We know that technology makers like to stretch the screen boundaries in their devices, as much as possible.
Samsung's Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra pushes that limit, probably a little too much.
This is a tablet with a huge screen, which really wants to be a laptop, but maybe gives up a bit on the convenience of a tablet.
This is by the way one of the questions I asked myself during my experience with it, in its weight and size, do I no longer prefer to take the laptop in my hands?
Design and screen: Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra - too big for hands
Samsung has stretched the size of the tablet screens perhaps to the maximum with the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.
This is a huge 14.6-inch screen that comes in excellent quality thanks to Super AMOLED technology, a high image refresh rate of 120 Hz and a resolution of 1848 by 2960 pixels.
If you usually watch movies on your tablet, you will have a great experience here, but there are conditions.
First of all, at this resolution and that you will be very close to the screen, it will not show you a super sharp.
It is difficult to hold it in your hands for a long time, even a short time.
It weighs 726 grams and is too long and large.
On the other hand it is very thin - 5.5 mm. As someone who used to watch TV shows on a tablet while in bed, I was not comfortable holding it in my hands and I used to place it on the bed. Perform this action.
Big screen, Photo: Tzachi Hoffman
The huge screen has a lot of advantages: it can be divided into two and work with apps at the same time, read texts on a huge display area or show people content.
Indeed, its backlight is not very strong (380 rivets) and sometimes in some places with strong solar lighting, it was not always comfortable enough to use.
For comparison, Samsung's Galaxy S22 Ultra, which is a smartphone and not a tablet, reaches 1750 nits.
On the other hand, it is a device that is usually used outdoors, as opposed to a tablet.
In terms of protection, the screen comes with Gorilla Glass 5, which is not Corning's newest glass, but it's good.
The body of the tablet is made of Armor aluminum.
Which is also supposed to keep him.
Interface: Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra - A friendly interface with the usual shortcomings of Android
Samsung is making great efforts to offer a good experience with its tablets and it is succeeding in the task, even though Android tablets regularly suffer from a lack of investment on the part of the app developers.
For example, Tiktok and Facebook do not look good and are not adapted to the big screen.
Not to mention the Disney + app that works in the country and does not display a horizontal interface, but only a vertical one.
The operating system here is Android 12 with Samsung's One UI 4.1 shell.
This means you can open 3 apps simultaneously on a split screen, including changing their position on the screen at the touch of a button (the three dots on the separator bar), the Samsung Notes app is here for easy typing or typing notes (including syncing between users' devices and One Note software Of Microsoft on the computer), receiving calls automatically from a Samsung smartphone both on the tablet and the SmartThings app that allows you to operate smart products at home.
Need to buy a keyboard, Photo: Tzachi Hoffman
In order to offer a laptop experience here, you will first need to buy a Samsung keyboard (the NIS 1,000 range).
Samsung incorporates here the DeX interface that can be activated at the push of a button from the physical keyboard.
This interface offers to open apps in a configuration reminiscent of computer windows, there is a shortcut bar of apps at the bottom and various shortcuts that will make you feel like you are almost in Windows (or in Google's Chrome operating system).
Hardware: Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra - a fast tablet with treats
The processor integrated here is the Snapdragon 8 generation 1, which we usually find in more powerful smartphones.
High working memory (RAM) - 12 GB and storage capacity is 256 GB, including the option of expansion via card.
In short, this tablet is fast.
As a device that should be used part of the time, if not more for watching movies, the Tab S8 Ultra comes with 4 speakers that have been adjusted by AKG (which belongs to Samsung under Herman).
There is support here for Dolby Amethos and the sound they get here is successful.
For entry into the tablet, Samsung offers a face recognition that has worked most of the time well and also an optical fingerprint sensor located under the screen, on the right side, when holding the tablet horizontally or at the bottom of the screen, while holding it vertically.
This sensor responded well.
On the front there are two 12-megapixel cameras, one standard and one wide (120 degrees), for which Samsung has created a small flaw, which did not really bother me.
Samsung has realized that the use of this tablet will be in a horizontal position and therefore the cameras are also adapted to this situation when they are located in the long part of the tablet.
These cameras also know how to automatically track your movement during a video call, the problem being that in this situation the quality drops significantly.
Samsung comes with the kit for the S Pen, which includes the option of magnetic charging on the back of the tablet and also a dedicated compartment that keeps it in the charging area via the back cover.
Compared to the pen that was included in the Tab S7 series, the response speed here has been improved from 9 milliseconds to 2.8 milliseconds, although I am not exactly the target audience that draws with the pen, but for writing notes, it does the job well.
The Tab S8 Ultra comes with a battery with a capacity of 11200 mAh, while using a 45-watt charger, the battery should charge within 82 minutes.
Samsung does not include a charger in the kit, so you will need to purchase one separately.
The charging connector is USB-C.
Price: NIS 4,500.
Bottom line, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is a tablet with a huge user experience.
Its screen is huge and of excellent quality, the hardware is strong, the speakers provide a sound that sounds good and there is also a pen that allows you to write notes easily or illustrate.
The question arises who needs such a large screen on a tablet and is also willing to invest a price similar to that of a MacBook Air?
For me it's hard to see how it replaces my personal laptop, but it is a tablet with a great user experience.
(The review was published on The Gadget Reviews)
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