The alternative: Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra

Allergic to Apples? This feisty and imposing tablet means business…

from £999 / stuff.tv/s8ultra

n The S8 Ultra has the biggest display this side of a full-scale laptop: a crisp and punchy 14.6in AMOLED. At just 300 nits the brightness could be better, but we’ve got no complaints about the 120Hz refresh rate, which makes menus glide fluidly. The tiny bezels and 16:10 aspect ratio make it great for watching films.

n A Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip might not scare the slickest phones out there, but hooked up to PS Remote Play or Steam Link with a Wi-fi 6 router, our tablet handled games with virtually no latency. Benchmark scores are impressive too.

n The Tab S8 Ultra’s keyboard dock doesn’t really work on a lap, making on-the-go productivity its biggest limitation. But hook up an external display, keyboard and Bluetooth mouse, and Samsung’s DEX interface makes the whole thing feel like a proper PC. The lines between the two device types have never been blurrier.

n With a big tablet comes a big 11,200mah battery. That gives you great standby time – easily a few days of casual use – and screen-on time of around 8hrs to 10hrs, depending on what you’re doing with it.

Tech specs

Display 14.6in 2960x1848 AMOLED touchscreen Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 RAM 8/12/16GB OS Android Storage 128/256/512GB Connectivity USB-C, Wi-fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, 5G (optional) Cameras 13+6MP rear, 12+12MP front Battery life Up to 10hrs Dimensions 326x209x5.5mm, 726g

Its sheer size might make it a bit niche, but the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is perfect for watching films, playing games, reading text and taking notes with the bundled S Pen. Add DEX, and this is the most fully featured Android tab money can buy.

STUFF SAYS ★★★★★

Samsung has made the ultimate Android tablet