Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ Review

For a long time Samsung had not shipped a tablet with a screen larger than 11 inches, nor one built around a high-end Qualcomm processor. That changed when it introduced the Galaxy Tab S7+, announced in August 2020 and released shortly after. It is aimed at people who want more than a plain tablet: it can be used on its own, converted into a laptop with a keyboard cover, or drawn on with the S Pen.

Hardware and What’s in the Box

The Tab S7+ runs a Snapdragon 865+ processor with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, and it accepts microSD cards up to 1 TB. The S Pen comes in the box. The keyboard bracket does not; it is sold separately.

Using It as a Tablet with the S Pen

The screen is large: a 12.4-inch panel that suits people looking for a tablet to draw on. The S Pen reduces latency to 9 ms and the screen runs at a 120 Hz refresh rate, which together make handwriting and drawing feel close to the real thing. The pen also carries the air-control gestures found on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

When it is not in use, the S Pen attaches to a magnetic area on the back of the tablet, which also charges it. To help illustrators get more out of the device, Samsung bundled several apps: Clip Studio Paint, which reached Android for the first time here, along with the Canva design tool and the Noteshelf note-taking app.

Using It as a Laptop

The keyboard cover turns the tablet into something closer to a computer. It is made of solid material, and the stand behind it lets you fix the tablet at the angle you want to set up a comfortable working position. The keys are stable and type like a real keyboard rather than a thin cover, and Samsung enlarged the touchpad and added multi-touch support.

The keyboard is central to Samsung DeX. Through Samsung’s collaboration with Microsoft, Office apps run in a way close to the Windows 10 experience. With a taskbar, browser, apps and resizable windows, the Tab S7+ covers much of what a typical laptop is used for, backed by the hardware described above.

Gaming Performance

The tablet runs Android 10, but games are not limited to the Android ecosystem. Through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate you can play titles including the Halo Master Chief Collection, though this may call for an Xbox controller. During testing we played Fortnite, PUBG Mobile, Tekken 7 and Forza Horizon 4 via Xbox Game Pass, and the results were satisfactory.

AKG Speakers

The AKG speakers add to the experience. Placed on four sides and powered by Dolby Atmos, they provide both clarity and a sense of surrounding sound.

Screen

The 12.4-inch screen has a resolution of 1752×2800 pixels, a 16:10 aspect ratio and HDR10+ support. The Super AMOLED panel runs at 120 Hz and includes a high dynamic range and an eye-protection mode for longer sessions. It holds up well for work, gaming and video, including Netflix.

Fingerprint Reader

There is an in-display fingerprint reader for security, and the tablet also offers face recognition through the camera.

If you need a phone, you can also read our Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro review: https://www.techblimp.com/2020/09/14/xiaomi-redmi-note-9-pro-review/

Cameras

The Tab S7+ has an 8 MP front camera. On the back there is a dual setup: a 13 MP main camera and a 5 MP secondary camera. The main camera is a 26 mm wide-angle, while the 5 MP unit shoots ultra-wide photos at f/2.2. The tablet records 4K video, and the front camera records Full HD.

Battery Life

The tablet has a 10090 mAh battery. It is economical at higher screen brightness, and turning on the 120 Hz mode raises power consumption somewhat. In normal use it lasts a full day. In our tests, with average brightness and 120 Hz enabled, it ran for about 7 hours of continuous internet browsing. That is slightly behind the 12.9-inch iPad Pro it competes with.

Charging and Runtime

Left idle, the tablet lasts about 15 hours; playing Full HD video, it lasts up to 11 hours; under load, the battery drains in about 5.5 hours. The Tab S7+ does not support wireless charging. It supports 45W fast charging, but the charger is sold separately.

In Brief

The Galaxy Tab S7+ combines a flat tablet, a drawing platform for the S Pen, a keyboard cover and a DeX desktop mode into one device that covers many laptop tasks. It suits people who want a large-screen tablet for drawing, media and light laptop work in a single package. The main trade-off is battery life, which is reasonable but not class-leading.