THE SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB S8 AND S8 PLUS

          

WELCOME TO THE S ECOSYSTEM WITH THE SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB S8 AND S8 PLUS 

For many years, if you've been seeking for a tablet to go with your Android phone, your options have been limited. In fact, the Android tablet industry has produced so few attractive alternatives that even many Android aficionados would advise purchasing an iPad instead.

If you buy an iPad and have an Android phone, you'll miss out on a lot of the system synergies that come with using an iPhone and an iPad together. Apps purchased on your phone must be repurchased on the tablet, system-level features like the ability to hotspot your phone from the tablet are not available, and the two devices are never seen as integrated.

That's where Samsung's new Tab S8 and S8 Plus shine, at least if you're running Samsung's version of Android. (Samsung also has a larger and more costly third tablet in the Tab S8 range, the Ultra, which I reviewed separately here.) Samsung has made headway in establishing integrations and an ecosystem of its own between its products, which may be enough of a reason to select a Samsung tablet over an iPad if you also have a Samsung phone and use Samsung wireless earphones.

That's not to claim Samsung has gone as far as Apple in terms of integrations, nor does it mean that the standard Android tablet complaints — mainly, a far smaller pool of optimized apps — don't apply. The Tab S8 and S8 Plus are similarly pricey tablets, with prices beginning at $699.99 and $899.99, respectively, before any extras such as a case or keyboard are added. They do, however, provide us a peek of an Android-first environment that we haven't seen before.

The hardware changes between the Tab S7 / S7 Plus models from 2020 and the Tab S8 models from this year are as follows:

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 CPU is a new chipset from Qualcomm.

Support for Wi-Fi 6E

Front camera with higher resolution

The rear camera's lens has been improved.

The S Pen has a lower latency.

The Tab S8 is only available with Wi-Fi; the Tab S8 Plus comes with 5G cellular connection. It's strange that this isn't consistent throughout the line.

The new tablets are visually identical to the previous ones. They share the same 11-inch 120Hz LCD or 12.4-inch 120Hz OLED panels and Dolby Atmos quad speakers. The hardware is outstanding, as previously, and either tablet gives a fantastic video viewing experience. Performance is likewise excellent, with fast responsiveness, rapid app launching, and no difficulties with "jelly scrolling." These tablets are priced and feel like luxury tablets, which is a nice thing.

I like the smaller Tab S8, which is simpler to use with one hand and more comfortable for the chores I perform on a tablet, such as reading novels or news articles. The S8 Plus' OLED screen has the edge if you want a better tablet for watching movies, albeit it lacks the punch and brightness of Apple's 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Both versions have displays with a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is more suited to laptops than tablets. When surfing webpages in landscape mode, it makes them feel cramped, and when handled in portrait mode, it makes them feel unnaturally tall.

 

The Tab S8 includes the same fingerprint scanner as the Tab S7 in its sleep/wake button, while the Tab S8 Plus has the same fingerprint scanner under the screen as the Tab S7 Plus. In my testing, both functioned perfectly, albeit neither is as smooth or quick to use as face recognition logins. (Face login is possible on both tablets, but it isn't as secure as fingerprint scanners or Apple's Face ID.) Both tablets lack a 3.5mm headphone jack and rely only on a single USB-C connector for all I/O.

A good 128GB or 256GB of built-in storage is available in both models. In addition, unlike the iPad, the Tab S8 range enables microSD card storage expansion (up to 1TB), allowing you to add extra capacity later.

Both have Samsung's S Pen pen, which has been upgraded this year to be somewhat more responsive.

I really enjoy using the S Pen, especially for capturing handwritten notes on the screen. It features a softer tip than the Apple Pencil, which lowers slipperiness while writing on glass and eliminates the need for a screen protector on the Tab S8, as I do with an iPad. It's even better that it doesn't cost an extra $129 on top of the tablet's price. I'm not an artist by any means, so if you're looking for that, I recommend watching Brad Colbow's videos on the S8 line on YouTube, but the S Pen is fantastic for writing handwritten notes, marking up screenshots, and just navigating the tablet's software throughout the day.

For charging and storage, the S Pen magnetically connects to a strip on the back of the tablet (but it will only charge if it's facing a specified angle — strange). The pen may be used as an input device without being charged; however, charging it allows you to connect it to the tablet through Bluetooth and employ other features like air gesture controls, which I've never fully grasped. The S Pen is held in place by magnets on the back of the tablet, but because the pen extends out from the rear, it's easy to knock it off in your bag. Some Samsung covers attach magnetically to the backs of the tablets and provide a cover for the S Pen.

When it comes to cases, the Tab S8 and S8 Plus provide the same options as the Tab S7. For both sizes, I was able to try out the strangely titled $139.99 / $159.99 Book Cover Keyboard Slim, which combines a folio-style with a trackpad-free keyboard. The keyboard is good — owing to pogo pins that allow it to interface with the tablet, there are no Bluetooth pairing issues or charges required — but I missed having a trackpad. It also only has one view angle, which is limited, and the back cover has a hole for the S Pen to slide through rather than a cover to hold it in place. You can remedy all three of those issues if you want to spend additional money.

Despite supporting up to 45-watt fast charging, neither the $700-plus Tab S8 nor the $900-plus Tab S8 Plus come with a charging brick in the package. Despite the fact that this is becoming more prevalent among high-end phones, these are the first tablets I've seen that don't have a charger.

Because so much of the hardware has been carried over from the previous generation, the software has seen the most advances.

Samsung is unable to address the long-standing Android issue of poorly designed apps that do not format well for larger displays, do not support keyboard shortcuts, or do not integrate well with Samsung's desktop-style Dex software mode. As a result, Samsung has focused its efforts on optimizing its own apps and ensuring that the Tab S8 and S8 Plus work well with Samsung phones.

 

Many of the features created by Samsung will be recognizable to iPhone and iPad users. From the Tab S8's settings menu, I was able to turn on the mobile hotspot function of my Galaxy Z Fold 3; the Galaxy Buds Pro in my ears immediately switched between the Tab S8 and my Fold 3 depending on which device was playing music. Samsung has even created its own version of Apple's Handoff function, which allows you to continue using an app on a different device, but it's still restricted to Samsung's browser and notes applications and doesn't work with any third-party apps.

You can use the Tab S8 models as external screens if you have a Windows PC, exactly as Apple's Sidecar functionality. The keyboard cover may be used with several devices, albeit moving between them requires Bluetooth pairing and isn't as smooth as Apple's new Universal Control function.

 

Samsung's own products, such as the Internet, the company's browser, have been adapted for bigger screens. Tabs and history are readily synchronized between your phone and tablet, and the browser loads and works well with desktop webpages on the tablet. I ended up spending a lot of time on the app store since so few of the Android apps I use on a regular basis have been designed to perform properly on a tablet screen.

 

However, I believe that the Tab S8 and S8 Plus's current cost is the largest roadblock. These are high-end tablets with hefty price tags, especially when accessories are included. Samsung will most likely release some more reasonably priced tablets to replace some of its older models, and it has been good about releasing software updates to bring some of these new features to existing devices, though when I asked about future updates, a company spokesperson declined to comment.

 

For now, if you want a fantastic Android tablet experience without having to deal with dual-platform issues, the Tab S8 or S8 Plus is about as good as it gets.