Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra Review: The behemoth is again

Much like its flagship slab telephones, Samsung has been having fun with a snug cushion on the planet of Android tablets. However, that cushion is likely to be beginning to put on skinny, leaving us to wonder if the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra continues to be the perfect that cash can purchase.

Samsung made a few shocking choices with its flagship pill lineup, of which just one actually impacts the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. Dropping Qualcomm in favor of MediaTek was a daring selection, however moreover that, it would appear like there’s not likely a lot of a distinction when in comparison with its predecessor. So let’s dive in and see whether or not that is the case or if there’s some form of hidden magic.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: Price and availability

The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra was introduced in September 2024 alongside the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, S24 FE, and Galaxy Watch FE. It’s out there in three totally different configurations, beginning with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, with a retail value of $1,199.99. The 12GB/512GB mannequin is available in at $1,319.99, whereas the 16GB/1TB variant will set you again $1,619.99.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: Specs

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: What I like

No matter what your emotions are on the subject of utilizing Android tablets, typically it is best when an organization acknowledges that it does not have to make any drastic design adjustments. That’s precisely what Samsung has performed with the Tab S10 Ultra, because it looks as if we simply have up to date internals packed within the identical shell from the Tab S9 Ultra.

That means in case you’re upgrading from the earlier model, you will not should shell out a bunch of additional money for brand new circumstances or equipment. This was one thing that drove me completely mad when Samsung went from the Tab S8 Ultra to the Tab S9 Ultra. Thankfully, it isn’t a difficulty this time round.

Externally, actually, every thing stays the identical, apart from the colours on the Tab S10 Ultra. The 14.6-inch AMOLED show is as lovely as ever, making it excellent for getting work performed, enjoying video games, or propping it as much as watch a film.

Oh yeah, and the S Pen continues to be included within the field, which was to be anticipated however continues to be welcome.

The better part is that the chances of what you are able to do with the Tab S10 Ultra are virtually infinite. I’ve used it as an exterior monitor for each my desktop and gaming handheld, a sensible residence dashboard, a digital pocket book, and extra. In reality, I’m scripting this on the Tab S10 Ultra utilizing Samsung DeX, which is linked wirelessly to my 49-inch Samsung OLED ultrawide monitor.

It’s a bit odd, positive, particularly as a result of the enormous 14.6-inch show is at the moment doubling as a large touchpad. That’s as a result of this type of simply occurred on a whim, and the Ultra is linked to Samsung’s Book Cover Keyboard Slim (the one and not using a built-in trackpad.) Of course, connecting a mouse would make extra sense, however I form of like how I can simply attain up and have the world’s greatest touchpad.

To shortly recap, the Tab S10 Ultra is principally the Tab S9 Ultra that will get one additional 12 months of updates. Well, not precisely. In a transfer that also surprises me, Samsung went with the MediaTek Dimensity 9300 Plus as a substitute of the Snapdragon 8 Elite and even the 8 Gen 3.

But to be fairly trustworthy, apart from one very particular area of interest, you would not understand it. And that is a great factor as a result of if that weren’t the case, Samsung would have a lot larger issues on its fingers.

So why would Samsung transfer away from Qualcomm in favor of MediaTek? That’s proper, you guessed it — AI. The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and S10 Ultra are being touted as the corporate’s “first tablets purpose-built for AI.” But earlier than getting too forward of ourselves right here, let’s have a look at how the Dimensity 9300 Plus compares to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 from the Tab S9 Ultra:

While single-core scores match up with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the Dimensity 9300 Plus destroys its competitor in multi-core Geekbench AI. Which simply so occurred to be the 2 key areas of focus when Samsung launched the Tab S10 Ultra.

However, I might go as far as to say that you just would not discover a distinction in case you had been requested to make use of both of those in some form of “blind take a look at.” On the one hand, that is nice, as it might be a really totally different story if Samsung’s flagship pill ended up performing worse. On the opposite, you would possibly’ve hoped to see extra of a leap within the single-core efficiency.

Especially in case you occur to see what the Snapdragon 8 Elite can do within the Galaxy S25 with its 3,025 single-core rating and 9,640 multi-core rating. Mind you, that is for a telephone that prices $400 lower than the bottom mannequin Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. Furthermore, the 8 Elite launched after the Tab S10, so it is smart we did not see it right here.

Nevertheless, there’s virtually nothing to actually complain about on the subject of efficiency. You’ll nonetheless get pleasure from Samsung’s suite of Galaxy AI options, paired fairly properly with Google Gemini. So, I can solely hope that Samsung has left sufficient overhead for some other potential AI options that we’ll see within the years to return.

Oh, and keep in mind how I stated that Samsung basically saved the design the identical because the Tab S9 Ultra? That additionally goes for the microSD card slot, which is a welcome inclusion on any gadget, not to mention one that may function a gaming and media playback behemoth.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: What I do not like

Giant displays and trackpads apart, my Tab S10 Ultra normally resides in DeX mode. I do not actually have a lot cause to ever return to “common” Android as a result of it is all icky and annoying there. Well, a minimum of for tablets of this measurement.

With Google lastly engaged on a correct desktop mode for Pixel units, it solely additional drives the purpose residence that sure Samsung tablets ought to default to DeX mode out of the field. And if does not need to do it for each pill, the Tab S Ultra needs to be the primary.

The conventional Android expertise nonetheless does not work nicely on tablets and even foldable telephones. App scaling is bizarre; apps do not play good when going past the confines of a slim rectangle, and typically even the interface simply appears odd. DeX solves most of these issues with just a little assist from One UI.

It makes whole sense for Samsung to simply embrace the thought of the Tab S Ultra offering a Microsoft Surface expertise, powered by One UI and Android. However, this leads me to a different subject that I hoped it might clear up however has but to take action.

Samsung must “borrow” Apple’s iPad Pro Magic Keyboard design.

I applaud the corporate for making it so you should utilize the Tab S9 Ultra circumstances with the newer mannequin. Technically, there are two “new” keyboard circumstances that launched alongside the Tab S10 Ultra. But the one actual distinction is the addition of the Galaxy AI key subsequent to the arrow keys.

Unfortunately, you may have a pill that may double as a laptop computer, but it surely’s arguably one of the vital uncomfortable “laptops” that you will ever use. With the Book Cover Keyboard, every thing works fantastic, however strive utilizing it along with your Tab S10 Ultra in your lap, and you will instantly need to pull out your hair.

The Book Cover Keyboard Slim is barely higher, as it is a bit extra inflexible than its counterpart. However, you miss out on the trackpad, which is okay in some situations however is not the perfect expertise for everybody.

Whenever I get a brand new Android gadget, whether or not it is a telephone, pill, or gaming handheld, the very first thing I attempt to do is see how nicely it could actually deal with emulation. Most fashionable units can deal with as much as PS2 video games pretty simply. The actual take a look at is seeing how nicely Switch emulation performs.

That’s the place my first annoyance concerning the transfer to MediaTek got here to thoughts once I heard the rumors. Graphics drivers for MediaTek units are… nicely… they only do not fairly stack as much as Qualcomm. They’ll simply deal with methods with mature emulators, however when you begin moving into Switch and Windows emulation, it is a wholly totally different story.

I will not bore you with the main points, however principally, Qualcomm units enable for the usage of {custom} driver assist and Vulkan extensions. If you ever hear about “Turnip” drivers, these are custom-compiled drivers which might be utilized in quite a lot of emulators, together with Switch, 3DS, PS Vita, and others.

These drivers can supply improved compatibility together with elevated efficiency, which sounds nice! Until you be taught that you just will not be capable to use these {custom} drivers with MediaTek’s Mali drivers. This finally signifies that in case you attempt to emulate one in all your favourite Switch video games solely to see that it will get between 10-15fps, you are merely out of luck.

There’s yet one more factor concerning the Tab S10 Ultra that continues to bug me. For no matter cause, Samsung’s “Ultra” pill is not out there with a mobile connection. This has bugged me for the previous few iterations, however after studying that these in Europe can select between having Wi-Fi or mobile, I used to be hopeful that the S10 Ultra is likely to be a deviation from that sample.

Sure, it isn’t an issue with the Galaxy S10 Plus, so in case you really need cellular connectivity, that is nonetheless an possibility. But what about these of us preferring the bigger show? Especially contemplating that the S10 Ultra is basically a super-sized and Android-powered Surface Pro.

I perceive that it might solely make this already-expensive gadget value much more. But on the similar time, I do not perceive Samsung’s rationale on the subject of limiting or holding options from its “Ultra” units.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: The competitors

For the primary time in a couple of years, I really feel like there’s some actual competitors within the higher-end Android pill area. While nothing else can actually match up when it comes to the show, there at the moment are choices that may sustain with Samsung’s flagship tablets.

The OnePlus Pad 2 is the primary that involves thoughts, merely due to how a lot of an enchancment it’s over the earlier mannequin. We have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, a beautiful 3K LCD panel (which is nice for PWM), and Open Canvas provides a unique tackle multitasking. Plus, even in case you resolve to select up the Stylo 2 and Smart Keyboard, it’ll nonetheless value you lower than the Tab S10 Ultra.

It’s an analogous story, a minimum of on paper, with the Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus. This was introduced at CES 2025 and has flown underneath the radar a bit, however possibly that can quickly change. Lenovo, too, opted in opposition to going with the Snapdragon 8 Elite however as a substitute depends on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. You’ll additionally get pleasure from a 12.7-inch 3K show with a 144Hz refresh fee and 16GB of RAM. Lenovo consists of each a stylus and a removable keyboard within the field.

Last however actually not least is the large elephant within the room, Apple’s iPad Pro. It has every thing you can need from a laptop computer substitute — an enormous and vibrant display, a wonderful keyboard, and you may even get mobile if you need. However, the largest caveat is that it is operating iPadOS, and whereas that is likely to be nice for some, I nonetheless want Apple would give us macOS on this {hardware}.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: Should you purchase it?

You should purchase this if…

• You need the largest pill that cash can purchase
• You need a pill that may substitute your laptop computer
• You’re already entrenched within the Samsung ecosystem

You should not purchase this if…

• You’re on a price range
• You need a pill with mobile connectivity
• You do not want a display this huge
• You need to get pleasure from retro emulation and want the perfect compatibility
• You have already got the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

Frankly, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is not for everybody. That assertion could be true even when we had the Snapdragon 8 Elite or 8 Gen 3 over the Dimensity 9300+. It’s cumbersome to make use of as a standard pill, regardless that the 14.6-inch show is ideal for media consumption and enjoying video games.

If you had been to ask me for a suggestion, I’d in all probability inform you to simply get the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus. With the additional cash saved, you can spring for extra storage or seize one with mobile connectivity. However, even that opens one other can of worms whenever you go searching at competing tablets with a similarly-sized display.

That being stated, there is a cause we selected this as the perfect pill of 2024. There’s nothing fairly like having a tool of this measurement powered by Android. If you do resolve to select up the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, I extremely advocate enabling DeX as quickly as you get every thing arrange. It simply makes extra sense than being confined to the normal Android UI.