Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra
It may not look all that different to the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, but the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra looks to make minor but meaningful updates that help it keep pace with the premium tablet competition in 2024.
Key Features
- Massive 14.6-inch screenThe Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen is one of the main reasons to opt for the Tab S10 Ultra, with a 16:10 aspect ratio particularly well suited to binging movies.
- Top-end Dimensity powerWith the premium Dimensity 9300+ at its core, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is comfortably more powerful than much of the Android tablet competition.
- Galaxy AI smartsThe Tab S10 Ultra boasts the full suite of Galaxy AI tools, as well as integration for the S Pen.
Introduction
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is here, and it looks like a very familiar device.
It sports the same stunningly large 14.6-inch screen as its predecessor, but it’s lighter, thinner, stronger and has new anti-reflective screen tech to further improve its impressive viewing experience.
However, even with the top-end Dimensity 9300+ that easily bests the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-equipped OnePlus Pad 2 in early benchmark testing, it still pales in comparison to its biggest competition; the equally premium iPad Pro, and its desktop-class M4 chipset.
While I’m not yet ready to deliver my final thoughts on the top-end tablet, I’ve spent the past few days using the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra ahead of today’s reveal, and here’s what I think so far.
Design and Screen
- 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen
- Fairly thin and light for such a large device
- Improved durability compared to most tablets
At a glance, you might not be able to tell the difference between the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra – and that’s because the two are very similar indeed.
Both sport the same overall design, complete with flat edges and rounded corners for a very iPad-esque aesthetic, though with a few key differences compared to Apple’s tablet collection; not only is the screen absolutely massive here, at 14.6 inches, but it sports a 16:10 aspect ratio.
This makes the Tab S10 Ultra particularly well suited for watching 16:9 movies, with content taking up most of the screen, but it also means it’s not as tall when used in landscape orientation – and that could have a knock-on effect on productivity.
Size aside, it’s an absolutely gorgeous Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with 120Hz LTPO tech to adjust the refresh rate intelligently, and with HDR10+, supported content looks top-notch too. For me, however, the most notable element of the screen I’ve noticed in the past few days is its new anti-reflective coating.
It uses the same anti-reflective tech as the top-end Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, something I applauded in my review at the time due to how much more legible it makes the screen in bright environments – and it seems to be very much the case here, reflecting just 2% of environmental light to reduce reflections to a manageable level.
It’s not quite as effective at negating reflections as a matte-finish display, but I think this is a great middle-ground that retains the colour and detail of a glossy AMOLED screen while still providing better viewability than the likes of the OnePlus Pad 2 in brighter environments.
But despite the frankly massive dimensions of the screen, the Tab S10 Ultra remains a relatively portable device.
It’s 0.1mm slimmer than its predecessor at 5.4mm thick, and at 718g (or 723g if you go for the 5G variant), it’s a few grams lighter too – though it doesn’t come close to the 5.1mm and 579g of Apple’s top-end iPad Pro 13. Still, that makes the tablet pretty easy to carry one-handed, even with its large footprint, but it’s still something you’ll want to rest on your lap or a table after more than a few minutes of use.
The frame is also more robust this time around, utilising Samsung’s new Enhanced Armor Aluminium that the company claims is 10% harder and, as a result, more resistant to scratches and dings. I will say that the tablet is still mark-free a few days into using it, though it has been on soft surfaces – sofas, in rucksacks – for much of that time.
It also sports a slightly updated colour pallet, available in Moonstone Grey and Platinum Silver compared to the Tab S9 Ultra’s Beige or Graphite, though it’s still a world away from the vibrant colour options like Titanium Violet that you’ll find on Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The IP68 dust and water resistance first introduced on last year’s Tab S9 range also makes a comeback for the 10th-gen device, and it remains one of very few high-end tablets to offer such protection. You won’t find anything like it on Apple’s iPad collection, nor is it present on tablets from manufacturers like OnePlus and Honor.
If you intend on using the Tab S10 Ultra on the move, or near water, this could provide much-appreciated peace of mind – but you won’t find me dunking my sample any time soon.
And, as ever, you’ll get an accompanying S Pen that’s snapped securely into place on the rear of the device for charging and storage purposes. I still think a side-mounted charger would be ideal, as it means the tablet can’t lay flat on a table, but it’s a relatively minor niggle about an otherwise great stylus.
Cameras
- 13MP & 8MP cameras on the rear
- Dual 12MP selfie cameras
- Handy for video calls
Camera tech is never really a huge focus when it comes to tablets, as it’s much easier to take a photo from your smartphone – and that’s especially true of a tablet with a whopping 14.6-inch screen.
That said, there isn’t really anything new on the camera front compared to the Tab S9 Ultra, with the same combination of a 13MP primary and 8MP ultrawide on the rear, complete with a flash, and a higher-res combination of dual 12MP main and ultrawide snappers on the front of the device, housed within a small notch at the top of the screen.
It’s actually the selfie cameras that separate the Tab S10 Ultra from the rest of the Tab collection, with the Tab S10+ and Tab S9 both sporting a single 12MP selfie camera. This makes the Ultra model more well-suited to video calling, especially with multiple people, or if you intend on giving presentations.
That said, none of these cameras delivers shots close to what you’d get from even a relatively cheap smartphone in 2024, so aside from snapping photos of documents and using it for video calls, you likely won’t be using these all too often.
Performance and software
- MediaTek Dimensity 9300+
- Galaxy AI smarts
- 11,200mAh battery and 45W charging
If there’s one area where I think the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra struggles to defend its £1200/$1200 price tag, it’s the processor department – though it’s not necessarily Samsung’s fault.
The top-end MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ used in the Tab S10 Ultra is certainly capable, and among the most powerful chips you’ll find on Android devices right now – but it can’t hold a candle to Apple’s desktop-class M4 chipset found on the similarly priced iPad Pro.
I’ve run a few early benchmarks to gauge how effective the Dimensity chipset is, and with multi-core Geekbench 6 scores of 7092, it’s head-and-shoulders above the 4953 of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-equipped OnePlus Pad, though it’s literally half of the M4-equipped iPad Pro’s 14,555.
Of course, I’ve not noticed a massive difference between it and the experience delivered by the iPad Pro in the few days that I’ve been using the Tab S10 Ultra – it remains lightning-fast no matter what I throw at it, and it’s more than capable enough of powering a high-end gaming experience.
However, it’s hard to dispute that the competing M4 chipset will offer that experience for much longer as OS and app processing demands continue to grow.
Elsewhere, the Tab S10 Ultra is equipped with either 12- or 16GB of RAM, though the latter is exclusive to the top-end 1TB option, and it sports the same massive 11,200mAh battery and 45W wired charging as its predecessor – though you won’t find a charger in the box.
Of course, one of the big additions to this year’s tablet is Galaxy AI. While the Tab S9 Ultra received a few Galaxy AI features earlier this year, the Tab S10 Ultra offers the full Galaxy AI suite, including all the tools like Portrait Studio that made their debut on the Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 in July.
That means you’ve got handy GenAI-powered features at your fingertips including object removal tech, writing tools, the ability to transcribe and summarise voice recordings, edit your photos by sketching on them and much more.
What’s more, the Notes app has been overhauled for the Tab S10 Ultra to introduce split-screen support, recording and transcription in-app and, following an update in November, it’ll even be able to help you with math equations. There’s also Google’s Circle to Search, with S Pen support allowing you to outline things with your stylus.
Samsung has been coy about long-term software support so far, but I’m hoping we’ll see the same impressive seven-year commitment as the Galaxy S24 range.
Latest deals
Early Thoughts
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra seems to be a relatively minor update to the top-end tablet, but I’d argue that it doesn’t matter all that much; this isn’t a tablet that’s designed to tempt Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra owners to upgrade.
Instead, it’s for those new to the tablet, and that’s where the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra shines with its large 14.6-inch screen, sleek dimensions, impressive power (for an Android tablet, anyway) and Galaxy AI smarts.
There are still questions about whether it’s truly worth its £1,199/$1,199 price tag when you can buy a more capable iPad Pro for not that much more, but I’ll save my final thoughts for the full review in the coming days.
You might like…
Full specs
The post Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra appeared first on Trusted Reviews.
https://ift.tt/tgrenFZ
Comments
Post a Comment