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Much like its flagship slab phones, Samsung has been enjoying a comfortable cushion in the world of Android tablets. However, that cushion might be starting to wear thin, leaving us to wonder whether the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is still the best that money can buy.
Samsung made a couple of surprising decisions with its flagship tablet lineup, of which only one really affects the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. Dropping Qualcomm in favor of MediaTek was a bold choice, but besides that, it might look like there’s not really much of a difference when compared to its predecessor. So let’s dive in and see whether that’s the case or if there’s some kind of hidden magic.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: Price and availability
The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra was announced in September 2024 alongside the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, S24 FE, and Galaxy Watch FE. It’s available in three different configurations, starting with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, with a retail price of $1,199.99. The 12GB/512GB model comes in at $1,319.99, while the 16GB/1TB variant will set you back $1,619.99.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: Specs
|
Category |
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra |
|---|---|
|
Display |
14.6-inch AMOLED, 2960 x 1848 120Hz, 500 nits, 16:10 |
|
Processor |
MediaTek Dimensity 9300 Plus |
|
Memory |
12GB / 16GB |
|
Storage |
256GB / 512GB / 1TB (expandable via microSD) |
|
Front Cameras |
12MP (wide) + 12MP (ultrawide) |
|
Rear Cameras |
13MP (wide) + 8MP (ultrawide) |
|
Battery |
11,200mAh w/ 45W Fast Charging |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi 7 / Bluetooth 5.3 |
|
Audio |
Quad AKG-tuned speakers |
|
Security |
Optical Fingerprint scanner under-display |
|
Dimensions |
326.4 x 208.6 x 5.4mm |
|
Weight |
718 grams |
|
Operating System |
One UI w/ Android 14 |
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: What I like
No matter what your feelings are when it comes to using Android tablets, sometimes it’s best when a company recognizes that it doesn’t need to make any drastic design changes. That’s exactly what Samsung has done with the Tab S10 Ultra, as it seems like we just have updated internals packed inside of the same shell from the Tab S9 Ultra.
That means if you’re upgrading from the previous version, you won’t have to shell out a bunch of extra cash for new cases or accessories. This was something that drove me absolutely mad when Samsung went from the Tab S8 Ultra to the Tab S9 Ultra. Thankfully, it’s not an issue this time around.
Externally, literally, everything remains the same, with the exception of the colors on the Tab S10 Ultra. The 14.6-inch AMOLED display is as beautiful as ever, making it perfect for getting work done, playing games, or propping it up to watch a movie.
Oh yeah, and the S Pen is still included in the box, which was to be expected but is still welcome.
The best part is that the possibilities of what you can do with the Tab S10 Ultra are practically endless. I’ve used it as an external monitor for both my desktop and gaming handheld, a smart home dashboard, a digital notebook, and more. In fact, I’m writing this on the Tab S10 Ultra using Samsung DeX, which is connected wirelessly to my 49-inch Samsung OLED ultrawide monitor.
It’s a bit odd, sure, especially because the giant 14.6-inch display is currently doubling as a massive touchpad. That’s because this kind of just happened on a whim, and the Ultra is connected to Samsung’s Book Cover Keyboard Slim (the one without a built-in trackpad.) Of course, connecting a mouse would make more sense, but I kind of like how I can just reach up and have the world’s biggest touchpad.
To quickly recap, the Tab S10 Ultra is basically the Tab S9 Ultra that gets one extra year of updates. Well, not exactly. In a move that still surprises me, Samsung went with the MediaTek Dimensity 9300 Plus instead of the Snapdragon 8 Elite or even the 8 Gen 3.
But to be quite honest, except for one very specific niche, you wouldn’t know it. And that’s a good thing because if that weren’t the case, Samsung would have much bigger problems on its hands.
So why would Samsung move away from Qualcomm in favor of MediaTek? That’s right, you guessed it — AI. The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and S10 Ultra are being touted as the company’s “first tablets purpose-built for AI.” But before getting too ahead of ourselves here, let’s see how the Dimensity 9300 Plus compares to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 from the Tab S9 Ultra:
|
Test |
Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra |
Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
|
Geekbench 6 (single-core) |
2021 |
2075 |
|
Geekbench 6 (multi-core) |
6855 |
5505 |
|
Geekbench AI (Quantized score) |
2859 |
1672 |
While single-core scores match up with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the Dimensity 9300 Plus destroys its competitor in multi-core Geekbench AI. Which just so happened to be the two key areas of focus when Samsung introduced the Tab S10 Ultra.
However, I would go so far as to say that you wouldn’t notice a difference if you were asked to use either of these in some sort of “blind test.” On the one hand, that’s great, as it would be a very different story if Samsung’s flagship tablet ended up performing worse. On the other, you might’ve hoped to see more of a jump in the single-core performance.
Especially if you happen to see what the Snapdragon 8 Elite can do in the Galaxy S25 with its 3,025 single-core score and 9,640 multi-core score. Mind you, that’s for a phone that costs $400 less than the base model Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. Furthermore, the 8 Elite launched after the Tab S10, so it makes sense we didn’t see it here.
Nevertheless, there’s almost nothing to really complain about when it comes to performance. You’ll still enjoy Samsung’s suite of Galaxy AI features, paired quite nicely with Google Gemini. So, I can only hope that Samsung has left enough overhead for any other potential AI features that we’ll see in the years to come.
Oh, and remember how I said that Samsung essentially kept the design the same as the Tab S9 Ultra? That also goes for the microSD card slot, which is a welcome inclusion on any device, let alone one that can serve as a gaming and media playback behemoth.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: What I don’t like
Giant monitors and trackpads aside, my Tab S10 Ultra usually resides in DeX mode. I don’t really have much reason to ever go back to “regular” Android because it’s all icky and annoying there. Well, at least for tablets of this size.
With Google finally working on a proper desktop mode for Pixel devices, it only further drives the point home that certain Samsung tablets should default to DeX mode out of the box. And if doesn’t want to do it for every tablet, the Tab S Ultra should be the first.
The traditional Android experience still doesn’t work well on tablets or even foldable phones. App scaling is weird; apps don’t play nice when going beyond the confines of a narrow rectangle, and sometimes even the interface just looks odd. DeX solves most of those problems with a little help from One UI.
It makes total sense for Samsung to just embrace the idea of the Tab S Ultra providing a Microsoft Surface experience, powered by One UI and Android. However, this leads me to another issue that I was hoping it would solve but has yet to do so.
Samsung needs to “borrow” Apple’s iPad Pro Magic Keyboard design.
I applaud the company for making it so you can use the Tab S9 Ultra cases with the newer model. Technically, there are two “new” keyboard cases that launched alongside the Tab S10 Ultra. But the only real difference is the addition of the Galaxy AI key next to the arrow keys.
Unfortunately, you have a tablet that can double as a laptop, but it’s arguably one of the most uncomfortable “laptops” that you’ll ever use. With the Book Cover Keyboard, everything works fine, but try using it with your Tab S10 Ultra on your lap, and you’ll immediately want to pull out your hair.
The Book Cover Keyboard Slim is slightly better, as it’s a bit more rigid than its counterpart. However, you miss out on the trackpad, which is fine in some instances but isn’t the ideal experience for everyone.
Whenever I get a new Android device, whether it’s a phone, tablet, or gaming handheld, the first thing I try to do is see how well it can handle emulation. Most modern devices can handle up to PS2 games fairly easily. The real test is seeing how well Switch emulation performs.
That’s where my first annoyance about the move to MediaTek came to mind when I heard the rumors. Graphics drivers for MediaTek devices are… well… they just don’t quite stack up to Qualcomm. They’ll easily handle systems with mature emulators, but once you start getting into Switch and Windows emulation, it’s an entirely different story.
I won’t bore you with the details, but basically, Qualcomm devices allow for the use of custom driver support and Vulkan extensions. If you ever hear about “Turnip” drivers, these are custom-compiled drivers that are used in a variety of emulators, including Switch, 3DS, PS Vita, and others.
These drivers can offer improved compatibility along with increased performance, which sounds great! Until you learn that you won’t be able to use these custom drivers with MediaTek’s Mali drivers. This ultimately means that if you try to emulate one of your favorite Switch games only to see that it gets between 10-15fps, you’re simply out of luck.
There’s one more thing about the Tab S10 Ultra that continues to bug me. For whatever reason, Samsung’s “Ultra” tablet isn’t available with a cellular connection. This has bugged me for the last few iterations, but after learning that those in Europe can choose between having Wi-Fi or cellular, I was hopeful that the S10 Ultra might be a deviation from that pattern.
Sure, it’s not a problem with the Galaxy S10 Plus, so if you really want mobile connectivity, that’s still an option. But what about those of us who prefer the larger display? Especially considering that the S10 Ultra is essentially a super-sized and Android-powered Surface Pro.
I understand that it would only make this already-expensive device cost even more. But at the same time, I don’t understand Samsung’s rationale when it comes to limiting or holding features from its “Ultra” devices.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: The competition
For the first time in a few years, I feel like there’s some real competition in the higher-end Android tablet space. While nothing else can really match up in terms of the display, there are now options that can keep up with Samsung’s flagship tablets.
The OnePlus Pad 2 is the first that comes to mind, simply because of how much of an improvement it is over the previous model. We have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, a gorgeous 3K LCD panel (which is great for PWM), and Open Canvas offers a different take on multitasking. Plus, even if you decide to pick up the Stylo 2 and Smart Keyboard, it will still cost you less than the Tab S10 Ultra.
It’s a similar story, at least on paper, with the Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus. This was announced at CES 2025 and has flown under the radar a bit, but maybe that will soon change. Lenovo, too, opted against going with the Snapdragon 8 Elite but instead relies on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. You’ll also enjoy a 12.7-inch 3K display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 16GB of RAM. Lenovo includes both a stylus and a detachable keyboard in the box.
Last but certainly not least is the big elephant in the room, Apple’s iPad Pro. It has everything you could want from a laptop replacement — a big and vibrant screen, an excellent keyboard, and you can even get cellular if you want. However, the biggest caveat is that it’s running iPadOS, and while that might be great for some, I still wish Apple would give us macOS on this hardware.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: Should you buy it?
You should buy this if…
- You want the biggest tablet that money can buy
- You want a tablet that can replace your laptop
- You’re already entrenched in the Samsung ecosystem
You shouldn’t buy this if…
- You’re on a budget
- You want a tablet with cellular connectivity
- You don’t need a screen this massive
- You want to enjoy retro emulation and need the best compatibility
- You already have the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
Frankly, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra isn’t for everyone. That statement would be true even if we had the Snapdragon 8 Elite or 8 Gen 3 over the Dimensity 9300+. It’s cumbersome to use as a traditional tablet, even though the 14.6-inch display is perfect for media consumption and playing games.
If you were to ask me for a recommendation, I’d probably tell you to just get the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus. With the extra money saved, you could spring for more storage or grab one with cellular connectivity. However, even that opens another can of worms when you look around at competing tablets with a similarly-sized screen.
That being said, there’s a reason we chose this as the best tablet of 2024. There’s nothing quite like having a device of this size powered by Android. If you do decide to pick up the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, I highly recommend enabling DeX as soon as you get everything set up. It just makes more sense than being confined to the traditional Android UI.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra
Samsung packed the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra to the gills with as many features as it could, without changing the design just for the sake of it. But we’re not entirely sure about how well this behemoth of a tablet will fare with MediaTek running the ship instead of Qualcomm.