Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra — here's how it could replace your laptop

1. Dwelling
2. Opinion
3. Tablets

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra — here'south how it could replace your laptop

(Image credit: Tom'southward Guide)

Samsung unveiled a slew of new Android devices during its Unpacked event on Wed (February ix), including 3 models of the new Galaxy Tab S8 tablet. They all await promising, but one loomed large in a higher place the balance in my listen: the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.

Perhaps it's the Ultra'south remarkably large 14.six-inch 120Hz AMOLED display that helps information technology stand out from the pack. We won't know for sure how well it stacks up confronting the best tablets on the market until we review one ourselves (stay tuned), but it'southward certainly one of the largest and virtually powerful Android tablets you tin can buy. Plus, you tin connect a detachable keyboard to the Ultra, hook it up to an external display and multitask across multiple screen using Samsung'due south DeX mode, so you can conceivably use it simply like an Android-powered laptop.

Simply is it worth the expense and hassle? Could you really replace your laptop with this super-sized Android tablet? There's certainly precedent for that – in fact, some of the best ii-in-1 laptops we recommend are tablets with attachable keyboards. Just none of them are Android tablets — yet.

To help you determine whether the S8 Ultra could replace your laptop, let'south break down what information technology can do and how information technology stacks up against some of the best laptops around.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra specs vs laptops

	Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra	Dell XPS 13	MacBook Air w/ M1
Price	$1,099 to start	$979 to start	$i,200 to kickoff
Display	14.6 inch (2960 x 1848) Super AMOLED, 120Hz	thirteen.4-inch FHD+, 3.5K OLED, or 4K touchscreen	13.3-inch (2560 ten 1600) LED
Processor	Snapdragon 8 Gen 1	11th Gen Intel Core i3 - i7	Apple tree M1
Storage	128GB - 512GB	256GB - 2TB	256GB - 2TB
Retentiveness	8GB - 16GB	8GB - 32GB	8GB - 16GB
Cameras	Rear: 13MP & 6MP (Ultra Wide). Front 12MP & 12MP (Ultra Broad)	720p webcam	720p webcam
Size	12.85 x 8.21 ten 0.22 inches	eleven.6 x seven.8 x 0.v inches	12 x 8.4 x 0.six inches
Weight	one.6 pounds, ~two.six pounds w/ Book Cover Keyboard	two.8 pounds	2.eight pounds

Samsung Milky way Tab S8 Ultra price vs laptops

The first matter to look at is pricing, considering the versatility of the S8 Ultra is a fleck less exciting if you lot can go a more than compelling laptop at a lower cost.

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra officially launches February 25 across Korea, Europe, and the United States. Here in the U.Due south. the starting price is $1,099, which gets you lot the entry-level model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Plus you get an S Pen stylus packed in, which is a nice touch. Samsung is also selling 2 upgraded models, 1 with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage for $1,119, the other with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage for $1,399.

Of course, that just gets you the slate. Don't get me wrong, the S8 Ultra looks like information technology could exist bang-up for watching movies, surfing the web and all the other stuff nosotros exercise on tablets. But if yous want to use it similar a laptop, yous'll probably want to invest in a keyboard. You can buy a backlit, detachable Book Comprehend Keyboard for the Ultra from Samsung, just it'll cost y'all a whopping $350. Samsung'southward including these pricey covers for complimentary with pre-orders of the Tab S8 Ultra for a express time, but at the time of writing they appear to be sold out.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Then if yous just want the tablet, it'due south a bit over $1k. But if yous want a Tab S8 Ultra with a keyboard, you're looking at $1,450. A maxed-out Tab S8 Ultra with 16GB of RAM (the minimum on most premium laptops), half a terabyte of storage and a matching keyboard, it'south going to price y'all closer to $1,800.

You lot can get some very solid laptops for the aforementioned amount of money, including a few of our favorites. The Asus Zenbook 13 OLED, for example, delivers stellar bombardment life, nifty AMD-powered functioning, and a gorgeous 13.3-inch 1080p OLED for a starting price of $799, though that but gets you 8GB of RAM. However, Asus sells an upgraded model for $1,099 that gets you an Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. If y'all'd prefer a xiv-inch screen like that on the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, Asus besides has a Zenbook 14X OLED notebook in the works that we look will be as performant as the Zenbook 13.

A tricked-out Dell XPS 13 OLED can be had for roughly the same price as the top-of-the-line S8 Ultra, though obviously you won't want to endeavour detaching its keyboard. (Image credit: Hereafter)

Likewise, the Dell XPS 13 OLED is another 1 of our favorite laptops, and you can become ane for as niggling as $979. Nevertheless, that only gets you an Intel i3 CPU, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and a 13-inch (1920 ten 1200) touchscreen display. To trick it out with an OLED 3.5K touchscreen, an Intel Cadre i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD would cost you closer to $1,800, putting information technology in the same ballpark equally the maxed-out Tab S8 Ultra.

Let'southward not forget about Macs, either. Apple has a reputation for putting out pricey hardware, but its laptops are actually pretty affordable on the lower stop. The entry-level MacBook Air with M1, for example, costs only $999 yet delivers all the speed and power efficiency of Apple tree's remarkable M1 chip along with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. Yous tin can get an upgraded model with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage for $1,649, which is still $150 cheaper than Samsung's top-of-the-line Tab S8 Ultra.

Apple's M1-powered Air is withal a fantastic laptop, and you lot can get one for less than the price of a kitted-out Tab S8 Ultra. (Epitome credit: Henry T. Casey/Tom's Guide)

In that location are lots of other notebooks worth considering, but you can already run across that if you lot need to exist productive on the go, you lot can get a more than bang for your buck buying a laptop instead of a kitted-out S8 Ultra.

But of form, none of the laptops mentioned hither come with a stylus, or sport AMOLED displays with a 120Hz refresh rate, or tin can double equally a tablet when you desire one, and they're all a bit heavier than Samsung'due south super-sized tablet.

How the Milky way Tab S8 Ultra could supervene upon your laptop

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is a creature of an Android tablet, and while you'll pay a premium toll to kit it out with all the bells and whistles, that does make information technology a compelling productivity device. So if you're already in the market for a new tablet, hither'due south how the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra could do double duty as a decent laptop replacement.

(Epitome credit: Tom'southward Guide)

Showtime and foremost, you lot should probably splurge for the upgraded model with 16GB of RAM since you'll want to work and multitask with every bit trivial stuttering as possible. The $350 backlit Book Comprehend Keyboard is besides probably a worthwhile investment, though nosotros can't say for sure how comfy information technology will be to blazon on until we get one in for testing ourselves.

If the high price gives you a headache, you tin always invest in a cheaper standalone Bluetooth keyboard and but pair it to the Ultra when you lot demand it -- just continue in mind it won't attach, and then you lot'll demand to carry information technology with you if you lot plan to exercise any work on the get. You can likewise connect a mouse to the tablet (preferably via Bluetooth, as the S8 Ultra's single USB-C port can also be used to output video) for a more PC-like experience.

DeX Mode is fundamental

To actually creepo your productivity upwards to the next level you'll want to hook the Ultra upwards to an external display via its USB-C port, which can also output video via DisplayPort thanks to its DisplayPort Out functionality. You lot can likewise connect to a display wirelessly via Miracast, as long as both devices are on the aforementioned Wi-Fi network.

This is where Samsung's DeX mode can really comes in handy, every bit information technology's designed to make using Android more like using a PC. If you've never used DeX fashion before, Samsung's primer on what information technology is and how it works contains a lot of useful info. Put simply, switching into DeX mode changes the interface into something resembling a Windows desktop.

The app tray gets relocated to the bottom left corner (merely similar the onetime Windows Beginning button) and apps optimized for DeX (including all of Samsung'due south cadre apps) tin can be maximized, minimized, resized, and moved around the home screen. Even unoptimized apps can be manipulated similar this thanks to an "experimental" DeX feature, though apps might non e'er play along.

DeX mode turns your Samsung tablet or telephone into something resembling a more traditional PC desktop, replete with resizable windows for easier multi-tasking. (Image credit: Samsung)

One of the big selling points of Samsung devices is that they offer a lot of potentially useful interoperability with each other, and that's true in DeX mode also. Y'all can use your Samsung phone or tablet as a touchpad in DeX mode, pregnant you don't fifty-fifty really need a mouse when the S8 Ultra is connected to a display -- you can just employ your tablet every bit a giant xiv.6-inch touchpad. And recollect, it comes with an South Pen packed in, so that behemothic touchpad can double every bit a canvas and sketchpad.

Imagine using this massive 14.6-inch brandish equally a touchpad. Hook it upwards to a PC and it might be particularly bang-up as a sketchpad, since the 120Hz refresh should ensure sketching on it with the S Pen stylus feels polish and responsive. (Image credit: Tom'south Guide)

I should also bespeak out that Samsung now has DeX apps for Windows and Mac PCs. That means you can hook the S8 Ultra up to your existing PC or laptop via USB-C and share files or work across both devices simultaneously. So if you already have a PC set in a comfortable system at home or in the role, you lot can just hook your S8 Ultra upwards to your PC and use it that way.

So if you lot're in the market place for a new tablet that can also replace your laptop, Samsung'due south Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra seems like the near compelling option to date.

With its massive AMOLED screen, cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip and dual front end-facing webcams information technology should be great for amusement and video calls. When it'south fourth dimension to go to work, the versatility of DeX mode gives y'all a lot of options for using the Ultra similar you would a PC. And when information technology's time to log off the Ultra should be pretty like shooting fish in a barrel to throw in a bag for your commute domicile, as its thinner and lighter than most laptops on the market.

We'll have a better idea of how well the Ultra performs as a laptop replacement once nosotros test i for ourselves, then stay tuned for our total review.

Alex Wawro is a lifelong tech and games enthusiast with more than a decade of feel roofing both for outlets like Game Developer, Blackness Hat, and PC World magazine. He currently serves as a senior editor at Tom's Guide covering all things computing, from laptops and desktops to keyboards and mice.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/opinion/samsung-galaxy-tab-s8-ultra-heres-how-it-could-replace-your-laptop

Posted by: mollexpeoreal.blogspot.com

Share this post