Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra

Samsung's Android tablet goes Ultra big and Ultra thin

- GUY COCKER

THE ONLY ANDROID tablet to really take on Apple's iPad Pro at the premium end of the market so far is the $850 Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+, released back in August 2020. It turns out that wasn't premium enough for the Korean manufacturer, so now we have the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. The U-word has been rolled out for the first time to denote, as on the Galaxy phone line, that this is the very best in the range.

So what makes this $1,099 tablet so Ultra, given that the S8+ also still exists for $899? It's all about the screen-a ridiculous 14.6-inch OLED 120Hz display that's nearly as big as most 15-inch laptop panels. The Ultra model also boasts the thinnest body ever on a Samsung tablet at just 5.5mm, as well as dual front-facing cameras that work well for video calls, but are housed in an Apple-like notch that intrudes on the display.

The size of the Tab S8 Ultra is both its greatest strength and its biggest weakness. This is an incredible display not quite as bright as the most recent iPad Pros, but bursting with color and detail that make media consumption a joy. This is a tablet on which you can view magazines in the landscape, such is the size and resolution of the display. It also makes the tablet a superb multi-tasker, as you can run three or four apps at the same time without compromise.

That said, holding the tablet in landscape is pretty much a necessity. as the height of the device in the portrait makes it uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time. It's not heavy, nor is it thick or difficult to hold, but the weight distribution feels a little off. Some people will be able to overlook this, given the benefits of a laptop-sized display in tablet form, but the screen is a couple of inches too big. To paraphrase Jurassic Park's land Malcolm, Samsung's scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.