Android tablets may be showing new signs of life thanks to Google’s push with Android 12L, but Samsung has never left the Android tablet market. Along with the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S22, the company is also revamping its tablet lineup, and for the first time in history, it is introducing oversized Galaxy tablets with the Galaxy S8 Tab Ultra.
Galaxy S8 Tab Ultra is a real monster. Its 14.6-inch (370.8mm) 120Hz OLED display with 2960×1848 resolution has a 16:10 aspect ratio. Measuring 326.4 x 208.6 x 5.5 mm (12.8 x 8.2 x 0.2 inches), the aluminum chassis houses an 11,200 mAh battery and weighs a whopping 1.6 pounds (0.73 kg).). That’s more than the top half of many laptops.
Samsung’s decision to create an extra-large tablet was due to the decision to shrink the bezels, which I don’t think anyone ever asked for on a tablet. The smartphone can be held by its side, so the frame does not play a big role. But you need to hold on to something with the tablet. Samsung went all out in the bezel war and added a MacBook Pro-like notch to the S8 Tab Ultra’s front display, which houses two 12-megapixel front-facing cameras (one of them is wide-angle).
The Ultra model costs $1,099.99, the same as the 12.9-inch iPad Pro. In terms of specs, you get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a MicroSD slot. Two additional configurations are available: 12GB RAM/256GB storage for $1199.99 and 16GB RAM/512GB storage for $1399.99. 5G models are also available. There is an in-display fingerprint scanner, a USB-C port, Wi-Fi 6E, and two rear cameras: a 13MP main camera and a 6MP wide-angle one. Samsung couldn’t find room for a headphone jack on the 14.6-inch behemoth.
The device comes with a stylus that Samsung simply calls “S-Pen”although it doesn’t look like the small plastic “S-Pen”used in the Galaxy S22 Ultra. It’s about the size of an Apple Pencil and presumably requires a battery. The stylus attaches to the back of the tablet with magnets, in line with the camera bump. This large S-Pen also works on the S22 Ultra if you bought both devices and don’t want to undock the S22 pen.
Samsung also has a keyboard case that turns your massive tablet into a medium-sized laptop. The keyboard connects to the tablet via a set of spring contacts and includes a trackpad and backlit keys. The keyboard usually costs $349, but you can get it for free when you pre-order.
The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is available for pre-order now on Samsung.com and will ship on February 25th.
Listing image from Samsung