Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus
MSRP $900.00
“The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ is the very best Android pill you should purchase. The one factor holding it again is software program, and that is principally not Samsung’s fault.”
Execs
- Highly effective
- Lovely {hardware}
- Attractive show
- Nice audio system
- Productiveness powerhouse
Cons
- Keyboard case not included
- Some software program bother
Android tablets have gotten a foul rap up till now, largely as a result of neither Google nor builders appeared to care a lot about them. However there’s one firm that does care about them — Samsung. Very like the smartphone market, Samsung has arrange store because the go-to pill maker with regards to high-end premium Android tablets. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 tablets are Samsung’s newest makes an attempt at making nice Android tablets.
Pricey reader, Samsung is there. However the pill isn’t excellent, and solely a few of that’s Samsung’s fault. I’ve been utilizing the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus as my solely pill for 3 weeks, and that is my full evaluation.
{Hardware}, show, and design
One of many excessive factors of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ is the design and construct high quality. Put merely, this pill is completely attractive. The 12.4-inch display screen is expansive with small, however noticeable bezels throughout which can be excellent for holding the pill. The Armor Aluminum body is sturdy and exudes a premium really feel. Across the edges, in panorama orientation, you’ll discover audio system prime and backside on either side, an influence button and quantity rocker on the highest together with the SIM and SD card tray, and a USB-C Charging and knowledge port on the suitable. On the again, there’s a digital camera housing that extends a lot of the manner throughout the again of the pill. That is the place you may magnetically retailer and cost the included S Pen.
The pill may be very skinny at simply 5.7mm and weighs simply 567 grams. My evaluation unit is the Wi-Fi solely mannequin; the 5G mannequin is heavier at 572 grams. These specs don’t embody the burden of the keyboard case or the S Pen. On the within, you get a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, 128GB of on-board storage, and 8GB of RAM. The pill is powered by a ten,090 mAh battery that may be charged at 45 watts if Samsung bothered to ship a charger within the field.
General, the design of this pill simply exudes a premium really feel.
The show is a stupendous 12.4-inch, 120Hz AMOLED panel with a decision of 1752 x 2800. It has actually sharp distinction and colour copy. It’s lined in Gorilla Glass 5 and gives nice viewing angles. The display screen additionally holds a fingerprint sensor situated on the suitable facet (sorry southpaws) when the pill is in panorama orientation.
The 16:10 facet ratio is nice for video consumption, however slightly on the quick facet for some duties. My Lenovo Legion 5i has the identical facet ratio, however its 16-inch display screen is better-suited to work-related duties. For a display screen this small, I’d prefer to see one thing shut to three:2, however that’s my solely criticism.
General, the design of this pill simply exudes a premium really feel. From the thinness, to the construct supplies, to the display screen, it is a pill that enterprise professionals could be proud to tug out of their briefcase. It’s a house run.
Keyboard cowl and S Pen
Together with the pill, you get an S Pen, and my evaluation unit included the e-book cowl with keyboard that prices an additional $160. That’s a disgrace, and we’ll speak concerning the e-book cowl first. Put merely, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ is absolutely solely an awesome work PC-replacement with the keyboard cowl. The keys are slim and have good journey. The buttons usually are not mushy. The keyboard structure is superior with nice pitch between the keys. The keyboard is plastic, so in case you’re typing on a floor that isn’t flat, there’s lots of flex. That might make it arduous to sort in your lap. The keyboard cowl additionally solely holds the pill at a single angle; it’s not adjustable.
The pogo pins on the underside of the pill snap magnetically into the keyboard case and routinely launch Samsung Dex, which we’ll get into within the subsequent part. There’s nothing distinctive concerning the keyboard; it’s good however not nice. Mix that with its necessity in a pill this premium, and there’s merely no purpose why the keyboard shouldn’t be shipped within the field. Even in case you added $100 to the value of the pill to do it, it might be value it.
I’ll level out how candy it’s that the S Pen from my Galaxy S22 Extremely additionally works on this pill.
The S Pen is a good system that’s simple to carry and write with. It’s very responsive with minimal latency. It’s nice for every little thing from drawing cartoons rtoselecting textual content. Writing is clean, however Samsung appears to have bother translating my rooster scratch into textual content. Granted, my handwriting is horrible, however Apple’s Scribble doesn’t have practically the quantity of bother recognizing my writing.
I’ll level out how candy it’s that the S Pen from my Galaxy S22 Extremely additionally works on this pill. That’s actually not one thing Samsung needed to embody, but it surely did and I admire it.
Software program
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ works on Android 12, and I used Samsung DeX more often than not. Samsung DeX mainly Window-fies your Android pill by including a system tray with notifications within the bottom-right nook and a dock displaying your lively apps throughout the underside of the display screen. Sound acquainted? When you’re pondering it feels like a desktop working system, you’re right.
DeX additionally permits you to use apps in resizable home windows, that means you will get some actually arduous ore multitasking executed. I used the Galaxy Tab S8+ as my work machine for 3 days throughout my testing interval, and it labored nice. I used to be capable of write, videoconference with my workforce, edit articles, and transfer duties by Asana with ease. At instances, I forgot I used to be engaged on an Android pill.
The shortcomings that I discover within the software program usually are not even Samsung’s fault. Asana, the duty administration service we use at Digital Traits, works nice as an internet interface, however is a little bit of a dumpster hearth as a cellular app. Happily, I’m capable of request the desktop website in Chrome to get again to the workflow I do know and love.
The 1Password app simply flat-out gained’t run in DeX mode for some purpose. This turns into a little bit of a chore because it’s my major password supervisor, so I discovered myself having to swap again to pill mode simply lengthy sufficient to repeat and paste a password earlier than switching again to DeX mode.
All of those inconveniences level out the clear and apparent flaw within the Galaxy Tab S8+. It’s an Android pill, and if you end up unconsciously nodding proper now, I don’t blame you. The very fact of the matter is that many apps emulate Asana and 1Password within the Android world. Some apps are completely nice, don’t get me improper. However as for the remainder, they both don’t work properly or, in identical circumstances, they don’t work in any respect. This isn’t Samsung’s fault per se. Certainly, there’s little Samsung can do about any of this, which implies all it might probably do it smile and shrug.
In skilled sports activities, one of many worst issues a corporation can do to its followers is say, “I don’t know,” as in “I don’t know why that ball that was clearly a strike was known as a ball” or “I don’t know why the referee missed that decision.” I don’t know why 1Password doesn’t work in Dex mode. That’s not nice, however I really feel like I’m harping, so I’ll transfer on.
Digicam and audio
On a pill, the one cameras that rely are the front-facing cameras for videoconferencing. On the again are two cameras. There’s a 13-megapixel fundamental digital camera and 6 MP ultrawide digital camera. I don’t advise you employ them for something however doc scanning, and even then, provided that you’re determined. It’s not as a result of they’re dangerous; they’re nice. However you may have a cellphone in your pocket. Use it. All the identical, I swallowed my satisfaction and snapped a couple of pictures under.
The front-facing digital camera is a 12MP 120-degree ultrawide digital camera that appears actually good throughout video conferences. The extensive area of view captures loads of background. The auto framing that Samsung dropped at its telephones is right here, and it’s good, however aggressive. The digital camera pans on the slightest motion, which is what it’s purported to do in fact. I’d most likely desire only a bit of additional smoothing on that pan to make it look crisp, however individuals I videoconferenced with had no complaints.
Efficiency, safety, and battery
On the efficiency finish, the pill performs like a champ. Samsung had a little bit of a mud up with Geekbench of late, however the app nonetheless works. I ran a couple of different benchmark assessments and the outcomes are under:
- Geekbench single core: 1,205
- Geekbench multi-core:3,258
- Geekbench OpenCL: 5,839
- 3DMark Wild Life: 8,605 (Common body fee 51.50)
- GFX T-Rex Take a look at: 6,693 frames
Battery life is superb on the pill. I usually ended most full workdays with 20% to 25% left within the tank. A workday for me consists of music streaming, video streaming, videoconferencing, internet browsing, and any variety of texts, chats, and emails to answer. I by no means had bother getting although a day and even had some left for video watching or studying at evening.
Different options
There are two different options that this pill comes with which can be noteworthy. The primary is the flexibility to make use of the pill as a second display screen in your Home windows laptop computer. That is just like many wi-fi shows you will have used up to now.
Personally, I’ve beforehand used a free app known as Spacedesk that suited me simply nice. I related it to a 10-inch pill and used it to dock a Netflix window or a YouTube music participant. The display screen was actually too small for it to be actually helpful as a second display screen, but it surely was a pleasant place to tuck away a window the place it was simply accessible. This was a protracted anecdote meant to inform you that the identical is mainly true right here. Even with a 12.4-inch display screen, I discovered the display screen area simply too small to perform lots of work. Additionally connectivity was spotty. This function isn’t executed baking but.
Then again, utilizing your Galaxy S22 Extremely as a companion to drawing apps on the Galaxy Tab S8+ works fairly properly. You first join your cellphone to the pill utilizing a QR code, and from there you may choose instruments, colours, and extra in your cellphone. It’s neat, however there are a few drawbacks.
Utilizing your Galaxy S22 Extremely as a companion to drawing apps on the Galaxy Tab S8+ works fairly properly.
The one app the place that performance exists is in Clip Studio Paint, which isn’t an excellent app. I’m not an artist — I’ve pals for that — however Clip Studio Paint was troublesome to log into, and the drawing expertise was simply okay. Plus, once I use my cellphone as a toolbox/colour picker, the instruments are nonetheless on the display screen of the pill which defeats the aim of utilizing the cellphone. Not all of the instruments are selectable on the cellphone. General, it’s an attention-grabbing, however half-baked answer.
Laptop computer alternative?
The massive query right here is whether or not or not you should use this pill as a laptop computer alternative. They reply isn’t actually clear. The {hardware} is definitely not missing. Once more, I would like a taller display screen simply due to how Digital Traits’ CMS works, however I used to be capable of write and edit tales with no downside. Additionally, I used to be capable of full a number of workdays utilizing solely this pill. That’s not insignificant.
These days didn’t embody the necessity to do any picture modifying although. I nonetheless haven’t discovered an awesome app for picture modifying for Android, nor have I discovered a superb one for multi-track audio modifying. Therein lies the issue. This pill is greater than highly effective sufficient to do the work I would like it to do, however the software program isn’t there but.
Pricing and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ is offered to buy at present at Samsung.com, Finest Purchase, and Amazon. It retails for $900.
Our take
This is without doubt one of the greatest Android tablets you should purchase, but it surely has a worth to match. It’s dwarfed in measurement, worth, and value by its bigger sibling, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Extremely, however the Tab S8+ is within the Goldilocks zone of computing tablets. It’s not too small and never too massive. It’s massive sufficient to do your work, and sufficiently small to suit simply right into a bag. Sure, it’s costly, but it surely comes with a lot functionality that in case you are an Android fan, and particularly in case you’re a Samsung fan, you may simply select this over a comparably priced laptop computer with out lacking a beat.
It’s not excellent, but it surely’s very shut. If Samsung shipped the keyboard that I’m utilizing to write down this evaluation within the field, it’s a strong 10. Because it stands, I’ve to present it a 9 as a result of with out the keyboard, the usability drops precipitously. Then again, when you’ve got an awesome Bluetooth keyboard that you just love, this pill will pair very properly to it. DeX is excellent at mimicking a desktop computing expertise. If the remainder of the software program not made by Samsung ever catches up, laptop computer makers may begin to sweat.
Is there a greater various?
When you’re on the lookout for higher Android tablets, the Tab S8 Extremely is the one one. When you don’t care about Android, the Apple iPad Professional provides you with an identical expertise, however the desktop computing expertise isn’t good in any respect. In order for you Android however not Samsung, you’re out of luck. That is the very best Android pill you should purchase. Actually, given a selection between the Galaxy Tab S8 Extremely, and this one, I’ll most likely take this one as a result of it’s just a bit bit extra transportable.
How lengthy will it final?
This pill may be very well-built, however like all tablets, it’s important to get a case. It may be the keyboard cowl I acquired with my evaluation unit, or any variety of different circumstances that may preserve this soccer field-sized piece of glass secure. When you do, this pill ought to final you a very long time. It’ll final at the least so long as the software program does. Samsung guarantees three years of OS updates and 4 years of safety updates.
Must you purchase it?
Sure, assuming you want it. When you’re on the lookout for a content material shopper or a Netflix field, there are any variety of tablets that may match that invoice for much much less cash. However in order for you a pill that may work and play with you, and also you need it to be Android, that is the very best there’s.
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