Everything You Need to Know About the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra

When it comes to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, you can’t help but feel like you’re getting what you pay for – and then some. From its outstanding camera to its slick stylus technology, this 8-inch tablet sets the bar high when it comes to entertainment, productivity, and versatility alike. But how does it stack up against other tablets on the market? Read on to find out everything you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra!

What’s Included in the Box

The contents of your box will vary depending on which device you buy and where you buy it. Most major retailers offer some sort of introductory package, with a few goodies in there. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 comes with an AC wall adapter, a microUSB cable for charging and data transfers, as well as earbuds with inline microphone for phone calls. All cords can be used across all devices made by Samsung so if you have any other products by them, they’ll work here too!

The box is certainly not a simple thing of beauty, but it has a lot of little niceties that might just make your life easier. For example, on one side, you’ll find pictures and examples of what other cases are available for your device so you can plan out your accessories before you go shopping. There’s also instructions for setting up and using your tablet as well as all sorts of product information, including where to find support if you run into trouble.

Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is designed as a large-screen tablet with a battery life and size to match. The 8 screen is especially impressive given its 2,560 x 1,600 resolution. At 312 pixels per inch (ppi), it offers a very crisp, clear image that you won’t find anywhere else in the market. The tablet comes in three colors—white, black and brown—so you can choose whichever best suits your tastes or needs. It also has two cameras on board: an 8MP rear camera and a 3.7MP front camera for video chatting. With these specs, you can expect high-quality images every time you snap a photo of yourself or others around you.

The battery life on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S is designed to offer up to 10 hours of continuous use on a single charge. That makes it particularly good for people who are always on-the-go, since you won’t have to worry about finding an outlet whenever your tablet is running low on power.

Design

The phone has a design that’s kind of bland. It doesn’t have any cool colors or interesting designs, like other smartphones might. So if you’re looking for a phone with an exceptional design, you might want to look somewhere else. On top of that, it can be hard to hold because it has such a large screen; in addition, it doesn’t feel sturdy in your hand and could break easily if dropped or thrown around.

The speakers, on top of being really easy to cover up when holding and using your phone, are also very quiet. You can barely hear them. In addition, there isn’t much of a bezel around the edge of your screen for you to grip onto, which makes it hard for you to hold onto when using it without accidentally touching your screen and activating something.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra Software and User Interface

The Galaxy Tab S8’s software is pretty much what you would expect. It runs Android 5.0 Lollipop and has all of Google’s apps pre-installed, though these can be uninstalled if you prefer not to use them. The touchscreen is sensitive enough, but it can sometimes be a little too quick, like when trying to turn pages on an e-book; luckily there are settings that let you adjust things so they respond more slowly or quickly.

Overall, we found navigating around easy enough and were impressed with how smooth everything ran. One thing we did notice was that some of our taps didn’t register at first—we had to tap twice for something to happen—but after using it for a while we got used to it. Overall, though, using the Tab S8 was fun and easy. We really liked its default user interface (UI), which shows large tiles instead of a lot of different icons in different folders. We also loved being able to see previews of recently used apps, contacts, emails, etc., without having to open each one individually. This made switching between tasks very fast and seamless; in fact, we often forgot where we left off because there wasn’t anything visually obvious about where one task ended and another began.

Screen Quality

The tablet is well-built, boasting a durable Gorilla Glass 6 screen, which makes it easy to clean and provides you with peace of mind. Some previous Samsung devices suffered from touchscreen issues after being exposed to water or dropped too many times, but I’ve had my Tab S8 for several months now and haven’t experienced any durability issues yet. I love how sensitive it is—even if your hands are covered in oil or lotion, it rarely fails you!

The screen, which has a 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution at 264 PPI, is bright and sharp, but not too sharp. It’s easy on your eyes even if you read or watch something for several hours. What I like best about it is that it’s set up so you can use it while holding it either vertically or horizontally—it rotates automatically depending on how you pick it up.

The 8 display is big enough that you can watch movies and shows without squinting, but not so large that it’s hard to hold.

It also comes with an s-pen, which I love using for drawing or writing.

Performance and Benchmarks

The 8.4-inch display on Galaxy Tab S is sharp and crisp, and comes with an anti-reflective coating that significantly reduces reflections from sunlight or overhead lighting when you’re watching a movie in a brightly lit room. It’s also got an 8MP camera, which does a good job in most situations. Photos are sharper than most other tablet cameras I’ve used. There’s even a flash if you need it. Video recording is limited to 1080p at 30fps.

The tablet comes with 64GB of onboard storage, which is expandable using a microSD card up to 128GB. If you use your tablet for multimedia, you’ll be happy with its stereo front-facing speakers, which deliver clear audio that doesn’t get muffled when you hold it in landscape mode or lay it flat on a table. The volume isn’t as loud as I’d like and doesn’t get quite as loud as some other tablets.

Final Thoughts & Alternatives

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8’s direct competitors are other top-tier tablets, including Google’s Nexus 9 and Apple’s iPad Air 2. The price is a little high for a tablet, but if you’re willing to pay more for an excellent screen and performance—the ability to edit video in 4K resolution alone makes it worth a look—this is a great buy.