Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs Galaxy Tab S10 Plus: Is there a reason to go that big?
Intro
With its 14.6-inch display, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is one of the biggest tablets you can get in late 2024.
Aside from this jumbo jet of a slate, Samsung also announced a Galaxy Tab S10 Plus (but not a regular Galaxy Tab S10), which is a bit more sensible 12.4-inch device.
In comparison with their predecessors––the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S9 Plus––the new tablets only score new chips inside, with the rest of the package mostly kept the same.
But which one should you go for if you wish to get Samsung's best 2024 tablets?
Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs Galaxy Tab S10 Plus differences explained:
| Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra | Galaxy Tab S10 Plus |
|---|---|
| Larger 14.6-inch screen | A more compact 12.4-inch display |
| Notched display with dual front-facing cameras | A standard display with a single front-facing camera |
| 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB versions | Just 256GB and 512GB versions |
| Dual rear camera | A single rear camera |
| Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| 11,200mAh battery on board | A 10,090mAh battery |
Table of Contents:
- Design and Display
- Performance and Software
- Camera
- Battery and Charging
- Audio Quality
- Specs
- Which one should you buy?
Also read:
- Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs Galaxy S9 Ultra: The upgrade you didn't know you didn't need
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs Apple iPad Pro M4: door-sized AI machines
Design and Display Quality
Big versus bigger
There's no two ways around it: the main difference between the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is the size and size alone.
With the Tab S10 Ultra, you're greeted with a large, 14.6-inch screen, which pushes the dimensions to 326.4 x 208.6 x 5.4 mm. Meanwhile, the "smaller" Galaxy Tab S10 Plus has a 12.4-inch screen that pushes its dimensions to 285.4 x 185.4 x 5.6 mm. Weight-wise, the Ultra tips the scales at 718gr, while the Plus is much more manageable at 571gr.
Overall, what you see is what you get. We wouldn't call either particularly ergonomic to use because of the massive size of either, but if we have to play this game, then of course the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus feels more manageable.
The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra also has a pretty large notch at its front, used to house the dual front-facing cameras. It's not an eye-sore by any means, but we can't lie––we'd have loved the tablet even more without it. The Galaxy S10 Plus, on the other hand, has no such a contraption, which makes for a slightly cleaner design.
Both tablets have super-thin Armor Aluminum bodies with water and dust resistance.
There's IP68 water and dust resistance, as well as an S Pen stylus in the box of either device.
Performance and Software
Goodbye for now Qualcomm
With the Galaxy Tab S10 family, we get some important changes in the performance section.
Previously, Qualcomm used to supply the chipsets for Samsung's top tablets. Well, this changes with the new Galaxy Tab S10 generation, which features a MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ chip on deck.
It's a 4nm chip, which delivers some decent performance gains over the previous Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip in the Galaxy Tab S9 generation. Samsung cites an 18% CPU performance increase and a 36% better graphics performance, which sounds pretty good.
Samsung likely made that change for cost-cutting reasons. That's fine. Remains to be seen how thermals are handled, though.
Well, that seems to be the only major difference here. The memory and storage configurations haven't changed from the previous generation, but we don't feel Samsung is lacking here. The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus comes with 256GB and 512GB, both with 12GB of RAM, while the Ultra adds a 1TB version to the mix. Both tablets have microSD cards, which is great.
One UI 7 with Android 15 will hit the two tablets in early 2025. The Galaxy S25 series will be first with Samsung's upcoming software update, but we can't imagine the company's newest flagship tablets having to wait in queue for a long time.
AI is another characteristic feature of the two. Aside from the standard Galaxy AI features (summarizing of websites, notes, and voice recordings, Circle to Search, Chat Assist, translation, and the generative image editing features for deleting or re-adjusting objects in photos), the two new tablets get a couple of new features.
Sketch to Image allows you to draw anything and have Galaxy AI draw an interpretation. Samsung Notes can also do calculations for you, like the iPhones and iPads with iOS 18.
Camera
How many is too many
The rear cameras of the two tablets are identical. Both have 13MP main and 8MP ultrawide cameras, which should be decent enough for regular tablet photography.
There are also differences in the front, much greater ones.
The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra comes with dual 12MP cameras, a wide and an ultrawide, while the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus has a single 12MP main camera, which are helpful during video calls and the occasional selfie video is required. That said, we can't imagine taking a photo or a video with this large tablet to be comfortable.
There are also differences in the front, much greater ones.
The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra comes with dual 12MP cameras, a wide and an ultrawide, while the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus has a single 12MP main camera, which are helpful during video calls and the occasional selfie video is required. That said, we can't imagine taking a photo or a video with this large tablet to be comfortable.
Battery Life and Charging
Big steppers
The battery capacity difference between the two tablets isn't that big.
Their different sizes would suggest that the Ultra features a much larger battery, but that's not true. There's an 11,200mAh battery inside that one, and don't get us wrong, that's a lot; however, the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus features a 10,090mAh, which is less, but at the same time, more than enough in comparison.
Both tablets feature 45W charging, which should top them up in around two hours.
Specs Comparison
Check out a summarized Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs Galaxy Tab S10 Plus specs comparison here.
| Specs | Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra | Galaxy Tab S10 Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 326.4 x 208.6 x 5.4 mm | 285.4 x 185.4 x 5.6 mm |
| Weight | 718gr | 571gr |
| Screen | 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz HDR10+ | 12.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz HDR10+ |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 9300+, 4nm | MediaTek Dimensity 9300+, 4nm |
| RAM, Storage and Price | 12GB/256GB 12GB/512GB 12GB/1TB | 12GB/256GB 12GB/512GB |
| Cameras | 13MP main 8MP ultrawide 12MP front wide 12MP front ultrawide | 13MP main 8MP ultrawide 12MP front |
| Battery Size | 11,200mAh | 10,090mAh |
| Charging Speeds | 45W wired | 45W wired |
| Other features | IP68, S Pen stylus | IP68, S Pen stylus |
Which one should you buy?
We can't imagine that anything else than size and price alone will play a major role in your potential buying decision.
If you want the very best and don't mind, but actually need the largest Android tablet you can get––then Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra should be considered.
The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, on the other hand, is a more sensible device, which still offers a large screen, but is much more manageable in terms of ergonomics.
One thing is for certain––if you don't own a Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra or a Galaxy S9 Plus, either of these is a great purchase.
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