Money isn't the only factor when selecting a shiny new tablet

Samsung tends to be ranked as one of the best Android tablets in the U.S. The Korean manufacturer makes excellent hardware, and it also lacks serious competition here in the States. With so many similarly named devices available, you may find it hard to keep track of what's new, what's old, and what's different between Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 models.

Samsung's tablet offerings are a maze of slabs that all look alike, so it can be tough to know whether upgrading from a previous model is worthwhile when the latest and greatest hits the shelves. If you'd like to make sense of the never-ending list of features spread across the last four generations of Samsung's Tab S tablets (covering the Galaxy Tab S5e, Tab S6, Tab S6 Lite, Tab S7, Tab S7+, and Tab S7 FE) while comparing hardware, software, performance, accessories, and pricing against the Galaxy Tab S8 line, read on.

Samsung's newest Galaxy Tab S8 series launched globally in February 2022. The Samsung Galaxy S Tab 7 series launched in September 2021, and the Galaxy Tab S6 series was released two years before that, in August 2019. The Galaxy Tab S6 and S6 Lite are getting harder and harder to find, and they're not really worth it when compared to Samsung's 2020-2021 A-series tablets. However, the Galaxy S7 series and even the most recent Galaxy Tab S8 series are seeing regular deals.

To help you decide whether a given sale is a good deal for you or just a "normal" price, here are the MSRPs and typical discounts for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6, S7, and S8 series:

Given how similar the Galaxy Tab S7 and S8 series are, once you choose the size you want, watch both the new and old models. Each model should see a decent deal within a month or so. You can also go by which has the better discount today. If you're willing to go with a larger screen, the Galaxy Tab S7 FE can also be a great way to save money while getting a quality tablet, as long as you find it on sale.

After shopping for tablets for a while, the hardware might start to blur together, especially Samsung's Tab S models, which mainly offer similar bezels and shapes. Still, there are always differences, even if you don't notice them at first.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ offer the same form-factor as the Tab S7, Tab S7+, and Tab S7 FE. So if you're looking to upgrade your Tab S7 device over its appearance and appearance alone, then you're better off sticking with your S7 to save some money (though there are still hardware differences, which we'll get into in the next paragraph).

Going further back to the Tab S5e, Tab S6, and Tab S6 Lite, the differences in design from the S7 and S8 series are a bit clearer. The Tab S5e, S6, and S6 Lite offer slightly larger bezels than the S7 and S8 models, with beveled edges (instead of the newer flat edges of the Tab S7 and S8 lines). Still, all three of these tablets look relatively similar, so what's best for your needs will ultimately come down to hardware.

The Tab S8 line offers the most up-to-date hardware, packing a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in all models (though there is some throttling), along with a minimum of 8GB of RAM. If you're shooting for pure power, the S8 line is the way to go, especially when the S7 line offers older chips and less RAM to start.

Still, the S7 and S7+ are no slouches; both offer high refresh rate screens at 120Hz (TFT LCD for the S7, OLED for the S7+) and Snapdragon 865 chipsets. If you're using a Tab S7 right now, there's probably no need to rush an upgrade, especially if you picked up a model with 8GB RAM. The mid-range Tab S7 FE, with a Snapdragon 778, doesn't offer a high refresh screen, which would mean moving to an S8 of any kind would indeed offer an upgrade that could be worth the cost of a new device.

The S5e and S6 pack OLED screens, but the S6 Lite is TFT LCD. All three are limited to 60Hz refresh rates. The regular S7 also offers a TFT screen, but it's a high refresh rate screen that supports 120Hz, comparable to the S8's screen.

With the exception of the Galaxy Tab S7 FE, which has a 60Hz LCD display, all Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S8 devices have 120Hz displays. The smallest models in each family, the Tab S7 and Tab S8, are LCD panels; the Tab S7+, Tab S8+, and Tab S8 Ultra are OLED.

Samsung is pretty much the leader in the Android high-end tablet market, and software is a big part of this equation. Something as simple as the Samsung Internet Browser is actually a standout app (as far as Android web browsers go), and it comes packed in with every Samsung device.

Then there's DeX mode, a proprietary software feature from Samsung that lets you switch your tablet to a desktop-like interface that works with a mouse and keyboard, offering a familiar bottom taskbar design (similar to Windows). Every Tab being discussed in this guide supports DeX, though the newer the model, the better the performance. So if you're looking for a new tablet and require solid DeX mode performance to get work done on an external screen, an upgrade to an S8 may be in order, though an S7 should still do a pretty good job.

Another notable software feature is S Pen support. The Galaxy S8 line offers the lowest latency when using the S Pen, so there's an advantage here that older models can't compete with. The S Pen support on the S7 lineup does an excellent job, especially if you simply dabble with taking notes and drawing—most people probably won't notice the difference in responsiveness. But if you're a professional who requires the lowest latency and superior palm rejection, then the S8 should be the first place to look.

Performance is often subjective. Different use cases demand different processing power. Sure, you can dip into benchmark apps, such as Geekbench, but in the particular case of the Tab S8 line, much like the newest S22 phone models that were delisted from Geekbench, Samsung has also changed how its latest tablets report their performance, which makes nailing down said performance difficult.

Still, if you're more worried about real-world use, there's good news: The Tab S8 line is plenty powerful. It chews through apps and games with little noticeable slowdown. Sure, this is what you'd expect from the newest high-end Samsung tablets, but if pure performance is your goal, don't let the Geekbench snafu dissuade you. The Tab S8 line is the cream of the crop regarding tablet performance on Android. However, you will pay for the privilege.

Then again, the Tab S7 line is no slouch, either, thanks to such chips as the Snapdragon 865, Snapdragon 778G, and 750G. These might not be high-end chips—more upper-mid-range—but they use less power than something like a Snapdragon 888 or 888+ (the last gen's high-end), so there are some battery savings to be had with the lower performance, which is precisely why Samsung ran with these chips last year.

Still, most people won't be able to tell the difference between a Snapdragon 865 and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 when using a tablet for everyday use, like browsing websites. The difference will be more apparent if you often use demanding apps like image or video editors.

Even the Tab S6 or S6 Lite are still pretty handy when it comes to everyday use. Keep in mind the Lite packs a Samsung-made Exynos 9611 chipset instead of a Snapdragon. Moving beyond an S6 might not be necessary if you don't throw demanding apps at your tablet, though even basic tasks will be smoother on an S8 than on an older tablet.

Regarding updates, Samsung does an excellent job keeping its tablets on the latest software, though a few stragglers are stuck on older versions of Android, with the Tab S5e, S6, and S6 Lite limited to Android 11 and OneUI 3.1. If you're looking to upgrade from one of these older devices to a Tab S8 model, you can look forward to four years of Android updates, along with five years of security updates—ending in February 2026 and 2027, respectively.

The Tab S7 and S8 lines run Android 12 along with OneUI 4.1, though the S8 series will see the lengthiest update cycle now that Samsung is updating its devices in four-year stretches. So again, even if you own an S7 model, your update cycle won't compare to the current four years of support planned for the S8 line.

All Tab S7 and S8 models should get the tablet-oriented Android 12L update in the near future. So if you're looking for some future-proofing, sticking with a Tab S7 is a safe bet, though the move to an S8 will net you longer software support.

When it comes to accessories, the Tab S8 line is still pretty recent, so there aren't many third-party solutions for accessories out there yet. That's especially true of the Tab S8 Ultra since it offers a brand-new footprint, thanks to its enormous 14.6-inch OLED screen. The good news is that the Tab S8 and S8+ are the same sizes as the Tab S7 and S7+, so cases and keyboards will work between these two models, whether they're first- or third-party.

There are some slight savings to be had if you pick up a Tab S8 or S8+ and purchase older Tab S7 accessories. Plus, there are savings if you're upgrading from a Tab S7 to an S8, as all your peripherals will work with the newer tablet, cutting out the need to buy a new case or keyboard just because you changed devices.

Beyond the compatibility between a few Tab S7 and S8 models, options are more plentiful and less expensive the older the tablet, and cases and styli can be snagged on most online stores for much less than the newest items for the Tab S8 line.

Sticking with an older tablet will afford you some savings if you are in the market for accessories, and the selection will be hard to beat if you plan on picking up a newer Tab S model with fewer peripheral options.

It depends. The Tab S7 models are still powerful and handy, even though they don't have the latest chipsets. Unless you're a professional that edits video, audio, or images on your tablet, it's not like the extra cash spent on an S8 model will make a huge difference, especially when form factors between the S7s and S8s are the same. Sure, perhaps the 14.6-inch Tab S8 Ultra is calling you. And that's fair, as there is no other tablet that compares in terms of size.

But if you're coming from an earlier model, say a Tab S5e or one of the Tab S6 models, there is a lot to gain from upgrading to an S8 or S7, such as access to Android 12 as well as a promise of a future update that will bring Google's planned Android 12L tablet features to the OS.

There's also the newer hardware to consider. Not only do all the S7 and S8 tablets have high refresh rate screens, but you also get a newer CPU/GPU and more RAM. Also, keep in mind that the S8 line will get software updates much longer than the S7 line will.

More or less, the choice of whether to upgrade comes down to your personal needs. There may not be much of a difference between the S7 and S8 models beyond a bump in specs and lengthier update support, but if you've been running out of RAM on an older S7 during your heavier tasks, then the extra two gigs in the entry-level S8 models may be worth the upgrade.

Still, the tablet market moves a little slower than the phone market, so it's not like these tablets are going anywhere anytime soon. You have time to decide which model is best for you, and you may even catch a sale sometime soon, evening out the high cost of purchasing a brand-new Samsung Tab S8 tablet.

Matthew is the Games and Apps Editor at Android Police. He's been gaming his entire life since his first taste of a TI-99 at four years old. Matthew has been an Android user since the HTC Hero and has been covering roundups, reviews, and daily mobile game news coverage for over a decade. He's a person that holds a peculiar yet deep interest in all things to do with handheld gaming and constantly pushes to advance the state of the mobile industry beyond the bounds of its predatory monetization obsession. Matthew is a furious nitpicker and something of an (albeit amusing) curmudgeon, a writer that can instantly find fault in just about anything, yet he chooses to wield this power for good from the comfort of his armchair to ensure the best Android games and apps aren't lost to obscurity.