Economic IT Samsung's Galaxy Tab S8+, a wonderful tablet that should not be bought

The things are good.

Samsung released the "Galaxy S8 +", the equivalent of the median model of the three tablets. Can the tablet, which is easy to hide in the shadow of the 14.6in "Galaxy S8 Ultra", show a sense of existence in the competition among Surface, iPad and cheaper Galaxy tablets? Please take a look at the comments of the Phillip Tracy reporter from Gizmodo in the United States.

As an upgrade of the previous model, the Galaxy S8 + is equipped with ultra-wide-angle cameras, evolved S-pens, faster processors, and so on. If the tablet can't cost $1100 (about 130000 yen)... In this case, Galaxy Tab S8 + will be an attractive choice.

Galaxy Tab S8 +

What's this? 12.4in Android tablet

Price: from $899 (about 103,000 yen)

Favorite places: beautiful AMOLED (organic EL) display, exquisite aluminum fuselage, improved camera, new magnetic charging stylus, evolution of DeX's multitasking function, plenty of batteries

Subtleties: the limitations of the Android operating system, expensive, no headphone Jack, often hidden in the shadow of the Ultra model, without a charger

Galaxy Tab S8 + is in the middle of the price, but it is actually a premium model. The Wi-Fi model with 128 GB storage costs $899 (100000 yen), $50 more than the previous model. The 256 GB storage model will add $80, and the 5G model (currently only Verizon in the United States) will add $200. The S pen comes with it, but the book cover keyboard slim (Book Cover Keyboard Slim) is available for $160 (about 18,000 yen).

Cutting-edge hardware

Galaxy Tab S8 + gives people a delicate impression. The rectangular body is wrapped in smooth "Armor" aluminum, and the panel with a narrow forehead frame of 12.4in is "Gorilla Glass5". According to Samsung, the scratch resistance of the metal frame has increased by 30%, and the back panel has become difficult to bend by 40%.

The design is low-key, with Samsung and AKG logos and antenna straps on the back. There is a volume button and a power button at the top, a speaker grille at both ends, and a USB-C port for charging on the right. The face authentication function is fast, and the display fingerprint authentication function is convenient when wearing a mask. The pink gold model of the comment device is beautiful, but the other colors are graphite and silver, which are conservative.

There is a black tear magnet charging bracket on the back to keep the S pen. I had no problem moving the Galaxy Tab S8 + into my apartment, but I dropped my S pen when I put it in my backpack. Although it is not the safest, it is a convenient system for people who lose something immediately.

Great monitor.

Another highlight of the Galaxy Tab S8 + is the 12.4in / 2800x1752 dot (WQXGA+) organic EL display. This monitor, in a word, is "great". Bright (378Nito at most) this panel with detailed and rich colors is so gorgeous that you will want to look back on all your favorite movies and shows with Galaxy Tab S8 +. The 120-Hz high-speed drive depicts the screen as smoothly as butter.

The organic EL display of the Galaxy Tab S8 + is like putting a smaller organic EL TV on your lap. In the cosmic sci-fi TV series Express, the black of the universe is deep, and the red and blue flickering light in the spaceship spreads radially from the unnotched screen.

But in proportion to the screen, the tablet is also larger, and the Galaxy Tab S8 + measures and weighs 11.2 x 7.3x 0.2in / 1.25kg, which can be a bit difficult to handle. It is impossible to hold it with both hands while operating with your thumb. One-handed operation is an extremely heavy terminal. In addition, the 16:10 aspect ratio continues to be used in the previous model, which is very suitable for watching movie content without a mailbox, but feels embarrassed when using it in multiple windows.

The four speakers tuned by AKG complement the audio-visual experience. In "Expance", the sound of sailing through the universe is comfortable and it is easy to understand the "Express" language, including Bert Creole, which brings together the languages of Earth. When listening to Fox's "Go Down Together" and Kanye West's "Street Lights" on YouTube Music, the treble will not be too long, and the bass will not be "Dorne", just stay in the middle range. However, the playing sound is a clear and loud sound. However, it is difficult to do without a headphone Jack.

S pen and keyboard accessories

If you use Galaxy Tab S8 keyboard at work, the optional book cover keyboard (Book Cover Keyboard) is worth considering. The key is small and has no backlight, but the more you use it, the more you know its advantages. The batter made a low, high voice and his strokes were shallow. However, due to the good response, the switch spring and the force required for typing is small, and comfortable typing can be achieved.

The standard typing test has 111 words per minute, which is better than my average result. But there are many mistakes, which seems to be because the key is very small.

In Apple's "Magic Keyboard", it's easy to adjust the angle of the display. The Smart Cover, on the other hand, is connected to the tablet through a magnetic needle, using folding hinges that cannot adjust the angle. This fixed angle is not a problem, but sometimes you need to change your posture to get the best angle.

The hinge part has a magnet stylus bracket, and the S pen can be securely assembled together. When the tablet is docked, it is virtually impossible to remove the S-pen, so the S-pen must be unplugged before that. In addition, because there is a gap in the magnet bracket, the S-pen can also be glued to the tablet.

The S pen that comes with this is great! According to Samsung, the "prediction algorithm" reduces input time from 5.6 milliseconds to 2.8 milliseconds. There is no problem with the previous S pen, but it has the same writing feeling as the physical pen in the new model. Dragging the stylus on the screen immediately reflects the color. The S pen can also follow irregular writing, and its flat and slender edges are easy to maintain.

The back of the Galaxy Tab S8 + is equipped with a 13 million pixel standard camera, a 6 million pixel ultra wide angle camera and a flash that can be used as a flashlight. These cameras are also characteristic of Samsung. Sharp is slightly more colorful and smooth, and can take photos that are very suitable for social networking sites (social media). The front camera is upgraded to a 12 million-pixel ultra-wide-angle lens to shoot a broad background and a second person without using a selfie stick. The video chat function has an "automatic framing" function, which can enlarge the speaker or zoom out when someone enters the frame. Testing is similar to the "central phase" of Apple.

High performance and evolving softwar

The processor of the Galaxy Tab S8 + is the "Snapdragon8Gen1" of Qualcomm (Qualcomm). According to Samsung, the performance of the CPU is 24% higher than that of the previous model. In the benchmark score, Galaxy Tab S7 + is "Geekbench5", although it is 2850, but the Galaxy Tab S8 + with 8 GB RAM measures 3230. I hardly feel dull in my daily use. When you open a lot of tags, I run into a wall, which takes a long time to load, but only power users encounter such problems.

With regard to battery durability, the Galaxy Tab S8 + can play 9 hours and 21 minutes of video when the screen is set to 200 Nito and 120 Hz. This exceeds the 9 minutes and 2 seconds of the Galaxy Tab S7 +. In addition, you need to pay attention to battery consumption when using 5G communications. In addition, the Galaxy Tab S8 + does not include a charger.

How does DeX convert tablets to desktops? Several tools need to be installed when you start using it. The "Airtable" in the collaboration tool (similar to Trello) can be used in the Play store and is optimized for tablet screens. All interfaces are clearly zoomed in and out, and provide the functions needed to work. The same is true of Slack and Google apps.

However, Android applications are not optimized for iOS. SNS applications, such as Instagram and Reddit, cannot run in landscape (horizontal) mode (rotate in DeX mode, but display in smartphone size). Amazon's "Prime Shopping" app expands images with low resolution, and some apps (especially games) will not be zoomed in / out properly.

The Android tablet is worse than the iPad, but not absolutely bad. Most of the apps I downloaded are fine. You can also stream videos via Netflix or Prime Video, find new apartments in Zillow or Realtor.com, and work via email or chat apps. Don't forget Samsung's convenient apps and Galaxy ecosystem, such as fast pairing of "Galaxy Buds" and copy and paste between devices.

DeX only covers up the shortcomings of Android, but it hopes to provide the next operating system "Android 12L" for large-screen devices. Samsung told Gizmodo that it will launch the Android 12L to Galaxy Tab S8 series. The operating system, which will be launched earlier this year, is currently in beta and is expected to close the gap in iPadOS functionality.

サムスンのGalaxy Tab S8 +は買うべき？

Galaxy Tab S8 + applies to categories that "want to own but cannot prove purchase". Personally, I think you will buy a $1000 laptop to work and support all applications. But the Galaxy Tab S8 + is ultra-thin, with state-of-the-art specifications and a prettier display than any other product. In other words, as a tablet for watching movies and playing games, this is a good choice. In addition, using DeX can also be used for work, in a sense more efficient than iPad.

Having said that, the position of Galaxy Tab S8 + gave up halfway. People looking for the best media to browse tablets will want the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, while those looking for a more affordable model should consider the basic model (Galaxy Tab S8). Galaxy Tab S8 + is worth considering only if the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is too large or too high.