Things are nice, aren't they?
"Galaxy S8+", which corresponds to the middle model of the three tablets announced by Samsung (Samsung). Often overshadowed by the 14.6-inch Galaxy S8 Ultra, can this tablet make a difference in the face of competition from the Surface, iPad, and cheaper Galaxy tablets? Check out Gizmodo's Phillip Tracy's review.
Galaxy S8+ features upgrades from its predecessor, including an ultra-wide-angle camera, an improved S Pen, and a faster processor. If you can't afford to spend $1,100 on a tablet, the Galaxy Tab S8+ is an attractive option.
< class="" >What is this? : 12.4 inch Android tablet
Price: Starting at $899
Likes: Beautiful AMOLED (organic EL) display, sophisticated aluminum body, improved camera, new stylus with magnetic charging, evolution of multitasking function with DeX, sufficient battery
Subtleties: Limited Android OS, expensive, no headphone jack, tends to be overshadowed by Ultra models, no charger included
Although the Galaxy Tab S8+ is mid-range in price, it's actually a premium model. The Wi-Fi model with 128GB storage is $899 (about 100,000 yen), which is $50 more than the previous model. The 256GB storage model adds $80, and the 5G model (currently Verizon only in the US) adds $200. The S Pen is included, but the Book Cover Keyboard Slim is available as an option for $160.
Galaxy Tab S8+ looks sophisticated. The rectangular body is wrapped in sleek "Armor" aluminum, and the narrow bezel 12.4-inch panel uses "Gorilla Glass 5." Samsung says the metal frame makes it 30% more scratch resistant and makes the back panel 40% less bendable.
The design is understated, with Samsung and AKG logos and antenna bands on the back. There are volume and power buttons on the top edge, speaker grilles on both ends, and a USB-C port for charging on the right side. The face authentication function is speedy, and the display fingerprint authentication function is convenient when wearing a mask. The pink gold model of the review terminal is beautiful, but the other colors are graphite and silver, which are conservative.
On the back is a black teardrop-shaped magnetic charging cradle to hold the S Pen. When I carried the Galaxy Tab S8+ around my apartment, it worked fine, but when I put it in my backpack, the S Pen fell out. It's not the most secure, but it's a convenient system for people who lose things easily.
Another highlight of the Galaxy Tab S8+ is, of course, the 12.4-inch / 2800 x 1752 dots (WQXGA+) OLED display. This display can be summed up in one word: Amazing. Bright (up to 378 nits), detailed and richly colored, this panel is so gorgeous that you'll want to revisit all your favorite movies and shows on the Galaxy Tab S8+. In addition, the high-speed drive of 120Hz renders the screen as smooth as butter.
Galaxy Tab S8+'s organic EL display is like a small organic EL TV placed on your lap. Space blacks are deep in the space sci-fi television series The Expanse, with flashing red and blue lights inside the spacecraft radiating out from the notchless screen.
However, the tablet is getting bigger in proportion to the screen, and the Galaxy Tab S8+'s size and weight of 11.2 x 7.3 x 0.2 inches / 1.25 pounds (about 0.56 kg) can be a bit unwieldy. It is impossible to operate with your thumb while holding it with both hands, making it an extremely heavy terminal to operate with one hand. The 16:10 aspect ratio is the same as the previous model, so it's perfect for watching movie content without letterboxing, but it feels cramped when using multiple windows.
Quad speakers tuned by AKG complement your listening experience. The sounds of the Expanse sailing through space were pleasing, and I could easily understand the words of the Expanse, including the Belter Creole, a collection of terrestrial languages. If you listen to Foxing's "Go Down Together" or Kanye West's "Street Lights" on YouTube Music, the highs aren't very extended and the lows don't "boom," just in the midrange. However, the playback sound was clear and loud. The only problem is that there is no earphone jack.
If you use the Galaxy Tab S8+ for work, the optional Book Cover keyboard is worth considering. The keys are small and there is no backlight, but the more I use it, the more I realize how good it is. The key touch sounds cheap and high-pitched, and the stroke is shallow. But the responsiveness, springiness of the switches, and low typing force make typing comfortable.
On a standard typing test, I got 111 words per minute, slightly better than my usual average. However, there were many mistakes, probably because the keys were small.
Apple's "Magic Keyboard" is useful because you can adjust the angle of the display. The Smart Cover, on the other hand, connects to the tablet with a magnetic pin and utilizes a non-angle-adjustable folding hinge. This fixed angle wasn't too much of an issue, but I had to change my posture every now and then to get the best angle.
The hinge has a magnetic stylus holder that holds the S Pen securely. Docking the tablet makes it virtually impossible to take out the S Pen, so you need to pull out the S Pen before that. It also has a cutout for a magnetic holder, so you can keep the S Pen attached to your tablet.
This included S Pen is amazing! Samsung says a "predictive algorithm" cuts input time from 5.6 milliseconds to 2.8 milliseconds. I had no problems with the previous S Pen, but the new model feels like writing with a physical pen. As you drag your stylus across the screen, the colors are reflected instantly. The S Pen follows even the most erratic scribbles with ease, and its flat, edgy slender shape makes it easy to hold.
On the back of the Galaxy Tab S8+ is a 13-megapixel standard camera, a 6-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a flash that can also be used as a flashlight. These cameras take Samsung's hallmark sharp, slightly saturated, smooth, SNS (social media) photos. The front-facing camera has been upgraded to a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, allowing you to capture a wide background or a second person without using a selfie stick. The video chat feature has an "auto-framing" feature that zooms in on the speaker and zooms out when someone enters the frame. In our testing, it performed similarly to Apple's "Center Stage."
The Galaxy Tab S8+'s processor is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which according to Samsung has 24% more CPU performance than its predecessor. 52% more GPU performance. In the benchmark score, the Galaxy Tab S7 + was 2850 in "Geekbench 5", while the Galaxy Tab S8 + with 8GB RAM measured 3230. In daily use, I hardly felt any sluggishness. I've hit a wall where some tabs take a long time to load with too many tabs open, but only power users encounter such problems.
In terms of battery life, the Galaxy Tab S8+ managed 9 hours and 21 minutes of video playback with the screen set to 200 nits and 120Hz. This beats the Galaxy Tab S7+'s 9 minutes and 2 seconds. In addition, when using 5G communication, it is necessary to pay attention to battery consumption. Also, the Galaxy Tab S8+ does not come with a charger.
How does DeX work to desktop your tablet? To get started, I had to install some tools. A collaboration tool (similar to Trello), Airtable is available on the Play Store and optimized for tablet screens. And all the interfaces scaled nicely and had the features I needed to get the job done. So did Slack and Google apps.
However, the Android app is not as optimized as the iOS app. For example, social media apps such as Instagram and Reddit do not work in landscape (horizontal) mode (in DeX mode they are rotated but displayed in smartphone size). Amazon's Prime Shopping app scales images to low resolution, and some apps (especially games) don't scale properly.
The apps situation on Android tablets is worse than on iPads, but not by any means terrible. Most of the apps I downloaded worked fine. Stream videos on Netflix and Prime Video, find a new apartment on Zillow and Realtor.com, and get work done via email and chat apps. Let's not forget Samsung's useful apps and the Galaxy ecosystem, like quick pairing of Galaxy Buds and copy-paste between devices.
DeX does little more than hide Android's shortcomings, but there's hope for Android 12L, the next OS for big-screen devices. Samsung told Gizmodo that it will release Android 12L to the Galaxy Tab S8 series. The OS is currently in beta and is expected to arrive early this year, and is expected to fill in the feature gaps that iPadOS lacks.
The Galaxy Tab S8+ fits right into the "want to own but can't justify buying" category. Personally, I'd buy a $1000 laptop that works and supports all apps. But the Galaxy Tab S8+ is ultra-thin, has cutting-edge specs, and has one of the most beautiful displays on the market. All in all, it's a great choice as a tablet for watching movies and playing games. You can also use DeX for work, and in some ways it's more efficient than the iPad.
However, the position of the Galaxy Tab S8+ is halfway. Those looking for the best media-viewing tablet will want the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, while those looking for a more affordable model should consider the base model (Galaxy Tab S8). Only if the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is too big or too expensive is the Galaxy Tab S8+ worth considering.