Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Tab S12+ Hands-On

Quick summary: This is my first look at Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Tab S12+. Both have gorgeous displays that are fantastic for video, with very little letterboxing. You get three-window multitasking, an S Pen in the box and 45W charging. The S12+ is the more portable pick, and it skips the Ultra’s front camera notch.

Key takeaways

• The Tab S12 Ultra keeps a big, bright 14.6-inch display rated up to 1,600 nits.
• Video looks amazing, with minimal black bars thanks to the widescreen aspect ratio, unlike an iPad.
• Run three windows side by side or use pop-up windows, and save app pairs to your home screen.
• The S Pen comes in the box on both tablets and attaches magnetically.
• Both have a MediaTek Dimensity 9500-class processor and 45W charging.
• The Ultra has a notch with two front cameras. The S12+ has no notch and one rear camera.
• Optional keyboard covers, including a Pro version with a trackpad.

Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra

You still get that beautiful 14.6-inch display with up to 1,600 nits. I filmed by a window at only about 60–70% brightness and it still looked great. Max it out and everything pops.

It runs the full Google Play Store, so all your apps work. With a screen this big, multitasking is the star. Run two or three apps side by side, resize them however you want, or float pop-up windows. You can save app combos to your home screen and relaunch them in one tap.

It’s a primo video device. It’s a 2K+ panel, but you can play YouTube up to 4K, and the black bars are barely there. Pinch to zoom and you lose almost nothing. If you’re a Good Lock fan, grab it from the Galaxy Store for the same deep customization you love on your Galaxy phone.

The front has two cameras in a small notch at the top center, and the S Pen comes in the box.

Galaxy Tab S12+

The S12+ is basically a smaller version, and I like it because it’s more portable while still being a decent size. It has the same strong performance and a clearly upgraded experience over the last generation, which was already good. It also handles 4K video and three-window multitasking.

Design-wise, the big difference is that there’s no notch on the front. If the Ultra’s notch bugs you, this is the one to get. On the back, you get one main camera instead of two, and the keyboard pogo pins are on the back at the bottom. It works with the trackpad keyboard or the cheaper keyboard cover, and the S Pen is included.

Charging and buying

Both tablets charge at 45W, the same as last generation. You can pick one up from Samsung or Best Buy.