Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra: Still Worth Buying?

It's been two years since the release of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, but is it still worth buying today? Find out in this full updated review!
Click "show more" to view our time-stamped video chapters.
Video chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
00:41 - The S8 Ultra WAS the best
01:06 - Price changes
02:28 - You should consider the S8 Ultra
02:47 - Camera design
02:58 - Keyboards and accessory changes
03:50 - Screen size and weight
04:20 - The benefits of a huge display
06:16 - Design differences vs S9 Ultra
6:54 - S9 Ultra differences
07:00 - Display overview
07:57 - Performance overview
09:57 - Software updates
10:15 - Battery life overview
10:58 - This tablet is an incredible value
12:26 - Should you buy the S8 Ultra?
14:03 - Ways to support my channel
If you want to know more about who we are and how we can support you and your business, feel free to read more about Android Digest at www.androiddigest.com/about
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Where to buy:
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
► Best Buy: howl.me/cmg3vvJYhVV
► Samsung: howl.me/cmg3uqhtaUZ
► Amazon (Renewed): amzn.to/3K6Prb2
S8 Ultra Book Cover Keyboard
► Amazon: amzn.to/4bnyhlc
S8 Ultra Dexnor Keyboard Cover
► Amazon: amzn.to/4aoFNv6
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
► Samsung: howl.me/cmg3BojzY5G
► Best Buy: howl.me/cmg3AwiZ2E8
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus:
► Amazon: amzn.to/3K35whU
Ways to support us:
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Affiliate Disclaimer:
►My videos, video descriptions, and/or comments may contain endorsements, affiliate links, and banner ads, for Amazon, Best Buy, Samsung, Motorola, Walmart, eBay, and more. As affiliates for these websites, if you click and use my affiliate links that I provide, I earn money from your qualifying purchases.

[@raquelcpalomino9147]

I bought it in 2022, still going strong.

[@AndroidDigest]

For sure. It's a great tablet

[@xanderyusuf7494]

You notice a red and blue line in between colors ?

[@carlvillanuevapama2405]

i was just looking for a video if the tab s8 ultra is worth it to buy in 2024 and saw this video posted 57 minutes ago haha

[@AndroidDigest]

Perfect. Hope it helps

[@rhyhl]

same, i get baited by the "newest" model & highest spec - when really all I'm using it for is for watching videos, browsing the net, 2nd screen for my work laptop when working remotely and to replace my travel laptop when I'm overseas. Former gamer in me just wants the top of the line... but I have my desktop for that..

[@sancho2b188]

I've own since a few months after release, I still see no reason to upgrade to the tab9 or the new iPad yet

[@J_s_construction]

I appreciate the honest review.

[@MarcusTurner-db5qv]

Nice video keep up the good work

[@AndroidDigest]

Thanks so much

[@benedictosalvadorluzjr.4848]

After the update to UI 6.1, the battery life improves. S8 ultra can do 7-8 hour screen time watching movies or KZbin.

[@wayne02058]

nice thanks for the tip im updating my tablet as we speak hopefully the battery life improves, and thats my only issue with this.

[@xanderyusuf7494]

I really need help with this, I got the tab s7+ of Amazon and returned it then got the s8 ultra off best buy open box and noticed the same thing, there seems to be a blue and red color border in between any color and white it only a pixel thick, is this normal ? (This is my first oled tablet but I own a galaxy s21 and i dont notice it on my phone)

[@Niznet]

​@@xanderyusuf7494 Apparently this effect you're describing is called color fringing and it's prevalent in OLED panels. I noticed this on my tablet right away but it became unnoticeable in regular use. Your phone likely doesn't have this effect because its screen is so crisp due to its high pixel density which is almost double that of your tablet's screen.

[@fellowcitizen]

Great video and reality checks

[@AndroidDigest]

Thanks so much!

[@fellowcitizen]

@@AndroidDigest Just got one of these, and your videos were particularly helpful

[@AndroidDigest]

Thanks. Hope you enjoy it!

[@curbsidetech]

Good video plenty life left in the tab s8 family

[@AndroidDigest]

For sure

[@PedroTawa]

Got minez at my local bestbuy open box 450, crazy deal 10/10 the oled screen looks amazing

[@AndroidDigest]

That's a great deal. Enjoy it

[@PedroTawa]

@@AndroidDigest love it, thank you

[@xanderyusuf7494]

Same, do you notice a very thing red and blue line in between light colors?

[@PedroTawa]

@@xanderyusuf7494sounds defective I would return lol

[@niknakman427]

Samsung will give you $800 for it as a trade in for an S9 ultra fyi

[@Dew4lk]

Lol good timing, was looking at your channel right now. Only thing is that im looking at the s8+, currently going for 465usd right now where i live which i think is a great deal

[@AndroidDigest]

Definitely a great deal. The device here applies to that too. Except the size is more of a middle ground on the S8 Plus. It's a safe bet

[@vedantmenkudale6271]

Where do you live? I can't find any S8 ultra below 650

[@tiffanyt9329]

​​@@vedantmenkudale6271 I got mine at $699 at bestbuy during black friday but is now back at that price. I only paid $599 for it because I had a $100 gift card. But you're right I haven't seen a new s8 ultra under $650

[@josetorres6735]

The s8 ultra is water and dust resistant I actually just got this one yesterday since they had it for 650 on best buy 😊 thanks for the video man

[@AndroidDigest]

That's the S9 Ultra. Not the S8 Ultra. If you Google it, it may come up with a Galaxy S9 phone that is water resistant but it's not the tablet. But regardless, you got a great deal

[@josetorres6735]

@AndroidDigest u r 100% correct thanks for the video

[@xanderyusuf7494]

Same, did you notice a weird blue and red line, very thin in between a light color and white

[@ShaunaMorgan]

Just got S8 Ultra for $450 with the official Samsung case cover with track pad for $450. Saw that the S9 Ultra had $250 instant discount, with $800 trade in of the S8 Ultra for the 512 GB storage model. I pulled the trigger only having to pay $270. All in, the S9 Ultra will be delivered today only paying $720. So almost half of. I figured I’d get it to have the better chip set, RAM and way more storage, with the added leverage of the S9 having more trade in value when the S10 finally releases. Figured I mod the S8 book cover to fit the S9 or sell the book cover towards the new book cover.

[@AndroidDigest]

This is how you get a great deal. Awesome job. Getting more software updates is a big deal and getting that water resistance and a better chip. And screen. Good work

[@aboodytheoldbaby8242]

Where did you find it for 450?

[@DragunnitumGaming]

with the S10 coming up, i bet the prices will fall even further 😍

[@AndroidDigest]

That's true.

[@harvey_04]

It is launching on Jan maybe

[@bonnyathome]

...not a single complaint from me, and I have used it as my laptop replacement for a year now...

[@AndroidDigest]

That's awesome. Glad you're enjoying it

[@jamesjimbob71]

i don't really care about the water resistance and my current tablet i only use in the evening so i keep it plugged in when in use so you may have convinced me to get the s8 thanks very much

[@AndroidDigest]

Yeah if you find it on a great sale, nothing wrong with getting an s8 or something from that lineup

[@HSiLoKWartabar]

whoa 🤯

[@AndroidDigest]

It's nice

[@mrbloodyhyphen-5657]

I feel like the S8 Ultra would be perfect for someone who just wants a great big kinda portable display and doesn't really care about software updates that much. For that type of person this would be a great choice as it comes with the benefits of being a powerful, well built flagship Android tablet

[@MrPoliarinis]

You feel wrong

[@mrbloodyhyphen-5657]

​​@@MrPoliariniswhy?

[@Tamayo.Sama2023]

Same as iPad barely get new feature on the update. But i prefer samsung tab since we can sideloading many useful 3rd party apps

[@tiffanyt9329]

That's the reason I got it. I just wanted a bigger screen.

[@suphakitinsorn8599]

My tab s 8 Ultra just got an update on AI the other day.

[@sirhborn]

I still have my s8 ultra from the perorder date.next upgrade, s12 ultra tablet

[@AndroidDigest]

It's pretty great; enjoy it

[@cheekiang77]

what is the latest One UI version? Will it have galaxy AI?

[@AndroidDigest]

It does have UI 6.1, and it does have circle to search. I haven't looked into all the other ai features yet, but I just researched and found this "A slightly trimmed-down version of Galaxy AI (sans Instant Slow-Mo) will be coming to Samsung's flagship lineup from 2022" so hopefully that helps you. Would test just not enough time.

[@trfrierson]

Got one today excellent condition open box at 529. We shall see

[@AndroidDigest]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@joaquinencinas94]

What about getting an used Tab S8 128gb (excellent condition checked by myself) for 370 usd? 45W charger with it's 1.8m cable included.

[@AndroidDigest]

Well, if you're in another country, the math changes a bit. That's still a pretty good price though no matter what country you're in. I know best buy has open box S9's for around $500 or just a little less. Those have amoled displays. But even if you find that around $450 on eBay or $500 at Best Buy. $370 is still a decent price for the S8. No amoled. But everything else about it is pretty great

[@joaquinencinas94]

@@AndroidDigest Thank you for your answer sir. I'm from Argentina, crazy prices here. Tab S9 FE goes from 800k to 1.2M ARS, that's like 600 to 850 USD (1 USD = 1350 ARS). I'm thinking on selling the 45W charger for about 40 USD (new ones here cost 70 USD), so I'm paying 330 USD for that Tab S8. I know I'm losing amoled display, no official cover included, and buying an early 2022 tab but… believe me that's the best deal I've found in these last 2 months. What price would you recommend to pay for this tab in a normal country?

[@christian.dominicci]

I love mine ❤

[@AndroidDigest]

Glad you're enjoying it!

[@ae8za]

Put it beside the S9 Ultra side by side and most won't be able to tell the difference in both looks and performance... 👌🏽

[@AndroidDigest]

Exactly

[@esem718]

Looks - yes, performance - you'll notice the S9U advantage

[@SuperJuvexxx]

Battery wise I don't think so

[@sparky6757]

Brand new, I don't think it's a good buy. $700 for a tablet that'll be behind your phone's operating system in about a year and a half is a hard sell, I think. But I paid $470 for mine refurbished. It came with one of the corners having the tiniest ding on it that I forgot immediately, otherwise basically brand new. If two years from now I decide I want the new one so I can have the latest OS and features and also refresh my battery, I suspect the trade in value will be around $300-400 (based on current trade in deals and a bit of guesswork) - which if I paid $470 to get the tablet and $80 for a keyboard, then I'm only out $150-250 for having the S8U for 2.25 years compared to if I didn't buy it and waited to get the S12U outright. Tack another $230 on that if you're buying new, it's not really any better price per year than just getting the S9U and riding it until the S13U then trading in, plus you won't get the free Buds 2 Pro that were being packed in with S9U last week or whatever other bundle deals come up whenever you happen to look.

[@vedantmenkudale6271]

How did you get it that cheap? Which country is this? And which website?

[@AndroidDigest]

I think you have some good thoughts for sure.

[@sparky6757]

@@vedantmenkudale6271 USA, Amazon renewed

[@Juslovgranturismofan]

S8 ultra will get Android 16 that's 2 more software updates and probably an extra year after that for security patches. Also you can extend your battery life by charging the battery only to 80%. Im still using my s20 ultra from 2020 as my daily driver and it still fast enough for all my daily task. There is a deal going on right now where samsung is giving 800 bucks trade in credit towards s9 ultra. I'm not sure if I should hold on, pull the trigger, or wait to trade it in towards a s10 ultra. Probably still give $550 on 2025 towards that newer device.

[@sparky6757]

@Juslovgranturismofan Oh, I thought the 4 years of updates was only for phones. In that case, unless something significant comes up (e.g. Tab S10 has tandem oled like the iPad and anti-reflection like the S24U so it's actually fine in bright lighting conditions), I'm probably fine holding onto the S8U until somewhere in the ballpark of fall 2026 without even missing out on OS upgrades. Maybe even 2027, though that might be pushing it.

[@azizalkanderi8441]

Bought it 1 month ago open box for 600$ and really impressed with it coming from 11 inch IPAD Pro M1

[@AndroidDigest]

Awesome, glad you're enjoying it!

[@TheMailman-19]

Just picked up one today (open box from Best Buy) for $482

[@AndroidDigest]

Very good price for sure. Maybe do a quick burn in test to test to see if it has OLED burn in. Every once in awhile they do open box items that are actually return units

[@zulpiz6665]

Review budget Xiaomi Mi pad 6s Pro please!

[@AndroidDigest]

I feel you, Maybe I really need to cover some of these other tablets. I'm a US channel though so I often lean towards covering US released devices vs importing other devices, I'll consider it though in the future.

[@zulpiz6665]

@@AndroidDigest Make it happen please! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

[@xanderyusuf7494]

I need help with this, I got the tab s7+ from Amazon and returned it then got the s8 ultra off Best Buy open box and noticed the same thing, there seems to be a blue and red color border in between any color and white it only a pixel thick, is this normal? (This is my first OLED tablet but I own a Galaxy S21 and I don't notice it on my phone)

[@AndroidDigest]

I would do an OLED burn in test on KZbin. Pause the screen when various colors pop up. See if there's any images burned into the screen. Every once in awhile, it's pretty rare, but about once a year Best Buy takes down their display models. So you might get a display model that's been running a demo for a year straight, which leads to burn-in on the screen. I had that happen once, and I was able to send it into Samsung under warranty.

[@xanderyusuf7494]

OK thanks

[@xanderyusuf7494]

@AndroidDigest not sure if you'll see this but I've figured out what it was called, apparently it's called color fringing, and some call it chromatic aberration it happened at high contrast borders, I noticed it on my Galaxy Tab S7+ from Amazon, and now my open box s8 ultra from best buy

[@xanderyusuf7494]

Update : I traded the open box tab s8 ultra for a new tab s8 plus. Upon opening it I see the same lines, honestly don't know if this is an oled thing but I use an oled s21 and I don't notice this, maybe it has something to do with the pixel density

[@prakashr9031]

Tab S8 is a total catch. This has made my life so easy that I don't anything else but just this in my bag to get through my day in uni as well as at work. Really a champ when it comes to performance. Half of my day is made easier and more productive with S8. Love how it comes with all the great features and is better than iPad in my opinion. Battery is huge and lasts me a whole day. Although ik this is strong enough I still got a screen and body protection film from gadgetshieldz to avoid scratches and got a spigen tough armor case. Good to go for my chaotic life.

[@KoltonLukes]

Don't comment often but on a small channel with honest reviews and good content I have to say you are heading to great places

[@AndroidDigest]

This seriously means a ton to me. You have no idea. I'm definitely trying my best so it does mean the world to get comments like this.

[@cdagod1]

S8 ultra is a beast! Not upgrading until something insane comes out.

[@AndroidDigest]

It's definitely a beast

[@ruff1draft]

Might buy this or the Tab S7 Ultra to take with me to Tokyo to edit my photographs on Lightroom and Photoshop and edit videos on

[@AndroidDigest]

I think you mean the tab S7 plus. They never had a Tab S7 Ultra. They only had a smaller 12.4 in device. Just keep in mind that they offered less software updates back with the S7 series.

[@ruff1draft]

@@AndroidDigest Ok so the Tab 7 Plus it is then. Wonder how much a full specked one is. AND CAN I GET PNE WITH A KEYBOARD AND PEN

[@harmymd]

This is an amazing tablet. Still my daily driver

[@AndroidDigest]

For sure. It's great

[@piyushjoshi01]

Do the OnePlus Pad now that the 2nd one is one the horizon

[@AndroidDigest]

That would be a great one to revisit. Sadly I only do 1 video a week. I've got a new Asus Chromebook tablet that just came out, I plan to cover eventually the Moto G Stylus from 2024, to mix it up with a mid-range phone. I also want to cover the Lenovo M11, I try to cover every tablet I can that releases in the US at least once, so I've already got several videos planned, and by the time I have so many other videos to do. I do miss my OnePlus Pad though by the way, I think it is one of the most underrated tablets out.

[@piyushjoshi01]

@@AndroidDigest thats awesome keep up the good work!

[@MrPoliarinis]

One of the best tablet on the market. The only issue with tab s8 and even tab s9 series is keyboard covers. Samsung should implement something silimar to magic keyboard. Other thwm tahat perfect tablet. Tab s9u has better battery life because keyboars uses less power compared to tab s8u keuboard. Chip has nothig to do with that .. also on top of this add the fact that s8 is older, and if fast charging has been used a lot that makes a difference

[@AndroidDigest]

I agree with you 💯

[@esem718]

The cheapest S8U I've seen in Europe was open box for 683€. That's why I ended up buying open box S9U for a great 770€ price. Haven't looked back since. I like to say that S9U is a fixed version of S8U. For those who want to experience an amazing screen, if you get it for 500$, keep it, great price.

[@AndroidDigest]

That's a better price for you. Glad you picked up an S9 U instead.

[@dillonbanks609]

The lowest I seen it used for 499 on Amazon but unfortunately it has the snapdragon 8 gen 1. You can get the m1 iPad for 399

[@tiffanyt9329]

But the ipad is not good for watching movies or TV shows because the ratio is 4:3. Plus, s8 ultra is a 14.6 screen with a 16/10 ratio compared to an ipad 11-inch screen. The snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is good enough for me. I don't need the fastest chip. There's no sd card slot or expansion memory on an ipad. About half of it the stoarge is going to filled up with the ios. Compared s8 ultra 128 gb and betweeen a 128gb -1tb sd card expension. If I want to do something fast or productive, then I do it on my computer, not on Ipad. Even the new m4 chip on the ipad Pro doesn't utilize all the processes power because the iOS app is limited. Ipad and android aren't computers or a mac.

[@AndroidDigest]

You hit the nail on the head so hard. If your operating system is going to be limited, if you're going to be working on a tablet anyway, the most important thing is going to be the screen. It helps for entertainment, obviously the S8 ultra comes with an s pen so you get a stylus versus paying more for an apple pencil. You get a much better AMOLED display, you get a much larger display, keep in mind that even the newer 13-in iPad still isn't 14.6 in and you do pay for size. Typically. You also do get some productivity software like Samsung Dex, and if all that wasn't enough, expandable storage, so many reasons to go Galaxy Tab

[@Whitchelslov]

You can't go wrong with either the S8 Ultra or the S9 Ultra.

[@AndroidDigest]

Right, both are great. Just did a new video on the S9 Ultra. Love it.

[@benedictosalvadorluzjr.4848]

It's still worth it. I'm still happy with my S8 ultra. The tab s8 ultra runs smoothly, especially with the UI 6.1 update. If you will use it just for productivity like study and other not heavy apps and multi media, it's still worth it. But if you do heavy productivity stuff like coding, buy the S9 ultra

[@AndroidDigest]

Good thoughts!

[@josematthew.]

Even after offering all these features why are they lagging behind iPads, locked ecosystem..?

[@AndroidDigest]

I don't think they're lagging behind as much as people think. For one, one of the advantages of the iPad is app optimization. It's not a lot of apps honestly, but there are a few apps that are better optimized for ipads, a lot of that is simply because of the perception of things. I went to lunch with someone today and they made a joke about Android tablets being toys. There is an elitist attitude that is out there, and that's especially going to exist with executives and people with large amounts of money. So when those decisions are being made from the top on what apps you need to optimize, even if there is a large base of people that use Android tablets, which there are, people want their app to feel premium so having their app only optimized on the premium fancy iPads is something that some executives decide to do. Things are starting to change a lot but there are still a few more optimized apps on ipads. There's also final cut, and since that's an Apple only thing anyway, then bringing that and a couple other Pro apps to the ipad, it's not many apps, it's not many apps people use, but that is one other advantage. The last advantage is power. Apple sort of got lucky with that. No one was making arm powered laptops that were any good. Apple ended up making arm and found a way to make a super powerful processor on the laptop, the M1 processor. Since arm processors are able to be fit into places pretty easily, they were able to fit it into a tablet form factor. So having laptop level power in a tablet is a big deal. These advantages are small. Practically speaking, most people won't notice the difference in performance between an iPad and a Galaxy tablet. Galaxy tablets also have significant advantages like coming with an s pen, and Galaxy tablets have Samsung Dex which is amazing for productivity. When you factor all of those things in it really does balance things out. In my opinion 95% of people don't need an ipad. If you're in the Android ecosystem, I would definitely recommend a Galaxy tablet for pretty much everyone out there. And we are getting faster and better arm processors on android, we are getting better off optimization. Things are improving for sure

[@josematthew.]

@@AndroidDigest You nailed it.. it's all about people's perception and ecosystem..

[@Poonkyz]

Not worth getting it depends on where you stay. In Asia, the new tab s9 series is cheaper after their shop discounts, straight killing off s8 series

[@AndroidDigest]

Yeah in that case, I'd definitely do the s9 series.

[@danawakes2001]

Too bad the keyboard was such a big flop. The fact that it clicks all by itself and it’s not sturdy makes it basically unusable. Also Android is so laggy on Dex and the ram is not enough to keep apps open - they’re always having to refresh. That being said, I still love the display and use it to watch things.

[@AndroidDigest]

Yeah I haven't had issues with a lot of DeX apps. I try not to bring 30 apps into DeX just because it's a little unnecessary. Personally I'm able to do everything I need to. But I get it may be missing a little power for some. You're dead on with the keyboard cover though. I had major issues with it. I like the Dexnor keyboard a little better even though the touchpad isn't great. But we need an iPad Pro magic keyboard from Samsung

[@codyjohns_]

This or the S9+?

[@AndroidDigest]

Personally I think the biggest difference is going to be size. The S8 Ultra you could also find for a little bit of a cheaper price too. The S9 plus is going to have better battery life, it's going to have a slightly faster processor, the screen will even be slightly brighter and better. And it has water resistance. There are definitely some advantages. But the screen is a little smaller, and on Galaxy tablets you pay for screen size. That's why the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is almost the same exact tablet as the S9 plus, but you're paying a lot more. You're mainly paying for screen size. So you really have to ask yourself if you want a ginormous tablet or if you want a tablet that's a little smaller but it's still great for productivity, and portability too. I think for most people the ultra devices are a little too big. But they are amazing for those people that fit the niche

[@SuperJuvexxx]

S9+

[@limeboi67]

I play sudachi on mine lol

[@AndroidDigest]

Nothing wrong with that

[@vbarada84]

Just bought a S9 Ultra 256gb with keyboard for $650(used) after selling my S8 ultra with keyboard for $650 😂

[@AndroidDigest]

Nice! That's a great deal. Normally they go for about $700 or more without a keyboard. So if you got it down to $650 that's crazy good.

[@vbarada84]

Yes! Took some back and forth but at the end it was worth it!

[@cosmicpaul1085]

You can't save money you do not have

[@AndroidDigest]

Touche 😂😂

[@islamhadad3511]

Water resistant!.... Who would dunk there tab in water ?

[@AndroidDigest]

Eh, it's more about those rainy days. You walk outside and it's raining, not everyone uses a tablet bag or laptop bag. It's nice to know you don't have to worry