In the ongoing contest between technology's great houses, Samsung has placed a deliberate wager on the premium tablet market with its Galaxy Tab S12 series — arriving not merely as a device, but as an argument. By including the stylus that rivals charge extra for, and wrapping powerful AI-assisted software in some of the thinnest glass and aluminum available, Samsung asks a quiet but pointed question: what does it truly cost to create? The answer, the company suggests, should not require a second purchase.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra challenges iPad Pro with AMOLED display, bundled S Pen
The stylus comes in the box, not as an afterthought purchase.
Mark
Why does Samsung include the S Pen but Apple makes you buy the Pencil separately? Is that just a pricing strategy?
Mimi
It's partly that, but also a different philosophy. Samsung sees the stylus as essential to the tablet experience—it's in the box. Apple treats it as an optional accessory for certain users. For someone who wants to draw or annotate, Samsung's approach saves you 12,000 rupees right away.
Luke
But we should note that iPad Pro users who don't need a stylus aren't paying for one. Samsung's bundling strategy means everyone pays for the S Pen whether they use it or not. We don't know how many Tab S12 buyers will actually use it.
Mark
The display specs sound impressive—1,600 nits peak brightness. Is that actually noticeable compared to an iPad Pro?
Mimi
Very much so. That brightness level means you can use it in direct sunlight without washing out the image. iPad Pro maxes out lower. For outdoor work, it's a real advantage.
Luke
The source says "peak brightness," which usually means a small portion of the screen at maximum. We don't know the sustained brightness or how it performs in typical indoor use. Peak specs can be misleading.
Mark
So who should actually buy this instead of an iPad Pro?
Mimi
Digital artists who want the stylus included and don't need Procreate or Final Cut. People who like Android and want desktop mode via DeX. Anyone doing media consumption on a large screen. The Tab S12 Ultra's 14.6 inches is genuinely bigger than iPad Pro's 13 inches.
Luke
That's fair, but we should be honest: iPad Pro has a deeper app ecosystem for professional creative work. The source acknowledges this. Samsung is competitive, not superior, in that space.
Mark
What about versus Windows tablets?
Mimi
Samsung wins on usability and battery life. Windows tablets are full PCs in tablet form, which sounds good until you realize they're not optimized for touch and they drain battery fast in standby. The Tab S12 is built for touch from the start.
Luke
True, but Windows tablets can run legacy software and enterprise applications that Android can't touch. If you need specific Windows software, no amount of better battery life helps you. The source is clear about this trade-off.
Mark
Is the price actually competitive?
Mimi
Yes. The Tab S12+ at 1,29,999 rupees is cheaper than the 11-inch iPad Pro at 1,36,990. The Ultra at 1,49,999 is cheaper than the 13-inch iPad. And you're getting the stylus included.
Luke
But you're not getting the keyboard included. Add the Pro Keyboard Cover at 26,499 rupees and you're at 1,56,498 for the Tab S12+. Add Apple's Magic Keyboard at 29,900 and the iPad Pro is at 1,66,890. The gap narrows. And we don't know how these keyboards compare in quality—the source doesn't say.
Le Pouls
- Samsung enters the premium tablet arena with the Tab S12+ and S12 Ultra, directly pricing them against Apple's iPad Pro and Microsoft's Surface Pro — a confrontation the market has been waiting for.
- The included S Pen stylus is Samsung's sharpest edge: Apple charges nearly ₹12,000 extra for its Pencil Pro, meaning Samsung's total cost of entry is meaningfully lower for artists and note-takers.
- Windows tablet users face a familiar trap — full desktop software power offset by poor battery standby, clunky touch interfaces, and accessories that push prices well past the base sticker.
- Samsung's DeX desktop mode and One UI 9 AI features attempt to close the productivity gap, but Apple's mature professional app ecosystem — Procreate, Logic Pro, Final Cut — remains a gravitational force.
- The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra lands at up to ₹1,84,999, positioning it as a serious creative workstation, though buyers wedded to sustained typing and legacy software may still find a laptop like the Dell XPS 13 the more honest choice.
In the ongoing contest between technology's great houses, Samsung has placed a deliberate wager on the premium tablet market with its Galaxy Tab S12 series — arriving not merely as a device, but as an argument. By including the stylus that rivals charge extra for, and wrapping powerful AI-assisted software in some of the thinnest glass and aluminum available, Samsung asks a quiet but pointed question: what does it truly cost to create? The answer, the company suggests, should not require a second purchase.
Samsung has launched the Galaxy Tab S12+ and S12 Ultra, two premium tablets designed to challenge Apple's hold on the high-end slate market. The flagship Ultra carries a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display running at 120Hz, peak brightness of 1,600 nits, and a chassis just 5.1 millimeters thin — built to be used in daylight without compromise. The smaller S12+ offers a 12.6-inch screen in the same slim, IP68-rated body. Both run on MediaTek's Dimensity 9500 chip with up to 16GB of RAM, handling split-screen multitasking and on-device AI features like audio summaries and generative note-taking.
The S Pen stylus ships in the box with both models — a deliberate contrast to Apple, which sells its Pencil Pro separately for around ₹11,900 in India. For digital artists and students, this inclusion meaningfully lowers the real cost of entry. Samsung also offers DeX, a desktop environment that turns the tablet into a near-laptop experience when docked, alongside One UI 9's built-in AI tools.
Pricing places Samsung squarely in premium territory: the Tab S12+ starts at ₹1,29,999 and the S12 Ultra reaches ₹1,84,999 at its highest configuration. Apple's comparable iPad Pro lineup runs from ₹1,36,990 to ₹1,69,900 — but keyboard and stylus purchased separately push Apple's total higher. Against Windows tablets like the Surface Pro, Samsung's advantage sharpens further: Windows convertibles demand extra spending on accessories, often struggle with battery life in standby, and lack the touch-first refinement Android provides.
The comparison to a traditional laptop like the Dell XPS 13 is a different question entirely — one of form factor and workflow rather than specs. The tablet wins for media, drawing, and mobile multitasking; the laptop wins for sustained typing and legacy software. Samsung is betting that enough buyers want a serious, versatile secondary device to make the Tab S12 series a genuine alternative — and by including the stylus, it has removed at least one reason to say no.
Samsung has released two new tablets designed to challenge Apple's dominance in the premium slate market. The Galaxy Tab S12+ and S12 Ultra arrive with AMOLED screens, powerful processors, and a strategic advantage: the stylus comes in the box, not as an afterthought purchase.
The Tab S12 Ultra is the flagship. It has a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display running at 120Hz with peak brightness reaching 1,600 nits—bright enough to use outdoors without squinting. The screen is wrapped in a chassis just 5.1 millimeters thick and weighing 692 grams. The smaller Tab S12+ offers a 12.6-inch screen in the same slim profile. Both are sealed against water and dust to an IP68 standard. Inside, Samsung paired MediaTek's Dimensity 9500 processor with up to 16GB of RAM, a combination the company says handles split-screen work smoothly and powers on-device AI tasks like audio summaries and generative note-taking.
The S Pen stylus ships with both models. This matters because Apple charges separately for the Pencil Pro—around 11,900 rupees in India—while Samsung includes it. For artists and note-takers, that's a meaningful difference in the total cost of entry. Samsung also offers DeX, a desktop environment that transforms the tablet into something closer to a laptop when docked, and One UI 9 includes AI features built into the operating system itself.
On price, Samsung is playing in the premium tier. The Tab S12+ starts at 1,29,999 rupees for the Wi-Fi model with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, climbing to 1,64,999 rupees for the 5G version with double the storage. The Tab S12 Ultra begins at 1,49,999 rupees for Wi-Fi and reaches 1,84,999 rupees for 5G with 512GB. A keyboard cover adds another 26,499 to 27,999 rupees. These prices put Samsung directly alongside Apple's iPad Pro lineup, which starts around 1,36,990 rupees for the 11-inch model and 1,69,900 rupees for the 13-inch. Apple's keyboard and stylus, bought separately, push the total higher.
The comparison to Apple hinges on different strengths. iPad Pro has raw processing power from Apple's M-series chips and a mature ecosystem of professional apps—Procreate for illustration, Logic Pro for music, Final Cut for video editing. Samsung counters with the included stylus, the DeX desktop mode, and a more flexible Android operating system. For someone who wants to draw or take notes, Samsung removes a barrier. For someone deep in Apple's app world, that ecosystem advantage remains.
Against Windows tablets like Microsoft's Surface Pro line, Samsung's advantage is clearer. Windows tablets start around 1,15,990 rupees but require you to buy the keyboard and stylus separately—another 25,000 rupees combined. They run full Windows, which is powerful for legacy software and enterprise applications, but they often stumble on battery life in standby mode and don't optimize touch-first interfaces the way Android does. The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra is thinner and lighter than any Windows convertible, and its display is built for touch from the ground up.
The Dell XPS 13 ultraportable laptop is a different animal entirely. It starts at 79,990 rupees for base configurations and climbs to 1,35,000 to 1,75,000 rupees for high-end Intel models. It's a laptop, not a tablet—built for typing, for running desktop software, for people who need x86 architecture and legacy Windows applications. Someone choosing between an XPS 13 and a Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra is making a fundamental choice about form factor and workflow. The tablet wins for media consumption, drawing, and mobile multitasking. The laptop wins for sustained typing and traditional office work.
Samsung is betting that the premium tablet market has room for a serious challenger. The Tab S12 series targets mobile content creators, digital artists, and people who want a versatile secondary device to pair with a desktop workstation. The included stylus and the large, bright AMOLED screen are the pitch. Whether that's enough to move buyers away from iPad's entrenched position remains to be seen, but Samsung has removed at least one excuse for not choosing Android.
Citations marquantes
The inclusion of the S Pen stylus and an expansive 14.6-inch AMOLED display makes it a primary consideration for mobile content creators, digital artists, and users looking for a versatile secondary device.— Samsung positioning (from source analysis)
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