same processor you’ll find in the new Galaxy S22 smartphones. More performance compared to the Snapdragon 865 Plus that powers the Galaxy Tab S7.

The two front-facing cameras are 12 megapixels, one is a standard wide and the other an ultrawide. Samsung has added some auto-framing features to the camera similar to the Apple-Esque, which try to keep you centred in the frame on video calls. Also added is the ability to blur the background even on calls, and cancel noise for clear audio with its three-way microphone. The Tab S8 devices possess an 8,000 mAh battery, just like the S7, it guarantees survival for an impressive 13 hours and 16 minutes. Samsung’s claim that with its 45W charger, users can fully charge their Galaxy Tab S8 devices in 80 minutes. 

The Tab S8 models will come along with an S Pen stylus and also a keyboard case but at an extra cost. However, for users who will go ahead make preorders, they will get the keyboard case for free. While Samsung is currently tossing in a keyboard cover for free with a pre-order of a qualifying Tab S8 tablet, they’re otherwise available for the Tab S8 Ultra at a very high price: $350. At 1.6 pounds, almost 13 inches across, and over 8 inches tall, the Tab S8 Ultra has almost the same size and weight as the Microsoft Surface Pro. Despite its size, the company has claimed that the Ultra is about 40 per cent less prone to bending compared to the Tab S7, its aluminium body makes it 30 per cent more scratch resistant.

The fact that the new Tab S8 may be a good replacement for your laptop may be tempered because it runs on the Android 12 and not on a desktop-focused operating system. Although Samsung made provision for a Dex feature, which provides users with a desktop-like feel and a taskbar when the tablet is docked to a keyboard. The multi-window mode has been improved by Samsung, this mode permits users to have split-screen among three different apps, and the sizes can be adjusted to suit each window. Some may say this split-screen feature may be a trick Samsung pulled from its Galaxy Fold 3’s software but it is a feature that resonates with the usability dynamics of 2022.  DeX mode also gives you some useful tools for multi-tasking while the tablet is hooked up to an external display like a monitor or TV, making it especially valuable for those who splurge on an external keyboard or type cover to use the Tab S8 like a laptop. But at the end of the day, users still be working in Android apps, which are rarely optimized for smaller tablets, much less something this large. Other new Dex features the new tab S8 guarantees include the ability to work in portrait orientation and still make the tablet a wireless touchscreen monitor for a paired PC or phone. You can even drag and drop files between the devices, similar to Apple’s Universal Control feature between Macs and iPads.

The Galaxy Tab S8 and S8 Plus are somewhat more direct replacements for their Tab S7 predecessors. Both have different screen properties, Tab S8 comes with an 11-inch, 120Hz LCD screen, while the Tab S8 Plus has a 12.4-inch 120Hz OLED panel. Some of the key features both have in common are the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, four Dolby Atmos speakers, 8GB of RAM, up to 256GB of storage, and a single 12-megapixel ultrawide front camera, unlike the S8 Ultra which has 2 front cameras. The Tab S8 will go for Tab S8, while the S8 Plus. All of the Tab S8 models are said to possess Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2, but only the Tab S8 Plus will be available with optional 5G cellular connectivity. Samsung is putting the Tab S8 up for grab at $699.99, S8 Plus will go for $899.99, and S8 Ultra for $1,099.99, preorder starting February 9th, and is expected to begin shipping them later this month.