Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus First look – Unboxing and first impressions of their powerful Galaxy AI enabled slate

Launched alongside the Galaxy S24 FE budget flagship phone in Malaysia a few weeks back, the new Galaxy Tab S10 series is the successor to last year’s Galaxy Tab S9 series flagship tablets. Continuing their lead as the premier Android productivity tablet, the Galaxy Tab S10 series which consists of the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and the Tab S10 Ultra are intended for serious productivity and content creation work with the requisite hardware to tackle these tasks.

We got our hands on a Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and have been putting it through its paces in the past week. Here’s our Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus first look where we see what it comes with in the box and our first impressions of their premier flagship tablet.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus first look – Processor and hardware

Samsung has managed to carve out a unique niche for themselves in the tablet market with productivity oriented tablets that offer exceptional performance, large and virant displays and quite a bit of value with a bundled S Pen stylus. If you’re fast on the draw and got the early preorders, you can even get a bundled Book Cover Keyboard Slim case too.

Unlike the Galaxy Tab S9 series last year that had a base, Plus and Ultra model, the Galaxy Tab S10 series this time around has dropped the base model globally and has pared the line-up down to just the Plus and Ultra variants only.

The Ultra variant notably has a larger 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and 11,200mAh battery while the smaller Plus variant which we have in for review has a smaller 10,900mAh battery and 12.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display.

Both the Plus and Ultra feature identical processors and, for Malaysia, identical storage and RAM configurations. The tablets are powered by the flagship-grade Mediatek Dimensity 9300+ processor, have 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and have 256GB of expandable storage via a microSD card slot. Both the Ultra and Plus models come in your choice of either a more affordable WiFi only or a slightly dearer 5G-enabled model. One thing to note though is that the Ultra has faster WiFi7 connectivity while the Plus version maxes out at WiFi 6E connectivity which is still plenty fast.

What makes the Galaxy Tab S10 series unique is its support for Galaxy AI out of the box while running the latest Android 14 and OneUI 6.1 with a guaranteed 7 years of OS and security updates which means that the tablet will remain protected and effective for years to come. As par for the course, the tablets feature Samsung’s innovative DeX mode that offers a desktop-like interface akin to Windows as well as the ability for multiple resizable app windows.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus first look – Build and Design

Interestingly, our Galaxy Tab S10 Plus first look sample has almost identical dimensions to the Galaxy Tab S9 Plus and the Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus  with a similar width and height though slightly differing in terms of thickness and weight. Weighing in at about 571g on its own, the Galaxy Tab S10+ is significantly lighter than any laptop though it’s still a bit heavier than its equivalent from Cupertino, the iPad Pro. 

This similarity in design extends to identical camera housing placement on the rear backplate along with similarly placed pogo pins to interact with similarly sized Samsung keyboard cases. 

What this effectively means is that the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is perfectly compatible with an older Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus or Galaxy Tab S9 Plus keyboard case which makes it handy if you own the older model and are looking to upgrade up to the Tab S10 Plus as you needn’t have to chunk out for a whole new set of accessories which is an impressive level of forward thinking for Samsung.

However, the new generation keyboard sold alongside the Galaxy Tab S10 series – both Ultra and Plus models alike has an added feature that makes it stand out from prior models – the inclusion of a new Galaxy AI shortcut key where a Microsoft Copilot key would typically be on a keyboard to enable instant access to your choice of either Bixby or Gemini on demand.

The optional Book Cover Keyboard Slim case itself offers good key travel, handily protects and allows the S Pen to be stowed  charged on the back and smoothly latches on to the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus via a series of magnets.

Unfortunately, the Book Cover Keyboard Slim case only allows you to angle the tablet into one position only at a jaunty 60-degree angle; this typically isn’t a problem in conventional setups when used on a desk though it does get uncomfortable if you’re using it on your lap on the commute. While this isn’t a dealbreaker, it does make using it on a train or bus a bit of a chore.

On closer inspection, our Galaxy Tab S10 Plus first look sample  is 15g lighter and 1mm thinner at 5.6mm thin compared to its predecessor the Galaxy Tab S9 Plus. When compared to the more recent Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus, the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus is significantly lighter by a whopping 51g while retaining a similar 5.6mm thickness.

Dimensions aside, the key telltale sign that distinguishes the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus from its predecessors are its thicker camera ring housings that match the design language of the current Galaxy S24 series though its otherwise aesthetically similar in a good way with rounded corners and a smooth finish that makes it relatively easy to grip.

Of greater importance is that Samsung has improved the durability of the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus with the use of a tougher, more durable Armor Aluminum for the chassis, improving its resistance to scratches and nicks while retaining an IP68 dust and water resistance. What this means is that the tablet is able to survive in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for up to 30 minutes at a time should something go awry.

Designed to be used landscape-style, our Galaxy Tab S10 Plus first look sample has a power button and volume rocker along with a dual SIM card/microSD card tray on the upper section, a set of pogo pins to interact with Samsung keyboard cases on the base as well as a USB-C port on the right for charging and docking duties. Flanking the display on both the left and right sides are two speakers with the whole setup forming a quad-speaker ensemble for music and gaming duties.

Up front, you get a 12.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 1,752 x 2,800 pixels resolution, HDR10+ support and a quoted peak brightness of 650 nits which is the same as the Tab S9 Plus though this time around Samsung has added on a special layer on the display that minimises reflections which is noticeable especially when used under direct sunlight.

The glass itself also has Gorilla Glass 5 protecting it which offers a measure of resistance against scratches and nicks along with an in-display fingerprint reader on the lower quadrant near the charging port. Perched up top in a tiny punch hole is a single 12MP camera for video calls.

The rear has a magnetised groove to dock and charge the bundled S Pen stylus and a dual camera housing that protects a 13MP main camera and an 8MP ultra wide angle camera capable of up to 4K@30fps video.

Overall build quality is excellent and the chassis the robust IP68 rating, Gorilla Glass 5 and Armor Aluminum chassis lends it better durability than its predecessors and much of the competition.

Unfortunately, the tablet only comes with a charging cable and the usual SIM eject pin and quick start literature unless you’ve taken advantage of its early bird preorder offer which bundled in a free Book Cover Keyboard Slim case. Stay tuned for a full review as we put it through its paces! 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Plus first look sample courtesy of Samsung Malaysia. Note that the Book Cover Keyboard Slim case is available separately. To purchase please visit https://www.samsung.com/my/tablets/galaxy-tab-s10/buy/