Samsung has announced the Galaxy Tab S12 series, made up of the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S12+. The company is pitching the new tablets at people who want to study, work and create on one device. Both models are built around a thin design, a 3nm processor and the latest Galaxy AI features, and both go on sale on October 7th.
Design & Display
The Tab S12 Ultra is 5.1mm thick, which makes it Samsung’s thinnest Galaxy Tab. It has a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display at 2960 x 1848 and 120Hz. The Tab S12+ has a 12.6-inch panel at 2800 x 1752, also at 120Hz, with slimmer bezels than the model it replaces. It measures 5.3mm thick.
Both tablets reach a peak brightness of 1,600 nits, and Samsung says its Vision Booster now adjusts brightness in real time based on the lighting around you. Both are rated IP68 for water and dust resistance, which is not something you see often on tablets of this size. Audio comes from a quad speaker setup with 4-channel spatial audio, double the channel count of the previous generation.
Performance & Battery
Both models use the MediaTek Dimensity 9500. Samsung says it delivers 19% faster CPU performance, 17% better GPU performance and 61% faster NPU processing compared with the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. A new 3D Vapor Chamber is there to keep heat under control during longer jobs such as video editing.
On battery, the Tab S12 Ultra has an 11,600 mAh cell and the Tab S12+ has a 10,600 mAh cell. Samsung quotes up to 23 hours and 21 hours of video playback respectively. Charging is 45W, and Samsung says a full charge from empty takes about 95 minutes. As always with manufacturer figures, real-world results will vary.
Software and Galaxy AI
The tablets ship with Android 17 and One UI 9. Multi Window supports up to three apps on screen at once, and Samsung Notes works with Note Assist to summarise your notes. Samsung Browser can summarise information across open tabs and pull up pages from your browsing history.
Both models also come with a six-month trial of Google AI Pro, giving access to Gemini and the Gemini Notebook feature, which collects notes, images, recordings and files in one place and can turn them into summaries, podcasts and quizzes.
Samsung is promising up to seven OS upgrades and security updates for both tablets.
S Pen, Accessories and Apps
An S Pen is included in the box with both models but it doesn’t support BLE.
Accessories include the Pro Keyboard, which has a Galaxy AI Key, the Book Cover Keyboard Slim, a Book Cover and an Anti-Reflecting Screen Protector. A Frame Cover is available but only for the Ultra model.
Samsung is also bundling in app offers it values at over €400. The main ones are:
- Adobe Photoshop: preloaded, which Samsung says is a first for Android tablets, with four months of free access to the Photoshop mobile plan
- Notability: six months free, plus 20% off the first subscription
- Goodnotes: one year of free access
- LumaFusion: 66% off
- Notion: one month of the Plus plan free
- Clip Studio Paint: six months free, plus 20% off the first subscription
Key Specifications
Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra
- 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 2960 x 1848, 120Hz
- 208.5 x 326.3 x 5.1 mm, 692g (Wi-Fi) or 695g (5G)
- 16GB + 1TB, 12GB + 512GB or 12GB + 256GB, with microSD up to 2TB
- 11,600 mAh battery, 45W charging
- Wi-Fi 7, 5G, Bluetooth 6.0
- Rear 13MP + 8MP ultra-wide, front 12MP ultra-wide
Galaxy Tab S12+
- 12.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 2800 x 1752, 120Hz
- 187.8 x 289.5 x 5.3 mm, 553g (Wi-Fi) or 555g (5G)
- 12GB + 512GB or 12GB + 256GB, with microSD up to 2TB
- 10,600 mAh battery, 45W charging
- Wi-Fi 6E, 5G, Bluetooth 6.0
- Rear 13MP, front 12MP ultra-wide
Both models have dual SIM support (pSIM and eSIM), an on-display fingerprint sensor and come in Grey or Silver.
Conclusion
On paper, the Tab S12 series is a solid step up from the S11 generation, with a faster chip, bigger batteries, IP68 and a long update promise.
The Ultra’s 5.1mm body and the Photoshop inclusion stand out.
The caveats are that the performance and battery numbers are Samsung’s own claims, and that the Tab S12+ misses out on the Ultra’s Wi-Fi 7 and second rear camera. We will have a clearer picture once we can test them properly.
Pricing and Availability
The Galaxy Tab S12 series goes on sale on October 7. Irish pricing starts at €1,329 RRP for the Galaxy Tab S12+ and €1,569 RRP for the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra.
Samsung has only given starting prices, so the cost of the higher storage and 5G configurations has not been confirmed. You can find more details at Samsung.com/ie.
