It's not long until we expect to see the debut of the Samsung Galaxy S22. The Galaxy Unpacked event that's been confirmed for February will be one of the biggest launches of the year, but as much as I'll be paying attention for S22 news, I'll be much more interested in hearing about the Galaxy Tab S8 lineup.
I like the look of the Galaxy S22's upgrades, but I predict I'll be distracted by Tab S8 more if it does appear at the same event as rumored, and in particular the new top model, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. This is a tablet the likes of which we've not really seen before, and it could mark the opening of a new category if it catches on.
First off, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is larger than any tablet we've seen before. At 14.6 inches, it has over an inch and a half on the already large 12.9-inch iPad Pro. It's even larger than the displays of some laptops, yet it's supposed to be both lighter and thinner than the iPad Pro.
Plus, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra's display is thought to be a bright and efficient AMOLED panel. That should give the Tab S8 Ultra a big advantage over other similar tablets, if not the mini-LED iPad Pro, although the Tab S8 Ultra's resolution will apparently not match up to Apple's premium tablet.
Samsung's also said to be equipping the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra with dual 12MP front cameras in a notch, again something we've not seen on tablets before. The main/ultrawide combination could probably use some special features though, perhaps something like to the iPad line's Center Stage, to make its invasion of the display area worthwhile.
The final noteworthy rumored spec is an 11,200 mAh battery. That would be suitably large given the size of the tablet and would be about 5% larger than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro's battery. Hopefully this huge capacity will mean you still get a long battery life, even with that enormous display.
All together, these rumored specs could add up to a monstrously capable tablet, even compared to the already well-specced tablets already on sale. And it's this difference that's caught my attention. The Galaxy S22, S22 Plus and S22 Ultra, while poised to be better than last year's equivalents, would still inhabit familiar classes and price bands to the past few years of smartphones. There's nothing like the rumored Tab S8 Ultra that you can currently buy.
Faced with the current 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and with a rumored 15-inch iPad Pro in development, Samsung has a high bar to clear. But Samsung already makes the best iPad rivals around. So if anyone is capable of challenging the iPad Pro with a tablet — and maybe laptops, too — it'll be Samsung.
