The latest Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra reveals that Samsung doesn’t want to change anything at all

Samsung has already confirmed that the Galaxy Tab S12 series will arrive sometime in the second half of the year, even though rumors are more specific and call for an early September release. As nice as that sounds, a new leak suggests that the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra may bring very little to get excited about, especially in terms of design.

Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra may look practically the same as its predecessor

A new image of what is reportedly the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra has leaked, revealing the design of the tablet and the upcoming S Pen stylus. Shared by Android Headlines, the image shows the front of the device, as well as part of its back, confirming the various similarities with last year’s model.

Even with the extremely low resolution of the image, it is clearly visible that the tablet will keep the notch from the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra intact. In fact, it appears that Samsung won’t change virtually anything beyond the default wallpaper of the new device. This all but confirms both earlier rumors and the authenticity of the CAD-based renders we saw last month.

A nice design, but with certain flaws

On a positive note, the tablet will retain the thin bezels and the design of the rear camera setup, which worked well on the models from the last few years. Considering the new image appears to be an official Samsung render, it is likely the Tab S12 Ultra will also keep the same gray color.

While not fully visible from the low-res image, we can still see some details about the design of the S Pen stylus, which also looks unchanged. If the tablet hasn’t gone through any changes, it would make sense for the stylus to also retain its look. That could mean it’ll also keep the physical button on the side and all its features, though we’ll need to wait for the official premiere to see if that’s the case.

All this could be great news for fans of Samsung’s utilitarian tablet design and conservative colors, but there’s also a risk of it not being so attractive for anyone else. I bet that people like my colleague Peter will be disappointed.

In his in-depth review of last year’s Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, he said having a notch was a pity because it ruined his immersion. It’s also a pity to need a notch on a 14-inch tablet, while the smaller iPad Pro M5 manages to put its front camera inside the border, without relying on any display cutout.

Small updates all around

Even if the design is not much of a concern, the specs may be. Earlier rumors have already revealed that Samsung doesn’t plan to change all that much in that aspect either. The most significant upgrade may end up being the newer chipset, with the company expected to use the MediaTek Dimensity 9500.

Beyond that performance upgrade, the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra is almost certainly retaining the giant 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and the 11,600 mAh battery we’ve already seen on last year’s model. It may also be a good idea to leave any charging speed update hopes behind, as the tablet may stick to 45W wired charging.

We’ll likely get to know all details about the flagship model and the Galaxy Tab S12 Plus pretty soon. Samsung is very likely to launch the two devices during the IFA consumer tech show in Berlin in the first days of September.

That’s how it goes with tablets

I can easily blame Samsung for barely updating its best tablets for so many years, and I won’t be exaggerating. However, unlike smartphones, no manufacturer is refreshing their tablet designs all that often, and people are generally not upgrading them as frequently as other devices. That’s why the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra may be what people need, even if it doesn’t sound so exciting.

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