If it were hundreds less, Id rave about this tablet, but instead it overpromises and underdelivers.
I love a huge screen; the bigger the better.
Like all of Samsungs Ultra devices, the Tab S10 Ultra is all I need and much more.
You can easily see two full windows side-by-side on the Tab S10 Ultra
Thats pretty amazing for a tablet this size.
Theres also… um, actually thats kind of all there is?
The good news is that last years tablet was great!
Not much has changed from this Tab S9 Ultra to the Tab S10 Ultra
But a warning: if you want a keyboard, dont buy Samsungs offering.
I wouldnt usually knock accessories so hard, but this is an important component of a laptop replacement tablet.
Samsung needs a much better keyboard for the Tab S series.
Samsungs keyboard is flimsy and unpleasant.
The Tab S10 Ultra version has an AI key… awesome.
For the same price (even less!
Drawing a truck with Sketch to Image(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
),Appleowners get aMagic Keyboardthat’s rigid and premium.
Cool, there are some good options onAmazon, at least.
But that means this tablet is basically unchanged from last year, on the outside at least.
Here is Galaxy AI’s watercolor version of my truck(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Unfortunately, neither of those things happened.
Inside, you get a… hold on, [checks notes] MediaTek Dimensity 9300.
Wait, seriously?!
The robust Galaxy AI settings menu(Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
Samsung is using a MediaTek processor?
Instead of Samsung Semiconductor!?
Well, the results are what youd expect.
Its a good brain for a tablet, but it isnt a Snapdragon.
This yearsGalaxy S24uses a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
Why is there a MediaTek chip in this flagship Samsung tablet?
MediaTek makes a respectable, less expensive chip that focuses more on graphics performance than overall raw power.
Why is it only slightly better?
This is a gigantic mid-range tablet, not a premium flagship.
If you want to run pro-level software, you should buy Apples tablet.
But we all know it should be a few hundred bucks cheaper.
Besides the big screen, does the Tab S10 Ultra justify its price tag?
Lets consider features that you wont find anywhere else.
Otherwise, Samsungs key advantage is, surprisingly, software.
Samsung does a much better job with tablet software than Apple.
Its easier to multi-task, open multiple windows, and use your tablet with an external monitor and keyboard.
Even the Tab Ultras display isnt the advantage it was in the past.
Apples latest iPad Pro tablets pack the most advancedOLEDIve ever seen on a tablet.
Its thinner, brighter, and sharper looking than Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, even if its smaller.
Thats a nice bonus, but it doesnt justify Samsungs high price.
Apple gives you a better, more advanced display, a thinner tablet, and incredible power.
Taking notes (left) while surfing the web (right) while watching Skeleton Crew (bottom left) all at once
The Tab S9 FE is a much better buy for those benefits.
Otherwise, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has an impressive list of specs.
The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra also usesWi-Fi 7, which the iPad Pro still lacks.
Is that enough to notice?
Not really, but bragging rights are important at this price.
There is HDR10+ support, but not the DolbyHDRvideo standard.
Multi-window is as easy as dragging an app to where you want it
Im happy to see Samsung keeps using Wacoms electromagnetic resonance (EMR) technology for its S Pen.
Ive seen a few mobile manufacturers switch to their own technology recently.
That usually means a battery and an added expense.
The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has some design highlights but nothing special.
The camera is also centered for landscape viewing, as it should be.
Youll need to remember which side is up, because the Galaxy Tab wont help.
Four days?! Not likely
If you hold the iPad upside down, it flips the orientation of the volume keys.
If this seems hard to explain, its even worse to use in real life.
What are the premium apps that require so much screen size and power?
Well, maybe not power, since the MediaTek processor isnt exactly a powerhouse.
But it’s pretty good at gaming, and Samsung has said this tablet is aimed at gaming enthusiasts.
So, where is the gaming software?
Thats what it takes to call your gear a gaming gear.
The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra was great for playing games, but its not an excellent gaming gear.
The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra doesnt come close to that level of performance.
Samsung should know, thats the chip inside the Galaxy S24.
For the same price, you could have an Apple M4-powered iPad Pro.
Many games wont work with a joystick.
Genshin Impact, for instance, works with a joystick on the iPad, but not on Android tablets.
Our Future Labs tests report the same.
The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra performed worse on our battery tests than the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.
A small difference, but battery life should never,evergo down year over year.
In comparison, an iPad Pro 13-inch will give you almost 15 hours in the same test.
Too bad Samsung didnt use that chipset here.
Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra?
Still, its too expensive for what you get.
Still, I wish it was thinner.
There arent a lot of pro Android apps, though, and Galaxy AI is a questionable selling point.
Performance
Nope, the MediaTek chip is disappointing compared even to Samsungs base model Galaxy S24 phone.
This is supposed to be the ultra-premium flagship tablet.
Samsung must do better.
Go ahead, work on the Tab.
Dont take it too seriously.
Also consider
Not convinced by the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra?
I also connected the Tab Ultra to myDellmonitor.
I played many games on the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, mostly using an Xbox controller with Bluetooth.
The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra was also tested and benchmarked in Future Labs independently.
Future Labs runs the same tests on every tablet to compare them equally.
