Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra is a 14.6-inch slab of aluminium and glass that is 5.1mm thick. The critics who have reviewed it largely agree it is the best Android tablet you can buy. They also agree it costs a lot. This is a roundup of what published reviews say. We have not tested the device ourselves.
What you get
According to Samsung’s product page, the Ultra uses a 3nm MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chip. Samsung claims a 19% faster CPU, 17% faster GPU and 61% faster NPU than the Tab S11 Ultra. The screen is a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel at 2960 x 1848 and 120Hz. The battery is 11,600mAh, and Samsung quotes up to 23 hours of video playback.
The tablet weighs 692g. Trusted Reviews notes that this matches the thickness of Apple’s iPad Pro M5, while Honor’s MagicPad 4 is thinner at 4.8mm. The S Pen stylus comes in the box. The smaller Galaxy Tab S12+ has a 12.6-inch screen and a 10,600mAh battery.
The price is $1,399 in the US and £1,399 in the UK for the 256GB model, according to Tom’s Guide and Expert Reviews. Engadget rounds it to $1,400.
Where reviewers agree
The display gets the strongest praise. Expert Reviews calls the screen the star of the show and describes sharp, vibrant images when streaming. It adds one caveat: the glossy finish can reflect light in a bright room or outdoors.
Battery life is the other highlight. In looped local video tests, Engadget measured 19 hours 39 minutes. Expert Reviews recorded 19 hours 44 minutes, which it says is more than two and a half hours better than the previous model. Engadget also said it ended a full day of mixed use, including streaming, gaming and photo editing, with more than 40% of the battery left.
Engadget gave the tablet 9 out of 10 and called it the apex Android tablet. Tom’s Guide reached a similar verdict, calling it the best Android tablet yet.
The price problem
The complaints are about money and novelty. Tom’s Guide describes the S12 Ultra as a nominal upgrade on last year’s model and says the $200 increase stings. Trusted Reviews says the modest changes and higher starting price make it harder to recommend than the cheaper Tab S11 Ultra, especially once the required keyboard is counted.
That keyboard is sold separately. Engadget lists the extra cost of the keyboard and the single port among its cons. It also compares the tablet with a $1,000 Dell XPS 13 and an $800 MacBook Neo. Those laptops offer more ports and a fuller operating system for productivity.
Software is a second sore point. Expert Reviews says Android apps remain poorly suited to a screen this large. Tom’s Guide says the tablet is still not a true laptop replacement, and that DeX mode needs an external monitor for full functionality. Trusted Reviews, by contrast, calls the DeX experience polished.
TechRadar went further in a preview piece, questioning whether Samsung should keep refreshing its tablets every year. It said the chipset is the only notable change. The Ultra also gains a heat chamber for cooling and a four-channel speaker setup.
Who it suits
The reviews point to a narrow buyer. This is someone already in Samsung’s Android ecosystem who wants a very large screen for media, drawing or note-taking. It also suits people who will add the keyboard and accept the total cost. Owners of the Tab S11 Ultra have little reason to upgrade, going by the critics’ comments. Anyone who wants a cheaper device should compare the S12+ or last year’s model.
Samsung is also pushing creative use. A BGR roundup of October launches says the S12+ and S12 Ultra ship with Photoshop preloaded, which would be a first for an Android tablet, and with four months of free access to the app.