Weekly Poll: Samsung Galaxy Tab S12+ vs. Tab S12 Ultra – Which Flagship Tablet Wins Your Vote?

After a solid 8.5% jump in global tablet shipments during the first quarter, the market is finally shaking off the pandemic lull. Apple led the pack with 13.7 million units, while Samsung shipped about half that – roughly 6.6 million – a dip of 5.2% that left the Tab S11 line looking a bit thin.

Enter Samsung’s fresh offerings: the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and its slightly smaller sibling, the Tab S12+. The Ultra series is the only one in the Tab S family that gets a yearly refresh, but honestly, the changes feel more incremental than revolutionary.

First up, the Ultra. Samsung stuck with MediaTek’s Dimensity 9500 – a chip that debuted last year – instead of the newer Dimensity 9600 Pro that promises up to 61% better efficiency in multi‑core workloads. The 9500 still boasts a respectable 32% single‑core uplift and 17% multi‑core gain over the Tab S11 Ultra’s processor, plus a 55% average efficiency boost under load. The GPU, labeled G1‑Ultra, is about a third faster and 42% more efficient.

On paper, those numbers look nice, but real‑world battery life hasn’t moved the needle much. Samsung kept the 11,600 mAh cell unchanged, so endurance mirrors the previous model. Still, a solid day‑plus of use isn’t a bad trade‑off for a 14.6‑inch AMOLED screen.

The Ultra’s price tag starts at $1,400 (≈ €1,540 / ₹150,000) for the base 12 GB RAM / 256 GB storage variant. Not cheap, but you’re paying for that massive display and the premium build.

Now, the Tab S12+. This one replaces the two‑year‑old Tab S10+ and carries the Dimensity 9500 as well, so performance is on par with the Ultra. The screen inches up just a touch – 12.6 inches versus the former 12.4 – translating to about a 3% larger viewing area. Battery capacity nudges up to 10,600 mAh from 10,090 mAh, a modest bump that still lags behind some phone batteries topping 11,000 mAh.

One odd omission: Samsung dropped the 8 MP ultra‑wide rear camera that lived on the Tab S10+. For most tablet use‑cases that’s fine, but it’s a curious decision.

Pricing for the S12+ starts at $1,200 (≈ €1,300 / ₹130,000), which puts it squarely against Apple’s 11‑inch iPad Pro that also starts at $1,200 but runs on the M5 chip and an OLED panel. The larger 13‑inch iPad Pro costs $1,500 and actually has a slightly smaller screen than Samsung’s 14.6‑inch Ultra.

So, what’s the takeaway? The Ultra offers the biggest display and a premium feel for a higher price, while the S12+ gives you similar performance in a more compact, slightly cheaper package. Both phones basically inherit the same chipset and battery philosophy, so the decision comes down to screen real‑estate and budget.

Now we want to hear from you. Do you have a use‑case that justifies a 14.6‑inch flagship tablet, or does the 12.6‑inch S12+ hit the sweet spot? Cast your vote in the poll and let the community know which Samsung tablet you’d pick.