Sansung Galaxy Tab S8: The wait is over, and it was worth it

Long-awaited, and for many reasons, Samsung has already made the Galaxy Tab S8 family official, the long-awaited renewal of the S7, which was presented in the summer of 2020, and which today remains a one of the strongest bets in the entire market in the not very populated segment of high-end Android tablets. A market in which other manufacturers seem to have given up on Apple with its iPad, but which is still very much alive thanks to bold approaches such as Samsung’s.

Before going into an assessment of what Samsung is proposing with the Galaxy Tab S8, I think it is important to take a moment to assess the work that (few, very few) manufacturers carry out carried out to satisfy a constant demand, and that could be more growing, for tablets based on Android, which, let’s remember, is currently the absolute king when it comes to operating systems for mobile devices.

As I mentioned before, we have been waiting for the Galaxy Tab S8 family for some time, and the first thing to say, after checking the work that Samsung has done, is that the wait has been worth it. Let’s take a look at what it offers us with the update of its top-of-the-range tablets.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8: technical specifications

There is no surprise when it comes to the number of members of the family, we expected and, along with the new Samsung Galaxy S22, we have seen the Galaxy Tab S8, Galaxy Tab S8+ and the new queen of the family, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. Three models, compared to the two that initially debuted in the previous generation, and to which the FE editions, usual from Samsung, were later added, and which further expand the available options.

In all three cases, you already know, we are talking about large tablets, ranging from 11 inches of the S8 to the amazing 14.6 inches of the S8 Ultra. It is becoming increasingly clear that the playing field located between 10 and 15 inches is currently one of the most interesting, since tablets, two-in-one, convertibles, laptops, etc. are concentrated there. The balance that these sizes offer between portability and usability for tasks that require a screen larger than that of a smartphone attracts more users every day, and with these three sizes of Galaxy Tab S8, Samsung provides a good set of options within it.

As for their nerve center, the SoC on which they are based, Samsung communications speak of an octa-core chip manufactured on the four nanometer scale. Thus, even if they don’t give it a name, we can deduce that it is a brand new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, the latest generation of Qualcomm integrated with a Cortex-X2 core at 3 gigahertz, three Cortex-A710 at 2.5 gigahertz and four Cortex-A510 at 1.8 gigahertz, accompanied by a fourth generation Adreno GPU.

Regarding memory, the Galaxy Tab S8 and S8+ will have versions with 8 and 12 gigabytes of RAM, while in the Ultra model we will find these two configurations, but it adds a third that jumps up to 16 gigabytes of RAM. And something similar happens if we talk about storage, since S8 and S8+ will have versions with 128 and 256 gigabytes, but in the case of the Ultra model we find one more step, which climbs up to 512 gigabytes . In addition, in all models it will be possible to reinforce this point with a memory card of up to one terabyte.

A key factor for mobility is connectivity, and with this in mind, Samsung offers the three tablets of the Galaxy Tab S8 family in both WiFi and WiFi+5G versions. This is, if memory serves, the first complete family of tablets to offer state-of-the-art cellular connectivity on all models. Additionally, we will also have WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, geolocation through the main networks (GPS, GLONASS, Baidu and Galileo) and this section is complemented by a USB 3.2 type C port for both data and load.

And when mentioning the load, surely you are wondering what the autonomy of tablets of this size is based on. Well, Samsung has not fallen short in this regard. The Galaxy Tab S8 has a battery of 8,000 milliamps, in the Galaxy Tab S8+ we will have 10,900 milliamps, and to power the 14.6-inch Ultra model, we will count nothing less than with 11,200 milliamps. All models are compatible with Super Fast Charging 2.0, which is capable of providing fast charging of up to 45 watts.

Unlike low-end tablets, which tend to have a rather short life cycle, Samsung wants the life of the Galaxy Tab S8 to be able to extend for years without any problems. To this end, since its release on the market it has Android 12, and the technology company is committed to making all models compatible with up to four generations of Android updates.

As for their design, without a doubt what stands out the most as soon as you see them is how extraordinarily thin they are, especially the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, with its 5.5 millimeters thick. And to this we must add its weight, which ranges from 503 grams of the Galaxy Tab S8 Wifi to 728 grams of the S8 Ultra with WiFi + 5G. Without a doubt, and again with an eye on mobility, it is clear that Samsung has focused on the fact that, despite the large size of its screens, the latest generation of Tab was uniquely light.

Security is also important in this new generation. Thus, all models have the security solutions provided by Samsung Knox, including Samsung Knox Vault. In addition, in all the models we will find a biometric identification function, with the reader located on the side in the S8, which happens to be located on the screen in the S8+ and S8 Ultra.

Another aspect in which we see an important evolution compared to the previous generation is that in all the components of the Galaxy Tab S8 family the front camera jumps to 12 megapixels, compared to the eight that we found in the Tab S7. But also, in the case of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra we see something unusual and very interesting, and that is that it integrates two sensors, both with the same resolution (12 megapixels), a wide angle and an ultra wide angle.

After this review, it is clear that Samsung fully trusts the high-end Android tablet market, and its integration into the mobility ecosystem I was talking about earlier. It seems to me a very intelligent move, even more so if we take into account the improved integration between devices of the great Galaxy family.

And when will you be able to get your hands on one of these new Galaxy Tab S8? Well, the good news is that you won’t have to wait long. In fact, Samsung has already opened its pre-sale, and the first units will begin to be delivered in just over two weeks, on Friday, February 25. These are the prices of the models that can be purchased in Spain:

More information: Samsung