If you're really into Android tablets, take issue with the industry's general consensus that not even the best of the best can replace a traditional laptop, and also have a lot of money to spare, Samsung's most exciting impending product for you might not be the Galaxy S22 Ultra right now.
The 11-inch Tab S8, 12.4-inch S8+, and 14.6-inch (!!!) S8 Ultra are expected to finally see daylight sometime in early 2022 after already spending more than six months going through the rumor grinder.
For those of you who don't remember, one of the very first substantial (and credible) leaks essentially revealed all of the key specs of the three as-yet-unannounced slates, with most of the information concerning the largest member of the trio gaining traction today thanks to the almost always reliable folks over at SamMobile.
Take that, Apple!
Even the most hardcore Android fans must face the truth - none of the best Samsung tablets available today can come close to the raw power and virtually flawless user experience provided by this year's 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Of course, one of the reasons for that is 2021's absence of a Galaxy Tab S7+ sequel. Then again, many would argue the 2020-released 12.4-inch Android beast was no match for the previous-generation iPad Pro 12.9 either, but the ultra-high-end tablet landscape could be transformed in just a few months.
That's because the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is all but guaranteed to pack Qualcomm's new state-of-the-art Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, which looks mighty powerful in early benchmarks, while somehow squeezing a gargantuan 11,200mAh battery with blazing fast 45W charging support into an undoubtedly premium body measuring an incredibly svelte 5.5mm in depth.
The notched (ugh) 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display should sport a "WQXGA+" resolution of around 3000 x 1800 pixels, and under the hood of the Tab S8 Ultra, you'll find up to 16 (!!!) gigs of RAM paired with as much as 512GB storage space.
Somewhat unusually for a tablet (especially one as big as this bad boy), the cameras could be a key area of the marketing focus as well, with two different 12MP units located on the front and a primary 13MP rear-facing shooter doubled by a 6MP ultra-wide-angle lens.
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Obviously, specs are not everything when aiming for Apple's jugular in a market so comfortably dominated by the Cupertino tech giant for so long, which is why Samsung also plans to vastly improve DeX functionality, load Android 12 with One UI 4.1 on top, and of course, sell the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra alongside a magnetically attaching S Pen as standard.
How expensive will the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra 5G be?
That, our friends, is the million-dollar question, and while we certainly don't expect the price point to reach a million bucks, we would genuinely rather think about anything other than the possible MSRP of this colossus with built-in 5G connectivity and a 16GB RAM count.
As for an entry-level Wi-Fi-only configuration combining a "modest" 8 gigs of memory with 128GB storage, we actually have reason to be slightly more optimistic than all the way back in May.
Specifically, the non-5G-enabled Tab S8 Ultra is likely to start at the rough equivalent of close to $1,200 in South Korea, which is... still pretty scary. On the bright side, that's not a lot higher than the base regional price of the vastly inferior Galaxy Tab S7+, which normally retails at $850 and up stateside.
That means there's a decent chance the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra could start at (slightly) less than $1,000 in the US, thus undercutting the $1,099 and up iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) by at least $100. Still, it remains to be seen if there's actually a market for such objectively expensive Android slates... with optional keyboards and everything else.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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