I asked my YouTube community and it looks like there's a lot of you who are considering
a tablet this year and whilst the majority are sticking with the iPad...
there are loads of you who would rather wait for the Tab S8 which Samsung are rumoured
to be launching later this year.
In this video I will cover why it might be worth waiting for the Samsung Tab S8 instead
of rushing to buy one of the latest iPads.
I will also be comparing the main specs between the existing Galaxy Tab S7, S7+ and the rumoured
Tab S8. And how those specs compare with the M1 iPad Pro.
More importantly, I will give you some data... And my views on whether or not those specs
matter to you.
I know Apple will try really hard to make us all believe that we have to buy all of
their products but... unless you are absolutely minted or run tech channel on YouTube... You
want to know what other options are there.
Unfortunately there aren't that many options, the iPad sort of dominates the tablet sales.
But I think there really IS one incredible non-apple option out there. And that is the
Samsung Tab S.
I was THIS close on pulling the trigger last year. But we will get onto that.
So if YOU are on the fence, this video should give you a couple of good pointers to consider
before you make that final purchase decision.
If it's your first time here, welcome to my channel - I do down-to-earth tech reviews
with a little bit of fun too! And if you like my stuff, why not subscribe?
OK...Whilst every one out there is getting super carried away with the M1 iPad Pro (myself
included), not gonna lie!
We mustn't forget... Samsung did an incredible job last year with
their Galaxy devices and the Tab S7 and S7+ are absolute beasts.
The Tab S7+ with that Super AMOLED display, Dolby Atmos, quad speaker and Snapdragon processor
made for a really compelling tablet option last year--- if you're not wedded to Apple.
And the Tab S7 and S7+ are STILL great options right now for a lot of people.
We will talk about that throughout the video.
But guys, if not having a tablet is delaying your work and you are losing clients for example,
then let's get this out of the way ok.
The Tab S7 or S7+ are extremely capable tablets. I talked about this in my previous iPad video...
after a certain level, the latest and greatest is only going to marginally better than the
previous model.
And that totally applies to the Tab S7 range. Samsung will improve it for sure....But because
it is ALREADY an amazing tablet, you won't be missing out if you went for the tab S7
or S7+.
But if you can wait a few more weeks until July/August then let's take a closer look
at what you should expect .
Let's talk about the Tab S8 and S8+ and what we know about it so far.
Firstly, we know it's gonna be called Galaxy Tab S8.
Samsung are renowned for having a random naming convention for their Galaxy Tab models but
here is a fun fact...
The Number 8 is considered to be the luckiest number in Chinese culture, and China is one
of their greatest markets.
So I don't think Samsung will be skipping any numbers this year.
Not only because of that fun fact but also... The fellas in Ireland made sure to publicised
that. On their website.
Yup. (Samsung website in Ireland? - S8 Enterprise
Edition screenshot)
It could be a typo and I'm amazed that is still live on their website right now at the
time of recording!!
Regardless, whether it's a typo or not, I don't see any reason why Samsung would change
the name, especially given how successful the Tab S7 is.
The second thing we know is that... it looks like we are getting Up to 1TB expandable storage.
If that happens, it will be amazing and a great relief that this is staying.
As we know... On the Samsung smartphones, the S21 Ultra for example didn't go that way,
and we lost the expandable storage option which is a bit of a bummer.
You expect this from Apple and lots of people were disappointed to see that go. the S20
range for example supported up to 1.5TB of storage in total.
We will talk about storage again later. Hold that thought.
Basically all we know about the Tab S8.
There are some rumoured information about the Tab S8 and from what I gather, it's best
to treat this as pure speculation guys.
After scouring the interwebs for some sort of trustworthy information, the best I could
find is around what we kind of already expected. But THERE ARE some interesting moves from
Samsung that is worth thinking about.
For instance, Samsung has just applied for two trademarks - Armor Skin and Armor Layer.
Which are effectively a much hardened frame and what it sounds like a "ceramic shield"
version for Samsung devices.
That's really exciting! Especially if it works better than Apple's ceramic shield.
This information is from Mark Peters on Twitter through his associated website Let's Go Digital
- the original info is in Dutch but thanks to Google we can all read it lol
And after doing some digging myself, I was able to CONFIRM that the information is indeed,
legit.
In summary... these trademark applications would be great Tab S8 additions but they seem
to indicate that they are for smartphones.
And we do expect the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3 to HAVE these features, the timing
feels right for that.
But the trademark doesn't SAY SPECIFICALLY that it IS for the Z Flip 3 or Z Fold 3 so...
WHY NOT... the TabS8 as well?
Maybe not so much the frame aspect of it but I like the screen protection aspect.
I hate screen protectors, especially for tablets. And as I said, as long as it's not like "Apple's
ceramic shield" then whatever this armor trademark is, I think it's a good feature to have on
a tablet.
So anyway guys, I am following this very closely.... and rest assured that as SOON as I hear more
I will be sharing that here -
So make sure you're subscribed and you turn on the notification. hit the little bell!!
And in the meantime while we wait for more news, I hope you get to enjoy the other content
that I share here.
There are other rumors about a side-mounted fingerprint sensor but the same source mentioned
an 8,000 MaH battery as new thing.
Given that the CURRENT Tab S7 already has a 10,090 mAh battery, I don't think we can
really trust that source.
A fingerprint sensor on the side would be amazing though!
Right... What about release date? Most people out there seem to agree that we
are looking at late July, POSSIBLY even August release.
And it seems that this is based purely on Samsung's previous release of their tablets.
The second MOST believable rumour, is that the TabS8 will have the Snapdragon 888.
Now, it would be REALLY silly if Samsung didn't use that processor and if they don't...
Most people would probably find that the S7+ is still the one to go for. But I could also
see lots of people flocking to the iPads of that happens.
So I think we can safely assume that this rumor is true.
Having said that, you can't really compare the Snapdragon 888 with the M1 processor.
One is desktop-class the other is very much the best processor for mobile devices.
But in comparison to the Snapdragon 865 which powers the current Tab S7, the Snapdragon
888 is 22% faster for single core tests... and about 10% faster for multicore tests.
This is only based on Geekbench data but it's something to give us an indication.
If you are looking to upgrade from the Tab S7 to the Tab S8, this information could be
useful.
We also believe that Samsung will update OneUI for the TabS8 but that's kinda expected....
But I know that a LOT of people out there prefer the File management aspect of the OneUI
in comparison to Windows or even iPadOS or iOS.
It's getting better but managing files on an iPad is a pain in the backside.
For people working with Microsoft Office 365, it can feel a lot more intuitive to work with
an Android device. And Samsung knows that of course.
And so do Microsoft!
With Apple setting MacOS and iPadOS on this inevitable car crash it's more important THAN
EVER that both companies (Samsung and Microsoft) work together.
Not really a car crash - that's a terrible analogy, something good might actually come
out of that iPadOS and MacOS overlap.
But yes, Samsung and Microsoft ARE working together already.
It is not a coincidence that we see Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella and Dong Jin Koh here....
sharing the same stage at the 2020 Galaxy Note launch.
Photo by Drew Angerer / Getty Images
The other thing we should absolutely expect is Xbox Game Pass
This is already supported on the Tab S7 so it's set to be WELL supported on the Tab S8
which allows people to play over 100 Xbox games online, on the tablet.
And there's also Dex mode. Using Dex mode, you get an experience which is more akin to
a Windows PC. Powered by the tablet.
And of course Wireless Dex as well which is really great - it has a couple of quirks but
it's really cool for certain scenarios. I will be doing a dedicated video on Dex soon
so stay tuned for that.
On the HARDWARE side of things, we want to see more flexibility in the ports, just that
one USB-C port is not going to be enough for Samsung to compete now. We need to see Thunderbolt!
Maybe NFC support as well? And a slightly bigger screen on the S8+, maybe 12.9 inches
instead of the current 12.4 inches?
But I am genuinely intrigued, what are people out there expecting to see on the hardware
side of things for the Tab S8.
Let me know here in the comments what YOU think should be included in the TabS8 from
a hardware perspective.
Personally, I think it should DEFINITELY have Thunderbolt as well so we can use External
SSDs like this one from Sandisk or this one from Samsung.
But you might ask why?? Why do we need fast data transfer on a tablet, what are you working
on that requires that?
Well, Apple are not standing still and that's how competition works. Apple has set the bar
with the new iPad Pros. And the bar is quite high.
Samsung will need to come up with something to compete and even if we don't need that
fast transfer speed right now, having the capability in the device pushes developers
then to give us apps that will take advantage of that feature.
The Tab S7 allows for expandable storage of up to 1TB which is great.
But bear in mind that the write speed in those microSD cards vary between 120 to 170 Mbps...
Depending on the card speed that you buy.
So yes, whilst it allows for expanding your storage, they are GREAT for storing documents,
music, photos but maybe NOT so good for things like video editing or 3D rendering or something
like that.
So yeah - thunderbolt please. don't give us USB 3.2, USB 4 please.
Thank you!!
Personally, I'd love to see a Tab S8 in Phantom Brown. I think this colour is amazing
and I'd be selling one of my kidneys for sure, to get one of those!
Alright, So how would the Tab S7 and a hypothetical Tab S8 compare with the latest iPad Pros?
Let's take a look at some of the key specs that we know about. For simplicity I will
use the Tab S7 Plus and iPad Pro 12.9 inch here.
Bearing in mind here guys that this information is based on leaks and rumours so far and very
speculative. And nothing was confirmed by Samsung as yet so take this with a huge pinch
of salt.
But we can definitely expect a faster processor, more memory options and improved connectivity.
The main start of the show for Samsung is the display but I find it hard to improve
on the Tab S7 Super AMOLED display.
But Samsung are the GOAT when it comes to display technology so we never know... we
could be surprised.
In terms of pricing, we can probably expect around $900 at launch for the Tab S8 PLUS.
But we can't talk about pricing without mentioning Samsung's amazing trade-in program. Especially
for you guys over in the US.
There is a trade-in program right now that means some people are able to purchase the
S7 PLUS for £429 after trade-in.
THAT'S NUTS!!
So if you are upgrading, from a Tab S6, or S7 then you will definitely benefit from staying
with Samsung.
Galaxy Book Pro | Pro 260 And one final thought for you.... There are
also alternatives for people who don't really care about the iPadOS or Apple's ecosystem.
Or even about Android and this tablet form factor.
With the recently released Samsung Galaxy Book Pro 360... you could be getting the best
of both worlds:
- AMOLED touch display - with Pen support!
- In an extremely thin laptop form factor, - It's only 11.2mm thick
- Weighing about ONLY 300 grams more than the Tab S7 Plus.
And yes, you're only getting an Intel i5 or i7 processor but... it comes with :
- lots of ports, - you know... SIM tray,
- Memory card slot, USB and Thunderbolt 4 - So no need for extra dongles and docking
stations for most people.
I've used HP laptops that you could fold into tablet mode but it was way too heavy to really
be used like a tablet.
And I have this one for my 9-5 job... Technically you could use it like a tablet but nah....
With the Galaxy book this could offer the best of both worlds.
I will make sure to keep you updated on the Tab S8 as I hear more about it.
So subscribe and click that notification bell so you don't miss out. And I will see you,
and your smiling faces. On the next one.