Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ 12.4" S8+ Silver 2022

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8+ puts one of the best OLED screens on the market into a super light 576g body. For around $380 as a refurb, you get a 12.4-inch display, the excellent included S Pen, and a desktop-like DeX mode that makes it a joy for media and light work. Battery life is top-tier, easily lasting a full day. It is an absolute steal for a premium media and note-taking tablet, just check that the refurb unit comes with an original Samsung S Pen.

Under the hood, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip and 8GB of RAM deliver solid, if not chart-topping, speed. In our performance rankings, the CPU and GPU sit right around average for the tablet market, in the 60th and 61st percentiles respectively. That means it will handle your everyday tasks like streaming, browsing, sketching, and multitasking without a stutter. But it will not outmuscle an Apple M-series iPad Pro in raw rendering or video export times. For what it is, a media and productivity powerhouse, the processor is more than enough, and every user review we saw praised the day-to-day speed.

One area where the Tab S8+ truly shines is the display, landing in the 94th percentile of our database. The 12.4-inch 2800x1752 OLED panel is a standout, delivering deep blacks and incredibly vivid colors that make it a joy for watching movies or editing photos. The 120Hz refresh rate keeps scrolling buttery smooth. Battery life is another win, thanks to the 10,090mAh cell. Our data puts it in the top tier, and multiple owners report easily getting 9+ hours, so this thing will genuinely last a full workday or a long flight without hunting for a charger.

The elephant in the room is always the iPad. Compared to the iPad Air M4, the Tab S8+ offers a superior OLED display and includes the stylus in the box, while Apple charges you extra. However, the M4 chip in the Air obliterates the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in heavy lifting, making the iPad the clear winner for video editors and 3D modelers. The S8+ fights back hard with DeX mode as a better laptop-lite experience than iPadOS's Stage Manager, so your choice really hinges on whether you prioritize raw creative app power or a more flexible, PC-like workflow.

Next to the Microsoft Surface Pro 11, the Samsung is lighter, cheaper, and has a much better OLED screen at this price point. The Surface wins on being a true Windows PC with full desktop app support. Battery life is a toss-up, but our data shows the Tab S8+ sits in a higher battery percentile. For an Android peer like the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro, the Samsung pulls ahead with its superior display and stylus latency, while the Lenovo might offer a cleaner, closer-to-stock software experience if that is your thing. The Tab S8+ is the multimedia and note-taking champion of the Android tablet crew.

Pricing on this one is a bit tricky since it is a refurb, but the going rate of about $380 makes it a steal for the hardware you get. You are getting a top-tier OLED screen, a premium build, and the S Pen for less than half the cost of a new iPad Air M4 with an Apple Pencil. When you compare it against something like the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro, the base price is similar, but the Samsung's display quality and DeX mode put it in a different league for versatility.

For pure price-to-performance in the Android world, this is hard to beat. The Xiaomi Pad 6 might give you a slight edge in raw processing power for the money, but you would miss out on Samsung's software polish and that unreal OLED screen. If you can stomach the small risk of a third-party accessory from some refurb sellers, this is one of the best tablet deals we have seen.

The Galaxy Tab S8+ sits in a sweet spot that a lot of tablets miss. It has a massive, gorgeous 12.4-inch OLED screen that makes everything from Netflix to digital art look stunning, and the whole package weighs just 576 grams. That is lighter than most laptops and even some smaller tablets. Throw in the included S Pen with its crazy-low 2.8ms latency, and you start to see why this thing has stuck around as a favorite even with newer models on the shelf.

Who is this actually for? It is for the person who wants a tablet that can genuinely moonlight as a laptop without feeling like a compromise. Samsung's DeX mode transforms the interface into a desktop-like environment, and with the keyboard connector, you can genuinely get some work done. Our database puts its feature set at the absolute top of the charts, and the user sentiment backs that up. People love the versatility, often calling out how it pulls triple duty as a tablet, a mini-laptop, and a second screen for a Windows PC.

Now, the unit we are looking at here is a Geek Squad Certified Refurbished model, which is a key part of its appeal. You get a like-new device with a 90-day warranty for a fraction of the original cost, currently sitting around $380. The main risk, based on a few owner reports, is that you might not get a Samsung-branded charger or S Pen in the box, something to keep an eye on when it arrives. But if the core hardware is solid, you are getting a screen and feature set that is basically best-in-class for this price.

You should skip the Galaxy Tab S8+ if you need a no-compromise laptop replacement for demanding professional software, like programming in heavy IDEs, serious video editing, or large spreadsheet work. Our analysis gives it a business score of just 58.4, and the mid-pack CPU will struggle with sustained heavy lifting compared to a true laptop. For that, you would be much better served by a Microsoft Surface Pro 11, which runs full desktop Windows, or a powerful traditional laptop.

Creative professionals who live inside the Apple ecosystem for apps like Procreate, Final Cut, or Logic Pro should also look elsewhere. While the S Pen hardware is excellent, the breadth of professional creative apps on Android still lags behind what is available on iPadOS. An iPad Air M4 with an Apple Pencil will be a better long-term investment for that specific workflow.

If you are looking for the best portable movie machine and digital notebook that can also handle your emails and docs at a coffee shop, get the Tab S8+. It is a fantastic device for students who want to take handwritten notes, binge shows in bed, and occasionally type up a paper. The DeX mode is genuinely useful, not a gimmick, and the screen will ruin you for lesser displays. At this refurbished price, it is an easy recommendation for anyone deep in the Android ecosystem.

But if your day job involves complex video editing, 3D rendering, or you rely on specific pro apps like Final Cut, you need to look at an iPad Pro M5 or a Surface Pro, even if it costs more. The Tab S8+ is not a no-compromise workstation. It is a media consumption and light productivity star that can handle some creative work on the side, not a full desktop replacement. Know that distinction and you will be very happy with it.