Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra hands-on: AI on the big screen

Things are heating up in the Android tablet space, as we see more and more gamers joining the mix. However, the only real competition Samsung has seen comes from a small company in Cupertino, California, also known as Apple. Samsung is hoping that with the pending launch of the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and S10 Ultra, it can get ahead of Apple and maintain its dominance on the Android side.

Before we get into the details, the first big surprise is that Samsung is choosing to forego the 11-inch model. That leaves us with the 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and the massive 14.6-inch Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. Although we do not know the explicit reason behind this decision, we can assume that it has something to do with the S9 FE Tab and A9 Plus Tab.

Basically it seems to boil down to if you want a smaller tablet then the FE is the way to go. Otherwise, you'll have to opt for the larger, “premium” options.

That aside, Samsung spent a good amount of time emphasizing a couple of things. The first of them was how Galaxy Tablets It helps provide a comprehensive ecosystem and at the same time can do much more than simply act as a media playback device. No, we are not talking about any. pixel tablet-like experiences, although the idea of ​​a tablet that also functions as a SmartThings hub is quite intriguing.

Take all the Galaxy AI you can handle

Instead, we were inundated with an almost constant barrage of Galaxy AI comments and advertisements. According to Samsung, 75% of its customers have “interacted with AI features” and there were “18 million uses of Galaxy AI in one week.” Those numbers are downright impressive, especially considering they only apply to Samsung's US market.

Meanwhile, Samsung also claimed that there are already more than 100 million Galaxy AI devices available. More importantly, the company hopes to double that figure “by the end of this year.” It's an ambitious goal, no doubt, but if there's a company that could achieve it, it's Samsung.

To achieve this, that means putting Galaxy AI in the hands of more people, whether through software updates or the launch of new devices. Samsung opts for both, which started with A 6.1.1 user interface on the software side, and the momentum continues with the four devices announced.

So where do the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and S10 Ultra fit into the equation? Well, think about all the features that were released with the Galaxy Z Fold 6and imagine them on much larger screens. Circle to Search is here, along with Sketch to Image, Smart Select, and even “AI-powered Dialogue Boost.”

New year, (almost) same design.

When looking at the hardware, you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference between last year's models and these new ones. The dimensions are not exactly identical, but they are quite similar.

The first semi-noticeable difference comes in the form of the anti-glare screen, which was first introduced with the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Unfortunately, it's something that's quite difficult to capture on camera when you're in a room surrounded by key lights. However, I noticed that depending on the angle, the glare coming off the screen was not so bad compared to looking at the Galaxy S24 FE or mine Pixel 9 Pro XL.

Not that this should be a big surprise, but Samsung still makes some of the most vibrant displays I've ever seen. That trend continues with the Tab S10 Ultra, and I can only assume that this will be the case with the Tab S10 Plus as well. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see or use the smaller of the two, leaving me wondering if Samsung simply cares more about the Ultra.

On top of that, we have the same array of buttons around the frame, along with the quad-speaker array and USB-C charging port at the bottom. On the back, both the Tab S10 Plus and S10 Ultra offer dual rear cameras, with the magnetic S Pen strip positioned just to the left.

While it's definitely possible, it's also a bit comical when you pick up the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra with one hand. It's not really designed for this, but you probably won't be standing in the middle of a room full of people trying to hold it with one hand while using the S Pen with the other.

On the other hand, if you're using a 14.6-inch tablet, you probably won't try to use it one-handed. This brings us to the keyboard case, which is an area that causes some disappointment.

New but old keyboard cover.

As I mentioned before, Samsung is serious about trying to get everyone using Galaxy AI. Apparently following in Microsoft's footsteps with the Windows copilot buttonThere is a new Galaxy AI button on the keyboard. I'm not sure if it was the intended feature, but pressing it brought up the Google Gemini app.

This may have just been for today's demo, but I'm also curious where Bixby plays a role in all of this. However, it's not that surprising to see, especially considering that Copilot has been implemented on virtually all Windows laptops released this year.

One thing I noticed when looking at the Tab S10 Plus and Ultra product page is that it looks like the “new” Book Cover keyboard could be compatible with the Tab S9 Plus and S9 Ultra. This was one of my big complaints moving from the Tab S8 Ultra to the Tab S9 Ultra, then maybe Samsung is really listening.

If the Book Cover Keyboard is backwards compatible, it's great for Tab S9 Plus and Ultra owners. What's not great is that it didn't feel like much else had been done to improve the overall design. The last two iterations have been great when using them on a desk or hard surface, but things immediately start to fall apart when using the Book Cover keyboard on your lap.

I didn't get a chance to sit on a couch and use the keyboard, so it's something I'm looking forward to trying out when it comes time for a review. At this point, I'm not sure what other direction Samsung could go other than simply “borrowing” the design of Apple's iPad Pro smart keyboard.

a big surprise

Another surprise was that Samsung chose not to use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in its flagship tablet line. Instead, we have the MediaTek Dimension 9300 Pluscombined with 12 GB or 16 GB of RAM and up to 1 TB of expandable storage. Speaking of which, kudos to Samsung for continuing to include a microSD card slot with its tablets, even if I still believe it should never have been removed from Galaxy phones.

Anyway, Samsung claims that the Dimensity 9300 Plus SoC provides an 18% increase in CPU performance, 28% better in GPU performance, and 14% better in NPU performance. All of that is combined with a “larger vapor chamber,” in an effort to reduce the potential for overheating.

I didn't really get to “put this to the test” in my brief time with the Tab S10 Ultra, but everything was as snappy as I'd hoped. In any case, I noticed that loading in the “classic” Samsung DeX The mode seemed faster than I thought, something others at the event echoed.

The decision to switch from Qualcomm to MediaTek for its flagship tablets had to have been for a good reason. But it was interesting to see three new Samsung Galaxy devices announced, none of which are powered by a Snapdragon chip.

Conclusion

Overall, I'm not really disappointed that Samsung stuck to a slightly modified design, and even saying that surprises me. The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is the flagship of premium Android tablets, and there really isn't much that can compete in this price range.

With hardware that is already refined, Samsung is doing exactly what it expected by focusing more on software. More importantly, this is Galaxy AI and Samsung looking to find ways for its customers to actually make use of these features.