Samsung might not be the one Android pill producer, however they may as effectively be. Whereas there are a variety of Chromebooks that do a serviceable job as tablets now, nobody else is delivering a flagship iPad competitor on the Android aspect.
The Galaxy Tab S8 is the most recent iteration, and whereas at $699 for the bottom mannequin, it may’t compete with the affordability of the usual iPad. Nevertheless, it could win over some consumers contemplating the iPad Air with superior battery life, the highly effective DeX mode, a wonderful show and the included S Pen. Samsung can be lastly getting some assist from Google with Android 13, introducing quite a few pill optimizations for the primary time in years.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 specs:
Value: $699
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB
Show: 11-inch LCD, (2560 x 1600) 120Hz
Battery: 12:53
Measurement: 10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches
Weight: 1.1 kilos
Whereas iPhone house owners are unlikely to stray from Apple for a pill, in case you are within the Android ecosystem, the Galaxy Tab S8 deserves your consideration. It’s simply one of many finest tablets out there in the present day and provides some distinctive advantages over the iPad for these not purchased into Apple’s ecosystem.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 value and configuration choices
The Galaxy Tab S8 begins at $699, which will get you 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM to go together with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, an 11-inch, 2560 x 1600-pixel, 120Hz LCD show, and an included S Pen.
For $779, you’ll be able to double your storage to 256GB, however that’s the lone improve out there. Shade choices are similar for each storage tiers together with your alternative of Graphite, Pink Gold or Silver.
Whereas Samsung contains its wonderful S Pen with the pill, if you’d like your Tab S8 to do some gentle laptop computer work, you must contemplate both the E book Cowl Keyboard Slim (opens in new tab) for $139 or the E book Cowl Keyboard for $199. Each supply a standard keyboard and stand performance;the latter provides a touchpad.
Samsung raised the worth of the Galaxy Tab S8 by $50 in comparison with the Galaxy Tab S7, which is unlucky on condition that Apple held sturdy on its $599 beginning value for the iPad Air 2022. The Tab S8 makes up for that discrepancy by together with the S Pen (Apple Pencil is $129) and it options double the iPad Air’s 64GB of storage, nevertheless it’s not best for the would-be challenger.
Samsung offered the bottom 128GB Tab S8 in Silver with the E book Cowl Keyboard Slim for our evaluate, so matching our configuration could be $838.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 design
The Galaxy Tab S8 is nearly indistinguishable from its predecessor. And whilst you need to see the design transfer ahead, it’s onerous to get too upset on this case because the slim metallic slate seems each bit as premium as its Apple counterparts with vanishingly small bezels.
At 1.1 kilos and measuring 10 x 6.5 x 0.25 inches, the Galaxy Tab S8 strikes a wonderful stability between portability and utility with its giant, however manageable, 11-inch show. Whereas the Tab S8 Extremely and its 14.6-inch show are intriguing, you’re positively not toting it together with you in all places. The iPad Air 2022 is available in at 9.7 x 7 x 0.24 inches and 1.02 kilos, so that you wouldn’t discover a lot of a distinction relating to packing both one in your bag.
Apart from the marginally raised pill-shaped digicam array on the again, the pill is a uniform thickness, which makes it comfy to carry in any orientation. Mixing with the digicam, and operating nearly the size of the pill, is a mirrored plastic strip that magnetically holds the S Pen in place and costs it. You gained’t need to depend on this once you toss the pill in your bag, nevertheless it’s a useful place to maintain it in case you are switching backwards and forwards between writing and typing or utilizing an app.
On the highest fringe of the pill, you will have the ability button/fingerprint reader, the quantity rocker and the microSD slot. You’ll want a SIM software to entry the microSD slot, so this isn’t one thing you are supposed to commonly pop out and in, nevertheless it’s a extra inexpensive strategy to enhance your Tab S8 storage. Your USB-C port is on the appropriate aspect and that’s it for ports or buttons: RIP headphone jack.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 show
Whereas the Galaxy Tab S8 doesn’t get the Tremendous AMOLED show of its bigger S8+ and S8 Extremely siblings, don’t let that put you off — irrespective of the underlying tech Samsung is aware of what it’s doing with its shows. The 11-inch (2560 x 1600) 120Hz panel is shiny and vivid sufficient that, except you view it side-by-side with one in all its Tremendous AMOLED counterparts, you’d be hard-pressed to inform the distinction.
Watching the trailer for Westworld season 4, it’s just a little troublesome to recollect the place this present began out, however the cinematography is gloriously reproduced by the Galaxy Tab S8. Because the trailer jumps you round, the now wildly disparate settings you get a very good take a look at the complete vary of the Tab S8 show. The colourful crimson of a holographic cityscape lights up your display to present strategy to a darkish and moody Nineteen Twenties theater district — and then you definitely’re thrown again into the acquainted dusty previous west that after outlined the present. If content material consumption is a major concern, the Tab S8 is your huckleberry.
Including some scientific measurements to my ocular observations, our colorimeter confirmed the Galaxy Tab S8 hitting 72% of the DCI-P3 shade gamut when in its Pure setting. The iPad Air can smirk for a second at 79% earlier than the Tab S8 reveals it was sandbagging and jumps to 112% in its Vivid mode.
Brightness ideas in favor of the Galaxy Tab S8 as effectively with a peak of 565 nits. The iPad Air topped out at 485. Each are shiny sufficient that it shouldn’t be an issue in something aside from direct daylight, however Samsung takes the win.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 keyboard and S Pen
Though it’s not a vital addition to the Tab S8 for all customers, when you intend to do any productiveness work with the pill, the E book Cowl Keyboard or E book Cowl Keyboard Slim are value contemplating. Once more, Samsung offered the Slim model for our evaluate, which options an similar keyboard, however drops the touchpad.
Given the dimensions limitations of a keyboard that should align with an 11-inch pill, I got here away impressed with the Slim. Testing my typing pace, I averaged 82 phrases per minute with 98% accuracy on the 10fastfingers.com typing take a look at, narrowly behind my 86-wpm common. Now I wouldn’t relish the thought of typing on the wafer-thin keyboard for hours as my hand positioning is fairly cramped (and key journey is restricted), however for brief bursts, it’s nice. With that type of utilization in thoughts, I didn’t actually miss the touchpad, however in case you are intending to make use of it as a laptop computer commonly, I’d in all probability spring for the E book Cowl Keyboard for a extra conventional laptop computer expertise.
Not everybody needs or wants a stylus, however very like Samsung’s retired Be aware line (possibly it’s simply on a sabbatical), if you’re going to actually combine a stylus together with your machine, it’s essential to embrace it within the field. Samsung’s present S Pen is well among the many finest at school with no perceptible lag as you write or draw on the 120Hz show.
Whereas a pure pencil or pen on paper really feel isn’t magic that Samsung has labored out but, you get used to writing on the display. And with its 4,096 strain sensitivity ranges, it may mirror your pure writing or drawing strokes extremely precisely.
The dearth of a silo to carry the S Pen remains to be regrettable, however an comprehensible tradeoff for a bigger and extra comfy stylus that couldn’t probably match within the slim pill. You want to use the magnetic strip on the again of the pill (that additionally costs it), or if you are going to buy both of the keyboards or the stand, there’s a house for it on the hinge level that holds it securely.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 audio
The Floor Professional 8’s 2W stereo audio system with Dolby Atmos are a type of design feats which have me questioning what many conventional clamshell laptop computer producers are doing. It merely obliterates them. Whatever the engineering wizardry concerned, the audio system within the Professional 8 had no problem filling my 18 x 12-foot listening house and, even at full quantity, remained crisp and clear.
I listened to “Evening And Day” by Tony Bennett & Girl Gaga and the peppy vocals and massive band behind them weren’t as wealthy as you’d get with a very good pair of wi-fi headphones, nevertheless it wasn’t far off, both. I’d fortunately use this for my background music whereas working in my dwelling workplace or watching Netflix or YouTube.
In terms of audio enter, the Floor Professional 8 has you lined as effectively with twin far-field studio mics.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 efficiency
Like nearly each flagship Android machine of 2022, the Galaxy Tab S8 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip and it pairs that with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Whereas digital hoarders or frequent vacationers who discover themselves away from an web connection commonly could need to go for the 256GB of storage, I discover that 128GB is the candy spot for most individuals.
Whereas the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 isn’t any match for Apple’s M1-packed iPad Air, as I’ll display with some benchmarks in a second, it’s nonetheless greater than sufficient for any activity you’ll undertake with the Tab S8. I jumped between about 30 Google Chrome tabs with a YouTube video operating excessive of them and I didn’t encounter any hiccups as I swiped from tab to tab.
Whereas I favor gaming on my cellphone, when you do need to pair a wi-fi controller with the Tab S8, it’s greater than prepared. I performed a few rounds of PUBG Cellular and had no dropped frames even at maxed-out settings.
The Galaxy Tab S8 managed a Geekbench 5.4 general efficiency rating of three,228, a decent consequence that also makes it appear to be just a little leaguer enjoying in opposition to an expert baseball participant once you discover out the iPad Air 2022 scored 7,151. It is a testomony to how overpowered the iPad Air is quite than a critique of the Tab S8, however in case you are a heavy pill person that wishes a laptop computer alternative it’s value noting.
Our Adobe Premiere Rush video transcoding take a look at requires the pill to transform a 4K video to 1080p decision and the Galaxy Tab S8 completed the duty in 48 seconds. As soon as once more, a robust consequence that’s fully overshadowed by the iPad Air’s 22-second end.
Turning to graphics, the Tab S8 hit 57 frames per second (fps) on the Wild Life Limitless take a look at. That’s simply shy of what we acquired with the Galaxy S22 (60 fps), however as soon as once more the iPad Air totally demolishes it with 108 fps.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 battery life
The battery life on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is superb, lasting 12 hours and 53 minutes in our battery take a look at, which entails steady net browsing over Wi-Fi at 150 nits of brightness. That’s precisely what you need in a pill, all-day battery life for even essentially the most intensive of pill customers and sufficient to get you thru a number of days of lighter use.
That battery take a look at was carried out with the show at its default adaptive 120Hz; though it’s a testomony to Samsung’s stable adaptive software program that switching to 60Hz solely pushed it to 12 hours and 59 minutes.
That’s significantly higher than the iPad Air 2022, which made it an honest 10 hours and 9 minutes in the identical take a look at. It’s fascinating to see this entire reversal in comparison with what we see on Galaxy telephones versus iPhones in our testing for the telephones with the most effective battery life.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 cameras
Whereas the Tab S8 cameras can’t go toe-to-toe with the Galaxy S22 telephones, they’re greater than equal to the pill competitors. Beginning with a 12MP ultra-wide front-facing digicam that’s joined by a 13MP wide-angle and 6MP ultra-wide on the again.
Whereas snapping selfies together with your pill looks like an odd alternative, it does a stable job, however extra related in my thoughts is its video conferencing prowess. The picture is sharp and clear with a software program function just like Middle Stage on the iPad that tries to maintain you targeted within the body in case you are transferring round throughout a name.
The rear cameras aren’t flagship cellphone high quality, however for extra typical pill duties like grabbing a shot of a whiteboard or scanning a doc, they maintain up effectively with wonderful element. When you insist on utilizing your pill as a digicam, the principle concern versus a contemporary flagship cellphone is low-light as Samsung just isn’t throwing in top-of-the-line sensors.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 software program and guarantee
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 runs Android 12 with quite a few enhancements from Samsung to assist the S Pen and ship superior integration with Samsung telephones, smartwatches and earbuds.
For energy customers, DeX is probably going the most important draw because it offers you a desktop-style surroundings, one thing Apple is simply lastly coming a bit nearer to with iPadOS 16 this fall. You’ve full multi-window app performance and the power to customise your desktop apps and wallpaper for Dex Mode versus the usual pill mode. If you wish to use an exterior show with DeX, and you’ve got a Samsung TV or any TV with Miracast compatibility, you are able to do it wirelessly, in any other case you should utilize a USB-C hub with an HDMI out.
Whereas Android nonetheless isn’t as compelling a pill expertise as iPadOS, there’s cause to hope for the primary time shortly with Android 13 promising some attractive updates eventually together with tablet-specific app listings. Google has additionally confirmed that it’s engaged on a Pixel pill, which hopefully ought to encourage it to enhance the platform as an entire.
The Galaxy Tab S8 comes with a one-year restricted guarantee. You may see how Samsung typically fares on this entrance in our Tech Help Showdown and Greatest and Worst Manufacturers particular stories.
Backside line
The Galaxy Tab is, to some extent, the one sport on the town relating to Android tablets, however luckily, Samsung continues to push itself because it’s up in opposition to the iPad juggernaut.
Samsung delivers once more this yr, topping the iPad in quite a few areas. That features its almost 13 hours of battery life, the included S Pen, a dual-camera array, a extra inexpensive keyboard cowl, and the highly effective DeX mode.
With that stated, there isn’t a refuting that the iPad is a vastly extra highly effective machine and boasts a a lot stronger pill app library than Android, which is simply now lastly making an attempt to deal with that hole. In case you are after the most effective gaming expertise, or need to use your pill for inventive endeavors like drawing or photograph and video enhancing, the iPad stays the clear alternative.
Nevertheless, in case you are searching for a pill for watching movies, taking notes, browsing the net and a few gentle productiveness work, the Galaxy Tab S8 is a wonderful alternative that won’t disappoint.
