Samsung’s Galaxy S22 phones stole the limelight at the company’s February Unpacked event, but three new premium tablets were announced at the same time. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 ($699.99), Tab S8+ ($899.99), and Tab S8 Ultra ($1,099.99) are pro-friendly slates in every way, but how do they stack up against Apple’s beloved iPad Air ($599) and iPad Pro (starting at $799)?
We haven’t reviewed the Galaxy Tab S8 lineup yet, so this comparison is based purely on specs. We’ll update this article with more detailed findings once we’ve had a chance to put Samsung’s new tablets to the test.
Build and Color Options
Aesthetically, little sets the Galaxy Tab S8 apart from the iPad, and both lineups sport a unibody aluminum chassis and minimal bezel around the display.
The higher up you go in both lineups, the fewer color options are available. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 and Tab S8+ are available in graphite, pink, or silver, and the iPad Air comes in blue, gray, green, pink, and silver. The Tab S8 Ultra only comes in graphite, while the iPad Pro has gray and silver versions.
The Galaxy Tab S8 and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro are the thickest tablets in the lineups, at 0.25 inch. They’re also the heaviest, weighing 1.5 and 1.6 pounds respectively. Meanwhile, the Tab S8+ and Tab S8 Ultra tablets are the thinnest (0.22 inch), and the iPad Air is the lightest, at just slightly over a pound.
Nothing about the build quality of the devices in either lineup should sway your decision one way or the other. For portability, though, the iPad Air might be your best bet since it’s both thinner and lighter than the smallest option in Samsung’s selection.
Displays and Unlock Methods
Although Apple’s and Samsung’s flagship slates look similar, their screens are radically different.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 has an 11-inch, 2,560-by-1,600 LCD with a 120Hz refresh rate. On the iPad Air, you get a 10.9-inch, 2,360-by-1,640, 60Hz LCD (across all five tablets on this list, the iPad Air is the only model with a 60Hz display). They’re close to the same size, but the Tab S8 edges out the iPad in pixel density at 274 to 264ppi. Both models have a fingerprint sensor in the power button.
The Galaxy Tab S8+’s 12.4-inch, 2,580-by-1,752 (251ppi) AMOLED screen has a 120Hz refresh rate, as does the smaller iPad Pro’s 11-inch, 2,778-by-1,170 (264ppi) LED display. The Tab S8+ integrates a fingerprint sensor directly in its touch screen, while Apple’s tablet offers Face ID for quick and secure visual authentication.
A massive 14.6-inch, 120Hz AMOLED display with 2,960-by-1,848 resolution (239ppi) graces the front of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. The largest iPad Pro has a 12.4-inch, 2,732-by-2,048-pixel (264ppi) mini-LED panel, also with a 120Hz refresh rate. Again, Samsung sticks with an in-display fingerprint sensor for its largest slate, while Apple relies on Face ID.
Apple clearly sees Face ID as the future for unlocking devices. Generally, in-screen fingerprint sensors are much less reliable than button-based fingerprint sensors, so Apple gets the edge here. The iPad Air, Tab S8, and Tab S8+ stand on similar ground with button-based fingerprint sensors, which tend to be more reliable than in-screen fingerprint sensors, but not as fast as Face ID. Samsung’s tablets (particularly the Tab S8 Ultra) are more suitable if you prefer a large screen, while nothing in its new lineup can match the portability of the iPad Air.
Hardware and Configurations
Although every entry in the Galaxy Tab S8 and iPad lineups is powerful enough for most productivity tasks, key hardware differences distinguish each model.
All three of Samsung’s latest slates use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform. The Galaxy Tab S8 and Tab S8+ ship with 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage. The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is available in 8GB/128GB, 8GB/256GB, and 16GB/512GB configurations. You can add up to an additional terabyte of storage via the microSD card slot on all the models.
The iPad Air features Apple’s A14 chipset with 4GB of RAM and either 64GB or 256GB of storage. All iPad Pro models have Apple’s M1 processor, the same one used in recent iMacs. Both iPad Pro sizes are available with 8GB of RAM paired with 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage, or with 16GB of RAM paired with 1TB or 2TB of storage. No iPad has an expansion slot, but the iPad Pro supports external storage via USB-C and Thunderbolt drives.
As for battery capacity, the Samsung Tab S8, S8+, and S8 Ultra respectively have 8,000mAh, 10,090mAh, and 11,200mAh batteries. Apple doesn’t officially list battery figures, so we can’t compare these numbers until we run our benchmarks and have battery usage hours to report.
All the tablets support Wi-Fi 6 (Wi-Fi 6E in the case of the Samsung models) and Bluetooth 5.0, but only the Tab S8+ and iPad Pro are available with at least some form of 5G connectivity. A cellular model of the iPad Air is also available, but it doesn’t support 5G.
You can spec out the high-end tablets in either lineup with more RAM than most mainstream laptops, and the processors in the Samsung tablets and the iPad Pro are both state-of-the-art, so none of them should struggle with your workflow, no matter how intense. The integrated microSD card slot in the Tab S8 models might appeal to you as a more convenient expandable storage option, but the top-end 1TB and 2TB configurations of the iPad Pro are appealing alternatives.
Front and Rear Cameras
While the rear camera stack for taking snapshots and recording video is one of the most important features on a smartphone, front-facing cameras for taking video calls are the bigger priority for tablets. Fortunately, all of Samsung’s and Apple’s flagship slates should be able to handle Zoom calls with clarity and ease.
A 12MP camera sits on the front of all three Galaxy Tab S8 tablets, while the Tab S8 Ultra has an additional 12MP ultra-wide lens. On the back, all three Samsung tablets have dual-camera stacks with 13MP primary and 6MP ultra-wide sensors.
Both iPad Pro models feature a wide-angle 12MP f/2.4 front-facing camera with Center Stage, a feature that keeps you framed and in focus on FaceTime and some third-party video conference services including Zoom. The back of the Pro models houses both a 12MP f/1.8 primary sensor and a 10MP f/2.4 ultra-wide lens, along with a LiDAR scanner for AR and assistive functions.
As the least expensive tablet in the group, the iPad Air sports the most modest cameras. It has a 7MP f/2.2 selfie camera that’s fine for video calls and a 12MP f/1.8 rear shooter that works well for reference shots and document scans.
The cameras on all of these tablets should be sufficient for any personal or professional applications, but the iPad Air is at a disadvantage for taking wide shots, and Center Stage can make the iPad Pro particularly attractive if you regularly use FaceTime or Zoom.
Accessories and Special Features
All of these tablets are suitable for remote work, and both Samsung and Apple offer a range of accessories to help you get the job done.
To start, the Galaxy Tab S8 trio and every iPad here all support styli. The Samsung tablets ship with an S Pen in the box, while you’ll have to pay an extra $129 for the second-generation Apple Pencil if you want a first-party stylus for the iPad.
Apple and Samsung also sell optional keyboards for their slates. Samsung’s keyboard collection ranges in price from $139.99 to $349.99, while the options from Apple cost between $179 and $349. Remember that these devices all support Bluetooth, so if you don’t mind losing the notebook-style folio feel, you can get a completely separate wireless keyboard for much less money.
All of the Samsung tablets run Android 12 out of the box, while the iPads all use the latest version of iPad OS. Apple’s OS is currently much stronger for tablets, as the Apple App Store has many more tablet-optimized apps, and iPads are typically better for multitasking. For workstation integration, Samsung’s tablets support the company’s DeX productivity mode, but don’t forget about Apple’s Sidecar mode for working with your Mac.
We appreciate that Samsung bundles the S pen with its tablets and wish Apple would follow suit, at least with the iPad Pro line. That said, Samsung hasn’t yet proven it can match the variety and quality of the accessories available for Apple’s tablets.
The Right Tablet for You
On paper, the Galaxy Tab S8 and iPad lines appear to be pretty evenly matched up. Of course, we can’t say for sure until we get a chance to test the Galaxy Tab line, but your buying decision will more likely come down to software and ecosystem rather than hardware. If you want access to Apple’s diverse selection of tablet apps, you’ll want to get an iPad. If you already use Samsung’s DeX mode, the Galaxy Tab is likely a better fit. Check back soon for more info once we’ve tested the Galaxy Tabs.
For more, head over to our story on the best iPad to buy this year, as well as our list of the best tablets overall.
