Water is wet, grass is green, and a new Android device duo is set to be priced higher than its forerunner in one of the world's largest and most impactful mobile markets.
At this point, you really shouldn't act too surprised to hear this type of bad news (from a super-reliable source, no less) about the Galaxy Tab S12+ and Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra ahead of an official announcement expected to take place next month. But you still have every right to be furious with Samsung for trying to overcharge you this fall without bringing a lot of notable upgrades compared to last year's Galaxy Tab S11 and Tab S11 Ultra.
Does the Ultra warrant a $100 price hike across the board?
$1,399.99 - Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage;
$1,599.99 - 12GB/512GB variant;
$1,999.99 - 16GB/1TB configuration.
Given the very difficult times smartphone and tablet manufacturers are currently going through between rapidly rising component costs and shrinking sales figures (for both those industries), you might be inclined to go easy on Samsung upon seeing those US Tab S12 Ultra numbers.
All in all, of course, the Tab S12 Ultra is an undeniably handsome jumbo-sized tablet. | Image by Smartphone Checker
After all, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra normally starts at $1,299.99 stateside, going up to $1,899.99 for a top-of-the-line 1TB storage variant, and a $100 price increase doesn't feel that bad compared to what we've seen other brands do in recent months.
But you have to remember that the Tab S11 Ultra wasn't actually released at $1,299.99 and up, receiving a $100 price hike a little over four months ago. That was for an entry-level configuration, mind you, while the most expensive model jumped from $1,619.99 to $1,899.99.
Will you buy a new Samsung tablet if these prices pan out?
$1,199.99 - Galaxy Tab S12+ with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage;
$1,399.99 - 12GB/512GB variant;
$1,349.99 - 5G-enabled model with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.
Obviously, it's not really fair to compare the smaller of the two Galaxy Tab S12 devices in the pipeline right now with the 11-inch Galaxy Tab S11, which costs $899.99 and up stateside after a price increase of its own back in April.
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The Galaxy Tab S12 Plus is extremely likely to look virtually identical to the Tab S10 Plus (pictured here). | Image by Samsung
But I can definitely pit the 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S12 Plus against the similarly sized Tab S10 Plus from 2024, which despite its advanced age, is by no means an outdated iPad Pro alternative. The Galaxy Tab S10+ made its debut at a US retail price of $999.99 and up, jumping to $1,099.99 in an entry-level 256GB storage configuration when the Tab S11 and Tab S11 Ultra also became more expensive.
The 5G-capable Tab S10 Plus, meanwhile, currently costs $1,249.99, so much like its bigger brother, you can say that the Galaxy Tab S12+ is set for a $100 price hike over its predecessor across the board, which doesn't sound horrible but it's still pretty difficult to swallow when all is taken into consideration.
Here are more news stories on upcoming Samsung products:
How will these prices compare to Samsung's competition?
In short, not great. Not when a 13-inch iPad Pro (2025) normally starts at $1,499 and very frequently goes down to $1,399 with a much faster chipset under its hood than the Tab S12 Ultra's expected MediaTek Dimensity 9500.
It sounds like the iPad Pro (M5) will remain extremely hard to beat in terms of value for money. | Image by PhoneArena
Then, of course, you've got the smaller and equally powerful iPad Pro 11 (M5) at list prices of $1,199 and up, the ultra-productive new Surface Pro with a 13-inch screen and a massively reduced price of $1,199.99 with 16GB RAM and a 256GB SSD, not to mention something like the 8.8-inch Lenovo Legion Tab Gen 5 with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processing power at $679.99 right now.
Knowing Samsung, the Galaxy Tab S12+ and Tab S12 Ultra deals will also come shortly after the two's commercial release, but it's hard to imagine that the discounts will be steep enough to make the difference these repetitive Android giants need to become box-office hits.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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