For me, there was one standout star of the Samsung Unpacked 2022, and it wasn't the Galaxy S22 Ultra or any of the other smartphones. It was a tablet: the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra.
When I first walked into the new Galaxy device testing area ready to get my hands on the new S22 or Tab S8, it was actually the Ultra Tab S8 that immediately caught my eye. I had never seen anything like it.
Why? Because it is absolutely huge. With its nearly 15-inch screen, it makes the 12,9-inch iPad Pro look puny. You could browse these things.
In fact, it's so tall that it couldn't stand upright on the stand Samsung showed off without tipping over completely. It bears repeating: this thing is huge.
Too big? No, three big
I immediately thought, "what's the point of having such a big tablet?" Is there any added value that comes with the increase in size? The Galaxy Tab S8 and S8 Plus, after all, hover between sizes in the low single digits, and some people may find even the Plus to be too big. But after trying the trick, I think I figured it out.
First of all, for any kind of art related work, having a digital canvas of this size was really very helpful. I was able to draw in different areas without having to zoom in and out on my sheet. It also had plenty of room for long dive shots.
Likewise, when taking notes, I never risked filling a page at once. I could doodle and doodle and doodle without worrying about running out of space.
I'd also imagine a screen this size would be great for streaming, although it's not something I've really tried.
You can place the device on a desk and easily watch sitcoms or YouTube videos while doing other things. I personally like to watch videos on a side screen while playing video games, so a tablet of this size for streaming would be particularly useful for me.
A portable workstation
When I'm not playing games or watching videos, I'm working and I can see the Tab S8 Ultra being useful for that too.
You see, when the pandemic lockdown started, I was using a small laptop for work and sometimes a medium-sized tablet as a second screen. When it became clear that I would be working from home for a long time, I upgraded to a giant screen, which made the tablet too small as a secondary screen.
I don't see that being the case with the ultra sized tablet. I think I could put it next to my PC's big screen and use both screens for work.
Because it's a widescreen, I can easily see two apps on the tablet, maybe a work chat app and my email, and I can see both at the same time.
Of course, the tablet is ridiculously expensive, so I don't see it as a useful productivity tool that's right for everyone. But after trying it out, this tablet's huge screen doesn't seem as useless as I initially thought, and I can't wait to try it out any longer soon.