Leaks suggest the Tab S8s will take everything excellent about the S7 series and add the fastest performance available.
Since mid-2020, if you wanted to buy the best Android tablet, your only real choice was between the Galaxy Tab S7 and S7 Plus. Now, finally, the Galaxy Tab S8 series will launch in early February, with a brand new Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra that'll compete with the iPad Pro for screen size and productivity.
Samsung reportedly plans to announce the new tablets alongside the Galaxy S22 at the next Unpacked event. You can currently reserve a pre-order slot for Samsung's new tablet and phone, with a promised $50 credit if you buy both. But leakers suggest both devices will cost an arm and a leg, so be prepared to spend a lot to "save" that credit back.
The biggest alleged upgrade to the Galaxy Tab S8 will be its processor: leakers suggest the new tablets will use either the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200, both at the cutting-edge of 2022 computing. The S7 series used the 865+, a respectable chip that still works quite well but doesn't come close to today's speeds.
With the Galaxy Tab S8 expected to cost so much, and the Tab S7 series currently discounted, you may be wondering whether it's worth waiting or buying the current-gen tablets now. To help you decide, here's everything we know or suspect about Samsung's powerful new tablets.
Best current Android tablet
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7
High-quality for a reasonable price
While the Galaxy Tab S8 will give you a next-gen CPU upgrade, the S7 still holds its own in other areas. With the same resolution, 120Hz display, expandable storage, quad speakers, and battery size as the S8, the S7 is a great backup option if you want to save hundreds of dollars.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8: Launch and release date
Samsung has finally announced that it will reveal its next flagship smartphone and tablet series at the Galaxy Unpacked Event on February 9 at 7 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. ET. You can certainly expect to see a full livestreamed reveal of the Galaxy Tab S8, S8 Plus, and S8 Ultra at that time.
We don't know when the tablet will actually ship. But leakers have alleged the Galaxy S22 will ship around February 18, and considering the tablets will be announced at the same time, it could very well release in mid-to-late February as well.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8: Price
The Galaxy Tab S7
A recent Samsung Galaxy price leak indicated the Galaxy Tab S8 will start at "under $850," while the S8 Plus could cost "$900-1000" and the S8 Ultra at "$1100 and above." Assuming @chunvn8888's leak is accurate, the base Galaxy Tab S8 will cost nearly $200 more than the Galaxy Tab S7 did at launch, making it an extravagant cost for some buyers.
An earlier leak also claimed the Galaxy Tab S8 series would start at around $840. And a more recent specs leak indicated the European Galaxy Tab S8 prices would be as follows: €680–900 for the S8, €880–1,110 for the Plus, and €1,040-1,220 for the Ultra.
Also keep in mind that you'll have the option to upgrade these tablets to add cellular connectivity or increased storage, in exchange for a higher price.
Compared to the Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7+, which launched with a list price of $649 and $849, respectively, the Galaxy Tab S8 is being priced as a more "premium" device.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8: Design
The latest Tab S8 render leaks give us our clearest look yet at the upcoming tablet's design. And it'll look an awful lot like its predecessor, except for some minor changes.
As you can see in the leaked renders both above and below, the Galaxy Tab S8 has even bezels around the display, an S Pen magnetic strip between the Samsung logo and rear camera module, and similar etchings on the shorter sides of the device. The only noticeable difference is that the magnetic strip on the S8 stops short of the module, where the S7 connected to it.
Also like the S7, the S8 reportedly has an 11-inch LCD display and a 8,000mAh battery. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Tab S8+ is expected to bring back the same 12.4-inch, 120Hz AMOLED display with thinner bezels and 10,090mAh battery. Like before, the Tab S8 will have a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, upgraded to an in-screen sensor for the S8+.
Samsung likely decided not to rock the boat with its upcoming designs, given that the S7 and S7+ proved so popular with consumers. It's disappointing that the S8 will continue to use an LCD instead of AMOLED, forcing you to buy a massive tablet to get the best display quality. But its 2560 x 1600 resolution and 120Hz refresh rate will certainly make most buyers quite happy.
The only major difference from last year is that the glass protection has upgraded from Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to 5.
The supposed Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra could have an intriguing design: a 14.6-inch frame measuring just 5.4 inches thick and weighing 650g. Renders from @OnLeaks and @91Mobiles show its 92% screen-to-body ratio with truly tiny bezels, something you'd typically only see on a much-smaller smartphone.
A leaked shot of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra from Samsung
Samsung appears to be emulating Apple in its design, as the front camera creates a noticeable notch. We'll see if we can unsee the notch when streaming content on its massive display. At least unlike the Macbook Pro's front camera, this module actually supports Face ID.
It's also a toss-up whether the 1.4-pound, super-wide Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra will feel comfortable to hold for long periods, no matter how thin it is. It's more likely buyers will consider it a portable laptop replacement meant to sit on your desk with an attachable keyboard.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8: Specs
As previously mentioned, all three tablets should have QHD 120Hz displays, but that's not the only feature returning from the S7 series. A recent Galaxy Tab S8 leak provided a full spec sheet for all three tablets, indicating they will bring back quad Dolby Atmos speakers, a microSD slot for expandable storage, 13MP and 8MP camera sensors, 45W fast charging, and S Pen support. The S8 and S8+ will even have the same battery life as before: 8,000mAh and 10,090mAh, respectively.
What you can look forward to is the addition of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 CPU, at least in North American markets. According to Samsung, it beats the 2021 Snapdragon 888 by 20% in CPU performance, 30% in CPU efficiency, 30% in GPU performance, and 25% in GPU efficiency. And the 865+ falls well short of the 888 in the same categories.
Plus, all of the Galaxy Tab S8s will allegedly get 8GB of RAM by default, whereas the S7 series made you upgrade from 6GB. All told, this will give your new tablet a major speed boost if all goes well. Those above percentage boosts refer specifically to phone performance, and we haven't gotten the change to put the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 through its paces yet.
However, we will note that some leakers have claimed the Galaxy S22 Ultra specifically will have the Exynos 2200 installed instead. It uses many of the same Arm Cortex components as the Snapdragon, while adding AMD's RDNA 2-based GPU for hardware-accelerated ray tracing, variable rate shading and "console-quality" immersive visuals, according to Samsung.
Whichever SoC the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra uses, leaks indicate it will have a 11,200mAh battery, 5.5mm of thickness, and a hefty weight of 728g/1.6 pounds. It's not one you'll want to hold over your head for long, seeming better suited for a desk and kickstand. Also, if the leaks can be believed, you can upgrade the Tab S8 Ultra to a 16GB/512GB configuration, making it well-suited for multitasking in DeX mode.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8: Software
The Galaxy Tab S8 could take software tips from the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
All three Galaxy Tab S8s will have Android 12, or One UI 4.1, out of the box, with three years of promised OS updates. This would mean it'll receive One UI 7 (or Android 15) in the spring of 2025.
Given Samsung's recent success with software on its foldable phones, we can hope that it will employ some of the same tricks on the Galaxy Tab S8 to take full advantage of the extra screen space. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 software lets you change any app's aspect ratio, adjust the app split view, pin apps to a taskbar, manage multiple windows, and so on. We wonder if these tools could make an appearance on the Tab S8, too.
Best premium Android tablet
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
Amazing screen, sound, and speeds
At full price, the Galaxy Tab S7+ costs about the same as the upcoming S8. If an AMOLED display with more screen space matters more to you than a performance boost, you may want to grab this plus-sized model instead of the new Tab on the block.
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