Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra vs. iPad Pro: Which flagship tablet is best for you?

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra vs. iPad Pro: Which flagship tablet is best for yous?

(Epitome credit: Future)

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra vs. iPad Pro debate is ane Samsung conspicuously wanted to start, considering the S8 Ultra appears designed to compete toe-to-toe with Apple's best iPads and maybe even serve as a laptop replacement.

The clearest indicator is the Ultra's remarkably large fourteen.six-inch AMOLED display, which is the biggest nosotros've ever seen on a Samsung tablet — and noticeably larger than the screens on either the 11-inch iPad Pro or the 12.nine-inch iPad Pro.

But size isn't everything. Apple's 2021 iPad Pros are some of the best tablets you can buy for good reason: they're the most powerful iPads on the marketplace, with features that make them compelling for both consuming and creating content.

So how do Apple's premium tablets stack up against Samsung's latest flagship Android tablet? Read on to find out!

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra vs. iPad Pro: Specs

	Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra	11-inch iPad Pro 2021	12.9-inch iPad Pro 2021
Starting cost	$1,099	$799	$ane,099
Brandish	14.half-dozen inch (2960 x 1848) Super AMOLED, 120Hz	11 inches (2388 x 1668 pixels)	12.9 inches (2732 x 2048 pixels) mini-LED
Processor	Snapdragon 8 Gen i	M1 (16-core)	M1 (16-core)
Storage	128GB, 256GB, 512GB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
Retentiveness	8GB, 12GB, 16GB	8GB (128GB - 512GB storage models), 16GB (1TB-2TB storage models)	8GB (128GB - 512GB storage models), 16GB (1TB-2TB storage models)
Rear Cameras	13MP, 6MP ultra-wide	12MP wide (f/1.8), x-MP ultra-broad (f/ii.four)	12MP wide (f/ane.8), 10-MP ultra-wide (f/2.iv)
Front Cameras	12MP	12MP TrueDepth	12MP TrueDepth
Port	USB-C w/ DisplayPort out	USB-C with Thunderbolt, USB-4	USB-C with Thunderbolt, USB-4
Accessories	S Pen stylus (included), Book Cover Keyboard	Magic Keyboard, Apple Pencil (gen 1 & two)	Magic Keyboard, Apple tree Pencil (gen 1 & two)
Battery life	Up to 15 hours (claimed)	xiii:42	10:48
Connectivity	WiFi 6E (2.iv/v/6GHz), Bluetooth v5.2	Wi-Fi 6, optional 5G	Wi-Fi 6, optional 5G
Dimensions	12.85 x eight.21 x 0.22 inches	9.74 x 7.02 10 0.23 inches	11.04 x 8.46 x 0.25 inches
Weight	1.four pounds	1.04 pounds	1.51 pounds

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra vs. iPad Pro: Price

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is is available for pre-order correct now, though it won't officially launch until Feb 25. With a starting price of $1,099 it'southward quite pricey for an Android tablet, competing directly with the larger, more expensive iPad Pro 2021.

The entry-level Tab S8 Ultra comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, only Samsung is also selling two upgraded models: one with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage for $ane,119, the other with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage for $1,399.

Samsung sells a backlit detachable keyboard for the Milky way Tab S8 Ultra, simply it costs about $350. (Image credit: Tom'south Guide)

Here again Samsung seems to be setting upward the S8 Ultra to compete straight with the iPad Pro. Apple'southward 11-inch iPad Pro 2021 starts at $799, while the 12.nine-inch version has a starting price of $1,099. You can pay extra for more storage or the option to have cellular connectivity in addition to Wi-Fi, upward to a maximum price of $2,099 for the xi-inch iPad Pro 2021 and $2,399 for the 12.9-inch model.

So while the ceiling of what you'll pay for an iPad Pro is much college than what you can (currently) pay for a Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, yous can also get more storage, as the iPad Pro tops out at 2TB of space whereas the Ultra's maximum onboard storage is 512GB. However, Samsung'southward tablet has a microSD card slot that lets you lot slot in up to a 1TB microSD memory menu for extra storage.

The 2021 iPad Pros are great for digital art creation, merely you lot'll accept to pay extra for ane of Apple'southward Magic Pencil stylii. (Epitome credit: Apple)

If y'all're thinking almost using one of these tablets to go some writing washed, know that the Magic Keyboard adds $299 to the eleven.ix-inch iPad Pro price and $349 to the 12.9-inch model, while the Book Embrace Keyboard for the Tab S8 Ultra costs $349 too. If you're more interested in doodling, the Apple Pencil costs $129, whereas Samsung includes an S Pen stylus for free with the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra vs. iPad Pro: Design

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is the biggest Android tablet Samsung'due south always fabricated, measuring 12.85 x 8.21 x 0.22 inches and weighing one.iv pounds. At but over 0.2 inches thin it'south remarkably trim, though property the tablet with one hand tin can be tricky due to the big display.

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is remarkably large, and may be difficult to hold in one hand for some folks. (Prototype credit: Tom'due south Guide)

In addition to a connector for the (optional) detachable keyboard, the S8 Ultra has a USB-C port for charging and hooking upward accessories. Sadly at that place'due south no headphone jack, so you're stuck using Bluetooth headphones if you desire to do some listening in individual. Of course, the iPad Pros also lack a headphone jack.

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is both thicker and heavier than Samsung's new flagship tablet. (Image credit: Tom's Guide/Henry T. Casey)

Remarkably, the Tab S8 Ultra is both lighter and thinner than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro despite being a larger tablet. However, Apple's eleven-inch Pro is smaller and lighter than Samsung'due south beefy Android tablet, so if you desire the smallest and lightest option y'all might desire to consider the 11-inch iPad Pro.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra vs. iPad Pro: Display

Samsung's Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra sports a massive 14.6-inch (2960x1848) AMOLED display with up to a 120Hz refresh charge per unit. This is significantly larger than the 11-inch or 12.nine-inch displays bachelor on the 2021 iPad Pros. The Tab S8 Ultra'south display also has a higher resolution than that of the 11-inch iPad Pro but it can't match the larger iPad Pro's Liquid Retina XDR (2732 x 2048 pixels) mini-LED console.

(Paradigm credit: Tom'due south Guide)

The remarkably big screen on the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra should mean it's well-suited for utilize as a digital canvass, and having a stylus included with every tablet ensures everyone will accept the chance to utilise it as one. Even if you just want to stare at it, the fact that information technology's AMOLED should ensure that videos, games, and other streaming media should await great on the Ultra's display.

During our hands-on time with it nosotros found the screen to exist more than reflective than nosotros'd like, but it produces a bright and vivid moving picture, and scrolling felt smooth. Plus, at that place's a fingerprint reader built into the Tab S8 Ultra's display for added security.

The 12.nine-inch iPad Pro's mini-LED display looks gorgeous in person. (Image credit: Tom's Guide/Henry T. Casey)

How it stacks up against the iPad Pro'southward brandish depends on which iPad you compare it against. The Tab S8 Ultra's display is bigger and better than the 11-inch LCD screen on the 11-inch iPad Pro, though the iPad's screen looks keen in person.

However, the mini-LED display that'southward unique (at to the lowest degree amid iPads) to the larger 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2021 still has the edge over the screen on Samsung'southward new flagship tablet. Information technology's slightly college-res than the S8 Ultra, but more chiefly, the fact that it's mini-LED means the larger Pro can get much brighter than most tablets. Y'all might non notice the difference, especially if you're watching not-HDR content, but until we put the S8 Ultra through our suite of display tests we can't say information technology'south better than what'southward on the 12.nine-inch iPad Pro — just bigger.

Samsung Milky way Tab S8 Ultra vs. iPad Pro: Functioning

We haven't even so had a run a risk to benchmark the Samsung Milky way Tab S8 Ultra and its Snapdragon 8 Gen i processor, so we can't say for sure how performant it is. However, given that yous can order a model with up to 16GB of RAM, it seems likely that the Ultra volition exist more than speedy enough for whatever y'all choose to throw at information technology.

Apple's M1 chip makes the 2021 iPad Pros feel lightning-fast, even while multitasking. (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

However, that doesn't mean information technology'll speed past Apple's iPad Pros. Remember, these are the commencement iPads to be powered by Apple tree's remarkable M1 flake, a bespoke bit of silicon that blew by our expectations in terms of performance and ability efficiency.

In our hands-on testing, we couldn't launch apps fast enough to slow downwards the iPad Pros. To give you a quantitative sense of how they perform relative to other tablets, the 12.9 inch and 11-inch Pros earned scores of 7,298 and vii,293 (respectively) in the Geekbench 5 performance test.  The Galaxy Tab S7 Plus with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ chip, by comparison, landed a much lower ii,910.

So while we hope to see some blazing-fast functioning out of the S8 Ultra, information technology's not likely to peak the outstanding speeds of Apple's iPads.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra vs. iPad Pro: Cameras

The Tab S8 Ultra comes with some impressive cameras for an Android tablet. On the forepart y'all'll find 2 12MP cameras capable of shooting normal and ultrawide shots, while the dorsum has a pair of 13MP and 6MP (ultrawide) cameras.

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra's cameras shoot some impressive wide shots (Paradigm credit: Tom'southward Guide)

Samsung claims the Tab S8 Ultra'south auto-framing applied science will automatically go on y'all in focus during calls, while also zooming in or out to include new participants as they bring together you. Pair that with three mics packing noise counterfoil software, and the S8 Ultra seems similar a great tablet for conducting video calls.

Auto-framing tech like Apples's Center Stage (seen here) can make video calls feel much more dynamic. (Image credit: Tom's Guide/Henry T. Casey)

For comparison, the iPad Pro has a 12MP ultrawide photographic camera on the front end and 12MP primary and 10MP ultrawide cameras on the back. The iPad Pro was also one of the first iPads to support Centre Stage, Apple's own auto-framing feature which causes the front-facing camera to automatically recognize, track, and dynamically zoom in/out on speakers as they enter and leave the frame.

Apple tree'southward iPad Pros make you sound pretty good on video calls since they sport five mics in full: three up top near the front-facing camera, and two on the sides for better coverage.

Then while we won't know for sure how expert the S8 Ultra'southward cameras are until we put them to the test, it's pretty clear that they should be at least competitive -- and potentially better -- than the cameras on the iPad Pros. However, the iPads have more microphones and may make you audio improve on video than the S8 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra vs. iPad Pro: Bombardment

While nosotros won't know for sure how long the S8 Ultra lasts on a single accuse until we put ane through our battery test, Samsung claims its 11,200 mAh battery tin can power the tablet for up to 15 hours. It also supports 45W fast charging that the company says tin can charge the tablet to 100% in 80 minutes -- and more intriguingly, it can charge other devices that you plug into it.

Neither of Apple's iPad Pros offer the aforementioned feature. However, they do deliver pretty keen bombardment life: the smaller xi-inch Pro lasted an impressive thirteen hours and 42 minutes in our battery test, whereas the larger model lasted 10 hours and 48 minutes.

While we don't yet know how long the S8 Ultra volition final, we exercise know that it has a bigger battery than final year's Galaxy Tab S7. Given that the S7 delivered improve bombardment life (xiii:16) than the 12.nine-inch iPad Pro, information technology's quite likely the S8 Ultra will prove a bit more power-efficient than Apple's beefiest iPad.

Samsung Milky way Tab S8 Ultra vs. iPad Pro: Outlook

Until we finish testing and reviewing the Tab S8 Ultra, we tin can't say for sure how well it performs vs. Apple tree'due south flagship tablets. But nosotros tin can say that it offers some compelling arguments for buying one over an iPad.

Most notably, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra gives you more than screen real estate than the largest iPad Pro, and with a stylus included (shame on Apple for never offer the same convenience) the Ultra is a compelling tablet for artists and annotation-takers right out of the box. If you're willing to splurge for Samsung'southward $350 Volume Cover Keyboard (included gratuitous with S8 Ultra pre-orders for a limited fourth dimension), the Ultra has the chops to exist an effective laptop/tablet hybrid. And if you already ain some Samsung Galaxy devices, their interoperability will requite the S8 Ultra some added value.

Notwithstanding, Apple tree's iPad Pros are withal the all-time iPads on the market, and unless y'all're a diehard Android fan you'll go plenty of use out of them. The larger 12.9-inch Pro's centre-catching mini-LED brandish may not exist as big every bit that on the S8 Ultra, but it's higher-res and capable of achieving much higher brightness levels, making information technology ideal for folks who prize epitome quality or work in photo/video editing.

And while the 11-inch Pro'southward screen isn't most as nice, information technology does deliver remarkable 13+ hour battery life in a frame that's smaller, lighter, and easier to hold than the Tab S8 Ultra.

Alex Wawro is a lifelong tech and games enthusiast with more than a decade of experience roofing both for outlets like Game Developer, Black Hat, and PC Earth magazine. He currently serves as a senior editor at Tom'south Guide covering all things computing, from laptops and desktops to keyboards and mice.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/face-off/samsung-galaxy-tab-s8-ultra-vs-ipad-pro-which-flagship-tablet-is-best-for-you

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