With history and common sense suggesting a 2021 release, it's certainly a little disappointing to see the year ending with no official trace of Samsung's highly anticipated Galaxy Tab S8 family. That's at least if we don't count a fresh table spotted by the eagle-eyed folks from GalaxyClub (translated here) on the company's very own British webpage.
This acknowledges the existence of the Tab S8, S8+, and S8 Ultra... in addition to many other tablets that are actually already out. Unfortunately, the trade-in values associated with the three unreleased devices are not in any way representative of their future retail prices, but for what it's worth, the table does confirm at least some of the storage and connectivity variants coming to the UK in the near future.
The biggest tablet will get the best storage options
In other news, water is wet. Joking aside, it will surely be nice for Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra buyers to be able to choose from 128, 256, and 512GB storage configurations, possibly unlike those who are interested in the "regular" Galaxy Tab S8 or the plus-sized Tab S8+.
That would be quite the departure from the Tab S7, which shared its 128, 256, and 512 gig storage specifications with the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus. Curiously enough, there are no words on any plans to rival Apple's top-of-the-line 1 and 2TB iPad Pro (2021) variants, but on the decidedly bright side of things, the Tab S8 series should offer microSD storage expansion.
Another curious thing is the apparent lack of a 5G-enabled Tab S8 Ultra model, which may end up being a region-specific type of affair. The Tab S8 and S8+, meanwhile, are confirmed to support both 4G LTE and 5G speeds, although as always, standalone cellular connectivity will obviously cost you.
Other expected specs, features, and prices
Much like the Galaxy S21 FE, these bad boys have stopped being a secret a long time ago. In fact, their key specifications and Korean pricing structure leaked all the way back in May... with a few question marks and some details that can frequently be subject to last-minute change.
For instance, no one could know so many months ago what processor Samsung would end up opting for. Now we're pretty sure we're looking at Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 beasts here, and there's a good chance the Galaxy Tab S8 trio will be unveiled at last alongside the similarly powerful Galaxy S22 lineup in late February.
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These leaked specs and Korean prices are more than six months old
The notched 14.6-inch (!!!) Tab S8 Ultra is tipped to start at the rough equivalent of $1,180 in Samsung's homeland according to the latest rumors, which sounds bad but may actually convert to a sub-$1,000 official base price stateside.
That's not terribly overpriced for an absolute colossus with a 12,000mAh or so battery on deck, up to 12 gigs of RAM, and a grand total of four cameras, two of which could be housed by the aforementioned divisive notch.
The 11 and 12.4-inch Tab S8 and S8+, meanwhile, should come free of frontal distractions and screen cutouts, with slightly thicker bezels, smaller but still mighty impressive batteries, blazing fast 45W charging capabilities of their own, and only three cameras in tow each.
Naturally, we're also expecting lower prices for these (slightly) lower-end Android 12 tablets, with the aforementioned entry-level 128GB storage variants likely to start at no more than $750 and $850 respectively in the US. Of course, all of those tags should be taken with a pinch of salt for the time being, as the Tab S8 series release could keep us waiting all the way until April 2022.
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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