Samsung’s newly announced Galaxy Tab S7+ is a sleek and lightning-fast tablet built for productivity, and the first US tablet to offer 5G connectivity. With a starting price of $849, it’s not cheap, but it’s a viable laptop alternative. We’ve been playing with the Galaxy Tab S7+ for a few days now, and here are our initial impressions.
Design and Display
The Tab S7+ looks like a traditional high-end slate. The chassis and back are constructed of aluminum, and it comes in black, silver, or bronze. It measures 11.25 by 7.3 by 0.2 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.3 pounds without the Book Cover Keyboard. While it may sound heavy, the weight is well-distributed, making it easy to hold for long periods of time. There’s a slim camera stack and magnetic connector for the S Pen on the upper-left corner.
The front of the Galaxy Tab S7+ is dominated by a gorgeous 12.4-inch, 2,800-by-1,752-resolution Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz variable refresh rate. Color accuracy is spot on, with vivid colors and inky, deep blacks. The screen is bright enough to use in direct sunlight without any problems.
Hardware and Cameras
The Galaxy Tab S7+ is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ chipset. At launch, Samsung will offer two RAM/storage configurations: 6GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB (we tested the 8GB version). Both support up to an additional 1TB of external storage with a microSD card.
The Tab S7+ can chew through just about any task you throw its way. We tested it with over a dozen apps and three dozen Chrome windows open and it didn’t flinch. Gaming was a pleasure as well, though we didn’t have an opportunity to test it with Xbox Game Pass.
The Tab S7+ has a 10,900mAh battery (much bigger than the Tab S7’s 8,000mAh battery), which easily got us through several hours of work without any significant battery drain. It supports 45W fast charging with an external adapter, and a 15W charging adapter is included in the box.
For cameras, the Tab S7+ sports a 13MP primary lens and a 5MP ultra-wide sensor. The front-facing camera comes in at 8MP. All the cameras seem solid, and the front-facing camera worked well on a test Zoom call, but we still need to complete our standard battery of lab tests before we can offer any in-depth analysis.
Connectivity and Audio
The Galaxy Tab S7+ will be available in 5G, LTE, and Wi-Fi versions. During our test period we were only able to test Wi-Fi connectivity, and Samsung has yet to release exact 5G specifications. That said, we consistently had a solid and fast Wi-Fi connection throughout the preview period.
There are four AKG-tuned speakers on the Tab S7+, and they’re impressive. Audio is loud enough for conference calls, and it actually sounds good when you’re binging Netflix. There’s also Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity for wireless audio with the Galaxy Buds Live or your favorite Bluetooth headphones.
S Pen
Put simply, the S Pen is incredible. Samsung made a number of improvements to the S Pen this year, and it’s a pleasure to use. It comes in the box and charges wirelessly when connected to the back of the Galaxy Tab S7+.
Writing with the S Pen feels good. We didn’t notice any lag when using the stylus, and latency has been reduced to 9ms. The thinner tip has a little more drag, so it doesn’t feel like you’re writing on glass. And while Air Actions—Samsung’s S Pen initiated gesture—have a bit of a learning curve, they’re pretty convenient once you get the hang of them.
Book Cover Keyboard
The optional Book Cover Keyboard on the Tab S7+, on the other hand, is hit or miss. The keyboard has excellent travel and a satisfying tactile feedback, the trackpad is excellent, and the cover boasts a stand with excellent range of motion and a magnetic compartment for storage.
But it’s nearly impossible to use in your lap. The stand is made to rest against a solid surface and, even if you manage to find a comfortable position, there’s a lot of flex in the keyboard. Then there’s the issue of build quality: Compared with the gorgeous design of the Tab S7+, the Book Cover Keyboard looks cheap. From a distance you may mistake the case for leather, but up close it looks and feels like low-grade vinyl.
Software
The Galaxy Tab S7+ ships with Android 10 using the latest version of the Samsung One UI. In the past we’ve had mixed feelings about One UI, but Samsung has made some major changes, like support for live syncing between Samsung devices and PCs (Apple users are out of luck).
Samsung’s productivity apps also get a significant face-lift. Samsung Notes now offers easy PDF annotations with the S Pen, and a feature that allows you to sync voice recordings with your written notes; it’s handy and relatively easy to use. There’s also the option to sync your notes with Microsoft Outlook and OneNote, which we think is more of a perk for Galaxy Note20 owners, since you can easily download Microsoft 365 to the S7+ and skip syncing altogether.
Folder and file structure have also been greatly improved, so it’s easier to find documents if you prefer to store them directly on your tablet. There’s also the option to sync your documents with Microsoft OneDrive.
Multitasking now supports having three windows open simultaneously. Multi-Active Window, a persistent tab that rests on the side of the screen, allows for app groups, so you can create quick shortcuts to open your three most-used apps at once.
Over the past year, Samsung has made some massive improvements to DeX Mode. It’s more intuitive than older versions, supports multi-touch gestures, and even connects wirelessly to compatible televisions and monitors. We wouldn’t go so far as to say it can replace your desktop, but it’s a great alternative for basic tasks.
Samsung’s One UI corrects many of the ills that cripple Android tablets, but at the end of the day, you’re still running Android apps. That means there are limitations, especially when it comes to options for those in creative fields. Some apps just aren’t up to snuff.
There’s also the issue of updates. While Samsung committed to updating its new products for three generations, it’s a rather ambiguous claim and it doesn’t set a specific timeline for updates. For a product that’s likely to run over $1,000, we’d expect a commitment to snappy OS updates—something with which Samsung and many other Android manufacturers consistently struggle.
Conclusions
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ looks to be the most promising productivity tablet on the market. In addition to being the first with 5G-connectivity, it’s also a performance powerhouse that handles multitasking with ease. The S Pen is a pleasure to use, and the Samsung One UI adds to the overall experience. We’ll reserve final judgment for a full review, but the Tab S7+ appears to be the best Android-based productivity tablet we’ve seen in years.
