Meet the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus, a tablet alternative to the iPad that will appeal to Samsung phone owners

Prices are accurate at the time of publication.

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• Samsung is finally making its tablets more appealing than iPads for Samsung phone users.
• The Galaxy Tab S8 Plus is a gorgeous, powerful, feature-rich tablet, but it’s expensive at $900.
• That’s too pricey for casual users, but power users will love the Tab S8 Plus’ screen and power.

Simply said, Samsung tablets are now better options than iPads for Samsung phone users.

That’s specifically thanks to Samsung’s efforts to make its tablets more useful for Samsung phone users in a similar way that Apple made iPads useful for iPhone users. Simple features, like text messaging and taking calls from a Samsung phone, suddenly make Samsung tablets more appealing for Samsung phone users.

To note, Samsung hasn’t yet opened up its ecosystem to Android phone users at large. Those useful tools are still exclusive to Samsung phone users. Check out the specification details of Samsung’s latest Tab S8 Plus:

Galaxy Tab S8 Plus specifications

Specification	Galaxy Tab S8 Plus
Display	12.4-inch; 2,800 x 1,752 AMOLED; up to 120Hz refresh rate
Processor (CPU)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
Memory (RAM) and storage	8GB+128GB / 12GB+256GB; microSD up to 1TB
Battery and charging	10,900mAh; charging up to 45W
Cameras	13-megapixel (MP) main camera + 6MP ultra-wide
Front camera	12MP ultra-wide
Audio	Quad-stereo speakers; Dolby Atmos support
Authentication	Fingerprint sensor on power button
Accessories	S Pen and charging cable included
Price	$900 – $980

Design

This is one sleek tablet.

The Tab S8 Plus is incredibly thin, which makes its solid metal build feel ultra-premium and sturdy. Samsung also narrowed the bezels around the display to contribute to the premium feel of the Tab S8 Plus. The bezels are certainly wider than those on a modern phone, but you need some bezels on a large tablet that’s really designed for two-handed use. 

The narrow black strip along the back, which the included S Pen magnetically calls home, also lends to a classy, sophisticated look. Our review unit came in pink, which wouldn’t be my first choice, but you’ll have the choice of silver and graphite color options, too. 

Display

The Tab S8 Plus’s 12.4-inch OLED (organic light-emitting diode, a form of pixel illumination) display is stunning, as per Samsung’s pedigree for making some of the best mobile displays in the business. OLED displays tend to look fantastic by default, as they produce incredible contrast due to the fact that individual pixels can turn off to produce a true-color black. But Samsung’s displays are a cut above.

Everything on the display looks clear and sharp, thanks to the 2,800 x 1,752 resolution, which is slightly sharper than a typical QHD 1,400p resolution. Combined with the OLED panel, and the 120Hz refresh rate — how many times the screen image refreshes per second — that makes swiping around Android and apps super smooth for a truly premium experience. 

The Tab S8 Plus has a 16:10 aspect ratio, which I find is better for watching videos than it is for using apps. Apps look fine when holding the Tab S8 Plus vertically, but things start to look funky and wide when holding the tablet horizontally. That’s partially because of the screen’s wide aspect ratio, but also because several popular apps aren’t optimized for Android tablets. Twitter looks a little ridiculous in horizontal mode, and Reddit doesn’t even allow it, for example.

To compare, Apple mostly uses a 4:3 aspect ratio, which works better for apps. Not to mention that more apps are optimized for iPadOS than they are for Android tablets. The iPad aspect ratio also works fine for video, but not as well as the Tab S8 Plus’s wider 16:10 aspect ratio.

With that said, the Tab S8 Plus’ wider screen is more conducive to multitasking with multiple app windows on the screen.

Performance

The Tab S8 Plus runs on the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor running Samsung’s premium Galaxy S22 series. That’s to say the Tab S8 Plus is powerful enough to run any app or game with ease. 

Indeed, games run smoothly and look glorious on the big 12.4-inch OLED display, and the Tab S8 Plus is a productivity and multitasking machine. You can easily have up to three apps open on the screen running at the same time, for example. 

Technically speaking, however, Apple’s iPads have Samsung beat in performance. The new 2022 iPad Air or 2021 iPad Pro are the best bets for those looking to do serious photo or video editing, or other power hungry tasks, thanks to Apple’s M1 processor that delivers laptop-level power.  

Using the same Geekbench 5 benchmarking app we use to test all mobile devices, the Tab S8 Plus with 8GB of memory (RAM) and 128 GB storage scored 1,219 for single-core performance and 3,373 for multi-core performance. That’s right in line with the Galaxy S22 Plus that runs on the same processor and same amount of RAM.

S Pen

Samsung includes an S Pen with the Tab S8 Plus, whereas Apple’s Pencil is an optional accessory for the iPad (starting at $100). That’s a nice touch if you know you want to use a tablet for taking notes, drawing, editing photos, or any other reason you want to use a stylus. 

The S Pen is incredibly responsive on the Tab S8 Plus’ display, and writing notes feels totally natural. Palm rejection — or how well a touchscreen can ignore your palm resting on it — can be surprisingly accurate, but my palm can also wiggle around the note page, or open another app while writing a note, which is very frustrating. Basically, Samsung still hasn’t perfected palm rejection technology.

The screen’s smooth glass doesn’t feel like paper, but the writing experience is still delightful when palm rejection is working as it should. I don’t do any drawing, but I’d imagine that artists will appreciate the S Pen’s responsiveness.

And, if you don’t really want to use a stylus, you can keep it in the box or store it somewhere, never to be seen again.

Samsung has useful features for those who aren’t in the Apple ecosystem.

One of the biggest draws to the Apple ecosystem — or its collection of devices and services — is how every Apple device can work seamlessly together. Samsung has worked to bring similar functionality to its own ecosystem, but only with other Samsung devices. So, that’s great for Samsung users, but not so much if you own an Android phone from a different company.

For one, Samsung lets you take calls on the Tab S8 Plus, at least if you have a Samsung phone. Otherwise, both Samsung and other Android phone users can use Google’s Messages app to send and receive text messages. 

Samsung also includes Quick Share, which lets you transfer files to and from your phone and tablet, — similar to Apple’s AirDrop. This is also a Samsung device exclusive. 

One feature that’s worth pointing out separately is Second Screen, which connects to your Windows computer wirelessly. It’s an option for Windows users who have coveted Apple’s Sidecar feature that lets you use an iPad as a second screen for a Mac computer. 

Samsung’s Dex is also a cool software package that transforms the Android operating system on the Tab S8 Plus into a computer style operating system, like Windows. It’s still running Android apps, but it imparts a familiar design for productivity when you use a mouse and keyboard with the Tab S8 Plus. You can even connect the Tab S8 Plus to a monitor and run Dex as if it’s a laptop connected in the same way. 

Should you buy the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus?

Should you buy the Tab S8 Plus if you’re in the Apple ecosystem?

No, Apple’s iPads are still your best option if you have Apple devices, especially the iPhone so you can take calls and use iMessage on an iPad. This tablet really is for people who own Samsung phones, and to a certain extent, other Android phones. 

Should you buy the Tab S8 Plus when the iPad Air exists?

If you truly value a bigger OLED display, and taking calls and texts from your Samsung phone, the Tab S8 Plus is a better buy than the iPad Air, despite the $300 premium. 

Should you buy the regular Tab S8 instead?

I haven’t tested the regular $700 Tab S8 yet, but I can safely surmise that it’s a decent option if the Tab S8 Plus’ $900 is too high. The regular 11-inch Tab S8 comes with a display downgrade from OLED to standard LCD. 

Should you buy the Tab S8 Plus if you simply use tablets to browse the web and watch videos?

Paying $900 is a lot of money for those simple tasks. For couch warriors, you can save yourself a lot of money by going with a simpler Android tablet, like the Galaxy Tab A8. 

The bottom line

The Galaxy Tab S8 Plus is an ideal option for Samsung phone users, as Samsung has been building out its ecosystem slowly but steadily to become more useful. It is very expensive, and the $700 Tab S8 with a smaller screen is a more affordable option albeit missing the OLED display. 

If you’re not interested in the Samsung ecosystem, Apple’s $600 iPad Air poses the best value for the performance.