Samsung Galaxy Tab S8

A top-quality Android tablet that sits snugly within Samsung's ecosystem-and the price is right

- ALEX WAWRO

PRICE 256GB, Wi-Fi, £499 (£599 inc VAT) from johnlewis.com

Samsung's Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra (see issue 332, p48) made a big statement with its massive 14.6in screen and steep £999 price. The regular Tab S8 brings a more manageable 11in display and a much lower price: £549 with Wi-Fi 6E and 128GB of storage, or £599 for 256GB, in a choice of graphite, pink gold and silver finishes. There are 5G variants, too, starting at £699.

While the Tab S8 is notionally a mid-range tablet, nothing about it feels cut down. Weighing 503g and measuring a mere 6mm thick, it's sturdy and comfortable in the hand; the pink gold colour scheme on my review unit added an elegant sheen to the tablet's slim chassis. On the back, a modest bump houses the rear camera, and around the edges you'll note a power button that doubles as a fingerprint reader, plus a handy microSD card slot. Alas, there's no headphone jack - you're limited to USB-C or Bluetooth for external audio.

Where the S8 Ultra uses a top-quality AMOLED panel, the Galaxy Tab S8 has a regular LED screen. It's still bright and colourful, though, with a sharp 2,560 x 1,600 resolution and an impeccably smooth adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. A peak brightness of 463cd/m² is effectively on par with the iPad's 472cd/m², meaning it's perfectly usable even outdoors under direct midday sun.

Colours are excellent, too. We measured 101% colour coverage of the sRGB colour gamut in Natural mode, and a stunning 158% in Vivid mode. It's only a shame that this beautiful screen doesn't support HDR.