Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra Keeps the Display, Pushes Silicon and Audio
Samsung's Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra starts at $1,400 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, a $200 hike over the Tab S11 Ultra launch price. The pricing was detailed in a comparison published on Oct. 1, 2026, a day after Samsung introduced the Tab S12 series. The Ultra remains Samsung's 14.6-inch flagship tablet play. Engadget
The display is unchanged. The S12 Ultra uses a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel at 2,960 by 1,848 pixels. Peak brightness is rated at 1,600 nits for HDR content and 1,000 nits in high brightness mode. Those figures match the Tab S11 Ultra pixel for pixel. For users doing color-critical review, split-screen document work, or HDR video monitoring on the go, there is no new panel capability to factor into upgrade math.
The compute subsystem is where Samsung made its move. The S12 Ultra uses the MediaTek Dimensity 9500, versus the Dimensity 9300+ listed for the Tab S11 Ultra in the most recent comparison. Both chips are built on a 3nm process. Samsung claims 19 percent higher CPU performance, 17 percent higher GPU performance, and 61 percent higher NPU performance for the newer silicon. The S12 Ultra also adds a 3D vapor chamber for heat dissipation, a practical addition for sustained loads such as on-device inference, 3D rendering, or long gaming sessions where skin temperature and clock stability matter more than burst benchmarks.
Audio gets a channel-count upgrade. The S12 Ultra supports four-channel spatial audio through its four-speaker array, up from two-channel spatial audio on the S11 Ultra. Battery capacity is static at 11,600 mAh with 45W wired charging. That combination suggests similar endurance expectations to the prior generation, with any efficiency delta left to the new SoC and firmware tuning rather than a larger cell.
The front camera is a single 12-megapixel ultra-wide in a teardrop cutout. Samsung did not restore S Pen remote control. That function was removed on the Tab S11 Ultra and remains absent on the S12 Ultra, which will matter to users who relied on the pen as a presentation clicker or remote shutter.
Configurations run 12GB plus 256GB, 12GB plus 512GB, and 16GB plus 1TB. Samsung Newsroom Expandable storage is supported via microSD up to 2TB, though cards are sold separately. Samsung notes that a portion of the built-in storage and memory is occupied by existing content. On software, Samsung states that Galaxy AI features require a Samsung account login and were listed as free through 2025. Samsung Notes text conversion applies to texts of 200 to 4,000 characters and requires login and an internet connection. Quick Share requires Galaxy phones and tablets running Android 10.0 with One UI 2.1 or above, plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and select Galaxy AI features require a compatible Galaxy phone.
The broader context here is a platform in a refinement phase rather than a redesign phase. Display, battery capacity, charge rate, and camera hardware carry over while silicon, thermals, and audio processing take the uplift. In this author's view, the 61 percent NPU claim is the number to watch, since it points to where Samsung expects headroom to be used, in local AI acceleration and background processing that does not show up in app launch times. Worth flagging for fleet buyers and power users, the $200 entry-price increase resets the value calculation. If your workflow was already display-bound or battery-bound on the S11 Ultra, this generation does not change that envelope. If it was throttled by sustained SoC performance or on-device AI throughput, the S12 Ultra is the first Ultra in this cycle aimed directly at that bottleneck.
