The Galaxy Tab S8 is Android tablets can still be extremely useful for a lot of people. From watching movies, playing games, reading e-books, or having a massive display for Twitter and Reddit, there's a lot to like about them.
Samsung released the Galaxy Tab S7 in August 2020, and well over two years later, it's still kicking as one of the better tablets on the market. It has a modern design, ample performance, and a great display. As of February 2022, however, it's now been replaced by the Galaxy Tab S8. Samsung's newer tablet option obviously has better specs than its Tab S7 sibling, but is it enough to justify an upgrade? Let's take a closer look.
While Both tablets also tout microSD expandable storage, quad stereo speakers, 8,000mAh batteries, and 45W wired charging. As you can see, there are a lot of similarities.
Why The Galaxy Tab S8 Is Better Than The Tab S7
But there are also considerable differences between the two tablets. Although they're physically identical, the Tab S8 has a few important changes under the hood — starting with the processor. Where the Galaxy Tab S7 has the much older Snapdragon 865 chip, the Galaxy Tab S8 has the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. That alone is a huge deal. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 has smaller transistors (4nm vs. 7nm), much faster memory bandwidth, a higher U clock speed, and a vastly more powerful GPU. What does that all mean? In daily use, the Galaxy Tab S8 should run apps better, handle graphically intense games more easily, and do all that with more efficient battery usage. That increased performance is also supplemented with more RAM. The Galaxy Tab S7 offers a choice between 6GB or 8GB of RAM, whereas the Galaxy Tab S8 has 8GB and 12GB options.
Then there are all the smaller changes. Looking for better cameras? The Tab S8 upgrades the Tab S7's ultra-wide rear-facing camera from a 5MP sensor to a 6MP one. It also takes the front-facing camera from 8MP to 12MP, plus turns it into an ultra-wide sensor for a wider field of view. There's also a big S Pen upgrade. While both the Tab S7 and Tab S8 come with a free S Pen, only the Tab S8 has Samsung's 'prediction algorithm' for much lower latency (making drawing and writing feel even more natural). The Galaxy Tab S8 also upgrades Bluetooth and Wi-Fi performance. The Tab S7 features Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 6. The Tab S8, by comparison, has Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E.
There's one final thing to consider, and that's software . The Galaxy Tab S7 launched in August 2020 with three years of promised OS upgrades. That means its final OS update will happen in 2023. Not only is the Tab S8 newer, but it's also guaranteed four years of OS updates — meaning it'll keep getting the newest Android versions through January 2026. Add all of that up, and the Tab S8 is a surprisingly comprehensive upgrade over the Tab S7. If your Tab S7 is still running fine and you don't feel like spending the cash right now, it should be more than adequate for a couple more years of use. But if you'd like that extra performance, RAM, better cameras, and longer software , the Galaxy Tab S8 is a very decent (if unexciting) upgrade.
Should You Wait For The Galaxy Tab S8 FE?
Samsung's FE or Fan Edition devices are cheaper versions of its flagships, bringing many of their core features for a cheaper price. While Samsung has been launching FE versions of its smartphones for a while, it also launched the Galaxy Tab S7 FE in 2021 as a follow up to the Galaxy Tab S7. While it doesn't make sense for Tab S7 s to downgrade to the Tab S7 FE, the Tab S8 FE might be a good choice.
According to what we know so far, the Tab S8 FE could feature a MediaTek Kompanio 900T chipset, come with at least 4GB of RAM, and run Android 13 out of the box. It's also expected to feature an LCD display and offer S Pen . While some of these specs are a downgrade compared to the Tab S8, the Tab S8 FE will be much more affordable. Additionally, it seems like Samsung might end up delaying the launch of the Galaxy Tab S9 series, so Tab S7 s looking to a newer tablet might have to stick with the Tab S8 series for now.
Source: Samsung