Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Tab S12 Series today, comprising the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S12+; the former inherits the same chassis from the Tab S11 Ultra with minor updates, while the latter features a bigger chassis over the preceding Tab S11 that lacked a ‘Plus’ variant.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Series
While Samsung advertises Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra as its “thinnest Galaxy Tab”, the 5.1mm thickness is actually no different than the Galaxy Tab S11 which it replaces. In fact, the only change, hardware-wise, is merely the chipset involved: from MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ to MediaTek Dimensity 9500. Everything else, including storage options, display size, battery capacity, and even down to the very chassis itself, is the exact same as before. (While battery capacity is unchanged, the new chip does matter in terms of endurance, to which Samsung claims it’ll last 23 hours per charge.)
That is probably why the Korean smartphone giant is trying to entice buyers with the new Adobe Photoshop tie-ins that gives users four months of free access – which it claims is a first among Android tablets – alongside many other pre-loaded or bundled software such as Google AI Pro (six months free), Notability (six months free, 20% off the first subscription), Goodnotes (one year free), LumaFusion (66% discount), Notion (one month of Plus free), and Clip Studio Paint (six months free, 20% off).
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Tab S12+ marks the return of ‘Plus’ variant since it was absent in the Tab S11 series. This model is slightly larger than the Galaxy Tab S10+ in dimensions and screen size (now at 12.6 inches), and there are several changes and updates made since the last Plus model. Among them includes new chipset (Dimensity 9500), slimmer chassis (5.3mm), slightly larger battery (10,600mAh), and the removal of a dedicated ultrawide lens, which is already gone in the base Tab S11.
Samsung touts a new 3D Vapor Chamber for cooling, and both models carry IP68 ratings for water and dust resistance. Both also use Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels reaching up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness, along with an upgraded Vision Booster that adjusts brightness in real time. Audio has also been upgraded to 4-channel spatial sound, doubling the channel count from the previous generation. Both models come bundled with an S Pen for note-taking and sketching, while Book Cover Keyboard Slim is optional; they are also entitled for up to seven generations of OS upgrades and security updates from Android 17 (One UI 9) onwards.
Pricing & Availability
The Galaxy Tab S12 Series launches in Malaysia on 7 October 2026 in Gray and Silver color options – the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra (256GB, Wi-Fi) is priced at RM5,999, while the Galaxy Tab S12+ (256GB, Wi-Fi) is priced at RM4,999; 5G variants are priced at RM6,649 and RM5,649 respectively.
Pokdepinion: This industry shouldn’t be getting away with adding number to model names every year when there are so little changes made.
