r/GalaxyTab

(Here's a TL;DR in advance: S12 Ultra is about 2 to 2.5x as fast though the S8 Ultra is plenty enough for day-to-day use. You trade Bluetooth S Pen and Haptic motor for better speakers, IP68 and 3D vapor chamber. S12U has 400mAh larger battery, 1000 nits higher brightness, is thinner and has much longer software support but you sacrifice the second front camera.)

Edits made to reword slightly.

Display:

S8U: 14.6" Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, ~600 nits peak brightness (as per reviews; no official rating that I know of)
S12U: 14.6" Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, 1600 nits peak brightness

Battery:

S8U: 11200mAh, 45W Super Fast Charging 2.0
S12U: 11600mAh, 45W Super Fast Charging 2.0

Build (H x W x T):

S8U: 208.6mm x 326.4mm x 5.5mm, 726g
S12U: 208.5mm x 326.3mm x 5.1mm, 692g

Performance:

S8U: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 8/12/16GB RAM, 128/256/512GB UFS 3.1, 1TB SD
S12U: Dimensity 9500 (2 to 3 times faster in benchmarks), 12/16GB RAM, 256/512GB/1TB UFS 4.0, 2TB SD

Cameras:

S8U: 13MP wide + 6MP ultrawide + 12MP front wide + 12MP front ultrawide
S12U: 13MP wide + 8MP ultrawide + 12MP front ultrawide

Software:

S8U: Android 12, OneUI 4.1 ---> 4 years OS updates ---> Android 16 (OneUI 8.0) [Almost EOL]
S12U: Android 17, OneUI 9.0 ---> 7 years OS updates ---> Android 24 (OneUI 16.0)

Accessories (with MSRP prices):

S8U: Book Cover Keyboard (349$), Book Cover (99$). Might also be able to use S9 Ultra and S10 Ultra accessories with a little modification, not sure (those who know, please let me know)
S12U: Pro Keyboard (399$), Book Cover Keyboard Slim (210$), Smart Book Cover (99$), Anti-reflective screen protector (39$)

Extra features:

S8U: Bluetooth S Pen, haptic motor, dual front cameras
S12U: Quad-channel spatial audio, Vision Booster, IP68, 3D vapor chamber, WiFi 7.

Pricing (US; launch price. Current prices for S8U may vary by region):

S8U: 8/128 ---> 1099$, 12/256 ---> 1199$, 16/512 ---> 1399$
S12U: 12/256 ---> 1399$, 12/512 ---> 1599$, 16/1TB ---> 1999$

Notes:
- Prices for accessories for S12U were pulled from the S11U as they will likely use the same accessories and Samsung hasn't uploaded the new accessories and prices on their website yet.
- Prices for the S8U are MSRP at launch. Current refurbished prices will vary. Yes, I know nobody's buying an S8 Ultra today, but it's interesting to see how the pricing's changed.
- I'm not certain about the S12 Ultra's anti-reflective coating, which is why I haven't mentioned it here. PCMag's written review and Android Digest's video review (look at ~2:20) state that it has it, yet from every other YouTube video and physical unboxing video I've seen, it looks like it has lost the coating. Source videos linked here, here and here. Samsung's official unboxing video makes the tablet look like it has it, yet the real life videos are more convincing and credible than Samsung's marketing material.
- The "should you upgrade?" question applies especially to all their tablets S9 and older.

Should S9 Ultra and older users consider an upgrade?

Go for the S12 Ultra if:
- Your current tablet is on the verge of losing software support
- You want the biggest, best display there is on a flagship tablet and are okay with sacrificing a bit of practicality and a lot of portability (IF you are not on an older Ultra already)
- You want the best of the best in terms of performance and the experience on a tablet and are willing to pay for it.
- You will be keeping this tablet for >6 to 7 years and can justify the additional expense over an S11 Ultra for the extra software update and better performance (note that the S12U is purely an iterative upgrade).

Skip it if:
- You own an S10 Ultra or newer. Unless you play the heaviest games at Ultra settings 120Hz, you really don't need the additional performance. The S10U will remain smooth and perfectly good for at least another four years, and blowing 1400$ now doesn't make sense if you already blew 1200$ barely two years ago. Trade-in values are horrible.
- You aren't a demanding user. In that case, you likely don't need the S12 Ultra, and your current tablet or something like an S10 FE+ or older S10 Ultra/S11 Ultra should be plenty enough for you.
- You need an upgrade but will be taking this tablet outdoors a lot or using it handheld. The S12+ or S11 might be a better fit for you in that case.

Hopefully this helps the people who've been asking for comparisons with the previous generation.

Display:
Tab S12+: 12.6" Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, 1600-nit peak brightness
Tab S10+: 12.4" Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, 650-nit peak brightness, anti-reflective coating.

Battery:
Tab S12+: 10600mAh, 45W (Super Fast Charging 2.0)
Tab S10+: 10090mAh, 45W (Super Fast Charging 2.0)

Performance:
Tab S12+: MediaTek Dimensity 9500, 12GB RAM, 256/512GB UFS 4.0; 2TB SD
Tab S10+: MediaTek Dimensity 9300+, 12GB RAM, 256/512GB UFS 4.0; 1.5TB SD

Camera:
Tab S12+: 13MP wide + 12MP front ultra-wide
Tab S10+: 13MP wide + 8MP ultra-wide + 12MP front ultra-wide

Software:
Tab S12+: Android 17, OneUI 9 ----> 7 major OS updates, Android 24
Tab S10+: Android 14, OneUI 6.1 ----> 7 major OS updates, Android 21

Accessories:
Tab S12+: Book Cover Keyboard Slim, Pro Keyboard, Smart Book Cover, Anti-reflective screen protector. New pogo pin layout similar to the S11 series; on the back and not on the bottom. No backward compatibility.
Tab S10+: Book Cover Keyboard Slim, Book Cover Keyboard, Smart Book Cover, Anti-reflective screen protector (edit ---> thanks u/super_star_BETA) it will also be able to use the S9+'s accessories such as the notepaper screen, outdoor cover and privacy screen.

Miscellaneous extras:
Tab S12+: Four-channel spatial audio; 3D vapor chamber
Tab S10+: Bluetooth S Pen; haptic motor

Pricing (US; MSRP):
Tab S12+: 256GB ---> 1199$, 512GB ---> 1399$, 256GB 5G ---> 1349$
Tab S10+: 256GB ---> 1099$, 512GB ---> 1299$, 256GB 5G ---> 1249$
(this includes the mid-life 100$ price increase that happened in April)

Note:
- 2TB SD ---> maximum officially supported SD card size = 2TB.
- Before people ask, the Tab S12+ is NOT for you if you're on an S9 or newer. The S12 series is targeted more towards S8 and older users. Unless you absolutely need the extra performance of the S12+ or are on a device S8 or older, stay put.
- Deliberately not mentioning whether the S12+ has an anti-reflective coating or not as it's very ambiguous now.

Every source cites something different. Google searches and articles say no, YouTube videos mostly say no, but a moderator on the Samsung subreddit originally said yes (which drove me to edit my earlier posts to update them) but later updated it to say no. Samsung's website mentions nothing about the anti-reflective coating for the S12+ unlike the S10+ where they had a whole slide dedicated to it (I understand it's no longer the headline feature, but come on, one line?)

I will be back to edit this post and let you guys know if I get further information from another credible source.

I'm going crazy seeing some of the local shops in Uzbekistan still preserved 2022 Galaxy devices on its very original software. But it's so fucking expensive (12,189,000 sum is basically $1,100), like what the fuck are they thinking with that stupid price?