AMID Samsung’s new line-up of flagship tablets for 2022, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra stands out for an obvious reason.
With a 14.6-inch screen, it’s Samsung’s largest Android tablet and one that dwarfs even Apple’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro. (Both are 7.7 inches tall in landscape mode, but the Tab S8 Ultra is 2.6 inches wider.)
For all Apple’s talk of tablets replacing laptops, Samsung’s is large enough to stand in for a mid-sized notebook. (The larger iPad Pro’s screen is a skosh smaller than the one on a 13-inch MacBook Air.)
The announcement is part of a broader launch for Samsung that also includes the 11-inch Galaxy Tab S8, the 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S8+, and a trio of Galaxy S22 phones. (The largest of the phones, Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra, is a spiritual successor to the Galaxy Note, built-in stylus and all.) But while the oversized tablet hardware looks intriguing, Samsung spent little time discussing the software. A tablet without a cause
Screen size aside, the Tab S8 Ultra is not markedly different from the smaller Tab S8+. They both have octacore processors, 120-Hz AMOLED displays, dual rear cameras, and in-display fingerprint readers, and they both have optional book cover keyboards and kickstands to effectively turn them into laptops.
The biggest differentiator other than screen size is that the Tab S8 Ultra has a front camera notch, making room for wide and ultrawide 12-megapixel lenses.
Therein lies Samsung’s biggest argument for the larger screen: It’s meant for video chat, and the company says it worked with partners such as Google, WebEx, and Bluejeans to make sure its conferencing software works well on the Tab S8 Ultra.
Many were hoping to hear more from Samsung about what else the jumbo-sized tablet would offer that other devices didn’t.
While it’s understandable that the appeal of the hardware – a slick, lightweight device with a beautiful display and stylus – the software story doesn’t seem fleshed out.
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