I think Samsung should radically change its Android tablet strategy or throw in the towel
Samsung's Android tablet portfolio doesn't seem to have a very bright future after the introduction of the repetitive and overpriced "new" Galaxy Tab S12 duo.
The Galaxy Tab S12+ and Tab S12 Ultra are finally here... said absolutely no one after Samsung's unusually discreet announcement of its latest repetitive iPad Pro rivals.
Any sliver of excitement the company's hardcore fans may have attempted to maintain in recent months over the sequel to last year's Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra and the belated follow-up to the Tab S10 Plus from 2024 was unfortunately shattered by all the reports and leaks that made it abundantly clear nothing major would change... apart from the retail pricing.
Of course, the rumors proved as accurate as always, turning what was always expected to be a rather muted product launch into the real-world personification of the old idiom about flogging a dead horse. Is that a little harsh? Perhaps, but as a long-time Android tablet enthusiast, I've grown tired in recent years of seeing the category's global leader phoning in every new release and predictably falling further and further behind Apple in practically every important standard.
Why do these tablets exist?
I'm really not asking that in a philosophically nihilistic way, as I've obviously covered the tech industry more than long enough to know that device manufacturers often roll out "new" products because it's time. But Samsung needs to understand that it doesn't have to upgrade its high-end slates every 12 months or so, especially if that means bringing almost no real upgrades to the table.
The Galaxy Tab S12+ and Tab S12 Ultra are not bad products per se, but they're frustratingly derivative and decidedly overpriced. | Image by Samsung
And again, I know that this is a common "sin" for a lot of different tech companies, but I currently struggle to think of another brand that's become quite as lazy as Samsung. No, not even Apple, which had the decency of waiting around 18 months between its iPad Pro (M4) and M5 launches, with the M6 edition also expected to go official roughly a year and a half on the heels of its predecessor.
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The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra, meanwhile, had (for some reason) to arrive a year after the Tab S11 Ultra (which was also released only 12 months after its predecessor) despite changing almost nothing... about the Tab S10 Ultra. Obviously, the latest super-premium Android giant packs the best processor of these three models, but unfortunately for Samsung, the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 can't hold a candle to Apple's beastly M5 silicon (let alone the upcoming M6).
A symptom of a broader disease
As disappointing as it is to see the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra look so incredibly similar to not just the Tab S11 Ultra and Tab S10 Ultra but even the Tab S9 Ultra and Tab S8 Ultra from all the way back in 2023 and 2022 respectively, I think you already know my biggest complaint is the $1,399 US starting price.
The mid-range Galaxy Tab S10 FE is not exactly competitively priced either. | Image by PhoneArena
The Galaxy Tab S12 Plus is similarly overpriced, starting at $1,199 after the Tab S10 Plus was released at only $999 and up a couple of years back, and unfortunately, the same goes for all other Samsung tablets available today.
Yes, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE, Tab S10 FE Plus, Tab S10 Lite, and Tab A11 Plus are all far too costly for what they have to offer, especially when you compare them to some of their top competitors from brands like Lenovo in the US or Xiaomi and Huawei in other key markets around the world.
What kind of a future do you think Samsung's tablet roster has ahead of it?
4 Votes
Clearly, Samsung needs to rethink... something about its Android tablet portfolio, and somehow, I doubt that will happen with the Galaxy Tab S11 FE, Tab S11 FE Plus, Tab S11 Lite, and Tab A12 Plus that are likely to come relatively soon with repetitive designs and potentially higher prices than their forerunners.
Could it be time to call it quits?
If this is truly the best Samsung can do right now in the Apple-dominated tablet landscape, I'm afraid that might be the company's only way out of a situation that's becoming sadder and sadder by the day.
Yes, Samsung is still the world's number two tablet vendor, but Apple's advantage is growing larger and larger quarter after quarter and Lenovo is inching closer and closer to that silver medal spot... I happen to think the China-based company has been deserving of for a while now.
The nine speaker-packing Lenovo Tab Plus Gen 2 is one of the best tablets... Samsung doesn't really have an answer to right now. | Image by Lenovo
Of course, Samsung could always take a page from Lenovo's playbook and start releasing unconventional devices with unique selling points, remarkably low prices, and a bunch of handy accessories included as standard, but that sort of radical strategy change would require someone in charge admitting the Korean giant is going down the wrong road, which seems unlikely.
Instead, I fear it's much more likely to see the company continue doing what it's been doing for the last few years hoping for a miraculous return to sales growth only for its numbers to keep dropping another few years until Samsung eventually follows Google's example in abandoning the tablet market altogether. And if that's where we're heading anyway, why not put us all out of our misery and throw in the towel already?
That way, Samsung could at least go out on a relatively high note rather than ending up where LG's smartphone portfolio crashed and burned, for instance.
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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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