Tipster sees few changes for the 5G Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 and Galaxy Tab S8+

Thanks to the pandemic, the tablet market matters again. With many working from home, tablets have replaced PCs. School age children are turning to tablets for distance learning and for entertainment. Demand for tablets had been falling as larger screened phones cannibalized demand for slates. And most people don't have a need, especially when a pandemic is wiping out the global economy, to buy a new tablet every year or two, or even five.

As 2020 progressed, Apple iPad revenue started to rev up. Last week, Apple released its fiscal first quarter earnings report and for the three months from October through December, iPad revenue soared an impressive 41%. In fact, during the quarter the iPad was Apple's fastest growing unit led by the new iPad Air (2020). The latter is powered by the cutting-edge 5nm A14 Bionic, the same chipset used on the 5G iPhone 12 series.

Samsung had an impressive new tablet series last year with the Galaxy Tab S7/S7+. Both versions were powered by the Snapdragon 865+ and while a 5G enabled model is available for the Galaxy Tab S7, the Galaxy Tab S7+ comes 5G ready. Both tablets have a screen with a 120Hz refresh rate that updates 120 times a second. Both tablets can also support the S Pen.

Sammy is going to ride the tablet train according to a YouTube tipster named The Galox (via notebookcheck.net). The South Korean manufacturer is expected to bring to market the Galaxy Tab S8 and Galaxy Tab S8+ later this year. The former will carry an 11-inch LCD display with an 2560 x 1600 resolution, same as the Galaxy Tab S7. The 120Hz refresh rate will remain and the slate will have a side mounted fingerprint scanner. The Galaxy Tab S8+ will stick with its predecessor's 12.4-inch AMOLED display carrying a 120Hz refresh rate. The in-display fingerprint scanner returns. The battery and charging specs will reportedly stay the same. That would include an 8000mAh battery for the Galaxy Tab S8 and a 10900mAh battery for the Galaxy Tab S8+. Both could charge at a rate up to 45W. Storage options could include 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB models.

Bottom line? The Galaxy Tab S8/S8+ might end up very close to last year's models with some changes under the hood. Both tablets could be powered by Qualcomm's new 5nm Snapdragon 888 chipset, and run Android 11.