Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 review: Quality for the price is the best option

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is the cheapest Android tablet in the Tab S8 series. According to Samsung, this high-end device should excel in entertainment, productivity, and technical capabilities. Be that as it may, you can read in this review.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8

This year, Samsung brought not two tablets, but three tablets In the market In the higher priced segment. These are the base model 11-inch Tab S8, 12.4-inch Tab S8 Plus and 14.6-inch Tab S8 Ultra. We tested the Tab S8 Plus last week and you can Check out our comprehensive review here† This time we put the normal Tab S8 on the network. Are you enough with this entry-level model, or do you prefer the more expensive and larger tablets of the series? You will discover it in this review.

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Beautiful design, great fingerprint scanner

All the tablets of the Tab S8 series are very similar and we have already discussed the design of the large-scale tablets in our region Tab S8 Plus review† The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is a premium tablet and that’s how it feels. Made of aluminum and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 (screen). What’s remarkable is how thin the tablet is, as it’s a meager 6mm thick without the attached stylus. You can easily attach the S Pen to the back magnetically, so that the stylus can be charged and connected to the software. We find two speakers on either side, respectively, which together provide a quad speaker array.

The fingerprint scanner is built into the power button, which works accurately and smoothly. It’s a point that sets the smaller tablet apart from other products in this series. In our Tab S8 Plus review, you can read that in the case of larger tablets, we’re not much of a fan of an under-display scanner. The fingerprint scanner on the side of the regular Tab S8 is an excellent choice from Samsung and it pushes the tablet’s recommended retail price.

solid LCD panel

Where the Tab S8 should lose compared to other tablets in the series, is in terms of screen quality. The Tab S8 has an 11-inch TFT LCD screen, rather than an AMOLED panel. You obviously have a huge difference in quality between LCD screens and found the screen colors to look vibrant enough. It’s not the same with AMOLED, but you still see a distinct difference with the screen of the mid-budget tablet. This is also due to the 120Hz refresh rate and higher resolution. Of all the tablets in the series, the base model has the highest pixel density. Samsung uses the best LCD screens with the Tab S8.

A drawback of the TFT LCD panel is that it lacks the richer color contrast support found in HD10+ content. In addition, the screen is less economical if you use, for example, a dark theme or an always-on screen. You can read the screen again from difficult viewing angles, but the panel brightness may be a bit higher. In the sunlight everything is less clear than you’d like. I can imagine that the LCD screen of a premium tablet might look disappointing at first glance, I’d still prefer AMOLED too, but as long as you don’t have the highest demands of a tablet screen, this Tab S8 won’t disappoint..

High speed and reliable battery

with the Snapdragon 8 first generation And with 8GB of RAM on board, you won’t be short on anything, at all. Everything runs smoothly as you fly through the apps, thanks in part to the 120Hz refresh rate of course. The Tab S8 is the workhorse, and the software encourages multitasking. When the work is finally done, some games can be done using the highest graphics possible in mobile games.

The battery capacity is 8000mAh, well below the 10,900mAh in the larger Tab S8 Plus. No need to be afraid of dropping by with an empty battery, because the regular Tab S8 can still last you through a working day even with that smaller battery, even with heavy use. As we are used to with premium devices from Samsung, there is no charger in the box and you can buy it separately. So you will have to buy it yourself. The tablet can be quickly charged with a power of up to 45W. The standby time is good too.

Video calling cameras

For those few times you’ll use it, the cameras on this tablet are definitely enough. You can already read that in our Galaxy Tab S8 Plus review, which has exactly the same cameras. You’ll find a 13-megapixel main camera and a 6-megapixel wide-angle sensor on the back. The selfie camera is the same as the Tab S8 and the 120-degree wide angle at which it takes pictures makes it very suitable for video meetings. With the easy-to-use Auto Framing function, your face also stays in the photo automatically. You can read all about it at Tab S8 Plus review†

Nice software and accessories

The Tab S8 runs on One UI 4.1, based on Android 12. One UI is a very mature software skin that comes with good additions for Android. Examples of new features in the latest version are smart widgets The ability to use working memory Expandable by default† With the Tab S8 series, you are also entitled to Five years of security updates And four version updates and this is definitely an added value for this tablet.

With the S-Pen, the program is more comprehensive. You can use it to quickly take notes, take pictures from a distance, or take a screenshot with an odd gesture. Samsung also comes with necessary software that allows you to get the most out of your S Pen. There is a basic drawing app, a more advanced tool, and a note taking app of its own. We have already started working with this program in Tab S8 Plus review†

With Samsung Dex, you can turn your tablet into a simple desktop computer. To be able to use this function correctly, I recommend using the case with the keyboard. This keyboard accessory is in any case an added value, especially if you use it regularly for typing. It’s a huge upgrade compared to the virtual keyboard.

Conclusion

The base model of the Tab S8 series may be the smallest: but with its 11-inch screen and powerful performance, it remains a very complete tablet. It’s not quite a laptop replacement yet, but the S Pen makes this tablet even more versatile. We also find the fingerprint scanner on the side more pleasant to use compared to the scanner under the screen in other products in this series. Despite the smaller battery, the battery life remains excellent.

On the other hand, consumers may be late to read that the Tab S8 will come with an LCD screen, but such prejudices are not entirely justified in the case of this tablet. The €750 tablet isn’t for everyone, but with the Tab S8 you get one of the best premium tablets in this price range.

Buy Samsung Galaxy Tab S8

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is available in Graphite, Silver, Pink and Gold colors and you can buy it from €749.