Starting at $700, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S8 tablet is clearly geared toward professional use. But can it compete with Apple’s iPad lineup? We compare specs to see how they measure up.
Samsung’s Galaxy S22 phones stole the limelight at the company’s February Unpacked event, but three new premium tablets were announced at the same time. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 ($699.99), Tab S8+ ($899.99), and Tab S8 Ultra ($1,099.99) are pro-friendly slates in every way, but how do they stack up against Apple’s beloved iPad Air ($599) and iPad Pro (starting at $799)? We haven’t reviewed the Galaxy Tab S8 lineup yet, so this comparison is based purely on specs. We’ll update this article with more detailed findings once we’ve had a chance to put Samsung’s new tablets to the test. Build and Color Options Aesthetically, little sets the Galaxy Tab S8 apart from the iPad, and both lineups sport a unibody aluminum chassis and minimal bezel around the display. The higher up you go in both lineups, the fewer color options are available. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 and Tab S8+ are available in graphite, pink, or silver, and the iPad Air comes in blue, gray, green, pink, and silver. The Tab S8 Ultra only comes in graphite, while the iPad Pro has gray and silver versions. The Galaxy Tab S8 and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro are the thickest tablets in the lineups, at 0.25 inch. They’re also the heaviest, weighing 1.5 and 1.6 pounds respectively. Meanwhile, the Tab S8+ and Tab S8 Ultra tablets are the thinnest (0.22 inch), and the iPad Air is the lightest, at just slightly over a pound. Nothing about the build quality of the devices in either lineup should sway your decision one way or the other. For portability, though, the iPad Air might be your best bet since it’s both thinner and lighter than the smallest option in Samsung’s selection. Displays and Unlock Methods Although Apple’s and Samsung’s flagship slates look similar, their screens are radically different. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 has an 11-inch,2,560-by-1,600 LCD with a 120Hz refresh rate. On the iPad Air, you get a 10.9-inch,2,360-by-1,640,60Hz LCD (across all five tablets on this list, the iPad Air is the only model with a 60Hz display). They’re close to the same size, but the Tab S8 edges out the iPad in pixel density at 274 to 264ppi. Both models have a fingerprint sensor in the power button. iPad Pro The Galaxy Tab S8+’s 12.4-inch,2,580-by-1,752 (251ppi) AMOLED screen has a 120Hz refresh rate, as does the smaller iPad Pro’s 11-inch,2,778-by-1,170 (264ppi) LED display. The Tab S8+ integrates a fingerprint sensor directly in its touch screen, while Apple’s tablet offers Face ID for quick and secure visual authentication. A massive 14.6-inch,120Hz AMOLED display with 2,960-by-1,848 resolution (239ppi) graces the front of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. The largest iPad Pro has a 12.4-inch,2,732-by-2,048-pixel (264ppi) mini-LED panel, also with a 120Hz refresh rate. Again, Samsung sticks with an in-display fingerprint sensor for its largest slate, while Apple relies on Face ID. Apple clearly sees Face ID as the future for unlocking devices.
