Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs. Tab S10 Plus: Go big or even bigger?

Samsung’s 2024 tablet lineup recently arrived with an interesting twist. While the company surprised us last year with a new 14.6-inch Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, adding a third model to the mix, this year it reduced the family back to two models by dropping the standard 11-inch Galaxy Tab. Your choice is now between the big Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and the even bigger Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra.

As usual, Samsung has made some good year-over-year improvements to both tablets under the hood, although on the outside, you’ll have a hard time telling them apart from their predecessors. However, that still leaves the more important question of which model is right for you. Is the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra worth investing in solely for its larger screen, or is it more than just a bigger version of its 12.4-inch Tab S10 Plus sibling? Let’s dig in and find out.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs. Tab S10 Plus: specs

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs. Tab S10 Plus: design

If you’re familiar with last year’s Galaxy Tab S9 lineup, you won’t find too many surprises in the new Galaxy Tab S10 models. The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and Tab S10 Plus feature the same high-quality style and finish as their predecessors, with comfortable rounded corners, an aluminum back, and Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5 around the front. The dimensions are also virtually identical to prior models, although the beige and graphite shades of the Tab S9 series have been replaced with Moonstone Gray and Platinum Silver.

There are a few other subtle changes this year, including a recessed magnetic docking area to help keep the S Pen in place and minor accent design tweaks like the camera rings. However, these changes apply to both the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and the Tab S10 Plus. Ultimately, the biggest difference between the two tablets is also the most obvious: their respective sizes.

Like its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has an expansive laptop-like 14.6-inch display, making it a formidable 12.85 x 8.2-inch slab. That’s a footprint comparable to the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 or MacBook Air. However, at only 5.4mm (0.21 inches), the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is half the thickness of a traditional laptop or even the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x since a removable keyboard is optional. The weight is also considerably less than a laptop at 718 grams (1.58 pounds). It’s not as light as Apple’s 13-inch iPad Pro (2024), but it’s distributed well enough that we never found it unwieldy.

While it may be hard to call the 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S10 Plus a “compact” tablet, it’s nevertheless a smaller and lighter alternative for those who find the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra too imposing. It’s also the smallest tablet available in this year’s lineup since Samsung appears to have skipped the successor to the standard 11-inch Tab S9 this time around. At 11.2 x 7.3 inches, it’s a bit more portable, although it’s also a bit thicker than the Tab S10 Ultra, coming in at 5.6mm, presumably as there’s less room for Samsung’s engineers to spread the components out. The weight is also a more reasonable 571 grams (1.26 pounds), putting it on par with Apple’s largest iPad Pro, but still heavier than most 11-inch tablets.

Beyond the size differences, both models feature the same levels of durability, with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, a USB-C port, and a micro SD expansion card slot. The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is available in a 5G version with extra space for a physical SIM inside the micro SD card tray.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs. Tab S10 Plus: display

The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and Tab S10 Plus use the same dynamic AMOLED 2X screen technology. However, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has an extra front camera (more on that later), which slightly mars the otherwise great display with an unsightly notch.

Beyond that, the only difference between the two displays is their size. Samsung Display is one of the leading display manufacturers in the industry, and naturally, Samsung reserves its best screens for its own products. It’s brought its A-game to the Galaxy Tab S10 series. This year’s models are much better for use outdoors, thanks to a new anti-reflective coating and Samsung’s High Brightness Mode and Vision Booster.

Still, in everyday indoor use, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra can get nearly 50% brighter. Its peak brightness is 930 nits, compared to only 650 nits for the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus. Those are both respectable numbers, but the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra should provide a better experience for watching HDR video, especially combined with its larger screen.

On that note, both tablets support HDR10+ and have a variable refresh rate of 1Hz to 120Hz, which adjusts dynamically and can’t be locked in. The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has a slightly higher resolution of 2960 x 1848 pixels, but it’s not proportional to the larger 14.6-inch display. The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus’ 12.4-inch panel has a 2800 x 1752-pixel resolution that gives it a higher pixel density of 266 pixels per inch (ppi) versus 239 ppi on the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. That makes the larger tablet less sharp, but not so much that most folks will notice without comparing them side by side.

One subtle difference worth mentioning is the in-display fingerprint sensor, which is positioned on both tablets in the same relative location as Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series phones, near the “bottom” of the screen when held in portrait orientation. That puts it on the right side of the screen during normal tablet use, and some folks have observed that it’s awkward to reach on the larger 14.6-inch screen. Your experience here will vary depending on how big your hands are, but it’s something to keep in mind. Thankfully, there’s also Face Unlock, although it’s not quite as secure as the fingerprint reader.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs. Tab S10 Plus: performance

Samsung made a bold move with its tablet lineup this year by leaving Qualcomm’s chips behind to embrace MediaTek’s Dimensity 9300 Plus. It’s a big first not only for Samsung, but for any flagship Android tablet in the U.S., and from our testing, it’s been a good call for both performance and efficiency.

The same chip is used in the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and Tab S10 Plus, so both will perform equally well. Compared to last year’s Tab S9 models, this means CPU gains of 15% and GPU gains of 30%, plus a beefier neural processor to handle Samsung’s Galaxy AI features.

We found the new chipset made the most noticeable improvement in DeX mode, which is smoother and more stable than ever. That will be more significant for the larger Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra since the 14.6-inch screen lets you do more with DeX, but it should be just as snappy on the Tab S10 Plus, as the two tablets mostly have the same 12GB of RAM. The Tab S10 Ultra only gets a boost to 16GB if you opt for the 1TB model — a capacity exclusive to the larger tablet.

Another unusual twist is that only the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra offers Wi-Fi 7 support; the smaller 12.4-inch Tab S10 Plus is limited to Wi-Fi 6E. That’s probably not a deal-breaker, as Wi-Fi 7 routers aren’t exactly mainstream right now, but it does add some extra future-proofing to the larger tablet. On the flip side, only the Tab S10 Plus is available in a sub-6GHz 5G version right now, although it’s limited to the Moonstone Gray 256GB model. A cellular version of the Tab S10 Ultra should be coming to the U.S. with improved mmWave 5G connectivity, but there’s no word on when we’ll see it.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs. Tab S10 Plus: software and features

The Galaxy Tab S10 series ships with Android 14 and Samsung’s One UI 6.1 layered on top. Both tablets should get Android 15 and One UI 7.0 early next year. As with Samsung’s smartphone promises, the company guarantees seven years of updates, and while Android 15 will count as the first of those, it’s still a good run that will eventually take the tablets to Android 21.

While Android and One UI perform well thanks to the new MediaTek chip, Samsung’s tablets continue to be plagued by weak Android support for big displays. Samsung has done its best to address these shortcomings in One UI and DeX mode, but there’s only so much it can do. We found it a less than ideal experience that detracts from the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra being a proper 2-in-1 device. The big screen and S Pen make it a good media consumption and creation device for artists and note-takers, but you’ll want to think twice about whether it can replace your laptop.

While Samsung is billing the Tab S10 models as the first tablets built for AI, the Galaxy AI features here are mostly the same as what you’ll find on Samsung’s 2024 smartphones. However, we found that the larger screens bring Sketch to Image to a new level, especially on the 14.6-inch Tab S10 Ultra. The MediaTek Dimensity 9300 Plus really proves itself here, letting you smoothly create AI-generated works of art with the S Pen with no lag or overheating.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs. Tab S10 Plus: cameras

It’s unlikely you’ll be holding up even the 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S10 Plus to take a lot of photos, much less the larger Tab S10 Ultra, and like most tablets, the cameras reflect this. The 13-megapixel (MP) main and 8MP ultrawide combo on the back are the same on both tablets and more than adequate for document scanning or other casual use. There’s not much to say about them beyond that.

Similarly, the 12MP ultrawide front cameras are primarily there for video calls, but the larger Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra gets a bonus here with a second 12MP wide camera. The two tablets share an f/2.0 camera with a 120-degree field of view, while the additional lens on the Tab S10 Ultra has a tighter 80-degree field and a smaller f/2.4 aperture. While it’s hard to argue with more cameras, we’re not entirely sure what the point is of the additional one here. Samsung hasn’t said much about it despite adding an unattractive screen notch to make room for it.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs. Tab S10 Plus: battery life and charging

The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra packs in an 11,200mAh battery, while the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus has a smaller 10,090mAh cell. While you may think those extra 1,110 milliamp-hours would equate to longer battery life, both tablets come in around the same since the additional power is needed to drive the larger 14.6-inch display.

The good news is that it’s excellent for both. Even though the batteries have remained the same size as those in last year’s Tab S9 models, the new Dimensity 9300 Plus chip takes power efficiency to new levels, especially when you’re not using the tablet. We got an hour of additional screen time on the Tab S10 Ultra, but the new chip sips battery juice in standby mode to the point where it lasted two days longer.

Most folks shouldn’t have a problem getting several days of use between charges from either tablet, but just be aware that Samsung hasn’t done anything about charging speeds. These max out at 45 watts charging, so expect it to take 2.5 hours to get a full charge.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs. Tab S10 Plus: price and availability

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra starts at $1,200 for a base model with 256GB of storage. A 512GB model is available for $1,320, and the 1TB model, which also takes you to 16GB of RAM, is priced at $1,620. It’s only available in the U.S. as a Wi-Fi model right now, and it can be purchased directly from Samsung and most other major retailers.

The Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is a bit more complicated. There’s a 5G version available, but you’ll need to activate with a carrier to get it, and you’ll have to settle for the 256GB version in Moonstone Gray. The 512GB capacity and Platinum Silver finish are only available in the Wi-Fi model. The 256GB Wi-Fi model starts at $1,000, while the 5G version is $1,150 on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, or U.S. Cellular.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra vs. Tab S10 Plus: verdict

The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S10 Plus are great tablets with virtually identical specs. For most folks, the choice between the two will come down to one thing: size.

While the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has an extra front camera and Wi-Fi 7 support, neither of these are compelling enough upgrades to justify its larger footprint and heftier weight unless you really want the 14.6-inch screen. That bigger screen alone is reason enough to opt for the Tab S10 Ultra, however. Though Android limitations hold it back from being a true laptop replacement, it can be excellent screen for bingeing your favorite Netflix shows or an expansive canvas for sketching and drawing with the included S Pen.

Still, if you find a 14.6-inch tablet unwieldy, the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus will give you the same performance and user experience in a more portable form factor. It has solid multiday battery life and a gorgeous 12.4-inch screen, plus a bundled S Pen and the same MediaTek chip and Galaxy AI features. It’s also the only version available with 5G support right now, at least in the U.S.