Tab S8 Ultra — Reasons why we can’t compare it with the M1 iPad Pro
I know it’s the obvious comparison to make given the competition (or lack thereof) but can the Tab S8 Ultra really be compared with the M1 iPad Pro? I don’t think you can. Let me explain.
After a few weeks I realised that these are very different devices. From an experience point of view, one is a tablet. The other is more akin to a laptop computer.
I’ve used iPads for many years and I love the M1 iPad Pro for many reasons. But it really disappointed me in the promise that it could be used as a main computer.
I think Apple were misleading in their marketing. Are we surprised?
Apple put the M1 chip on the iPad Pro, and I know that technically they didn’t “promise” anything in delivering Pro apps or iPadOS features but their marketing material was pretty suggestive and at best, misleading in my opinion.
Maybe I wanted too much from a tablet?
Well, this is where I think the Tab S8 Ultra comes in. It doesn’t have as many “tablet-native” apps as the iPad and some Android apps are not as ‘embellished’ as the ones on iPadOS.
But the apps that I actually care about do work on Android the same way they do on iPadOS.
Adobe Lightroom, Canva, Microsoft Office apps, Notion and many others all function the same way from a user experience.
Whilst I agree that Android apps in general fall behind iPadOS, for the majority of people who want to use a tablet for their work, this is becoming a bit of moot point. Most productivity apps are pretty consistent on Android and iPadOS now.
Which leads me to the conclusion that the Tab S8 Ultra simply offers a much better value for money.
The ecosystem argument
When buying any mobile device these days an important consideration is the ecosystem. How will any device work with our other devices is a hugely important aspect these days. No one really ‘only’ buys a tablet or a smartphone.
And this alone is the deciding factor for many people.
However, The TabS8 Ultra does almost everything the iPad does and delivers a few extra features that overall, makes it a really good “value for money” choice.
In some instances the savings could be of around US$ 400 which is not trivial when you consider you could buy accessories or save up for another upgrade with that.
For instance, it comes with the S-pen included. It also has a desktop-like feature that gives owners great flexibility between work and fun.
Samsung Dex. The most underrated feature on Samsung devices?
The Tab S8 Ultra also allows us to use Samsung Dex when connected to an external monitor (wired or wirelessly) which is really handy. This is a somewhat underrated feature I believe. For people who want to use this tablet as a laptop replacement, this feature alone is a game changer.
It does still struggle with ultra wide monitors just like the iPad does but at least it changes the experience automatically to suit a mouse and keyboard workflow in a much better way than what the iPad does.
Connecting the iPad to an external monitors is like putting sand in your eyelids! I never done that before but I think that’s what it would feel like.
Size matters!
Addressing the ‘elephant in the room’, the Tab S8 Ultra is gargantuan! But it’s also extremely very thin. But if you’re gonna take anything away from this article, please take this:
The Tab S8 Ultra is not really a handheld device. Lots of reviewers are showing this being used like a small tablet and only a few are pointing out this flaw.
For me, this device has to be used with a stand of some sort.
And from what I can see online, I wouldn’t bother with Samsung’s own keyboard cover. It looks really overpriced for what it is and it doesn’t actually allow you to use the Tab S8 Ultra like a tablet. In other words, I think you’re better off using a bluetooth keyboard and mouse and getting a nice protective case for it.
Samsung always delivers on display quality. And they didn’t disappoint
The display is superb. Yes, it’s huge for a tablet but I truly feel like the Tab S8 Ultra is more of a laptop computer really. I was really curious to see what it would be like to use something like this, carry it around, work from a cafe and on the train, and it has been great but definitely felt like a laptop.
The display quality is truly out of this world. For media consumption I don’t think there’s any other tablet that can beat this in terms of how immersive the experience is. Brightness however, could be an issue despite it being totally workable in daylight, even if I am sat near a window. Outdoors in direct sunlight it will be a stretch.
Biometrics. There’s good and bad!
We have great facial recognition, an optical fingerprint sensor and the usual PIN and password options. Strangely ,the facial recognition has an option to allow you to unlock it with a picture of your face which is very strange of Samsung to even mention this in the settings.
The optical fingerprint sensor however, is great. It feels just like the one on the S21 and S22 Ultra which are both excellent. Samsung just seem to really ‘nail’ this feature every time.
The iPad Pro doesn’t have TouchID which I still think is extremely short-sighted from Apple.
What really surprised me? The speakers!
If you’ve seen my iPad Pro reviews you know how much I enjoy the speakers on it. I certainly did not expect the Tab S8 Ultra to be better than that. But it comes very close! Initially I didn’t think much of it and thought iPad was much better.
But then I discovered that Dolby Atmos was not on by default. When that was turned on, the difference was noticeable straight away. It allows for sound profiles so you can configure it for Movie, Music or dialogue.
The iPad Pro to me, sounds a little bit more refined, and it’s louder too. But the difference is barely noticeable; Both tablets deliver great audio quality.
The writing and drawing experience on the Tab S8 Ultra is fantastic due to the large display and the pen is extremely responsive for writing and drawing and feels a lot more natural than the Apple Pencil, much less slippery on the glass.
How is gaming on the Tab S8 Ultra?
The gaming experience on the Tab S8 is just better because of the size of the display. I was really pushing the settings to the max and it was able to cope with it. The iPad also performs extremely well even in the most demanding games but the aspect ratio and sheers size of the display makes the Tab S8 Ultra a better suited tablet for gaming.
Ultimately these are very different devices. If you are not wedded to the Apple ecosystem and like me, the apps you use the most OS agnostic then the Tab S8 Ultra is a fantastic device which offers great value for money.