Samsung's biggest tablet struggles to justify its size and asking price.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra review: Lots of AI, less ambition
After a few years of iteration, it feels like the shine has come off Samsung's largest and most powerful tablet. The novelty is well worn-off when it comes to the Galaxy Tab Ultra. Even if the specs have changed over the past few years, the story hasn't changed enough to ward off diminishing returns.
While the addition of a few new AI-powered features helps offset the equation in part, the case for Samsung's latest and greatest premium device feels harder to make than ever to anyone who isn't already sold based on the brand alone.
For everyone else, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is going to feel like too much tablet.

How much does Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra cost in Australia?
In Australia, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra starts at $2,099. That's $300 more than the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus that sits underneath it. You're also looking at another $250 if you want on-the-go 5G connectivity. In other words, this is a pretty pricey tablet that sits between the likes of the Microsoft's latest Surface Pro and Apple's iPad Pro.
Still, as with all good gadgets, you might be able to save on the ticket price if you shop around. Check out the table below for a sense of how local pricing for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra sits across each retailer.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra - Design and Features
Ultra premium parts to spare

Much like its predecessors, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is massive in size and kitted out with every bell and whistle you could possibly want from a premium Android tablet. At 14.6-inches, it's a monster of a tablet that easily eclipses the form-factor of siblings, contemporaries and rivals alike.
Fortunately, that largess is far from the Tab S10 Ultra's only virtue. Any tablet is only as good as its display and Samsung have spared no expense with the Dynamic AMOLED one found here. It's both clocked at 120Hz and clad in an anti-reflective coating that's more effective at repelling glare than the one found on its predecessors.
In fairness to Samsung though, there's a lot more to talk about here than just the screen on the Galaxy S10 Ultra. It might be a dead ringer for its predecessors, but this year's most premium of premium Samsung tablets are is thinner, lighter and more powerful. It's also more durable, thanks to an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance and an Armor Aluminum frame.
Some things never change though. As is tradition, the tablet also come bundled with an S-Pen stylus rather than Samsung selling it to you as an accessory. When not in use, this tablet magnetically snaps to the back of the Tab S10 Ultra with a satisfying click. Even if it's not different, this is still very much a welcome part of the package.
Other features that the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra inherits include quartet of Dolby Atmos speakers, 45W charging via USB-C, and an in-display fingerprint scanner. On the front, there's a dual 12MP camera system. Meanwhile, the back is host to a 13MP + 8MP setup. Last but not least, there's 5G connectivity. The baseline version of the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is Wi-Fi only it's nice to know you have the option if you want to make the most of it as an on-the-go piece of kit.
These numbers and niceties don't really do the hardware here justice though. The enormous size is something you have to see in person to fully grapple with, let alone appreciate. Given that we're now three generations in, it's nice to see that there's a little bit more confidence and assurance when it comes to the design choice that largely defines the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra.
The first time that Samsung made a tablet this big, I found myself actively questioning whether the trade-offs were worth it. Unfortunately, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra didn't provide much in the way of compelling or satisfying answers to these lingering questions.
Games might look great on a screen this big but unless you're using a gamepad or exclusively playing titles designed for it like Hearthstone or Warcraft Rumble then that size can make on-screen controls a little tricky to get a handle on. There's a physical strain associated with holding this device that you don't get with smaller tablets and even the best-looking mobile games can look a little stretched out here.
On the other end of the spectrum, web browsing, video streaming and applications that can make full use of the S-Pen tended to benefit the most from the impressive hardware on offer here. Having a bigger screen makes writing or drawing with the S-Pen significantly more comfortable than it would be otherwise.Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra - Performance

Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra pairs up the MediaTek Dimensity 9300 Plus processor and 12GB of RAM. While this chipset isn't being branded as the byproduct of a partnership in the same way as the one inside the Galaxy S24, a Samsung representative told Reviews that it worked with MediaTek to optimise the performance of this hardware in much the same way.
Compared to the Galaxy Tab S9, you're looking at an 18% gain in CPU performance plus a 28% gain in GPU performance. That said, I can't really say that these numbers translated into an experience that feels superior or standout in such a way that an upgrade makes sense.
Don't get me wrong. Apps loaded as fast and games like Diablo Immortal and Zenless Zone Zero ran at a level of performance that's in line with the best you can expect outside of the Apple ecosystem. At the same time though, I can't say that either of these specific use cases felt like all that much of improvement on what the last two generations of Galaxy Tab devices have offered. Perhaps that reality says more about why Samsung is looking to emphasise its Galaxy AI features than anything else.
The short version is that many of the features introduced by the Galaxy S24 earlier this year have been transplanted onto the Samsung's latest and largest premium tablet. Some of these features have been adjusted or reworked to take advantage of the larger screens on offer, but most of them are unchanged.
To recap, the roster of AI-powered features found here includes:
- Chat Assist: Use AI to rewrite your texts and emails.
- Live Translate: Use AI to translate text and audio in real time.
- Circle to Search: Circle on screen text or images to pull up relevant search results for it via Google.
- Sketch to image: Turn text prompts into images using AI.
- Browsing assist: Summarise web pages using AI.
- Note Assist: Summarise notes using AI.
- Portrait studio: Use AI to "reimagine" portrait images in alternative art styles
- Math Helper: You can now write equations and get answers to them in Samsung Notes
- Handwriting Assist: Samsung Notes will make your penmanship better
Even if that list is a little longer, the overall experience isn't all that different nor is it any less plagued by the usual shortcomings. Circle to Search has grown on me over the past few months, but I can't say the same for the rest of what's on offer here.
As always though, it's also worth remembering the caveat that these Galaxy AI features are only guaranteed to be free until the end of 2025. It's one thing for the device to come with a few years of OS upgrades and security updates but quite another for it to lose features over time unless you pay up to keep them.
Still, when it came to battery life, the 11,200 mAh inside the tablet lived up to what you'd expect of it. Burned down via streaming video on YouTube, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra took 13 hours and 24 minutes to go from 100% to zero. That's not amazing, particularly given the size of the battery here. However, it's less of a shock once you factor in the amount of pixels on display.
Is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra worth buying?

Given that Samsung hasn't yet veered away from the 14.6-inch form-factor that defines its biggest and brightest Galaxy tablet, I have to assume that that size is a key consideration for those who do end up buying it over the competition. If that's you, then you'll probably come away decently satisfied with what the big screen and snappy processor inside the Tab S10 Ultra can deliver.
The AI-features remain a mixed bag but you're sold on the foundations already then you'll probably have a good time with what's here. Android tablets don't get any bigger than this and if you're the kind of power user who wants to make full use of the multitasking functionality that Samsung have thrown together then you'll likely be able to get a decent amount out of that larger canvas.
If that's not you though, I don't know if the math checks out here. Samsung wants you to believe that its best tablet is a big deal, but the reality is that it can't help but struggle to fill a screen this large with ideas and ambition to match.
If you've not no appetite for overkill then the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra asks a lot of you and the massive display can end up closing as many doors as it opens.
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