Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra renders point to a questionable change

If leaks are anything to go by, the "Ultra" models of Samsung 2022 devices are the ones to keep an eye out for. The Galaxy S22 Ultra could be so far removed from the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Plus/Pro that it might as well be called the Galaxy Note 22 Ultra. That distinction might actually carry over to the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. If these renders are accurate, Samsung might be taking a page out of Apple's MacBook Pro book and will probably get a lot of flak for it.

First up, however, is the base Galaxy Tab S8 model, which may not actually see any noteworthy changes from the Galaxy Tab S7, at least as far as appearances go. According to renders shared by Zouton and @OnLeaks, next year's premium tablet will have the exact same design and size as its predecessor last year, including the magnetic bed for the S Pen below (or beside) the dual-camera module. The front also remains unchanged, with sizeable bezels typical of most tablets.

There are no leaked renders for the Galaxy Tab S8+ yet, but that it's expected to follow the same trend in a larger 12.4-inch size. If that's the case, then the Galaxy Tab S8 and Tab Tab S8+ will go the same route as the Galaxy S22 phones and look a lot like their predecessors. There will be internal upgrades, of course, especially with the batteries, but probably few major points to convince Galaxy Tab S7 owners to upgrade.

In contrast, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is expected to be quite different, not just in its larger 14.6-inch display. Now renders from 91mobiles and, again, @OnLeaks, reveal another major departure from Samsung's tablet formula. They show what seem to be very slim bezels that are made possible by having a small notch for the front camera.

Samsung doesn't have an advanced sensor array like Apple's TrueDepth for FaceID, so having a large cutout for the front-facing camera or cameras seems overkill. There is still some debate on the benefits of having a notch on large screens like tablets and laptops, so expect Samsung to face the same heated opinions if it does follow this route. More importantly, it will probably be criticized for once again riding on Apple's coattails after it launched a similar design on the late 2021 MacBook Pros.