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 are 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 color-rich about its OLED panel. The Ultra’s new screen is said to be 20 percent 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 512 GB in and up to 16 GB 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, which tries to keep you centered 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 claims 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 to make preorders, they will get the keyboard case for free. While Samsung is currently tossing in a keyboard cover for free with a preorder 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 percent less prone to bending compared to the Tab S7, its aluminum body makes it 30 percent 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 multitasking 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 of 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 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, The tab S8 comes with an 11-inch, 120Hz LCD screen, while the Tab S8 Plus has a 12.4-inch 120Hz OLED panel. Some key features both have in common are the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, four Dolby Atmos speakers, 8 GB of RAM, up to 256 GB 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 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.
Samsung Pauses Galaxy Tab S8 Pre-Orders, Citing Unexpected Demand:
Samsung’s newest batch of Galaxy devices went on sale last week, and while most coverages focused on the S22 smartphone family, Samsung also has new flagship tablets. For years, Android tablets have been afterthoughts even for Google, which confirmed it was stepping away from tablet hardware after the Pixel Slate debacle. Yet, evidence is mounting that Android tablets are having a moment. The latest sign comes from Samsung, which says it is struggling to keep several versions of its upcoming Tab S8 family available. These three very expensive tablets went on sale alongside the S22, and people may want to buy them this time.
Samsung sold the 2022 Tab S devices without incident until late last week when the Tab S8 and S8 Ultra were marked as “sold out.” That’s unusual for a device that hasn’t even officially launched yet. Xda reached out to Samsung and was told that ", "overwhelming demand in the last 48 hours’ forced it to pause preorders for some models.
As of now, you can order the Tab S8 and S8+, but the Tab S8 Ultra is still unavailable. That device clocks in at a whopping $1,100 with a 14.6-inch OLED screen. The $900 S8+ is smaller but still enormous with its 12.4-inch OLED. The smallest member of the Tab S8 family has an 11-inch LCD and a lower $700 price tag. Samsung expects availability to continue fluctuating.
At first glance, there’s nothing revolutionary about these devices. They’re big Samsung tablets with the latest specs—par for the course with Samsung’s Tab S series. One element of the early sell-out might be that Samsung neglected to update its high-end tablets in 2021. The Tab S7 and S7+ launched in fall 2020 to largely mixed reviews. Still, anyone who wanted a flagship Samsung tablet has been waiting longer than usual. Google has also been focusing on Android’s tablet support again, promising numerous improvements in the upcoming Android 12L release. Plus, Samsung has beefed up its multi-window features in newer versions of Android to take advantage of big screens.
Samsung is playing up the “excitement” angle, but there’s an elephant in the room: the global chip shortage. Current estimates suggest there might not be enough silicon to go around for at least the remainder of 2022. The Tab S8 series runs on the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip as the Galaxy S22 phones, and you get one guess which one will move more units. Sure, there might be more demand for Android tablets this year, but Samsung probably just didn’t want to divert as many chips to tablets that will never come close to earning as much revenue as the Galaxy S22.
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