What to Know About galaxy Tab S12 leak proves annual tablet upgrades are pointless

RAMageddon looks set to claim its next victims, and this time, it’s tablets which are in the firing line.

According to a leak last month, Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Tab S12 lineup will see $200 price hikes on both models. If true, it’d mean the Tab S12+ would start at $1,199.99, while the Tab S12 Ultra would set you back an eye-watering $1,399.99. The UK is likely to be similarly affected.

For a device which still can’t replace a laptop, that’s simply too much for most people to pay. The best budget tablets offer a similar experience at a fraction of the cost.

However, after the latest leak, I have an even bigger issue…

Not again!

In 2022, Samsung introduced a significant revamp of its most capable Android tablet.

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra delivered a much larger 14.6-inch display, a razor-thin bezel and an extra front-facing camera. You have to go even further back for non-Ultra models, with the Tab S7 series representing the last significant design shift.

Since then? We’ve basically been getting the exact same tablets every single year. Sure, Samsung has alternated between regular and Plus models, and introduced various upgrades under the hood, but I’d argue that nothing has made a material difference to the everyday experience.

However, a new leak suggests that the company hasn’t learned its lesson. Tech blog YTechB, which has a strong track record for Samsung news, has published detailed renders of the upcoming Galaxy Tab S12+ and S12 Ultra.

Or has it? So little has changed that I genuinely can’t tell if these are just rehashed images of last year’s S11 Ultra and the Tab S10+ from two years ago.

The leaked specs don’t exactly make for encouraging reading. The Tab S12 Ultra will supposedly feature a 14.6-inch, 120Hz AMOLED screen, plus a dual rear camera, while the Plus sticks with just one lens. Yes, that’s all exactly the same as their predecessors.

While not confirmed, a new chipset is the most likely upgrade, and there may also be changes to battery capacity and charging speeds. But I fail to see how the Tab S12 series can justify anyone dropping well over £1,000/$1,000, especially in a cost of living crisis.

When will Samsung learn?

With modern smartphones, the annual upgrade cycle is totally pointless for the minor gen-on-gen upgrades that are introduced. On tablets, that’s even more true.

For most everyday consumers, there’s little actual need for a tablet. It’s not pocketable like a phone or built for desktop-level productivity like a laptop.

It’s something most people use for watching movies, browsing the web and playing games. In those scenarios, you can easily find a cheap tablet or older model for a fraction of the likely cost of the Tab S12 series.

Even if you see it as your main productivity machine, you’ll probably need a kickstand case, external keyboard and Bluetooth mouse. All of a sudden, you’re paying way more than a great laptop such as the MacBook Neo. Where’s the sense in that?

Put simply, annual upgrades on tablets are totally pointless, especially with a huge global RAM shortage going on. If Samsung launches basically the same tablets with a £200/$200 price hike, as looks likely, it’ll be embarrassing.

SmartTag going back to the future?

In other (and arguably much more interesting) Samsung leak news, its upcoming SmartTag 3 Bluetooth tracker has also appeared on German site WinFuture.

It suggests Samsung is going back to its roots, returning to the ‘squircle’ design we saw in the original version. 2023’s sequel ditched it in favour of an elongated ring design.

This should allow it to compete more directly with Apple’s AirTag 2, especially with the rumoured pricing ($29.99 for one, $99.99 for four) basically identical.

A filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US suggests a launch is imminent. It may even arrive alongside the Tab S12 series, which would at least mean there’d be something interesting to talk about.