The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra

[koigirl]

Use Android? Sorry, I can’t imagine any (realistic) feature that would be worth that compromise.

The Tab S8+ is £850, not sure where you got £450 from. Yes the 400 nit display is not as good as iPads, but that 1000 nits brightness on the Mini LED Pro is only accessible when viewing HDR content, and its around 600 nits during normal use.

You are absolutely right about performance though, just the iPad 9 with its A13 has about equal performance to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, but at least these Tab 8’s provide the Dex mode for better productivity where as the iPad pro is seriously bottle necked by Ipad OS.

Isn’t S8+ OLED display? I preordered S8 bc of great tradein values ($500 for 2017 ipad Pro 10.5) then cancelled order when i realized it was LED. Was going to order S8+ instead but tradeins have gone way down after so a much more expensively experiment now.

 

[sparksd]

Isn’t S8+ OLED display? I preordered S8 bc of great tradein values and then cancelled when i realized it was LED. Was going to order S8+ instead but tradeins have gone way down so a much more expensively experiment.

The S8+ is also Super AMOLED -

https://www.samsung.com/us/tablets/...evice-2=galaxy-tab-s8+&device-3=galaxy-tab-s8

 

[snipr125]

Isn’t S8+ OLED display? I preordered S8 bc of great tradein values and then cancelled when i realized it was LED. Was going to order S8+ instead but tradeins have gone way down so a much more expensively experiment.

Yes the S8+ is a 120 Mhz Adaptive OLED display.

 

[TheRealAlex]

I traded in my Note 20 Ultra 5G for $800 which made my S22 just $399 I used Samsungs gift of $250 credit towards the Tab S8+ and they had $175 off that day.

 

[TiggrToo]

Most likely the OP is not lying, Samsung gives huge deals on trade-ins. For instance, I had a s7 plus and traded that in and a pixel xl 4 to Samsung and only paid 99.99 for my galaxy tab S8 Plus when the preorders where still going on and even got a free keyboard case and free microsd card and a few other perks. Samsung is not Apple, yall are just not use to receiving any deals; i myself who has multiple apple products know that we dont get great deals on their devices and live with less features.

That's a TRADE-IN then. The OP didn't say that.

 

[MauiPa]

you mean this one?

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S8+ Is a Great Android Tablet That You Shouldn’t Buy

Still one of the best tablets for media consumption, the Tab S8+ is ultimately overshadowed by the new Ultra model.

gizmodo.com

that is pretty crappy, overall?

 

[GuruZac]

Its just a huge display. And when I got my S22 Ultra its was just $450 the colors are so vibrant being a 12.4” 120hz OLED HDR beast. I called it before Tim Cook likes off the shelve existing parts and this display will make it to an iPad Air or iPad Pro soon. Samsung after all is a parts supplier for Apple.
Having used a 11” 2018 iPad Pro for years. A12X CPU the Tab S8+ just feels so much snappier. The OLED display is a huge relief on the eyes and causes much less eye fatigue than the 11” IPS LCD display. I wont bore anyone by quoting specs. I will say that the Samsung Tab S+ is so light and thin, that jumping from 11” to 12.4” feels good And comfortable.

Congrats on the new Tab S8 Plus. Samsung did a good job no doubt. Really love what they are doing on the software side. With that said, the processor in the S8 Plus isn't even as powerful as the 3.5 year old A12X. Barely equal or maybe slightly quicker in single core and well behind in multi core so I chalk up the performance gains felt to the software. Have you used the 12.9" M1 iPad Pro. I can tell you, it is an incredible viewing experience. Super vibrant, deep blacks, incredible HDR level brightness. The M1 is in another class, and the apps are phenomenal. However, Samsung is killing Apple on the software side. No question. Samsung's latest phones and tablets are truly great products and at this point I feel it has really come down to software preference more than ever.

 

[GuruZac]

Hmm seems like you should try one of these tablets out for yourself. I will just say one thing, none of the several ipad displays can even compare to those new OLED screens on the samsung tablets (plus and ultra) this year or last years and that's the truth especially this years. I dont say things without actually being a user or experiencing the product myself. You should do the same. And the member you are calling a troll has been on this forum for quite a while and i respect his/her opinion.

Have you used the new M1 12.9 iPad Pro? The display is phenomenal. Yes there is blooming, but given the significantly brighter display, I'll take the trade off.

 

[GuruZac]

I just can't see myself going back to Android. I was in from Day One and got to where I was working custom ROMs. I still have 6 tablets and multiple phones around the house. I bought the Tab S7+ but ended up returning it. My 2021 12.9 is still the best I've owned - rock solid, excellent display and great apps.

Apple just needs to open up iPadOS a little more, and they've truly got a damn near perfect all in one. I've had my 2021 12.9 iPad Pro for about 4 months now and I use it every day for an average of 8 hours screen on time (medical student) and I always enjoy using it. With the Magic Keyboard and Pencil, it's amazing.

 

[The Game 161]

New tab tablets are very impressive. Only downside is brightness and app not having enough optimised. Still great options and are better for productivity

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

This has got to be a troll post. CPU performance of the 2018 iPad is still considerably ahead of any android device. Also, why get the S8+ and not the ultra? iPad Pro wipes the floor of the smaller tablets, only appeal of the Ultra is it’s bigger than the current iPads. Like there’s reasons it was only $450:

-400 nit display vs 1000 nit on iPad
-Abysmal performance relative to M1 or even A12X
-Lackluster Android tablet app experience

To name a few. Again I look forward to the day a larger iPad comes out but it’s not even a contest. Apple is so far ahead of everyone in the tablet segment that it’s pretty sad.

Comparing performance of flagship processors doesn't suggest much nowadays. With the exception of a few specific use cases (like video rendering).

I have a Tab S7+ and it's the best tablet I've ever owned. Even over every type of iPad I've had. The experience, smoothness, and functionality, is just so much better IMHO. Have the Ultra on pre order. I still like iPads, but I'm into the mini now.

My S7+ is at 430 nits and HDR looks excellent on it. My Samsung Smart TV has around the same nits too, and HDR looks flawless. My Sony Smart TV reaches about 1000 peak HDR and it looks amazing as well, but it does show more blooming depending on a specific scene. So I'm not really hung up on nits for indoor devices. I'm sure the Plus or Ultra will be just fine for most users.

As for apps. I don't have any real issues with apps. Maybe if I was one of those app hoarders that installs new apps on a regular basis, then I'll probably run into more app compatibility issues vs on the iPad. But I pretty much use the same apps and try a new one every several of months or so. I never ran into one issue with any games.

 

[TheRealAlex]

Isn’t S8+ OLED display? I preordered S8 bc of great tradein values ($500 for 2017 ipad Pro 10.5) then cancelled order when i realized it was LED. Was going to order S8+ instead but tradeins have gone way down after so a much more expensively experiment now.

Yes the Tab S8 is just LCD but the Tab S8+ is OLED the Trade in Values from Samsung are Unreal. Before release but quickly taper off. $500 for a 2017 iPad Pro was great. That would have been.

$899-$500 = $400 for a new Tab S8+ now thats a steal. But Samsungs Deals are so time sensitive its hard to even duplicate the deals.

Samsung I’m sure can release a Firmware and Tweak and adjust the OLED brightness and algorithms, to make their OLED display just as bright, But I’ll take OLED’s deep rich colors over “bright ness” any day of the week.

 

[magicman32]

Yes the S8+ is a 120 Mhz Adaptive OLED display.

Actually I didn’t know this until recently but it actually isn’t an “adaptive” refresh rate. Only in the sense that it can be adapted from 60 or 120 but nothing in between. Either or scenario. That and the brightness level are the only downsides to me so yeah, it does beat the iPad Pro display overall I’d say but not the whitewash people say it is due to Apple winning those 2 areas. I need to see it when I get it and put it through the motions and see what 120 does to battery life. I can’t imagine indoor brightness being a problem but still disappointing none the less.

 

[GuruZac]

Actually I didn’t know this until recently but it actually isn’t an “adaptive” refresh rate. Only in the sense that it can be adapted from 60 or 120 but nothing in between. Either or scenario. That and the brightness level are the only downsides to me so yeah, it does beat the iPad Pro display overall I’d say but not the whitewash people say it is due to Apple winning those 2 areas. I need to see it when I get it and put it through the motions and see what 120 does to battery life. I can’t imagine indoor brightness being a problem but still disappointing none the less.

It seems most of the reviews comparing the 12.9 iPad Pro display with the Tab S8 Plus and Ultra gives the edge to the iPad Pro overall. Just as vibrant, blacks just as black, much brighter. Only area where there’s criticism of the iPad Pro display is blooming, which quite frankly, other than using display in a very dark room (which I would argue nobody should do for the health of their eyes) the blooming is a non-issue.

I am personally really happy to see Samsung elevating their Tab line up. They really are a great alternative to the iPad Pro. They just need apps at this point, because otherwise, the software is a better, more productive software than iPadOS. I really wish Apple had something similar to a Dex-like macOS type of overlay that is designed withe trackpad/cursor support.

 

[Ludatyk]

I am personally really happy to see Samsung elevating their Tab line up. They really are a great alternative to the iPad Pro. They just need apps at this point, because otherwise, the software is a better, more productive software than iPadOS. I really wish Apple had something similar to a Dex-like macOS type of overlay that is designed withe trackpad/cursor support.

My thoughts exactly.

Samsung is trying to bring developers over with the announcement of LumaFusion coming to the Galaxy Store, but I need more than that. And now that I recently picked up the MK for my iPad Pro… it brings a whole new experience. I was hesitant on buying one, but luckily found one on a good deal.

And Apple doesn’t need to bring a Dex-Like experience to the iPad, I want them to allow 3rd party developers to use Quick Notes API. Give us more apps that we can use in a small window similar to Quick Notes. I think we need to stop asking Apple to bring features from another OS… why not enhance features that’s already available to iPadOS.

 

[Awesomesince86]

Samsung has made more of an effort to take advantage of the tablet and keyboard than Apple has, that’s for sure. Meanwhile, Apple has more developers that make apps specifically for the iPad.

What Apple need to do, is take advantage of the power of the M1 in the iPad Pros and give it a more laptop like OS and maybe share some macOS codebase. But they’ll never do this because it would mean eating into their own profits from people that would normally buy a Mac. But as it stands, iPad Pros are just a huge waste of power. It’s like having a Ferrari with a restrictor that only allows it to go 40 mph.

 

[Achillias]

DEX is the best innovation that Samsung has created for the tablet market. It's literally a pc desktop mode. Loving it so far.

 

[GuruZac]

DEX is the best innovation that Samsung has created for the tablet market. It's literally a pc desktop mode. Loving it so far.

Can’t say I’m not jealous. Really wish Apple would bring something similar. That with some tweaks to Files, Thunderbolt port, proper external monitor support, and I’d be tickled. All in all, I still enjoy iPadOS, it just feels laborious to do certain tasks that shouldn’t be so difficult.

 

[The Game 161]

not exactly convinced with the keyboard reviews hands on impressions so far.

 

[Oohara]

Can’t say I’m not jealous. Really wish Apple would bring something similar. That with some tweaks to Files, Thunderbolt port, proper external monitor support, and I’d be tickled. All in all, I still enjoy iPadOS, it just feels laborious to do certain tasks that shouldn’t be so difficult.

Same here. I love my iPad Pro 12.9" 2018 to bits but I wish the UI would just behave like a laptop when keyboard and mouse are connected. I find the multitasking functionality to be particularly annoying so I end up never using it, and will always switch to my MBP in those situations. Which is exactly why the iPad will never get anything like DeX I guess.

 

[The Game 161]

Same here. I love my iPad Pro 12.9" 2018 to bits but I wish the UI would just behave like a laptop when keyboard and mouse are connected. I find the multitasking functionality to be particularly annoying so I end up never using it, and will always switch to my MBP in those situations. Which is exactly why the iPad will never get anything like DeX I guess.

This is true, I need a real laptop for work so for me I have to get both an iPad and Mac. costly but I love how the ecosystem works even though my wallet Does not.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

not exactly convinced with the keyboard reviews hands on impressions so far.

If it's anything like the S7+ keybord, then I'll be satisfied. But I do hope they improved the touchpad.

 

[jamezr]

My Tab S8 Ultra is out for delivery! can't wait to try this thing out this weekend.

 

[aggie99]

My Tab S8 Ultra is out for delivery! can't wait to try this thing out this weekend.

Just received mine yesterday evening but didn't get to set it up due to kids sports, work, etc. Just unboxed it this morning and wow, what an amazing device. Using it with my S22 Ultra and these two pair together nearly as seamlessly as the ipad and iphone. Been sending texts and making calls from my Tab all morning while logged in remotely to my office computer from the house. Not sure it could replace a laptop completely for my use case but I can see where it could for alot of people.

The downside which has been well documented is tablet optimized apps. Facebook for example is atrocious on the Tab. Not a huge deal as I'm not much on social media these days and I can always just use the browser. But the app gets confused on whether it should be in portrait or landscape orientation and it seems to switch between the two for no particular reason. Also, the "stories" don't resize to fit the screen and alot of it is cut off.

Apps aren't too big a deal to me for the most part as long as gmail, outlook, and the office apps work well. I plan to use it more as a laptop type device and additional monitor for my laptop when needed. I'm still hanging on to the iPad Pro for gaming, social media, some movies, and other various apps. Excited about getting some more time with this device while on vacation next week.

 

[jamezr]

Got the Tab S8 Ultra a little while agao. setting it and restoring apps from my S22U.
So far I am really impressed witht his device. Fast and smooth.