Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 And S8 Plus Review

The problem with the purchase of an iPad if you have an Android phone is that many of the integrations of the system that entails the use of an iPhone and an iPad together are lost. The applications that you have on your phone need to be repurchase in the tablet, do not get things at the system level such as the ability to make your phone from the tablet, and the two devices never feel so connected or coherent as if both were executed same platform.

That is where Samsung's last S8 and S8 Plus has a chance, at least if he owns Android Samsung's taste. (Samsung also has a third tablet on the Tab S8 line, the Ultra, which is bigger and more expensive, I have reviewed it separately here). Although they look and work very similar to the previous tablet efforts of Samsung, and still have much of the same luggage: Samsung has advanced in the development of integrations and an own ecosystem among its devices that can be a sufficient reason To choose a Samsung tablet on an iPad if you also wear a Samsung phone and use Samsung wireless headphones.

That isn’t to say Samsung has come as far as Apple in those integrations, nor is it to say that the traditional Android tablet gripes — namely, a much smaller pool of optimized apps — don’t apply here. The Tab S8 and S8 Plus are also expensive tablets, starting at $699.99 and $899.99, respectively, before you add any accessories like a case or keyboard. But they do provide us a glimpse of an Android-first ecosystem that hasn’t really existed before.

The hardware differences between 2020’s Tab S7 / S7 Plus and this year’s Tab S8 versions are such:

New Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor

• Wi-Fi 6E support
• Higher resolution front camera
• Improved lens on the back camera
• Lower latency on the S Pen

The standard Tab S8 is only available in Wi-Fi configurations; the Tab S8 Plus can be purchased with 5G cellular connectivity. It’s odd that this isn’t uniform across the line.

Visually, the new tablets are identical to the prior models. They come with the same 11-inch 120Hz LCD or 12.4-inch 120Hz OLED screens and have the same Dolby Atmos quad speakers. Just like before, the hardware is impressive, and either tablet provides an excellent video watching experience. Performance is also very good, with smooth responsiveness, quick app loading, and no “jelly scrolling” issues to be found. These are priced like premium tablets, and they feel like it, which is a good thing.

Between the two, I prefer the smaller Tab S8, which is easier to hold in one hand and more comfortable for the kinds of tasks I do on a tablet, such as reading books or news articles. If you want the better tablet for watching movies, the S8 Plus’ OLED screen has the edge, though it doesn’t quite have the same punch and brightness as Apple’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Both models also have 16:10 aspect ratio screens, which is better suited for larger-screen laptops than tablets. It makes them feel cramped when browsing websites in landscape and awkwardly tall when held in portrait orientation.

The Tab S8 has the same fingerprint scanner built into its sleep / wake button as the Tab S7; similarly, the Tab S8 Plus has the same under-screen fingerprint scanner as the Tab S7 Plus. Both worked fine in my testing, though neither are as fluid or quick to use as facial recognition logins. (You can enable face login on either tablet, but it’s not as secure as the fingerprint scanners or Apple’s Face ID.) Neither tablet has a 3.5mm headphone jack and relies on just one USB-C port for all of its I/O.

Any of the models can be had with a respectable 128 GB or 256 GB of built -in storage. And unlike an iPad, the Tab S8 line supports the storage expansion of the MicroSD card (up to 1 TB), so you can add more after the fact.

Both come with Samsung's pencil pencil in the box, which has improved to make it a little more receptive this year. I really like the pen, particularly for taking handwritten notes on the screen. It has a softer tip compared to the Apple Pencil, which reduces the shoe when writing on glass and means that I do not need to put a special screen protector on the S8 tab as I do with an iPad. And it is doubly great that it does not cost additional $ 129 in addition to the cost of the tablet. I am not an artist in any way, so if you are looking for that perspective, I suggest that I consult Brad Colbow's videos on YouTube on the S8 line, but to take notes written by hand, mark screenshots or simply navigate the software of the software of the Tablet throughout the day, the pen is great.

The pen is magnetically adheres to a strip on the back of the tablet to load and storage (although it will only be loaded if it faces a specific, strange orientation). The pen will work as an input device without any load: loading it allows you to connect it to the tablet through Bluetooth and use additional functions such as air gesture controls that I have really never kept. The magnets in the back of the tablet that hold the pen in its place are not especially strong, and since the pen goes out of the back, it is easy to hit it in its bag. Some of Samsung's cases adhere magnetically on the back of the tablets and provide a cover on the pen, which keeps it much better, but such a case will cost between $ 70 and $ 80.

Speaking of cases, the Tab S8 and S8 Plus are compatible with the same options as the Tab S7. I was able to test out the awkwardly named $139.99 / $159.99 Book Cover Keyboard Slim for both sizes, which pairs a folio design with a trackpad-less keyboard. The keyboard works fine — there’s no Bluetooth pairing headaches or charging necessary thanks to pogo pins that let it communicate with the tablet — but I missed having a trackpad available. It also only provides one angle of view, which is limiting, and the rear cover has a hole for the S Pen to pass through instead of the cover to keep it in place. If you want to spend more money, you can fix all three of those problems with the $199.99 / $229.99 Book Cover Keyboard, which is unchanged from when I tested it with the Tab S7 models, and comes with its own set of limitations (namely, it’s very awkward to use on a lap).

Frustratingly, neither the $700-plus Tab S8 nor the $900-plus Tab S8 Plus comes with a charging brick in the box, even though they support up to 45-watt fast charging. Though this has become common among high-end phones, these are the first tablets I’ve seen that do not come with a charger in the box.

With much of the hardware that moves from the last generation, the greatest advances can be seen in the software.

Samsung really cannot solve the evergreen android problem of poorly optimized applications that do not format larger screens well, do not support keyboard shortcuts or do not work well with Samsung's desktop -style software mode. Therefore, Samsung has spent his time optimizing his own applications and making Tab S8 and S8 Plus play well with Samsung phones.

Many of the things Samsung has developed will be relatives for the owners of iPhones and iPads. I could remotely turn on the mobile access point function of my galaxy z fold 3 in the S8 tab configuration menu; The Galaxy Buds Pro that I had in my ears changed between the S8 tab and my fold 3 automatically depending on which device was reproducing audio. Samsung even has a version of Apple's transfer function to allow you to continue using an application on another device, although it is currently limited to only Samsung browser applications and notes and does not work with any third -party application.

Samsung phones owners will be able to take advantage of integrations with TAB S8 tablets

If you have a Windows PC, you can use TAB S8 models as external screens, as are Apple's Sidecar function. You can even use the keyboard box with multiple devices, although the change between them implies a Bluetooth matching and is not as transparent as the new universal Apple control function.

Samsung's own applications, such as the Internet, their browser, have been optimized to work well on the largest screens. You can synchronize the eyelashes and history between your phone and your tablet, and the browser does a good job loading and working with desktop websites on the tablet. Since so few of the Android applications that use regularly have been optimized to work well on a tablet screen, I ended up spending a lot of time in the browser, especially when I had the connected keyboard box.

Other stock apps, such as Samsung’s Calendar, work well on the large display, as do some of Microsoft’s apps, such as Outlook and Office (both of which come pre-installed). Google’s apps tend to be more hit or miss, and productivity apps I rely on, such as Slack and Asana, are just awful stretched-out versions of their phone apps and don’t take advantage of the larger screen at all. Obviously, your experience will vary depending on which apps you plan to use, but it’s safe to say that Android still has a long way to go compared to Apple’s tablet app ecosystem.

Samsung has its own take on multitasking that it’s built on top of Android’s native ability to run two apps side by side in a split-screen mode. On the Tab models, you can split the screen three ways, plus add a floating app on top to view four apps at the same time. It can be a little confusing and cumbersome to use, but no less than the iPad’s strange approach to multitasking.

Beyond that, Samsung also has its DeX mode, which provides a desktop-like environment to run windowed Android apps in. It’s meant to bridge the gap between a mobile operating system like Android and a more traditional desktop one like Windows. Though DeX has its fans (hi, yes, I see you in the comments), I’ve never been able to get along well with it, and that hasn’t changed on the Tab S8.

Though Samsung’s apps work fine in DeX, many Android apps don’t know what to do when they are forced into a windowed mode, with small text, odd layouts, and sometimes they can’t even launch. There are other weird limitations, too, like the inability to use the mouse pointer to select text in the browser or an app — an action I do many times per day as an editor. DeX remains an option to use in a pinch, but it’s not something I would want to work in for long periods of time.

Android does bring some advantages depending on your use case and needs. If you’re into streaming games or running gaming emulators, it’s much easier to do so on Android than it is on an iPad. You can pair a controller to either Tab S8 model and have a competent portable gaming rig that comes with an excellent screen and very good speakers.

On the flip side, Samsung and Android are still behind when it comes to other services that can take advantage of the larger screen. On an iPad, I use Apple News with a News Plus subscription to read a wide variety of paywalled magazines and newspapers for a simple monthly fee — there’s just nothing comparable that I’ve been able to find for Android. Fortunately, the Tab S8 / S8 Plus have access to all of the popular streaming services, including Netflix, HBO Max, Disney Plus, Hulu, and more. The big one missing is Apple TV Plus (you can watch it in the browser, but that’s a sub-par experience to a dedicated app).

After years of not seeing a great reason to buy an Android tablet, I must admit that Samsung has presented a convincing tone this time, provided that it is already in the Samsung Android ecosystem. The S8 and S8 Plus tab is integrated enough with other Samsung products, they are an excellent hardware in their own merits, and if it has specific use cases that are poor That you are what you are. searching.

Samsung still has some work to do with its ecosystem and, hopefully, Google's renewed interest in Android tablets will produce a better support of third -party applications (although I do not support me there). And it is an annoyance that if you have a pixel or other Android phone, you really can't take advantage of many of the integrations that Samsung has developed.

But I think the greatest obstacle with Tab S8 and S8 plus, as their price is. These are premium tablets with large price labels, especially once you start adding accessories. Samsung will probably launch some tablets with a more attractive price to replace some of its oldest models, and it has been good to deliver software updates to bring some of these new features to existing devices, although a company spokesman declined to comment on Future updates when I asked ..

For now, however, if you want a good experience in the Android tablet and is not interested in living the double platform life, the S8 or S8 Plus tab is as good as it is.

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