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Samsung’s next tablet may have a big edge over the iPad Pro

Recent apps view on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Over the past few weeks, we’ve come across a few purported product renders of the next flagship Samsung tablet, along with some details of its key specs. Now, leaker Evan Blass has shared an alleged render of the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra that reveals one stunning detail.

Alongside the bottom edge of the tablet, we get not one, but two USB Type-C ports. This isn’t the first time we have seen this feature, but it is a fresh approach for Samsung tablets. The rest of the design — including its slim metallic shell, dual cameras, thin bezels, and notch — is carried over from its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.

Now, why two USB-C ports? We’ll use the M4 iPad Pro, the most powerful machine in Apple’s mobile portfolio, to illustrate the issues. Apple is marketing it as a portable workstation, but the moment you push it by pairing a secondary screen, your only USB-C port is occupied.

Alleged render of Samsung Galaxy S10 Ultra.
@evleaks / X

In its natural state as well, you have to choose between file transfer (or wired screen extension) and charging. If you connect the Magic Keyboard, you get an extra USB-C port, but that’s only good enough for charging, not data transfer.

Samsung, which ships a far better desktop solution than Apple in the form of DeX, seems to have finally realized the need for a full-fledged secondary USB-C port. It seems the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra will be the first one to have that convenience.

What about dual USB-C dongles? In the context of mobile devices, Samsung has a dedicated support page that advises against doing just that. “Despite the convenience, we advise against this practice due to potential risks,” says Samsung, listing audio interference, overheating, and device damage as the key hazards.

Samsung won’t be the first brand to embrace the dual USB-C formula on a tablet. In 2017, the Acer Iconia One 10 tablet had two Micro-USB ports on its all-white chassis. More recently, Lenovo launched the gaming-focused Legion Y700 tablet with USB-C ports. Reports suggest Xiaomi is planning to follow the same path.

As far as the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra goes, it will reportedly ditch Qualcomm or Exynos processors and might tap into the MediaTek inventory for the Dimensity 9300+ silicon. According to display supply chain expert Ross Young, the tablet could be sold in silver and gray colors and might hit the shelves in October.

Nadeem Sarwar
Nadeem is a tech journalist who started reading about cool smartphone tech out of curiosity and soon started writing…
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