While the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra may not appear all that different from the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, it does include a few small but significant changes that will help it compete with other high-end tablets in 2024. Whether it is truly worth more than an iPad Pro is the key question.
Important Elements
large 14.6-inch display
- One of the key benefits of choosing the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is its Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, whose 16:10 aspect ratio makes it ideal for binge-watching movies.
High-end Power Density
- The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is noticeably more powerful than many of the Android tablet competitors because to its superior Dimensity 9300+ processor.
Galaxy AI intelligence
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has integration for the S Pen in addition to the entire array of Galaxy AI technologies.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has arrived, and it appears to be a highly recognizable gadget.
It has the same amazing 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen as its predecessor, but to further enhance the amazing viewing experience, it is stronger, lighter, and features new anti-reflective screen technology.
But even with the top-tier Dimensity 9300+, which easily defeats the OnePlus Pad 2 with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset in benchmark testing, it still can not compete with the iPad Pro, which is even more expensive due to its desktop-class M4 chipset.
The true query, then, is whether or not the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra can lure customers away from Apple’s professional iPad substitute. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has been my primary tablet for the last few weeks, and this is what I have discovered.
Design
- Quite light and slim for a gadget of size
- greater robustness in comparison to most tablets
- S Pen fastens to the rear
Because the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and its predecessor, the Tab S9 Ultra, are so similar, it may be difficult to distinguish between them at first look.
With a few notable exceptions when compared to Apple’s tablet lineup, both have the same general design, featuring rounded corners and flat edges for an iPad-like appearance. The screen is 14.6 inches in size and has a 16:10 aspect ratio, making it ideal for watching movies.
It weighs 718g (723g if you choose the 5G option), which is a few grams less than its predecessor’s weight of 579g. However, it is still 0.1mm thinner than the previous model, which was 5.4mm thick.
Even with its wide footprint, that makes the tablet quite comfortable to hold one-handedly. However, after using it for more than a few minutes, you will still want to put it down on your lap or a table.
This time, the frame is also stronger thanks to Samsung’s new Enhanced Armor Aluminium, which the firm says is 10% tougher and more resilient to dents and scratches. After using it for a few weeks, I can still state that the tablet remains mark-free, despite spending most of that time on cushioned rucksacks and couches.
In addition, the color scheme has been significantly upgraded; Moonstone Grey and Platinum Silver are now available, as opposed to Beige or Graphite on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. However, these colors are still far from the vivid Titanium Violet found on Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra.
The 10th generation tablet retains its IP68 dust and water resistance, which was initially launched on the Tab S9 series last year. It is still one of the few high-end tablets with this kind of protection. It is not available on any of Apple’s iPad models, nor is it on tablets made by companies like Honor and OnePlus.
This year, the S Pen returns and is once more included free of charge with the tablet. I love the S Pen in all its incarnations, but mostly because of its remarkably low 2.8ms latency, which makes writing on it more natural than on rival tablets—that is, as natural as writing on a glossy screen can be.
I only wish the S Pen could be kept in a better position while not in use. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra does not lie entirely flat on firm surfaces because, like earlier tablets, the S Pen is attached to the back of the tablet for charging and storage. Every now and then it gets banged around in my backpack and I have to dig it out from among my other items.
Screen
- Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen, 14.6 inches
- Aspect ratio of 16:10 is excellent for watching movies.
- Non-reflective display technology
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is superior to its competitors due to its 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen.
With its expansive size and 16:10 aspect ratio, it is ideal for viewing movies. With a peak brightness of 930 nits, which is slightly less than the iPad Pro’s 1000 nits, the AMOLED technology produces the stunningly vivid colors that the screen technology is known for. It also manages the increased highlights and shadows of HDR10+ video very well.
Using applications like Instagram and TikTok on a screen this big is also a pleasure, especially when the smartphone is oriented vertically. On apps without specific tablet support, app UI components can occasionally appear a bit squishy, but with the current revival of Android tablets, I am seeing less and less of that.
Aside from size, the screen can be reset to as low as 1Hz thanks to the LTPO-enabled 120Hz refresh rate, which also has the added advantage of making everything seem very snappy and buttery smooth. Battery life is vital for powering a screen this size.
It also shares anti-reflective technology with the high-end Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which I praised for making the screen much more readable in bright light when I reviewed the smartphone. This appears to be the case here as well, reflecting only 2% of ambient light.
Though there are still some distinctly noticeable reflections in very bright environments, it’s not quite as effective at reducing reflections as a matte-finish display would be. All things considered, I think this is a good compromise that keeps the color and detail of a glossy AMOLED screen while still offering better viewability outside than devices like the OnePlus Pad 2.
Cameras
- 13MP and 8MP rear cameras
- Two 12MP front-facing cameras
- convenient for video conversations
Since it’s so much simpler to snap a picture with your smartphone, camera technology is never really a major concern when it comes to tablets. This is especially true for tablets with massive 14.6-inch screens.
Having said that, the camera setup is essentially the same as it was on the Tab S9 Ultra: a 13MP primary and 8MP ultrawide camera with flash on the back and a higher-resolution dual 12MP main and ultrawide camera on the front of the device, both of which are tucked away in a tiny notch at the top of the screen.
Since the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and Tab S9 both have a single 12MP selfie camera, it’s the selfie cameras that set the Tab S10 Ultra apart from the other Tab models. Because of this, the Ultra model is better suited for video calls—especially when there are several people involved—or for making presentations.
That being said, none of these cameras can match the quality of images that you might obtain from even a reasonably priced smartphone in 2024, so you probably won’t be utilizing them very much for anything other than taking pictures of papers and making video calls.
Performance
- MediaTek 9300+ Dimensity
- strong daily usage
- Cannot match the power of the iPad
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra CPU department is one area where I believe the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra struggles to justify its £1200/$1200 price tag, but this isn’t strictly Samsung’s fault.
The Review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra top-tier MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ processor, while one of the most potent currently available for Android smartphones, isn’t quite as good as Apple’s desktop-class M4 chipset, which is featured in the comparably priced iPad Pro.
Its multi-core Geekbench 6 scores of 7092 put it well ahead of the OnePlus Pad’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 score of 4953, but it lags somewhat behind the considerably less expensive RedMagic Nova’s 7139 and is essentially half of the iPad Pro’s 14,555.
In the few weeks I’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, though, I haven’t noticed a significant difference between it and the experience provided by the iPad Pro. It is still lightning-fast no matter what I throw at it, and it is more than capable of powering a high-end gaming experience without becoming hot and sluggish.
Although I’m not much of a video editor, I expect that the chipset would work well for editing and exporting high-resolution video, especially when combined with either 12 or 16GB of RAM, depending on the storage option you choose. It also has the ability to run many programs simultaneously on the screen without any stuttering, which is a crucial feature for DeX; however, more on that later.
Nevertheless, given the increasing needs of OS and app processing, it is difficult to argue against the rival M4 processor found in the comparably priced iPad Pro providing that experience for a considerably longer period of time.
There are other storage options available elsewhere, ranging from 256GB to 1TB, which is probably a good thing given that there is not a microSD card port for future storage expansion. Additionally, it provides the newest connectivity options, such as optional 5G connectivity in addition to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3.
Software & AI
- Galaxy AI intelligence
- DeX is device-operable.
- OS updates for seven years are assured.
Galaxy AI is one of the major new features of this year’s tablet. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra includes the whole Galaxy AI suite, including all the functions like Portrait Studio that were first available on the Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 in July, but the Tab S9 Ultra only received a few Galaxy AI features earlier this year.
This implies that you have access to a plethora of useful Gen AI-powered features, such as writing tools, object removal technology, voice recording transcription and summarization capabilities, the ability to alter photographs by drawing on them, and much more. Although their usefulness in specific use circumstances may be debatable, these qualities are useful.
The Notes app has been completely redesigned for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra to make it more user-friendly. In addition, split-screen capability, in-app recording and transcription, and the ability to assist with arithmetic calculations were included in a November update.
Additionally, you have Google’s Circle to Search, which supports the S Pen and lets you use your pen to draw objects. I think I have used this function the most out of all of the ones on the tablet, and it really helps when I see something on social media that I want to buy.
In other areas, 2024 will likely provide the same One UI 6 experience from previous Samsung devices, with a few tablet-specific capabilities like split-screen multitasking.
DeX is also supported, although unlike previous Samsung technology, the 14.6-inch screen of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra can operate the DeX interface. That effectively makes it into a desktop computer that runs Android. However, in order to benefit from this, you must have Samsung’s keyboard cover, and regrettably, I was not given a sample to evaluate.
It is unfortunate because, although I can not say for sure, I believe that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra would really outperform most tablets, including Apple’s iPad lineup, if it had the DeX + keyboard combination.
Additionally, Samsung has stated that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra would receive the same seven years of operating system updates and security fixes that will carry it through Android 21 as the company’s high-end smartphones. Aside from Apple’s iPad lineup, that is about the longest software support available on a tablet at the moment.
Battery Life
- 11,200 mAh capacity
- little power use while in standby
- 45W charging is not as quick as it would seem.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has the same enormous 11,200mAh battery and 45W wired charging as its predecessor, which means it has a longer battery life. However, much like last year’s model, it comes without a charger.
The battery appears to last forever despite the enormous screen size; according to Samsung, it can run for up to 18 hours. I have used it for gaming, scrolling, and binge-watching Netflix for the last two weeks without any problems, however I can not remark on that specific use case. Your use will probably vary depending on what you are doing.
In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra consumed 8% more power after an hour of Netflix viewing than its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 predecessor, which is a percentage point more. This suggests that the MediaTek chipset, which is part of the newer generation, is not quite as power-efficient as the Snapdragon competition, but it is still not by much.
The main issue is charge time; although 45W fast charging seems quick, it is actually not so quick when you have such a large cell to charge.
With a UGreen charger I had on hand, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra took an astounding sixty-one minutes to reach 50% charge, and it took over two hours to reach 100%. That is an age in comparison to the OnePlus Pad 2’s 55-minute full charge time.
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