Not too big, not too little — just right
Tablets exist in two different worlds. Budget slates are a great way to browse the web or stream your favorite TV shows, but if you plan on gaming, writing, or doing any actual productivity work, you’ll probably want to look elsewhere. Premium tablets serve as the best way to replace your laptop with a slimmer, lighter form factor, and when it comes to this subsection of the market, no one has come close to topping the Galaxy Tab S8+.
Samsung’s “Goldilocks” tier for the Tab S8 family is, perhaps, an unsurprising winner for our Editors’ Choice this year. It’s more portable than the enormous display offered on the Tab S8 Ultra, a behemoth of a tablet that — while impressive — is likely to serve a niche audience. It still comes with all of the bells and whistles missing from the smaller Tab S8, though, and its larger 12.5″ display means it’s actually big enough for productivity.
Google and Samsung have both done a lot of work over the last year or so to get Android working better than ever on big screens. It’s still not a perfect solution, and in many ways, Apple’s M1-powered mid-range iPad Air still trumps the entire Galaxy Tab lineup. It’s unlikely we’ll see apps like DaVinci Resolve arrive on the Play Store as they have on the App Store in recent weeks, but Adobe’s limited selections — not to mention Google’s Drive suite of apps and other productivity tools — might be good enough for most people.
But really, that display is the star of the show. It’s a gorgeous high-res AMOLED panel, perfect for watching movies on the weekend, streaming games either remotely or over the web. This isn’t a minor upgrade from the smaller Tab S8, which uses a standard LCD display in its place. This change makes a big difference in how you experience movies, games, and more on your tablet, and it’s far and away the most prominent reason to choose the 12″ model over a smaller form factor.
Otherwise, the Galaxy Tab S8+ simply cements Samsung as the company to beat when it comes to the best Android tablets. It’s powerful and capable, whether you’re looking for entertainment, productivity, or a mix of both. It’s basically the best multitasking solution we’ve seen on a tablet, delivering three windows side-by-side on a display big enough to handle them.
For the vast majority of consumers, the sheer joy of using a display this good makes it worth it. Gaming, movies, photo editing — it’s all incredible on this screen. It might cost a pretty penny, and it might not be as portable as smaller 10″ or 11″ models, but if you’re shopping for Android tablets right now, this is the one to get.
