It has been quite a while since I’ve used a tablet for any length of time, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when unboxing Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. Between the 6.8-inch display of my Galaxy S24 Ultra, the unfolding panel of the Z Fold6, and my trusty laptop, I don’t remember the last time I felt short of screen real estate. As such, my suspicions were that the Tab S10 Ultra might feel like the answer to a question I didn’t ask or a gimmick waiting to wear off. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to find it a wonderfully luxurious experience — a touch inessential, perhaps, but never less than thoroughly enjoyable.
The more I think about the S10 Ultra, the more I keep coming back to the word “luxury.” If something is a luxury, then it is, by definition, an indulgence and maybe even a little superfluous. And so it goes with Samsung’s new flagship tablet. Do I need to have it in my life? No, I don’t. But would I prefer to? Absolutely. With that, let’s dive into how the S10 Ultra made me reconsider whether or not I might have a tablet-shaped hole in my heart.
Screen and Design
Two things strike you when unboxing the Tab S10 Ultra. The first is how incredibly thin and light it is (5.4mm and 718g, respectively), and the second is how enormous the 14.6-inch screen looks. Each of these elements emphasises the other — the screen looks too large for a device so thin, and the device seems too thin to support a screen so large. This dynamic, combined with the polished construction of the aluminium frame, gives the Tab S10 Ultra an uber-premium feel.
The Dynamic AMOLED 2X display keeps things similarly upmarket, with WQXGA+ resolution (2960 x 1848) cramming a bucketload of pixels into its 14.6 inches. As a result, images and video are never less than incredibly crisp, while the display’s colour recreation is rich and vibrant.
The screen also seems reasonably bright, although when checking the Tab S10 Ultra’s specs, I was surprised to find that it offers drastically less brightness than handsets like the S24 Ultra — 930 nits compared with 2,600. This does not align with my real-world usage. While the Tab S10 Ultra is a device I primarily used indoors, when I did expose it to direct sunlight, I never found the screen anything less than perfectly serviceable. This is thanks to the reduced glare delivered by its anti-reflection coating and the High Brightness Mode and Vision Booster functionality, which kick in to maximise visibility under bright conditions.
Having said that, Samsung almost certainly intended the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra’s primary use to take place indoors — far more at home luxuriating (there’s that word again) on the couch than roughing it out and about.
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Functionality
The key functionality upgrade to Samsung’s latest tablet effort is the addition of the brand’s signature Galaxy AI suite. First introduced with the S24’s launch at the start of the year and present for the Z Fold6’s arrival in July, some of the suite’s functions are more useful than others, but your mileage may vary.
While I have neither the time nor the stamina to provide another laborious breakdown of every feature contained within the suite—you can read more about them in my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review—a few key features shine on the Tab S10 Ultra.
Samsung’s website claims that the Tab S10 Ultra offers “Galaxy AI optimised for the big screen”, which seems like a fair summary. One feature that certainly benefits from the Tab S10 Ultra’s larger canvas is Sketch to Image, which enables you to make rough sketches and doodles with the included S Pen. Samsung’s AI tech then transforms these into fully realised works of… well, to call them art would be a stretch, but it’s fun to see what the AI comes up with.
The Photo Editor also benefits from the additional screen inches present on the Tab S10 Ultra. While you’re probably better off sticking with your smartphone when it comes to actually taking photos (more on that shortly), editing said photos on the S10 Ultra is a breeze. Whether you want to remove intrusive objects, shadows, and reflections, expand the frame, or shift elements within it for heightened effect—you might want to give a skateboarder more air while they’re mid-kick-flip, for example—it’s easy to do so here.
As a final callout, I’ll add that the Note-Taking Assistant remains extremely handy, enabling you to record a meeting and have it transcribed to text, which Samsung’s AI will then summarise and format into a useful set of notes. I should also note that Google’s Circle to Search remains one of the most useful additions to smart-devices I’ve encountered in quite some time.
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Battery and Processor
The Tab S10 Ultra’s insides are appropriately specced to enhance its impressive exterior. Its octa-core processor kept things zipping along nicely no matter what I threw at it. Animations and transitions never looked anything less than fluid and the vapour chamber cooling system does an effective job of keeping things under control. At no point did the S10 Ultra appear to heat up or struggle.
As for the battery life, the 11,200 mAh is a beast that just keeps going and going. Despite regular use, I could go up to a week without having to plug in my charger, so I imagine the S10 Ultra would make a very welcome travel companion for those who have plenty of time to kill in airports. Plus, with its light weight, you don’t even notice it’s there once you slip it into your backpack.
Camera
While I feel should touch on the camera offering, I feel compelled to point out that taking snaps has never been as essential to the tablet experience as it is to the smartphone one. For this reason, I hold absolutely nothing against the Tab S10 Ultra for offering a camera setup that doesn’t come close to the one found on Samsung’s flagship smartphones.
Keeping things brief, you’ll find a solid-performing 13MP rear lens accompanied by an ultra-wide 8MP companion, while two front-facing 12MP lenses are present, one of which captures regular images while the other provides an ultra-wide option.
These cameras are not designed to blow your socks off and are better suited for video calling and the like. Having said that, the photos I took looked fine to me. Make of that what you will.
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Pricing and Availability
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra comes in both Wi-Fi and 5G-enabled iterations. Pricing for the Wi-Fi model starts at AUD$2,099, while the 5G-enabled option starts at AUD$2,349. No, they’re not cheap, but you are getting a very premium tablet experience for your money.
The Tab S10 Ultra is currently only available in Moonstone Grey, which isn’t the most imaginative shade for a tablet, although it does look nice in the flesh. Nevertheless, I wish there were some more daring colour options available. Oh well. Maybe next time.
Final Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is a beautifully crafted and highly polished device that has made me reconsider my blasé attitude towards tablets. Unlike my smartphone and laptop, it’s not a device I can’t live without, but it is one that endeared itself to me very quickly, comfortably working its way into my daily routine.
I encounter a lot of tech in my line of work, but Samsung’s latest tablet is the only device I can recall wanting to describe as luxurious. With its light build and generous screen, I can’t think of any other display I’d rather use around the home, whether that’s sharing content with someone or as a second screen while watching TV from the couch. That may make the S10 Ultra sound, yes, a little inessential, but you certainly won’t regret having one at your disposal.
