Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra Initial Review: Big, Powerful, Wow

Quick summary: The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra is big, powerful and seriously impressive. It has a gorgeous 14.6-inch display, IP68, One UI 9 with excellent multitasking, an S Pen in the box, and four speakers. Some Android apps still look awkward on a screen this big.

Key takeaways

• Display: 14.6-inch 2K+ at 1,600 nits, up to 120Hz.
• IP68 dust and water resistance on a very thin tablet.
• One UI 9, three apps side by side, and Good Lock.
• Geekbench 7: 2,699 single-core, 9,059 multi-core and 15,662 GPU.
• Fortnite at the highest settings runs near 60fps.
• S Pen included, pressure-sensitive and lag-free.
• Four speakers and 45W charging. On sale October 7.

Design and display

It’s really thin and well built, with a beautiful 14.6-inch 2K+ display that hits 1,600 nits. It’s also IP68, so it can even go underwater.

Cameras

Cameras usually aren’t a tablet strength, but the rear camera shoots 4K60 with stabilization. The front camera also shoots 4K and is nice and wide, which I love.

Performance

Geekbench 7 scored 2,699 single-core and 9,059 multi-core. That’s in Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 territory, and it should handle heat better. The GPU score of 15,662 is well below the Adreno 840’s roughly 27,000, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. In Fortnite on the highest settings, it held near 60fps, occasionally dipping into the high 50s. It looks great and plays well over long sessions without overheating.

App optimization

Some apps look wonky on a screen this big. Wordscapes cuts off pieces unless you force full screen. Facebook is portrait-only and still not optimized even when forced to landscape. Instagram is optimized. That’s on Android app developers, not Samsung, but it’s something to know, especially if you use it in landscape with a keyboard.

Multitasking

You can run three apps at once, rearrange them, stack them top and bottom, and save layouts. It’s one of the best things about this tablet: work, play, or both.

S Pen

An S Pen comes in the box. With an iPad you pay extra. It’s pressure-sensitive with no lag, and it stores on top. It’s not Bluetooth, so no remote control.

Video and speakers

Videos look great at up to 120Hz with minimal black bars, and you can pinch to fill the screen. There are four speakers, two at the top and two at the bottom, that get loud with nice bass.

Software

One UI 9 brings great multitasking, Good Lock for customization, and tons of settings. It’s smooth as butter.

Tablet or laptop?

It’s priced close to, or above, many laptops. If you want a tablet for multitasking, light work and gorgeous video, this is it. The Tab S12+ has the same processor, the same display brightness and nearly every feature, mainly minus some battery, for less. Either way, it’s the best tablet you can get on Android.

• Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra / S12+ at Samsung
• Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra / S12+ at Best Buy