Samsung's Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra is 5.1mm of Galaxy AI

Samsung has announced the Galaxy Tab S12 series, splitting its flagship tablet range into a 14.6-inch Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and a 12.6-inch Galaxy Tab S12+. Both models go on sale from 7 October in select markets in Gray and Silver, and both come with the S Pen in the box.

The thinnest Galaxy Tab yet

At 5.1mm the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra is the slimmest Galaxy Tab Samsung has built, and the company claims it is also the fastest, with a 3nm processor that Samsung says delivers up to 61% faster NPU processing, 19% faster CPU performance and 17% more GPU power than the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. A redesigned 3D vapour chamber is meant to hold that performance steady through long video edits and design sessions, and the chassis carries an IP68 water and dust rating.

Battery life is quoted at up to 23 hours on the Tab S12 Ultra and up to 21 hours on the Tab S12+, with a 45W adapter taking either tablet from empty to full in about 95 minutes.

Displays, sound and multi-window

Both tablets use Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels that reach 1,600 nits of peak brightness, with an updated Vision Booster that adjusts brightness as the light around you changes. The Tab S12+ has slimmer bezels than its predecessor, so it gains screen space without growing much. Audio moves to four-channel spatial audio, double the channels of the previous generation, and the tablets run Android 17 with One UI 9.

On the software side Samsung has leant on the larger canvas: Multi Window will now split the screen into three sections, so a lecture can play on one side while Samsung Notes takes handwritten notes on another and an AI assistant answers questions on the third. Note Assist can summarise those notes without pausing the video.

Photoshop in the box, and a stack of trials

Adobe Photoshop comes pre-installed on the Galaxy Tab S12 series, a first for Android tablets, with the four months of free access to the Photoshop mobile plan included. Notability is newly pre-installed with a six-month trial, Goodnotes gets a year of free access, LumaFusion is offered at a 66% discount, Notion includes a month of its Plus plan and Clip Studio Paint brings a six-month trial. Samsung puts the total value of the bundled apps and services at roughly $600, and buyers also get a six-month trial of Google AI Pro.

“The Galaxy Tab S12 series is designed for people who are constantly exploring new ideas, developing new skills, and bringing their ambitions to life,” said Jay Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of Customer Experience Office, Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics. “Built with industry-leading hardware, the Galaxy Tab S12 series pairs an expansive screen with the power of Galaxy AI.”

Samsung says both tablets will receive up to seven generations of operating system upgrades and security updates, and Samsung Care+ covers accidental damage repairs, extended warranty and support at home and abroad.

Our opinion

Samsung is no longer really selling a tablet here, it is selling a bundle of subscriptions with a screen attached, and the two things are priced as one. Four months of Photoshop, six months of Notability, a year of Goodnotes and six months of Google AI Pro look generous on a spec sheet, but almost every one of them converts to a paid plan while the tablet is still under its seven-year update promise. That is the real test of the Galaxy Tab S12 series: not the 5.1mm chassis or the 61% NPU lift, both of which are numbers measured against last year's hardware, but whether buyers keep paying for the software once the trials lapse. Samsung also has not published UK pricing, which for a tablet this dependent on monthly subscriptions is the figure that matters most.