Samsung’s tablet options for 2022 include the Galaxy Tab S8 and the Galaxy Tab A8. But the Tab S8 costs almost $500 more than the Tab S7. Is it really worth that much extra money? Samsung is the company that is doing the most to keep Android tablets alive. Google and Motorola have left the tablet market over the years, but Samsung has kept making new tablets every single year, and 2022 has been no different.
In the middle of January, Samsung announced the Galaxy Tab A8 as a cheap option. A few weeks later, Samsung’s flagship line-up got bigger with the Galaxy Tab S8 series. The Galaxy Tab S8 is the least expensive of the Tab S8 family. It costs $699. It’s the least expensive version of the Tab S8, but it costs $470 more than the Galaxy Tab A8. If you’re not sure which tablet is best for you, here’s a closer look at what makes the two different.
The Tab S8 and Tab A8 are about the same size. The first one has an LCD screen that is 11 inches, while the second one has an LCD screen that is 10.5 inches. But these screens are not all of the same quality. The screen on the Galaxy Tab S8 is clearer with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 and a refresh rate of 120Hz for smooth animations. The Tab A8, on the other hand, has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 and a refresh rate of 60Hz.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 vs Galaxy Tab A8 Comparison Table
| Galaxy Tab S8 | Galaxy Tab A8 | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 253.8 x 165.3 x 6.3mm | 246.8 x 161.9 x 6.9mm |
| Weight | 503g (Wi-Fi)/507g (5G) | 508g |
| RAM | 8/12GB RAM | 3GB/4GB RAM |
| Storage | 128/256GB storage | 32GB/GB storage |
| Battery | 8,000mAh | 7,040 mAh battery |
| Charging | 45W wired fast charging support | 15W fast charger |
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 vs Galaxy Tab A8: Design
The Galaxy Tab S8 is the direct follow-up to the great Galaxy Tab S7, which we called one of the best Android tablets in 2020. The Galaxy Tab S8 is a high-end tablet all the way through. It has a glass back, a metal frame, and corners that are squared off. The Galaxy Tab S8 is a bit bigger and heavier than the regular M1-powered iPad Pro. It is 253.8 x 165.3 x 6.33 mm and weighs 503g.
On the back, in the upper left corner, there is a dual-camera module that is perpendicular to the black strip that holds and charges your S Pen. On the right side is the power button, which can also be used as a fingerprint scanner. The USB-C port is on the bottom. There is no place to plug in headphones.
The Galaxy Tab A8 is made out of plastic, which makes sense given how cheap it is. It also has bezels that are bigger. The tablet looks clean because it only has one camera and a small Samsung logo on the back. The Galaxy Tab S8 is a bit thinner and lighter. There are physical buttons on the right side, and the USB-C port and 3.5mm audio jack are at the bottom.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 vs Galaxy Tab A8: Display
The 11-inch, 2K LCD screen on the Galaxy Tab S8 has a 120Hz refresh rate and is protected by Gorilla Glass 5. The Galaxy Tab A8 has a 10.5-inch TFT LCD screen with a resolution of 1200 x 1920 and a refresh rate of 60Hz.
The S Pen that comes with the Galaxy Tab S8 can be used as a stylus. You can use the big screen to draw, write, and sketch. The latency of the stylus is only 6.2ms, which is very low. The Galaxy Tab A8 does not come with an S-Pen and can’t be used with a stylus.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 vs Galaxy Tab A8: Cameras
The back of the Galaxy Tab S8 has two cameras, and the front has one. The back camera has a 13MP main camera with f/2.0 and a 6MP ultra-wide camera. On the front is a 12MP ultra-wide camera with a new Auto Framing feature, similar to Apple’s Center Stage, that automatically adjusts the framing to keep the user in the middle of the scene. The front-facing camera on the Galaxy Tab A8 is 8MP and has a fixed focus. It can record 1080p video. It does not, however, have the Auto Framing function.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 vs Galaxy Tab A8: Battery and Audio
Samsung says that the Galaxy Tab S8’s 8,000mAh battery lets you watch videos or browse the web for up to 15 hours. The tablets charge with a 45W fast charger that comes in the box and can fully charge the device in 1 hour and 20 minutes. The Galaxy Tab A8, on the other hand, has a 7,040mAh battery and a 15W charger.
Both the Galaxy Tab S8 and Galaxy Tab A8 have powerful quad-speaker setups that work with Dolby Atmos surround sound to make watching videos and playing games more immersive.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 vs Galaxy Tab A8: Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset inside the Galaxy Tab S8 makes it one of the most powerful Android tablets on the market. This, along with the fact that it can refresh at 120 Hz, means that the Galaxy Tab S8 can handle anything you throw at it, whether it’s heavy gaming, editing videos, or using multiple apps at the same time.
The Galaxy Tab S8 also has DeX mode, which lets you connect the tablet to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse to use it like a desktop computer. If you connect the tablet to Samsung’s Book Cover keyboard, you can also use DeX on the tablet on its own.
This means that you can use the Galaxy Tab S8 as a laptop or PC replacement. The Galaxy Tab A8 is powered by a mid-range Unisoc Tiger T618 chipset with two 2.0GHz Arm Cortex-A75 cores and six 2.0GHz Cortex-A55 cores. The Galaxy Tab S8 comes with 8 GB of RAM in the base model, and 12 GB in the top model. In the base model, you can choose between 128 GB and 256 GB of storage. The Galaxy Tab A8 comes with either 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage or 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 vs Galaxy Tab A8: Software
The Galaxy Tab S8 comes with Android 12 and One UI 4, while the Tab A8 comes with Android 11 and One UI 3.0. Samsung says the Galaxy Tab S8 will get OS updates for four years, but it hasn’t said much about the Galaxy Tab A8.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Pros and Cons
Pros
- Bright and vibrant screen
- Powerful performance
- Dex support
- Excellent sound and battery life, 25W charging
Cons
- Limited upgrade
- Lacks in-screen fingerprint
- Camera image quality degrades at extremes
Galaxy Tab A8 Pros and Cons
Pros
- Sleep, aluminum body
- Supports 15W fast charging
- Good battery life
- Has a dedicated MicroSD slot
Cons
- Poor TFT screen
- Slow charging
- No fingerprint sensor
Which one should you consider?
Samsung’s best tablet, the Galaxy Tab S8, has powerful hardware and a high-quality design. It’s a natural competitor to the M1-powered iPad Pros, and while Android has a long way to go to catch up with iPadOS, Samsung has done a great job with One UI-specific software additions like split-screen view, Smart Switch, and DeX mode.
The base 8GB/128GB model of the Galaxy Tab S8 costs $699 and comes in Silver, Pink Gold, and Graphite. Look into the best deals on the Samsung Galaxy S8 to save money.
The Galaxy Tab A8 is a typical Android tablet with good multimedia features and a big screen for reading, watching videos, or playing games. Since it doesn’t work with a stylus, you won’t be able to draw or paint on it. But you can turn it into a basic work machine by connecting it to a portable wireless keyboard and propping it up with a folio case.
FAQs
Are Samsung A8 and S8 the same size?
The 11-inch, 2K LCD screen on the Galaxy Tab S8 has a 120Hz refresh rate and is protected by Gorilla Glass 5. The Galaxy Tab A8 has a 10.5-inch TFT LCD screen with a resolution of 1200 x 1920 and a refresh rate of 60Hz.
Is Galaxy Tab A8 still supported?
Samsung has released the stable One UI 5.0 update for the Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021), which was announced in December 2021 with Android 11. The update is going out to the Wi-Fi-only model in Europe and the LTE model in dozens of countries, including India.
