Rating: 8.5/10
Samsung started making the ‘Ultra’ moniker tablet with the Galaxy Tab S9 series, and a year later, the company launched its Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. The core recipe essentially remains unchanged—a tablet with a big 14.6-inch display and the power to handle everything. The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is the best that Samsung has to offer. I have been using it for a while, and here’s my full review.
Design and display
Samsung has always been good with design and Tab S10 Ultra keeps up with the expectations. The tablet is made out of a metal and glass sandwich design and feels solid and sturdy – despite having a relatively slim profile compared to other tablets in the market.
That’s not it, the tablet also feels well made and there’s no bend or flex feel to it. But, there are a few things that might make it a little difficult to use. For instance, it’s a tall tablet and the placement of power and volume buttons are a little offset and at times it requires both your hands just to access them.
Maybe that’s not a deal breaker as Samsung isn’t expecting someone to use it single-handedly, considering the company also has the regular S10 with an 11-inch and S10+ with a 12.4-inch display.
So, single-handed use is out of the question. It weighs 723 grams. So, technically you can hold it with one hand as the weight distribution is just excellent here. But, for me, it was a bit too much.
Alternatively, you can pair it with the keyboard cover – costs extra – and transform it into a full-fledged tablet computer.
Coming to the display, it’s a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. And, that’s again too tall, but only if you are trying to use the tablet single-handed. But, if you are using it with the keyboard cover, the 16:10 aspect ratio works magic for browsing content, working on documents and Excel sheets, watching movies, shows and even playing games. The display is vibrant and vivid with punch colours and viewing angles are on point too.
The display of the tablet is simply impressive if nothing else.
Performance
Samsung has paired the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra with MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ chipset and that’s one of the most powerful processors for the Android ecosystem. The tablet is available with 12GB and 16GB RAM options and with up to 1TB storage. That’s a lot. My unit has 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. So, all the performance parameters are based on that.
The tablet handles everything from regular lightweight tasks like browsing, and watching movies and shows to heavy-duty tasks like editing photos, and videos, and editing long Excel spreadsheets without any issues and that’s something that makes it an excellent tablet for working professionals. App loading speeds are good and the user interface feels smooth and polished too.
But, if you are into gaming, then you are not set for disappointment either. The Dimensity 9300+ handles gaming without any issues too. I tried playing games like BGMI, CoD Mobile, Genshin Impact and some lightweight titles like Subway Surfer, etc. All the titles ran flawlessly without any hiccups and stutter. The tablet does not run warm, even if you push it a little too hard. That makes the tablet offer a good and sustained performance even in the longer run.
Speakers are important for tablets and the Galaxy S10 Ultra with its quad-speaker setup and Dolby ATMOS tuning is rich, loud and detailed. It even has a good amount of bass output too. So, overall, the speakers are suited well for almost all needs whether you are watching movies, shows or simply listening to music.
Software and AI features
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra delivers a familiar experience with One UI, enhanced by new AI-driven features. These updates bring some interesting additions. Samsung introduces AI-powered tools such as Note Assist, Sketch to Image, and Circle to Search. Among these, Circle to Search stands out for its usefulness, allowing users to quickly look up information by circling text or objects. Note Assist could be a valuable tool for students, particularly in tasks like solving math problems. However, Sketch to Image seems less compelling, often delivering subpar results that feel more like a novelty than a practical tool.
Additionally, the tablet includes a Transcript Assist feature, which mimics Google’s transcription services.
Coming back to One UI, it continues to offer a stable and user-friendly experience, bolstered by features like multi-window support and Edge panels. On the expansive screen of the Tab S10 Ultra, multi-window functionality shines, enabling efficient multitasking by displaying two apps side-by-side. Edge panels, though optional for some users, serve as a handy shortcut tool for quick access to frequently used apps.
Apart from this, Samsung’s commitment to software longevity remains impressive. The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is guaranteed seven years of updates, with support extending from Android 14 through Android 21, alongside security patches until October 2031.
Camera
I think no one buys a tablet for its camera capabilities, at least I won’t. But Samsung has packed two of them at the back and two of them at the front and all of them work as they should. There’s 13MP + 8MP at the back and a 12MP and an ultra-wide sensor at the front. You can use them to take some good-looking photos and some documents with a good amount of detail. The front camera setup is good for taking selfies and attending video calls and conferences. They are good enough and I don’t have any complaints as such.
Battery
11200mAh is what you get with the tablet. And, this offers not hours, but days of battery life. So, I charged the tablet to 100% and started using it and it lasted for almost 3 days on regular use including browsing, documents, watching shows and movies listening to music and some gaming.
Verdict
A tablet featuring a 14.6-inch display? Well, I have had my reservations about the practicality of Samsung’s Ultra tablets since its inception. However, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has something that made me change my mind and for the right people looking for the right reason, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra can be a really good choice. The problem is that it has a niche audience, but for those who want a big display device with power and performance to handle almost everything, it makes much more sense than all the other smaller offerings. Also, there’s the cost – Rs 1,22,999 for the base variant. The S Pen is included, but if you want to make full use of it, then adding the keyboard case to the mix at an additional cost is crucial which brings up the cost and that’s something that may not be that practical for some users. But, if you are ready to shell that sum of money, then the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra makes complete sense here.
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