Samsung Galaxy Tab S8: Best High-End Android Tablet

But still doesn’t cut it for pros

- SASCHA SEGAN

Samsung Galaxy

GOOD

Tablets in Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S8 series are Android’s answer to Apple’s pro-level iPads, and they’re the best devices for professional creative work on that platform. The Tab S8 is the smallest model in the lineup, but it still has plenty of power, sports a beautiful 11-inch screen, and comes with Samsung’s excellent S Pen stylus. We’re also fans of Samsung’s productivity-focused Dex mode, which bridges the gap between Android and Chrome OS. But at $699.99, the Galaxy Tab S8 costs more than comparable iPads and Windows tablets, while offering fewer pro apps than those devices. Until Android’s tablet experience catches up to the competition, all high-end Android tablets, no matter how impressive the hardware, remain at a disadvantage.

THE SMALLEST TAB S8

Three versions of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 are available, but the 11-inch Galaxy Tab S8 I’m reviewing now feels like the most natural competitor to Chrome tablets and iPads. The $899.99 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S8+ is physically larger; it has an AMOLED display rather than an LCD, contains a bigger battery, and offers 5G connectivity. Finally, the $1,099.99 14.6-inch Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is one of the largest tablets I’ve seen—it’s just as usable as a small TV as it is a gigantic sketchpad.

The Galaxy Tab S8 looks pretty standard, with a black-glass front, a silver metal frame, and squared-off edges. It measures 9.99 by 6.51 by 0.29 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.11 pounds, which makes it a little taller and heavier but narrower than the latest M1-based iPad Air (9.74 by 7.02 by 0.24 inches, 1.02 pounds).