Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Hands On: Thin Like an iPad Pro but Still as Big as My Head

Samsung is hoping you’ll take advantage of Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and S10+ big displays to make use of Galaxy AI.

Samsung’s Tab S9 Ultra was already a giant tablet, sporting a hulking 14.6-inch display. But now the new name of the game is a thin frame, and the recent Apple iPad Pro with M4 is the one doing it best. So what’s Samsung to do? Well, it’s releasing another really, really big tablet, but this time with more AI. Now, the Tab S10 + and Tab S10 Ultra sport multiple Galaxy AI features that were previously only seen on Galaxy phones. Pre-order at Samsung I attended Samsung’s launch event to try them out. The S10 Ultra features the thin-bezel design of the previous generation, but it maintains the 14.6-inch screen. It also contains the AMOLED 2X display as the smaller, 12.4-inch S10+. Both contain an anti-reflection coating to reduce glare, and I was satisfied with the device’s overall look. The $1,200 Ultra is still enormous. It’s 5.4mm thick compared to the 5.5mm of the S9 Ultra. It’s a small difference, but it’s slightly lighter than last year’s by a little more or less than 10 grams, depending on if you get the WiFi or 5G version. It’s still a very heavy tablet. It didn’t want to stay put on the plastic stands that Samsung put out at the event. In hand, the device demands you rest it against your arm like you’re holding an infant’s head. That’s not to say I don’t like such a big screen, especially when using the S Pen to draw and write.  Though smaller, the $1,000 Galaxy Tab S10+ sports the same MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ chip, which Samsung said is 18% better in CPU processing and 28% better in GPU than last year’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Otherwise, it still contains the same 10,090 mAh battery coupled with fast charging up to 45W. The new Galaxy Tabs still contain the same four-speaker setup as last year’s big tablets. The change in chip type is meant to facilitate all the on-device and cloud-based AI features coming right off the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 from earlier this year. This includes Circle to Search with homework help, Note Assist, and extra-handy handwriting assist. The handwriting feature is similar to the one on the latest iPads, which tries to rearrange your chicken scratch to look more legible. I apparently have such awful handwriting that neither Samsung nor Apple can comprehend my words.  Both tablets are running Android 14. Google’s Android 15 started making its way to Pixel devices earlier this month. Samsung is adding some extra features like an easy one-click split screen. The big screen may add some extra fidelity when using Sketch to Image, but it’s not like sticking a big purple cat in front of your group photos is much of a system seller. The added hardware, like the S Pen and the Book Cover Keyboard, add extra ways of accessing Galaxy AI writing features with a dedicated key. While capable, they’re not the exciting return of Samsung tablets I hoped for. Big screen tablets can be fun, but only for those with plus-sized hands or on a solid desktop stand. The Tab S10 Ultra and S10+ are up for preorder starting Thursday, and they’ll be available Oct. 3. Update 09/27/24 at 9:45 a.m. ET: This post was updated to correct the battery size of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+. Pre-order at Samsung
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