There’s so much potential with this device and so much power to unlock.
A lot of people are misunderstanding what this device really is.
And I will admit..
I was confused at first.
But the more I use it, the more I work with it, the more I enjoy it.
I am Alex and I do down-to-earth tech reviews.
I am slightly late to the party when it comes to reviewing this tablet, this is only my
second video on it.
**Practically ** This is one of the most practical devices
you will find but also the most unpractical!
What I mean is… if you want a smaller tablet, there are other options.
This is a massive tablet.
But there’s a reason for that.
This has the potential for replacing a laptop.
It can be used as a tablet.
But really... that’s not what is for.
It shouldn’t.
The iPad Air 5 would be more suited to tablet-y things.
But if you want to get stuff done....That’s when the Tab S8 Ultra comes in.
**Productivity** Getting work done: This is fantastic for it.I
am only scratching the surface here on what this device can do but there’s so much that
I am finding and so many little details that make this a real powerhouse.
Sure you can get a Surface or another ultra slim laptop with touch screen, but then you
have to contend with Windows and the joys that come with it, updating antivirus and
all of that malarkey.
And hey, I am not knocking it, there’s definitely a use case for that.
Is the Tab-S8 “better” than a Microsoft Surface?
Can it do all of the things the Surface can do?
No.
But it’s not trying to be a Windows laptop.
It’s simply trying to give people an option.
And I love that.
For a lot of people, especially Windows users...
this IS a laptop replacement.
If you don’t need (or want) a Windows laptop?
This is it!!
### Samsung Dex Samsung Dex is one of those features that
don’t get enough attention in my view.
Dex is incredibly powerful.
We will talk about multitasking in a bit and I will give you an example of what that looks
like in comparison with the iPad Pro…
But the fact you can do so much on the built-in browser and get this experience that is VERY
close of a desktop is really cool.
It opens up so many options!
It sort of unshackles you from a desk and cables and a monitor.
A real use case may be attending zoom calls and then taking a break.
Taking a laptop is not the same as just taking the tablet.
And the display quality on this means you can alternate between work and media consumption
seamlessly and have a great experience with both.
for some of 9-5 work, this did everything.
For editing videos and doing some of my heavier graphic workloads I need something with a
bit more power.
But if I wasn’t running this channel, I don’t see why I couldn’t run my other
business which is IT consultancy just using this device, loaded with Dex and Microsoft
Office and a few other apps.
With that huge benefit of it being extremely light and portable.
I can say honestly, that this is a very capable device.
Here’s a 2-3 examples that I found in my first few weeks with this device:
On the Tab S8 Ultra, we can have 3 apps on the screen.
Great for drag and drop.
You can even add more apps, swap the apps and tiles.
And you might say but Alex…
With Universal Control on the iPad you can sort of have a similar experience.
Well, yes and no.
You can use your mouse and keyboard between the two but the real world usage, it’s not
really something I struggle with.
Yes it’s great for using Microsoft Office for instance and you get that extra real estate
and copying and pasting between the two so it kinda makes you feel like you’re using
one device.
But you’re quite limited still.
And don’t get me started on plugging the iPad into an external monitor!
There are some exceptions like Keynote or using Lumafusion and monitoring the footage
externally.
But most apps just don’t work well on a big screen.
I am not knocking the iPad Pro!
As a tablet, when you combine your iPhone and Apple Watch…
You know that ecosystem is unbeatable for me.
But from a productivity workflow, the Tab S8 Ultra offers quite a bit more for me.
**Accessories** Before I
talk about accessories that you can buy for the Tab S8 Ultra, I have to mention the S-Pen.
I don’t know what black magic Samsung did here and this may be old news if you used
other devices before like the Tab S7 but I LOVE the feel of the S-Pen.
I wish the hardware was a little bit bigger but where it really matters which is how it
feels when you are writing or drawing…
It’s miles better than the Apple Pencil.
The Apple Pencil is too hard and slippery for me.
I actually have to use one of these rubberised tips and some people like to use those screen
protectors which I am just not a fan of.
The S-Pen here feels really soft, it has a ton of features that you can configure.
Lots of actions including unlocking the device with gestures.
It has a button too, which adds even more functionality.
To me…
It’s a much more capable accessory.
I wish it has a better design but in terms of functionality, this is great.
And it’s included!!
### Keyboard There aren’t many keyboards and covers available
yet that are decent.
I’d love if Logitech came up with a version of this Folio for the Tab S8 Ultra.
But even that would make it quite space limited (it pushed out at the back).
**Mouse and Keyboard** And the Samsung version kinda sucks so the
best option so far, I’ve found is to use a bluetooth keyboard and mouse.
I’ve been using this Logitech CRAFT and my MX3 mouse and they pair up really well.
For my workflow this is fantastic as I can switch between the MacBook Pro and Tab S8
Ultra and a 3rd device if I want to, by simply pressing these switches.
Absolutely brilliant.
I will be reviewing loads more accessories and by the way, if you like this sort of content
it would be awesome if you subscribed to the channel.
And don’t forget to hit the bell.
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**Stands** As I said in my last video about the Tab S8
Ultra, to get work done, it’s just more comfortable to have this device propped up.
So I got these stands here that I’ve been using.
It’s a must really for this device.
The Satechi one is actually for iPads but I found it works really well with the Tab
S8 Ultra.
Because of its size, you’re gonna needs something quite sturdy to hold it up properly.
I am looking at more accessories and will keep sharing those here with you.
**Gaming** Gaming on this device is just the icing on
the cake for me!
The graphics are incredible.
Because the speakers are so good, you get a really immersive experience when gaming.
I wish it would support the PS5 Dualsense haptics but I don’t know what the issue
is there, we have the same problem on the iPad.
But other than that, I have tried quite a few different games, really pushing the settings
to the max where the game allows for that and I haven’t really seen any dropped frames
or overheating issues.
Battery pack The battery does drop off when I’v been
testing games and working all day with it but I am always close to a charger and if
I am out and about, I carry this bad boy here which his an an absolute life saver.
This DOES replace a laptop.
You lose some of the tablet functionality because of the size but this tablet is the
closest to a laptop killer that I’ve ever used.
People who have some sort of debt to Apple will say otherwise and I don’t so I don’t
give a damn.
I love Apple, but there’s a lot that this device does and gives us freedom to do a bit
more as a consumer.
Check my initial review and comparison with the iPad Pro here and check these other great
videos I have in this playlist for you.
Don’t forget to subscribe!
See you on the next one!