The all-new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is here and we can’t wait to share with you our detailed review of the device.
We finally were able to get our hands on the latest tablet model in the market from the Samsung brand, the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8. We made sure to dig deeper and look into every nook and corner of the device, to thoroughly test whether it stands up to its name or not. Starting from the design of its book cover keyboard slim and that of the tablet itself, through its display and onto the performance of its CPU, software and cameras, we made sure no stone is left unturned. Here is a complete inside out review of the all-new Samsung Galaxy Tab S8, so you can make a wise and informed buying decision before you invest your valuable savings into it.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 comes sitting in a slender rectangular box fit to its size. It is accompanied by a slim book cover keyboard, which is compatible with the Galaxy Tab S7 and S8 models (the keyboard needs to be purchased additionally). Opening the large-faced lid, one gets the first look of its massive silhouette. Of course, you would find the weight of the tab to be proportional to its size. One definitely gets a little conscious while lifting a device which weighs more than 500g.
A sizeable chunk of your reflection waves back at you with a huge smile, through the enormous shiny black display of the Galaxy Tab S8. Even visibly, you would feel the surface area of the display to be quite massive in size. To give you an idea, its estimated body dimensions would be 10 x 6.5 x 0.25-inches. The screen comes with a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The display size is 11-inches, with a screen-to-body ratio of 83.6%.
Flip it over and you’ll meet its smooth metal body. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is offered in three colours, namely Silver, Pink Gold and Graphite, out of which we were able to get our hands on the Graphite model. The back, however, didn’t seem as fingerprint resistant as any matte finished surface should be. On the far top left corner lies its dual-camera system along with the flashlight, with all three placed sequentially.
Extending from the camera setup is a thin glossy black magnetic strip, which is used to connect the S-Pen with the tablet and also charge it. The Samsung brand engraving at the bottom left corner together with this glossy black magnetic strip completes the overall look of the tab and gives it an elegant character.
The frame of the tab is also metallic and comes in body colour. On its right side come neatly placed is its fingerprint sensor integrated power button, volume button and the SIM card tray can be found at the bottom. Also, on the bottom part will be visible two loudspeakers at either end (just like its top), but with a Type-C port in the middle. On the left side frame of the tablet lies a small 3-pin connector, which connects the tablet with its slim cover keyboard.
Supporting the Galaxy Tab S8 comes an S-Pen, a Type-C to Type-C USB cable, a SIM ejector tool and a user manual. The S-Pen is magnetic in nature and effortlessly snaps right into place, whether it’s the book cover’s S-Pen magnetic case holder or the magnetic strip at the back of the tab for charging. And yes, it looks exactly like a pen, with a plastic feel to it along with a single button for its operational needs.
Coming to the Galaxy Tab S8 keyboard case, it is pretty lightweight and comes in different colour options. We received the cover in Graphite Black colour, just like the body of the Galaxy Tab S8. Fitting perfectly to the tab, it covers it just like a cloak, giving it a professional look and a futuristic appeal. It even has a neat slit at the back tailor-made for the camera and the magnetic S-Pen charging strip to fit right in. It ensures efficient use of the tablet’s camera or the S-Pen charging station and makes sure the book cover does not pose a hindrance.
The back of the tablet sticks to the book cover effortlessly via the built-in magnets, which hold on to the tab pretty strongly. As hinted earlier, the book cover even contains a magnetic holder for the S-Pen, so that one doesn’t forget or misplace it while the tablet rests in its suite. The book cover keyboard carries a 3-pin connector at its top for the tab to get vertically connected with it right away, without separating it from the magnetic cover. Once you position the tab correctly into its place within the cover, then all you need to do is just fold it to set it according to your comfort. It allows you to use the tab in multiple positions, be it horizontally, vertically, with or without a keyboard or for hands-free usage.
Bringing the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 to life makes you even more lively in return. Lighting up its humongous screen simultaneously lights you up with excitement. To tell you, the S8 tab comes with a 120Hz TFT LCD display. The screen resolution is 1,600 x 2,560 pixels with a 16:10 aspect ratio and about 274ppi pixel density. When taken into direct sunlight, the screen is easily legible with a brightness level equal to or more than 40%. The vivid display colours, their brightness and contrast balance is quite successful in appealing to the eye.
Read also: Samsung Galaxy S22 Review: The Ultimate Quality Smartphone of 2022
The tablet’s touch experience is quite smooth and fluid and is even more joyous with the S-Pen. The S-Pen can not only be utilised for clicking, scribbling, drawing or making notes, but it also supports gesture operations. You can wave your S-Pen like a magic wand and give gesture commands to operate various applications within the tab without touching it. For example, once the S-Pen is connected with the tab, keeping the tip of your S-Pen facing towards the tab, you can swipe left and right in the air to switch between various modes given in the camera app.
Do keep in mind though, that not all applications may support the S-Pen gesture commands. Also, the gestures vary from app to app that does support it. But on the upside, the Galaxy Tab S8 software always remains by your side and guides you through it all.
We tested the device thoroughly to throw some light on its display and touch performance in depth. The size of the screen definitely works as a huge plus point here. Watching videos on Youtube gives you an even more life-like experience. Videos can be streamed in up to 2160p at a 60fps frame rate. The vividness and clarity in the picture quality offered along with the dynamic colour range provided are excellent. The streaming quality offered in Netflix was decent. Some may feel here that there may be a slight scope for improvement.
On the gaming front, the device was tested by playing high-end games like Need For Speed: No Limits. The graphics quality was appreciable while the touch response was quite smooth and pretty commendable. Actions were swift and effortless. Playing on a screen larger than a smartphone, again, no doubt takes the experience to the next level. The colour range is also amazing.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 reflects a professional and elegant design language whereas the display is admirable and pleases the eye.
Elaborating further on the Galaxy Tab S8 specs, it comes with a Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) chipset, an Octa-core processor and Adreno 730 GPU. The Android 12 supported device comes with 8GB and 12GB RAM options in combination with 128GB and 256GB internal memory. It comes with a battery capacity of 8,000mAh, which supports 45W fast charging and gets fully charged in about an hour. The S-Pen gets fully charged via the magnetic charging station provided at the back of the tablet, in less than 30 mins. The tablet supports a single SIM and comes with a dedicated microSD card slot.
Arriving at the home page, you will feel a gush of familiarity seeing the typical Samsung interface at your service. The applications and their bubble icons, their placement, look and feel are pretty straightforward and efficient. You won’t see any extra applications residing within the app drawer. While using multiple applications simultaneously, no app crash was observed. One can easily switch between different applications windows without facing any lag. The sound quality provided by its 4 stereo speakers is also amazing.
Read also: Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 Review: The best in class tablet
Coming to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 camera, it comes with a 13MP+6MP dual rear camera system along with a 12MP front selfie camera. There are 5 zoom modes offered, namely 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x and 8x. Videos can be recorded from both the front and the rear camera in UHD up to 60fps frame rate. However, the camera lacks quality overall. Even the regular Photo mode from the rear camera in 1x zoom appears to be grainy and the captures lack details. The end results appear slightly softer. But having said that, the colour range is decent and appears close to reality. The Portrait mode works better than the Photo mode in terms of capturing details, colour and the overall picture quality and provides a range of inbuilt filters as well.
Going up the ladder, the quality of the zoom modes deteriorates significantly with the increase in zoom level. But the S8 Tab is not built for pro-level photography, it is built for Zoom and Video calls, so bear that in mind when purchasing.
Speaking of the selfie camera, it works decently. The colours appear bright and the contrast is well balanced and appealing to the eye. However, the captures lack details and the facial features may appear pretty soft in texture, resulting in a slightly unnatural look. Coming to the videos, recordings made from the rear camera with the UHD setting are appreciable. Under well-lit circumstances, the results appear vivid and the picture quality and colour scheme are also good.
Overall, the camera package offered with the Galaxy Tab S8 has a definite scope of improvement.
To sum up, the humongous Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is a device perfect for professional use. The screen size, display quality together with the flawless software and touch experience complement each other and work great as a team. The body design of the tab also reflects elegance and professionality.
Yes, the camera package offered with it in this price range has a definite scope of upgradation. But overall, its pros weigh heavier than its cons. Geekbench 5 gives it a single-core score of 772 and a multi-core score of 2,827 points and only a few devices score higher than it. If you are very particular about the camera quality, you may want to keep looking at other options in the market. But otherwise, we would definitely give a go-ahead for buying it at the price range it is offered in. It is great for people working from home or children attending online classes.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 price in India starts from Rs 58,999.
For the latest gadget and tech news , and gadget reviews , follow us on Twitter , Facebook and Instagram . For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel . You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App . You can find the latest car and bike news here .
We are a humble media site trying to survive! As you know we are not placing any article, even the feature stories behind any paywall or subscription model. Help us stay afloat, support with whatever you can!
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.