Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: 14.6-inch tablet as a notebook replacement

The massive 14.6-inch display of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra works with Super AMOLED technology. Not least because of the immensely high contrast reproduction, this promises a brilliant and crisp display of colors. The resolution: 2960×1848 pixels. And these 5,470,080 pixels jostle on the almost 37 centimeter display diagonal. This results in a pixel density of 240 ppi. That should be more than sufficient for a sharp and detailed display – that’s far more than most 15-inch notebooks offer, which often “only” show content with 1920×1080 pixels.

Great: Samsung has given the S8 Ultra a 120 Hertz display. That means: The S8 Ultra refreshes the image up to 120 times per second (refresh rate of 120 Hertz). This ensures smooth picture reproduction of cinema hits and games. By the way: The screen is framed in a housing made of so-called armor aluminum. Samsung promises such a high torsional rigidity. In addition, the case should be characterized by high scratch resistance.

At 208.6×326.4 millimeters, the surface of the S8 Ultra is almost as large as a DIN A4 sheet, but it is still nice and thin at 5.5 millimeters. Under the hood is the brand new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 from Qualcomm, which was originally supposed to be called the Snapdragon 898. The graphics chip Adreno 730, which is responsible for image reproduction, is implanted on the SoC (system-on-a-chip, one-chip system). Incidentally, this Snapdragon CPU is one of the first processors that the manufacturer Qualcomm with fine 4-nanometer structures has largely manufactured directly at Samsung.

Depending on the model, the processor is supported by 8, 12 or 16 gigabytes of RAM for the fast swapping out of calculated data. Great: Samsung wants to deliver the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra with the latest Android 12, which is stored on a 128, 256 or 512 gigabyte internal memory, depending on the model. If that’s not enough: The volume can be expanded by a maximum of 1 terabyte using a microSD card.

Also good: There are two 12-megapixel cameras on the front, which should optimally capture your own likeness in video calls thanks to different capture angles. In conferences with several people in front of the display, the lenses automatically focus on the face of the current speaker, according to Samsung. According to the manufacturer, three built-in microphones ensure clear recording and transmission of speech – as well as suppression of background noise. The S8 Ultra also has a 13-megapixel camera on the back for taking photos and videos – including autofocus and flash.

At home, the Tab S8 Ultra connects to the network via fast Wifi 6E – provided the user already has a Wifi 6E router. Juicy: Samsung offers 5G versions of the Tab S8 Ultra for an additional charge of around 150 euros. If there is no 5G network, you can surf the Internet with the Tab S8 Ultra via LTE.

The prices for the new Tab S8 series are steep anyway (overview in the table above). It is all the more surprising that Samsung even saves on the power supply. The 11,200 mAh battery of the S8 Ultra can be fully charged in 82 minutes via a USB-C connection and a 45-watt fast charging power supply (from 35 euros). Samsung specifies the maximum battery life as up to 14 hours. If true, that would be a very good value. However, the upcoming tests have to show how long the S8 Ultra can really do without a power outlet.

In contrast to the power adapter, the S Pen required for inputting with the pen is included with the tablet. According to the manufacturer, it implements up to 4,096 line widths – and with a comparatively small delay of only 2.8 milliseconds, says Samsung. This is where the stylus differs from the model that Samsung includes with the normal S8 (delay: 6.3 milliseconds). Among other things, the S Pen should be able to be used as a remote control for playback control of presentations and music, but also as a “trigger” for taking selfies. Incidentally, you store the pen in a recess on the back of the Tab S8 Ultra, where the S Pen battery can be charged with energy.

The Tab S8 Ultra comes with some useful features. For example, the playback of headphones such as the Galaxy Buds can be switched from smartphone to tablet and vice versa without laborious coupling and decoupling – this should also work with separate keyboards. “Copy” content such as text modules from the tablet and “paste” it on the cell phone – that should also work. In addition, you should be able to jump almost seamlessly from your smartphone to your tablet if you are logged in to both devices with the same Samsung account. Data can be shared quickly and easily between the devices via “Quickshare”, and work can be synchronized with the cell phone with third-party apps such as “Clip Studio Paint” and its “Companion” mode. For example, you can use your smartphone to outsource the color palette.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra can be pre-ordered now, sales will start on February 25, 2022. The smallest version of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra with WiFi, 8 gigabytes of RAM and 128 gigabytes of internal memory costs 1,149 euros, the largest version with 16 gigabytes RAM, 512 gigabytes of internal memory and 5G costs 1,599 euros.