Not going to lie. When I shop for a tablet, my first thought is the iPad. But with the new tablet powerhouse coming from Samsung, I might change my mind in the future. Might.
The freshly revealed Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Series includes the new Galaxy Tab S8 and S8+, and the first-ever Tab S8 Ultra tablet.
Aesthetically, I thought the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Series has the iPad vibe – specifically, the new iPad Pro, iPad Air, and iPad mini kind of vibe – with the square off the edge. Then again, tablets, like smartphones, pretty much looked the same anyways.
Samsung said the new S8 series has the thinnest and toughest Armor Aluminum body to date.
As always, the selling points are the functions that include enhanced Multi-active Windows, Samsung DeX, password-protected file-sharing (known as Quick Share), and more. Basically, you know, productivity stuff.
On the hardware aspect, expect to find a 4 nm 64-bit octacore processor running the clockwork, S Pen support (but, of course), up to 14.6-inch AMOLED display, a dual-camera setup (13 MP AF + 6 MP Ultra-wide with flash), 12 MP ultra-wide front-facing camera (12 MP Wide + 12 MP Ultra-wide for S8+ and S8 Ultra), up to 16 GB RAM and up to 512 GB storage which is expandable up to a terabyte with microSD card.
The new S8 tablets further feature up to 11,200 mAh battery, an in-display fingerprint sensor (on side key for the S8), and quad stereo speakers with sound by, you guessed it, AKG. As before, there are two versions of each model, namely the 5G/LTE and WiFi-only model.
Speaking of wireless connectivity, the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Series supports Wi-Fi 6E (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax), Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 5.2.
The new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Series is available to order now with a starting price of US$699.99 and US$899.99 for the S8 and S8+, respectively, and US$1,099.99 for the S8 Ultra. Those who pre-order will get a Book Cover Keyboard for free. Note: 5G/LTE versions are not available at the time of this writing.
All images courtesy of Samsung.