Samsung has announced its new flagship tablets, the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S12+. Both are powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chip, run One UI 9 based on Android 17 and go on sale on 7 October. In Italy the Plus starts at €1,319 and the Ultra at €1,539: more than the previous generation.
What actually changes
The most obvious leap is the chip. The Dimensity 9500, built on a 3-nanometre process, replaces the Dimensity 9400+ found in the Tab S11 Ultra and should offer more headroom both in demanding apps and in AI features that run on the device.
The screen remains a 120 Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X, with a claimed peak brightness of up to 1,600 nits:
- Tab S12 Ultra: 14.6 inches, 2960 x 1848 resolution, 5.1 mm thick, 11,600 mAh battery.
- Tab S12+: 12.6 inches, 2800 x 1752 resolution, 5.3 mm thick, 10,600 mAh battery.
Samsung claims up to 23 hours of battery life for the Ultra and 21 hours for the Plus, with 45 W wired charging. Both are IP68-rated and the S Pen is included in the box.
The Ultra has a dual rear camera (13 megapixels plus an 8-megapixel ultrawide), while the Plus has a single 13-megapixel camera. Memory goes up to 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage on the Ultra; the Plus tops out at 12 GB of RAM, with 256 and 512 GB options.
On the software side, Samsung promises seven generations of system updates. Galaxy AI additions include note summaries, three-window split-screen multitasking and Gemini integration. Adobe Photoshop also comes preinstalled on these tablets, which Samsung says is a first for Android tablets.
Prices and availability in Italy
The two Wi-Fi versions cost:
- Galaxy Tab S12+: from €1,319
- Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra: from €1,539
The 5G versions cost €200 more. With the Ultra’s top configuration (1 TB, 16 GB of RAM, 5G) the price rises to €2,289. In Italy the Gray colour arrives on 7 October; Samsung also plans a Silver version. In the United States prices start at $1,199 for the Plus and $1,399 for the Ultra. Samsung has not yet announced Swiss franc prices.
Who it’s for
These are tablets for people who want to partly replace a laptop: drawing, note-taking, light video editing, working with several windows open. The included S Pen and preinstalled Photoshop point in that direction. If you mainly use a tablet for video, reading and browsing, there are far cheaper options: our guide to the best tablets has alternatives at a fraction of these prices.
Anyone who already owns a Tab S11 will struggle to find a reason to upgrade. The changes are a faster chip, a slimmer body and a little more battery.
To get a sense of what to expect from the software, here are the new features in One UI 9.
What we think
The hardware is convincing; the price much less so. Going above €1,500 for the Wi-Fi Ultra, and past €2,000 with 5G and 1 TB, puts these tablets in the price bracket of good laptops, which offer an operating system designed for desktop work. Android 17 and One UI 9 are mature, but for many professional tasks a computer is still more practical.
Overall the move is predictable: Samsung is betting on the tablet as a premium product for a narrow audience, and is happy to sell fewer units at higher margins. For those who really use the S Pen every day it may be worth the money; for everyone else it’s better to wait for the first discounts.
Written by the SpazioiTech newsroom with the help of AI tools, from facts verified across at least two independent outlets, and checked before publication. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Translated from the Italian original. Read in Italian