8.1 Score
I have lost hope in recommending or owning an Android tablet for a long time, because they don’t offer the kind of complete or fulfilling experience like what an iPad offers. Let’s be real, once you use an iPad, it’s hard to go back. But if you do choose an Android tablet, you are left with a handful of choices that do well, and Samsung is the only one of the two brands I have used that understands the assignment. Here’s our Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Plus Review.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Plus Review
Good Improvements since the last “Plus-sized” Galaxy Tablet
The last time Samsung did a plus-sized tablet was back in 2024, and it’s been two years since. Which is a great thing, because you get good significant upgrades. Let me highlight the improvements:
- The display got bigger at 12.6 inches (vs. 12.4 inches)
- The entire tablet got thinner at 5.3mm (vs 5.6mm) and weighs 553 grams (vs. 571 grams), specifically for this WiFi variant.
- We get the usual specification improvements: Dimensity 9500 Processor, 10,600mAh battery, a better 3D Vapour Chamber Cooling system, Bluetooth 6.0 with WiFi 6E support.
- IP68 certification, which is really sweet.
Designed to be a Landscape Tablet
Samsung tablets are designed to be landscape tablets, just like how you would use your laptop. The reason I say that is because the 16:10 aspect ratio is designed to work well as a landscape tablet. The camera is also positioned like how a laptop would have its webcam. And while I have you all here, this is a great display with good colours, and content consumption is amazing.
Back to the display orientation. I am not saying you cannot use them vertically, but it has an odd experience that I don’t quite know how to describe. Feels very alien. But hey, you can use it; it just takes a while to get used to. I am used to how Apple does their tablets in this 4:3-ish aspect ratio, I will admit, because it does strike a good balance in both vertical and horizontal orientation. So, getting used to this Samsung’s choice of how a tablet should be, does take a while.
The time it bothers me the most would be when some application forces you to use it vertically, especially when you have docked the tablet to the keyboard sleeve. But through the Labs settings, you can launch those apps horizontally, thank goodness for that. This is also where I want to emphasise the software.
OneUI is doing the Lord’s work.
The downfall of every Android tablet is the software. Every manufacturer thinks this is how a tablet should be, and therefore, it fails in the most important areas. Not with this Tab S12 Plus, though. Samsung really did do the lord’s work in making sure, no matter how Android as an OS is, they will make sure to add the features that make this tablet way more functional than just a device that sits and collects dust on your shelf.
OneUI gives you all sorts of software control, and even without the DeX mode enabled, it is a multitasking-capable beast. Open the apps in split screen, have them as a pop-up, and if you really want to use apps like they have windows, DeX is right there to help you with that. Now, if you are heavily invested in the Samsung Ecosystem, like say you own a phone, the best of both worlds really gives a lovely experience in its own way.
Under Connected Device in the Settings, you can share your camera, storage, and other Samsung devices like the earbuds to maximise your experience. Samsung claims that you can even use the same S Pen on both your phone and tablet, but do take note that the phone you use must support S Pen, which in my case is useless, as my Z Fold 8 does not support S Pen at all. But credit where it’s due, the software is bringing a solid experience to the tablet.
My favourite is the Second Screen, where I can use the Tab S12+ as a second touchscreen monitor for my desktop, truly a lovely experience. If you bought the WiFi variant, then you can even enable auto hotspot via your Galaxy smartphone, so every time you are out and about, your tablet will show you your phone’s hotspot without the need to turn it on.
But Android App Developers need to buck the f*ck up.
Something I have always complained about is the app developers’ lack of consistent development on Android. For example, Microsoft makes amazing Office suite apps for iPad OS. However, on Android, we get this inferior app that has remained the same for years. In the Play Store, you will notice it says, “Optimised for Tablets”, but it is a lie. I can say the same for many apps, and these developers need to get their sh*t together.
This is where Samsung is seriously taking this matter into their own hands because there are apps pre-installed, and last time they did the impossible, possible with LumaFusion, Notion and Notability. This time around, they worked closely with Adobe to make a proper Photoshop app for the tablet. How amazing is that? I am no Photoshop user, but when you combine a touchscreen display tablet with that app, it does bring a different experience entirely; that’s worth talking about.
Keep up the good work, Samsung, for making this possible, which is to make Android tablets better.
Apart from that
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Plus is no slouch. Under the hood, you get the MediaTek Dimensity 9500, which is just great. I am glad Samsung made the same processor available on all the new S12 Series tablets too.
I don’t game on tablets, but if you do, you won’t be disappointed. For two years straight, can I just say MediaTek has been nailing it out of the park with their amazing processors because they really handle multi-threaded tasks so well and efficiently. Thermally, it puts Snapdragons to shame, and even the battery management is amazing.
For the most part, I have been using the tablet to work, watch shows, listen to music and sometimes to edit photos, and it handles things efficiently. So, honestly, very impressed.
It has a microSD card slot!
What was once considered an essential is now a luxury, and to see a microSD card slot on this tablet made me squeal with joy. So, for those who might find 256GB of storage limited, well, you can expand it now.
No more Active S Pen (Yay for me)
These days, asking for S Pen support is already too much from Samsung, apparently. It’s a joke, but man, imagine nuking the pen support on the tablet; I’d riot. But if you were expecting the pen to have the Bluetooth features like the S10 Tab, well, sorry to say that it doesn’t exist. I, for one, am okay with that, because I need a proper S Pen to do pen things rather than “magic wand from Hogwarts” things.
It attaches magnetically on the side (Nay for me)
Which makes sense as to why it now attaches to the side of the tablet. And this brings a whole other scary situation, which already happened once while using the tablet. That is accidentally losing the S Pen. The magnets are strong, but you are bound to knock it by accident and watch it roll into that void between your car seat or something. But because it doesn’t charge and it’s a passive S Pen, good news is: it’s better you carry it in a pouch or store it separately in your bag.
I miss that design where you could magnetically attach it to the back of the tablet, and the case would just keep it safe.
The included Keyboard Case, a love-hate relationship.
For starters, I am glad that Samsung does include a keyboard to go along with the tablet without the need to pay a single penny for it. Now, you only get a keyboard and no trackpad. However, there is a Pro keyboard, which gives you a trackpad, but it is not available in Malaysia, which annoys me.
But back to this keyboard sleeve case, it works great; in fact, I wrote this entire review on this keyboard at a cafe. Instead of relying on Bluetooth, it connects via the pogo pin, which again is great.
But the one thing that kind of gets on my nerves is the slight millisecond delay it has when you toggle things like the Caps Lock on and off while typing. So, say when I type “Keyboard”, it instead types “KEyboard”. Alternatively, I would suggest that every time you type a word with a capital letter, it’s best to hold the Shift key down, enter the letter and then continue typing. Takes a while to get used to but I do wish this can be fixed in an update because I can’t make sense of it when the keystrokes are registered instantaneously, but the Caps Lock key has a delay.
Aside from that, I do love these two things the keyboard offers: for one, the app shortcuts in the function row, which allow me to launch the apps I really want. And the AI button, hear me out- not for the reasons you think. I hate Gen AI and so many things about AI, but I do use Perplexity for research on things, which I do double-check the resources, etc., from. So, the ability to use it for those kinds of tasks and also map to your preferred AI app is nice.
Great Tablet all in all, but
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Plus is a great tablet and, in fact, one of the best Android tablets, if not the best, backed by great software to make it not just usable but one you can heavily depend on. It is a bold statement we can make.
However, the thing that might stop anyone from getting it is the premium price tag it has, which makes sense, because it is a premium tablet. But I get the reservation because I am very sure many of you would go, “Is it a better option than the iPad?” Honestly valid, which is why I am going to replace my iPad Air with this to see if it can really live up to my expectations, so expect a 6-month later review soon.
Back to the pricing
There are two variants: the WiFi variant goes for RM 4,999, and the 5G variant goes for RM 5,649. Personally, I would ask anyone to go for 5G because a dedicated data connection for a tablet is always better, but at that price, it is truly a tough pill to swallow. So, use the discounts or wait for Samsung to slash prices on that.
But if you are a student looking for an Android tablet that rivals the likes of an iPad Air, for instance, utilise the student discount Samsung offers, where you can get this WiFi variant for RM 3,999, and if you do want the 5G version, it goes as low as RM 4,519.
Please take full advantage of the discounts you can get because at the discounted price, you cannot get a better Android tablet like this one from any other brand. Pair this with 7 years of major OS updates, and you are getting your money’s worth because other Android tablet makers would leave you astray in just a year. But not Samsung. And I can vouch for that.
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