The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is the biggest tablet Samsung has ever made. But is the specialty of this device only on the screen size which is fairly gigantic for a tablet?
The answer is no. Indeed, the screen size makes the Galaxy S8 Ultra stand out compared to others. But there are many aspects of this tablet that make it worthy of a glance, especially for those of you who want productivity and entertainment to be done on one device.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra? Check out the short review below.
Design
Have you seen the Galaxy Tab S7 Series? Now the display is not much different from the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. This is not a drawback, in fact we love it.
Carrying flat edges with curved corners, combined with Graphite color gives an elegant and premium impression. Samsung makes this tablet quite thin considering its size is so large.
Even though it's only 5.5mm thick, Samsung boasts the Tab S8 Ultra is sturdy. Because they use Armor Aluminum material which is claimed to be 40% less prone to bending and 30% more scratch resistant than its predecessor.
The front is protected by Gorilla Glass 5. Unlike the HP Galaxy S series, there is no IP certification for water resistance. But it's common on tablets, even though the flagship class.
Speaking of weight, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is the heaviest Samsung has ever made. This tablet weighs 728 grams, quite easy to hold in one hand.
When combined with the keyboard cover, it weighs in the range of 1.4 kg. It's like carrying a MacBook Pro M1, not too heavy to store in a backpack and carry to mobile work.
Because what we are reviewing is the 5G variant, there is a SIM Card + microSD slot at the top.
Screen
In the past, the record for the largest tablet was held by the iPad Pro with a size of 12.9 inches. Now the title is crowned by the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra by presenting a 14.6-inch screen.
Does big mean good? Because this is a tablet made by Samsung, there is no doubt about the quality. Combining a Super AMOLED panel with a resolution of 1848 x 2960 makes the image sharp, although the pixel density is lower than its brother Tab S8+. The 120Hz refresh rate makes the navigation experience so smooth.
This tablet still doesn't exceed the 12.9-inch (2021) iPad Pro screen brightness level which reaches 1,000 nits. Even so, with a brightness of 420 nits, we had no problems using the Tab S8 Ultra outdoors.
Samsung also provides a number of screen setting options that make the eyes comfortable when using the Tab S8 Ultra at night. But what is no less interesting is the thin bezel. It gives a more immersive impression when enjoying content on Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar and other streaming services.
Playing games is no less satisfying on a screen that is so spacious. To be more comfortable, it's better to control it not using your hands, but a game controller, so it feels like playing on a console.
Oh yes, about the 'bangs' on the screen. Actually it doesn't bother the viewer, it's just that his presence is a little ironic. Because Samsung once mocked Apple for using the notch on the iPhone, even to the point of advertising it.
But that's okay, it's likely that the notch will become a trend on laptop screens in the future. Because Apple presents the MacBook Pro with 'bangs' on the screen.
Turning to sound, Samsung put four speakers with a touch of AKG. The sound is not only loud, but also clear so you don't need to set it to maximum volume to kick in the ear. Moreover, when the Dolby Atmos feature is turned on, it feels more satisfying to the senses of hearing.
Productivity
One of the advantages of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra that other tablets may not have is productivity. This South Korean technology giant presents Samsung DeX which can turn this tablet into a laptop. Not only that, when connected to an external monitor, the Tab S8 Ultra instantly transforms like a desktop.
With Samsung DeX we are given an interface like Windows. This makes multitasking easier, because the application is displayed in the form of a window that can be adjusted in size, even the level of transparency is adjusted. In addition, it can open two applications side by side, and because of the large screen, each window looks comfortable on the eyes.
Like other Samsung devices, there is Link to Windows. This feature allows us to access and run applications on the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra on a Windows desktop or laptop screen, and even transfer files.
If you need a laptop that needs an external monitor, this Galaxy S8 Ultra can be used. Just connect the laptop to the tablet, then on the notification panel select the Second Screen option.
To increase productivity on this tablet, Samsung has equipped it with a keyboard case. Different from before, the keyboard case is equipped with a trackpad.
The keys are comfortable to use for typing. We can also make tablet settings directly from the top button of the keyboard. It's even easier with keyboard shortcuts like on a laptop.
S Pen
Different from other vendors, Samsung provides the S Pen in the sales package of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. This stylus can be easily charged by sticking it on the back. Can also be affixed to the top of the body so that it is easier to reach when in use.
The S Pen has the size of a pencil so it is comfortable to hold and use. Samsung says the latency is increased to 2.8ms. It's no wonder when it's so smooth on the screen.
The level of pressure is also very good, it will spoil those who like to sketch. We can press harder for thick lines, or press softer for thin lines.
Interestingly, Samsung also focuses on applications. As you know, creative applications on Android are inferior to iPadOS. Samsung is working to bring many apps to its platform, some of which are PenUp, Clip Studio and most recently LumaFusion.
Uniquely, in Clip Studio, users can combine the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra as a canvas, while the Galaxy S22 Ultra as a color palette. Then select the brush on the phone while keeping the canvas clean
The company also maximizes its applications. Samsung Notes is one of them, there are many abilities that this application has and will be maximized when used with the S Pen. For example, we can convert handwriting into text directly, really making meeting minutes easier.
Not when the excitement is there are Air Actions. Just move the stylus like a Harry Potter wand, making it easy to navigate and perform other commands.
Camera
Although no one buys a tablet on the grounds of a camera. But Samsung pinned four cameras, two each on the front and back.
The camera on the back consists of a 13 MP wide camera and a 6 MP ultra-wide camera. On the front, there are 12 MP ultra-wide and 12 MP wide cameras. Some of the camera features provided by Samsung include Auto Framing, Single Take, Pro Mode, and Night Mode.
The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra's camera capabilities don't disappoint. The shots are able to present good colors in bright and night conditions, when used for online meetings.
Performance
Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra comes with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. It is the fastest chipset for Android devices. Samsung also embeds 12 GB of RAM in it, and can be added using virtual RAM up to 8 GB.
With this capital all heavy tasks can be devoured, both video editing applications and games such as Call of Duty Mobile. To substantiate this claim, we tested it with a number of benchmark applications. The results are similar to the Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Battery
With a capacity of 11,200 mAh this is the largest battery that Samsung has embedded in its mobile device. When using for work, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra battery can support almost 10 hours. We had time to play a movie on Netflix for 90 minutes, the battery ran out around 14%.
Samsung provides support for 45W fast charging which, unfortunately, does not include a charger adapter in the sales package. We use a 65W Baseus charger, it took 1 hour 20 minutes for this tablet battery to be full.
We had time to test using PCMark, unfortunately the application stopped in the middle of the testing process.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is truly a giant tablet. Not only is it the largest in size, it has fast performance.
The spacious and charming screen combined with powerful speakers is the perfect capital to enjoy content that is pleasing to the eyes and ears. Playing games is no less exciting, but you do have to use a controller to be comfortable when competing.
There is a DeX feature that makes it easy to work with, as well as an S Pen that helps create work. And there are many other features that make this tablet almost flawless.
One of the drawbacks is the lack of creative applications compared to neighbors. Samsung has tried to present it as best as possible, unfortunately Google has not maximized the Android platform that it has.
The big screen does make a price. The official price of Rp. 20 million is extraordinary, making people confused about choosing a laptop or the giant tablet.