Samsung's Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra notch is now '100% certain'
High-end Android tablets are probably still not popular enough for many prospective buyers to have been impacted by this, but if you're in that minority, you surely noticed Samsung didn't release a single proper iPad Pro alternative in 2021.
No, the upper mid-range Galaxy Tab S7 FE does not count, and no, the Galaxy Tab S8 family will not be formally unveiled in the six weeks or so left in this year. Following in the footsteps of the August 2020-released Galaxy Tab S7 duo, the upgraded and expanded flagship trio has been widely expected to go official in 2022 for several months now.
Despite that and the fact a January or even February debut is by no means guaranteed at the moment, we already know pretty much everything there is to know about the Tab S8, Tab S8+, and Tab S8 Ultra. We're talking full spec sheets and every little design detail, although one aesthetic element caused quite a bit of a stir and a general atmosphere of skepticism among certain hardcore Samsung fans when Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra renders leaked out last month.
One notch, two cameras, plenty of bezel all around
If you didn't trust Steve Hemmerstoffer, aka @OnLeaks, you might be interested to know that Ice Universe, aka @UniverseIce, is firmly in the notch camp, going so far as to predict the divisive design will happen with "100% certainty."
While no Twitter tipster is infallible, the odds of something like this not materializing after two of the most reliable ones out there point in the same direction with such a high degree of confidence are extremely close to zero.
Previously leaked Tab S8 Ultra renders
That being said, it's probably wise not to view the latest render shared by Ice Universe with his followers as something more accurate than a mere concept... based on presumably rock-solid factory CAD images revealed earlier and a bunch of other inside information independently corroborated by multiple sources.
The unusual (for such a large Android device) screen cutout will reportedly house not one but two front-facing cameras, which may explain why Samsung opted for this... controversial design direction in favor of the sleeker, trendier, and more widely accepted hole punch approach.
The dual selfie shooter system is expected to include a dedicated ultra-wide-angle lens and support 4K video recording at 60fps among many undoubtedly great things and premium features. The Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, which is clearly one of the best tablets to buy right now if for some reason you don't want an iPad Pro or iPad Air, only comes with one 8MP front-facing snapper capable of shooting 1080p video at 30fps, as well as a set of good old fashioned bezels.
Impressive specs, hard-to-swallow price
Technically, the screen borders will not go away entirely on the Tab S8 Ultra, let alone the Tab S8 and S8+, both of which are expected to take the conventional design route, with no cutouts or holes drilled into their 11 and 12.4-inch displays respectively.
Even if you're not fluent in Korean, the state-of-the-art Tab S8 series specs are fairly easy to understand
The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, mind you, is likely to measure a gargantuan 14.6 inches in screen diagonal while packing a fittingly huge 12,000mAh battery and up to 12 gigs of RAM paired with a maximum of 512GB internal storage space.
The Galaxy Tab S8 series is tipped to offer 120Hz display refresh rate support, 45W charging capabilities, and dual rear-facing cameras across the board, not to mention optional 4G LTE and 5G connectivity.
Unless you like to light cigars with hundred-dollar bills, it's probably smart not to think about how much the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra could cost, especially in a 5G-enabled variant. Instead, let's just keep all our fingers crossed for an announcement alongside the Galaxy S21 FE or S22 lineup in early 2022 and no production delays caused by chip shortages.
Things that are NOT allowed: