Samsung is entering the next round of premium tablets with its latest entry, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. This Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra review reveals what the tablet, armed with Galaxy AI features, and a MediaTek SoC, is all about.
Good
- Very good 14.6-inch AMOLED display
- Absolutely high-quality design
- Very long software support
- S Pen is included
- Powerful performance
- IP68 certification
- Great sound quality
Bad
- Hardly any noticeable changes compared to the previous year
- Still very expensive
- Unfortunately, there is still no S Pen slot
- Personally, it is too large for me as a tablet
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: All deals
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra release date and price
The price of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra hasn’t changed much compared to its predecessor (spoiler alert: nothing much else, either!). This means you can buy the base model for $1,199. The 256 GB version with Wi-Fi is available for this price. Those living in the US will miss out on the 5G model. If you think you need more storage space despite the presence of the microSD card slot, you can once again opt for larger capacity models with 512 GB or 1 TB of storage space.
Moonstone Gray and Platinum Silver colors are now available instead of Beige and Graphite on last year’s Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. You can find an overview of the prices here:
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra Wi-Fi | |
|---|---|
| 256 GB | $1,199.99 |
| 512 GB | $1,319.99 |
| 1 TB | $1,619.99 |
The most beautiful Android tablets of all
Anyone who liked the design of the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra will also have fun with the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra because it is simply a mirror image of what Samsung already offered last year. It’s not very spectacular, but as the saying goes: do not reinvent the wheel.
Wow, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is almost a complete twin of the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. If I were to tell you now that the 208.6 x 326.4 mm dimensions are similar to the tenth of a millimeter not only as its predecessor but also the model before that—the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra (review). What does this mean? Hooray! You don’t have to accept any design changes. I guess you can also reuse the older protective case if you have one.
What do you actually get, then? In a review where I excessively mention how little has changed, I have also summarized the display’s dimensions and the most important information about the panel and design in general. Of course, I would like to mention THE ONLY one display improvement: Just like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (review), the display is now even easier to read thanks to its anti-reflective coating. Sounds like a small deal, but it makes a really big difference.
The “Armor Aluminum” chassis, which is IP68-protected against water and dust (also applies to the S Pen), is now even more robust. To be honest, I haven’t verified this. Although such a wafer-thin tablet literally screams at you to carry out a bend test, I have solid trust in Samsung that the chassis is just as rigid as it feels. As always, when Samsung writes “Ultra” on the device, you get absolutely top-notch workmanship. The box is expensive, yes, but it also has the highest quality for each square millimeter.
A look around the device doesn’t reveal anything new either: there’s space at the back next to the camera section to park the S Pen, the obligatory volume rocker next to the power button, and the memory card slot. It’s a shame the S Pen cannot be stored in the device itself, but that’s life. You cannot have your cake and eat it, too.
I mentioned how the display is less reflective, but apart from that, it is as though time had stood still. Do note that is not a point of criticism, because the display is still fabulously good and the colors vibrant. Samsung simply knows how to make displays.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra software
One UI with Galaxy AI combined with really long software support, these three pillars see Samsung play the same software game on Android tablets. The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra also comes with the really useful DeX support.
I’ll be brief here. Are there any improvements? Yes, and I’ll mention them briefly. For example, DialogBoost has been hidden in the sound settings since One UI 6.1.1. If you are watching YouTube or Netflix, you can hear the dialog more clearly by activating this feature.
The reason why I don’t really want to talk about the software at length is that we have already done so extensively several times. You should therefore take a look at our One UI 6 review and I would also like to refer you to our Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra review. Over there, Antoine covered the DeX mode, which you can use on the tablet as an alternative to the normal tablet mode in great detail. Instead of the One UI view that you are familiar with from smartphones, DeX mode is more akin to a desktop view with a taskbar.
Galaxy AI is also one of the innovations on the tablet that we already know from other current Samsung devices such as the Galaxy Z Fold 6 (review). I therefore point you to our Galaxy AI article in this case as well. The bottom line is, I like the Galaxy AI applications, which I appreciate on my Galaxy S24 Ultra, and even more here on the Galaxy Tab S10. Working with the S Pen, when using the “Sketch-to-Image” function, for instance, was simply even more fun on the large display.
There is another major difference compared to last year’s tablet generation: Samsung has now raised its software support for the tablets to flagship level, which means you will receive up to seven years of Android updates and security patches for just as long.
The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is a real workhorse
When the processor for the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra was announced, many people were amazed: Really? MediaTek? MediaTek is often underestimated even today, but its performance is undoubtedly better than that of last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. Whether you’re editing videos, playing games intensively, or doing anything else with the tablet, everything runs extremely smoothly!
I’m wondering whether we should take up the cudgels for MediaTek SoCs here, but Rubens had already done that in his Xiaomi 14T Pro review. Read his review and you’ll see what a powerful chipset the Dimensity 9300+ is. In the benchmark test comparison, where I pit the new Samsung tablet against the aforementioned Xiaomi smartphone, but also against the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, we also see how the Xiaomi phone performed better in AnTuTu and Geekbench 6. In 3DMark, however, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has the edge.
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra | Xiaomi 14T Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SoC | MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ |
| AnTuTu | 1,835,545 | – | 2,013,101 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | Best loop: 5,332 Worst loop: 3,690 | Best loop: 3,896 Worst loop: 3,353 | Best loop: 2,983 Worst loop: 2,633 |
| 3DMark Steel Nomad Light stress test | Best loop: 1,929 Worst loop: 1,474 | – | Best loop: 1,132 Worst loop: 1,086 |
| Geekbench 6 | Single: 1,610 Multi: 6,086 | Single: 2,046 Multi: 5,518 | Single: 2,188 Multi: 7,158 |
Honestly speaking? I don’t really pay much attention to benchmark tests. The results made me suspect performance is significantly worse than I had hoped before I realized I don’t feel the slightest hint of a performance problem in everyday use. It’s the same here: I once again played Genshin Impact, a few racing games, and Diablo, with all of them running on the highest settings without any problems. More importantly, the tablet did not suffer from any noticeable overheating.
The large display makes games that are already great fun on a smartphone look even more phenomenal. With the combination of powerful performance, an outstanding display, and the crisp, loud sound from the four speakers, you get an overall package that establishes this Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra as an outstanding entertainment machine. For Android, you simply can’t get anything better in the tablet segment!
One more word on its connectivity as there is also a tiny difference here: Instead of Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 7 is also supported now.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra camera
The cameras in the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra are almost identical to those in the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. Are we really talking about the quality of the cameras on a 14.6-inch slab?
Yes, sometimes everything in me cries out for refusal to work. I don’t mean that Samsung isn’t offering anything different to what we already know from last year. I’m more concerned with the fact that, in my opinion, sending a serious tech journalist like me out into the fresh air to take photos in public with a tablet the size of a dining table is a violation of the Geneva Conventions on Human Rights.
Seriously speaking: I hope you’re not reading this review with the thought: “$1,199.99 is a lot of money to spend, especially because I don’t want to play games or watch movies, I just want to take photos from morning to night and that’s the only reason I’m buying this device”. Where are you going to take photos outside with such a camera? At a concert?
Okay, so there are cameras behind of which we should at least be courteous enough to acknowlege them briefly: Yep, the main camera actually works. During the day, the pictures look pretty decent, while things are just “okay” at night. In my opinion, you can largely forget about ultra wide-angle shots. I’m very sure that someone who spends so much money on a tablet will have an adequate smartphone with a powerful camera in their pocket.
The front camera, on the other hand, is more exciting. For such a powerful device, it will most probably see more productive use in scenarios like video calls. The dual 12 MP camera configuration in front is more than sufficient for such calls. I also like the portrait mode of the selfie shooter. In my opinion, the ultra wide-angle camera falls short again here.
The front cameras, hidden in a small notch, are more than sufficient for selfies and video calls. If the sample photos in the following gallery don’t reflect this, it’s down to the model, who doesn’t like looking at his own face, or photographing that same face using a 14.6-inch monster.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra battery
Nothing new to report on the battery front. Rather, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra lasts longer than its predecessor with the same battery capacity. Hats off, Samsung!
Because I’m a lazy bastard, I actually wanted to copy and paste Antoine’s battery section from his S9 Ultra review from last year. Nobody would notice, would they? However, I noticed how the device lasted longer in the PCMark benchmark than its predecessor. We always test the same way — brightness dropped to around 200 nits and enabling flight mode. While the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra lasted 10:42 hours until the battery level reached the 20 percent mark, the new Ultra tablet lasted 11:37 hours, which is about an hour longer.
How does this translate into our everyday lives? Hmm, this is difficult because if you use the tablet to play games for hours on end, the battery will of course run out after 8 or 9 hours. If you were to watch a movie, work productively with the device under normal conditions, and don’t do anything wild while gaming and social media, you can even get by without a power outlet for two days.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra technical specifications
| Galaxy S10 Ultra | |
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| Selfie camera |
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| IP certification | |
| Dimensions and weight |
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Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra conclusion
Should I recommend the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra? Absolutely not, if you already own the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra and/or only buy tablets for taking pictures.
Should you buy the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra if you want to buy the best Android tablet on the market at any price? Of course, you should!
While Samsung’s best tablet has not seen any significantly improvements, it has definitely experienced some gains in certain areas. These are small things like the more powerful MediaTek processor or the now less reflective display. Even Wi-Fi 7 is a meaningful improvement if we consider how the tablet will be supplied with up to seven years of software updates. In short, if Samsung improves the best Android tablet even a little, the result can only be one thing: it is the new best Android tablet in the world!
Galaxy AI now also runs on the predecessor thanks to the update, so you don’t necessarily need a new model, especially not such an expensive one. Yyes, I have to admit that using the S Pen with the smart AI functions on the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is a whole lot more fun than on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. If this review turned out to be too short for you, that may have something to do with it: I simply drew too many pictures and let the AI refine them. That left me with less time for writing.
If you want to do the same and have enough money in your bank account, then go for it: there’s simply nothing better than the iPad Pro (review). Do you agree with me or do you see it in a completely differently light? Then let me know in the comments!
