The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Plus hits the sweet spot in Samsung’s tablet range, pairing a gorgeous 12.6-inch AMOLED screen with a bundled S Pen, useful DeX multitasking and seven years of updates. However, a year-old chipset that cheaper rivals outpace and fussy charging make it a tougher sell at its higher price.
Samsung’s Ultra tablets might grab the headlines, but I’ve always thought the Plus models strike a better balance between big-screen appeal and everyday practicality. After sitting out last year’s Tab S11 range, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Plus is back to put that theory to the test.
There’s plenty here to make a case for the middle child of Samsung’s tablet family, from a slightly larger 12.6-inch AMOLED screen to the same MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chipset as its Ultra sibling. Throw in a bundled S Pen, Samsung’s desktop-like DeX software and seven years of updates, and it looks well equipped for both work and downtime.
But with a year-old processor, increasingly capable Android tablet rivals and a few frustrating compromises, it’s not an automatic recommendation. Does the Tab S12 Plus do enough to justify its premium positioning, or are you better off looking elsewhere? I’ve spent the past few weeks using it to find out.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Plus, despite missing a generation with last year’s Tab S11 collection, looks remarkably similar to its predecessor. It remains a premium-looking tablet with an all-aluminium build that feels cool to the touch, and it’s available in the same shades of Grey and Silver as the Tab S12 Ultra.
I do think Samsung could’ve been a little more experimental with this year’s colour finishes – grey and silver look very alike, and maybe a little drab compared to the more colourful finishes on competing premium tablets like Apple’s entry-level iPad and Amazon’s new Alexa Tablets – rather than sticking with the safety of grey and silver tones.
That said, there are a few tweaks to the overall design; it’s 0.3mm thinner and 18g lighter than the outgoing Plus tablet, bringing it down to 5.3mm and 553g. It’s still not quite as slim as the 5.1mm Ultra model, but it remains a delightfully thin tablet to hold and use, and a durable one at that.
It’s still one of very few tablets to offer full IP68 dust and water resistance – Apple has only recently caught up with the IP67-enabled iPad Mini – and couples that with Samsung’s Enhanced Armor Aluminium frame and Gorilla Glass 5 protecting the 12.6-inch AMOLED panel.
As such, it’s one of the few tablets I’d feel comfortable using at the pool or on a beach, with no real concern about it getting soaked – though I’d probably get a case for it just in case it gets dropped.
While a case doesn’t come in the box, Samsung’s S Pen continues to ship alongside the tablet – it remains one of the key benefits compared to Apple’s iPad range, which requires a separate purchase of around £100/$100 depending on the model of Apple Pencil you need.
There’s nothing explicitly new with the stylus, but with a shape, weight and feel that closely resembles a pencil, it’s great for taking notes and doodling on the tablet’s large canvas.
And, unlike the older Tab S10 Plus, which had a rather inconvenient stylus attachment on the rear, the stylus now lives on the side of the device. It’s a change Samsung made with last year’s Tab S11 range, so it’s more the Plus model playing catch-up, but still, it’s a welcome change.
Samsung has a bit of a reputation for its displays, and that’s no different here; the Tab S12 Plus has a fantastic panel. It uses Samsung’s Dynamic AMOLED 2X tech – essentially an LTPO-enabled AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate – and that brings the kinds of vivid colours and deep blacks expected from the tech.
It’s also a little larger than that of the outgoing Tab S10 Plus, measuring in at 12.6 inches compared to 12.4 inches for an increase of 0.2 inches, all without making the body of the tablet significantly larger.
In my experience, this is the sweet spot for tablet sizes; once you creep up to 13 inches and beyond, they get a little unwieldy – and at the opposite side of the spectrum, small tablet screens don’t deliver the best movie-watching experience. Here, you get the benefit of the big panel without it becoming a hassle to carry around and hold.
And, in many cases, it matches the panel of its expensive Ultra sibling; both offer the same bright 1600-nit peak brightness, enhanced Vision Booster tech and support for HDR10+, making for a great viewing experience regardless of what’s on screen.
That said, it’s not the exact same panel as you’ll find on the S12 Ultra, size aside. It has slightly thicker bezels than the ‘true’ flagship tablet, though I’d argue that this isn’t really a deal-breaker.
I actually appreciate the thicker bezels here, as they give my fingers somewhere to rest when holding the screen without actually interacting with it. And they’re still about as thick as you’ll find on some of Apple’s best iPads, so it’s far from egregious – just not quite as premium-looking.
Still, overall, this is a display that’s hard to find fault with; it’s large, pixel-packed, boasts vibrant colours great for scrolling and movie-watching alike, and it’s super-smooth in everyday use. Sure, the S12 Ultra’s screen is bigger, but bigger isn’t always better.
While the Tab S12 Plus’ screen is a step down from its Ultra sibling in certain regards, the same can’t be said in the performance department. Both tablets…
