The battle for tablet supremacy continues with the release of Samsung‘s latest flagship Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra and Apple‘s powerhouse iPad Pro with M2 chip. These two heavyweights pack incredible displays, blazing fast performance, and long battery life into slim and sleek chassis.
But beyond the spec sheets, there are some key differences that may make one model a better fit depending on your needs. This deep dive comparison explores all aspects of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra versus iPad Pro debate to help you decide.
Display Technology
Both tablets boast large, gorgeous displays perfect for watching movies or editing photos, but the underlying technologies differ.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – The showstopper 14.6" screen uses Samsung‘s state-of-the-art AMOLED display technology with 2960 x 1848 resolution and a buttery smooth 120Hz refresh rate. AMOLED stands out with true blacks, vibrant color, and excellent contrast thanks to self-illuminating pixels. The extra large canvas combined with AMOLED makes the Tab S8 Ultra a multimedia powerhouse.
iPad Pro – Apple‘s 12.9" Liquid Retina XDR display also impresses with its 2732 x 2048 resolution. Mini-LED backlighting delivers excellent brightness, black levels, and contrast ratio. While not quite as immersive as AMOLED, it matches and even exceeds OLED performance in certain metrics like peak brightness. Expect gorgeous visuals perfect for creative work.
Both screens feature thin bezels and 120Hz ProMotion technology for smooth scrolling and response. But the Galaxy Tab‘s bigger AMOLED panel gives it the edge for movies and games.
Design and Durability
These flagship tablets boast thin, lightweight designs that impress. But which feels better in hand?
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – The massive 14.6” screen dominates the Tab S8 Ultra design. Despite the huge display, Samsung manages a super slim 0.22” thickness and lightweight 1.2 pound chassis. However, reaching across the large display can strain hands. An intelligent grip on the back helps secure handling. Gorilla Glass Victus+ on front and back aids durability.
iPad Pro – Apple crafts the iPad Pro from a single slab of aluminum, instantly feeling premium. Slightly thicker at 0.25” and heavier at 1.5 pounds, the smaller 12.9” size feels more manageable for long sessions. It meets MIL-STD-810H certification against drops and extreme conditions. Durable glass protects both sides.
The iPad Pro‘s smaller profile helps portability, but Samsung fits more screen in a remarkably thin and light chassis. Both excel in design and durability.
Performance and Hardware
Tablet processors have achieved laptop-class performance. How do these flagship chips compare?
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – Samsung‘s latest flagship tablet adopts the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 mobile platform. Featuring advanced 4nm process technology, this chip rockets up to 3.0Ghz peak speeds while enhancing efficiency. The potent processor tears through intensive gaming and multitasking. Models scale up to 16GB RAM and 512GB storage.
iPad Pro – Apple drops their awe-inspiring M2 chip inside the latest iPad Pro – the same blazing-fast SoC found in the latest MacBooks. 8 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores deliver industry-leading performance, obliterating mobile chips. Up to 16GB unified memory speeds multitasking and data transfers. Fast SSD storage scales up to 2TB.
Benchmarks clearly demonstrate the iPad Pro‘s immense power advantage – up to 60% faster. However, both tablets offer laptop-grade performance suited for demanding creative work and even 4K video editing.
Feature Set
Looking beyond the core tablet offerings, Samsung and Apple take different approaches to productivity and creativity.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – The Tab S8 Ultra strives to replace a laptop with DeX mode support for a desktop-style experience. Its ecosystem seamlessly syncs with Galaxy phones. Multitasking also impresses with flexible split-screen options. Notably, the S Pen stylus comes included for digital drawing and notes – no need to pay extra.
iPad Pro – Apple continues optimizing iPadOS to enable laptop-class workloads. The App Store offers best-in-class creative apps. Accessories like the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil (sold separately) round out the productivity experience. While not as seamless as Samsung‘s ecosystem, Apple offers incredible third-party accessory support.
Both tablets support desktop-style experiences and fantastic apps tailored to large canvases. However, iPadOS still lacks certain pro software and multitasking capabilities of mature desktop operating systems.
Cameras
From scanning documents in the field to capturing site photos, tablets frequently play the role of camera. How do these flagship models compare?
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – Imaging receives significant emphasis with dual rear lenses plus selfie cam. A 13MP ultra wide camera pairs with a 6MP ultrawide for capturing expansive shots and macro photography. Around front, the 12MP ultra wide camera automatically keeps you perfectly framed in video calls.
12.9-inch iPad Pro – Apple fits similar camera hardware in their tablet including a 12MP wide camera module paired with 10MP ultrawide lens. Amazing image signal processing produces fantastic photos even in low light. The 12MP TrueDepth front camera enables Portrait mode selfies and Face ID login.
Both deliver excellent photography and videography performance fitting their premium tier and impressive display canvases. But tablet cameras play second fiddle to smartphone imaging. Either model works fine for occasional shots and document scanning.
Battery Life
Tablets stand out over laptops for their exceptional battery life. How long can these flagship devices last between plugging in?
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – The massive 11,200 mAh battery inside appears tailor-made for marathon movie watching. Samsung claims up to 14 hours of video playback. While that ambient figure doesn‘t match real-world experience, expect to easily achieve 8 to 9 hours of mixed usage including videos, web browsing, and other applications. Fast charging support helps offset drain.
12.9-inch iPad Pro – Apple rates their flagship tablet for up to 10 hours of web browsing and video playback. The less capacious 11,558 mAh battery holds less total energy than Samsung‘s, but Apple‘s excellent optimization results in similar real-world runtimes. Standby efficiency also impresses – you aren‘t coming back from vacation to a dead iPad.
Both devices provide excellent battery life, although stresses like gaming drain faster. In normal use focusing on videos, web browsing, email, and simple gaming, either tablet lasts a full work day without issue. Their quick charging capabilities also helps mitigate battery anxiety.
Software and OS
Smooth, intuitive software tailored for large tablets ties the user experience together. How do Samsung‘s Android flavor and iPadOS compare?
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – Samsung bases their tablet interface on Android 12L, Google‘s special OS optimized for large-screen devices. The tablet adopts several enhancements over stock Android including DeX mode for a desktop-style experience when paired to an external display. It also supports stylus-tailored features thanks to the integrated S Pen. Seamless synchronization across the wider Galaxy ecosystem stands out as a perk.
12.9-inch iPad Pro – By tailoring iPadOS directly from iOS, Apple enjoys tight integration between hardware and software. Multitasking capabilities impress including support for multiple windows from the same app. The home screen also better utilizes large canvas with widgets and app organization tools. However, relatively limited external display support and mouse functionality gaps remain compared to traditional desktop OSes.
Both tablets now feature desktop-style interfaces better optimized for big screens and deliver fantastic tablet app support. iPadOS offers slightly smoother integration for the Apple hardware ecosystem specifically.
Price and Value Comparison
Loaded with top-shelf components and future-looking features, neither device comes cheap. How do they compare based on pricing?
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – Samsung‘s flagship tablet starts at $1099 for a model with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. Price climbs steadily for upgrades, reaching $1399 for the tablet maxed out with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. Optional keyboard case and accessories cost extra. Impressively, all models include the responsive S Pen stylus. Overall an excellent value relative to cutting-edge components.
12.9-inch iPad Pro – The iPad Pro initially seems price-competitive starting at the same $1099 entry point. However, that base configuration only includes a paltry 8GB memory and 128GB storage. Doubling memory to 16GB raises cost to $1299, and storage bumps further raise prices. LTE cellular models also command an additional premium over Wi-Fi-only. Accessories like the Pencil and Magic Keyboard cost $129 and $349 respectively too! The premium experience carries a premium price tag reaching well over $2000 fully outfitted.
Purely looking at tablet value, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra takes the cake. You get flagship-level performance and an included stylus at every spec level without the extreme price inflation seen on iPad Pro upgrades and accessories. However, budget seekers aren‘t considering $1000+ tablets anyway!
Verdict: Pick Your Platform
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra versus 12.9” iPad Pro battle showcases the best of Android and iOS tablets respectively. Both impress with gorgeous displays, desktop-class performance, excellent software support, and battery life beyond most laptops.
However, these small differences in screens, accessory support, and pricing do matter for certain audiences. Multimedia junkies who consume video content will adore the Galaxy Tab’s expansive AMOLED display. Apple faithful already locked into the iOS ecosystem will appreciate the tight hardware and software integration. Budget seekers get more base specs for their dollar with Samsung too.
At the end of the day, choosing between these two tablets comes down to your platform preference and intended use case. Power users can‘t go wrong either way, but analyzing their subtle differences helps ensure you pick the perfect premium tablet for your needs. Both Samsung and Apple knocked it out of the park showing tablets can deliver so much more than oversized phones.
