The tablet market isn't what it used to be. Samsung, Apple and Huawei sometimes contribute with interesting tablets. But Huawei has since fallen off due to external problems, leaving you really only Samsung and Apple. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus therefore has little competition, but you can't see that.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus
MSRP € 899,-Colors Black
OS Android 10, OneUI 2.5
Screen 12.4 inch OLED (2800 x 1752) 120 Hz
Processor 2.86GHz octa-core (Huawei Kirin 990)
RAM 6 - 8GB
Storage 128 - 256 GB (expandable)
Battery 10,090mAh
Camera 13 + 5 megapixels (rear), 8 megapixels (front)
Connectivity 5G, 4G (LTE), Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6+, GPS
Format 28.5 x 18.5 x 0.57 cm
Weight 575 grams
Website www.samsung.nl 8 Score 80
- Pros
- Beautiful and large amoled screen
- Design and software look fresh
- 120Hz screen
- OneUI and Android 10
- Negatives
- Speaker placement
- Maximum brightness
- Low pixel density
- Too expensive
You could say that Samsung's tablets have started to look more like an iPad. But you can also say that tablets in general, especially in the high-end market, have started to resemble each other. That does not detract from the solid design and housing of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus. The device feels very sturdy, but also relatively heavy. Holding it for a long time because you're watching a video can be hard on your fingers or hands.
In addition, the increasingly thinner screen edges do not help in this case either. It looks really great when you work on it with an optional and separately available keyboard. But when you hold the tablet, you soon find yourself with your thumb on the screen. With the ensuing consequences: the video interface appears, the cursor moves, you name it. It is a small blemish on a good user experience, but one that we will not get rid of in the future.
High-end specifications
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus is of course more than its sleek and modern design. Under the hood we come across specs that are equal to modern smartphones. How about the lightning-fast and very capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ and 6 to 8 GB of RAM? The result is a very fast system, one that is unparalleled in the field of Android tablets. That can hardly be otherwise, with the lack of competition, but even then there is something to be said for it. It doesn't stop Samsung from pulling out all the stops.
Furthermore, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus comes with 128 to 256 GB of internal storage and there is micro SD card support up to 1 TB. That should be enough space for most users, especially now that cloud services are increasingly used. The battery has a capacity of 10,090 mAh. Compared to the Galaxy Tab S6, we see few differences under the hood: the processor is faster and the battery has (a lot) more power.
You cannot charge the tablet wirelessly. You can, however, use an extremely fast 45W charger that works with the USB-C port on the tablet. Since you pay a minimum of 899 euros for this thing, it is a shame to see that there is no wireless charging. We also understand it somewhere, since charging via the cable is a lot faster and it otherwise takes a long time before that large battery is completely full. But still: having the option has added value.
Large AMOLED screen at 120 Hz
The big showpiece this time is the screen. The display is 12.4 inches in size and has a resolution of 2800 by 1752 pixels. This results in a pixel density of 266 pixels per inch. That's a lower number than the Tab S6 (287 ppi), despite the fact that the resolution is lower there. This is of course due to the large screen and the fact that the resolution is not that much higher than its predecessor (10.5 inches and a resolution of 2560 by 1600 pixels).
However, it does not get in the way of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus. Moreover, these are not the most important specs. The screen has a refresh rate of 120 hertz. This produces very smooth images. The interface doesn't jerk anywhere and videos and video games look smoother than ever on a Samsung tablet. Of course, apps and services must support such a refresh rate, but once you've found them, it's a feast for the eyes.
Another big advantage is the HDR10 + support, but the maximum brightness is too low for that to really get the most out of it. While tablets average 450 nits and the Tab S7 Plus sits above that at 520, it's not terribly bright. HDR content can therefore be dark. The tablet also works against bright sunlight. Especially when you look at dark images in a bright environment, you see your reflection more often than what happens.
New version of OneUI
The tablet runs on Android 10 and, at the time of writing, has the July 1 security patch. That's fine, although it remains to be seen whether that patch appears every month. In any case, the tablet can count on two years of (Android) updates. Over Android is software shell OneUI, this time version 2.5.
The changes are not as big as they were with 2.1, but there are notable differences. For example, you can now combine gesture-based navigation with third-party launchers, such as the popular Nova Launcher. Furthermore, some additions have been made for the standard camera, so that you can now take your photos faster. There are also more options for Pro mode.
Furthermore, it is the interface as you are used to it. It's not a bare-bones Android experience, but it comes close. The menus are clear and tidy. You are also less dependent on Bixby. You can call up the assistant by, for example, holding down the power button, but you can also set it to show the menu for energy options.
It remains a pity to see that Samsung provides a lot of standard applications, which in many cases cannot be removed or disabled.
Camera and other aspects
Then we have, for example, the fingerprint scanner that is integrated into the screen (unlike the Galaxy Tab S7, where the scanner is in the button on the side). The scanner works quickly and accurately and does what it's supposed to do without too much delay. Sometimes things still go wrong (when direct sunlight shines on it or when your fingers are wet), but high-end smartphones still suffer from this.
The front camera is one of 8 megapixels. That in itself produces clear images. Colors come out well, but details quickly disappear in the somewhat dark parts of the photo. In addition, it is important that you keep a light source, such as a window, out of the picture, since that spot will then be presented overexposed. However, if you are using it for video calling or something like that, then you already take that sort of thing into account as standard. Then the quality is quite good.
The cameras on the back take better account of such a light source, so that that part also appears better in the picture. The pedestals here can be called very dark. Fortunately, the images are sharp and we encounter little grain formation. You can still play around with filters, but they do not solve the problems. The Pro mode offers more options here, but don't expect top results. The wide-angle camera takes pictures in lower quality, but shows artifacts and has a distortion on the sides; so use that mode only in the environments with natural light, with no objects on the sides.
Let's not forget the four speakers on board. When you hold the tablet horizontally, the speakers are on the side. Very clear and beautiful sound comes out and we even noticed that the support for Dolby Atmos (with spatial sound) did its best. But the speakers are in a place where your hands are often (and otherwise your stomach is), so that the sound is often hidden away. And that comes at the expense of quality.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus – conclusion
Let's face it: paying at least 899 euros for a tablet is just a lot of money. But if you want a good Android tablet with a stylus (the S Pen is included and works perfectly), good software support, the possibility to connect the device to a screen (via DeX) and keyboard support, then you can't escape Samsung. .
Samsung has shown that lack of competition need not be a limiting factor in releasing an unparalleled Android tablet. But whether consumers are willing to pay for internal specs that have received a minimal upgrade and for the screen for which there is still little support is still the question. Yes, it all looks great, the software is lightning fast and the screen is high quality – but if you can't get the most out of such an expensive product, then you have little reason to get this particular model. .
