The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is an extremely capable tablet in its own right — but does it also come with an S Pen? Ever since the introduction of the Galaxy Note in 2011, the S Pen has been a staple in Samsung's accessory lineup. It's a fantastic accessory for drawing, sketching, notetaking, and more easily navigating through emails and web browsers.
While the S Pen started with the Galaxy Note, it's gradually expanded to more and more Samsung devices over the years. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 works with the S Pen, as does the Galaxy S21 Ultra and S22 Ultra. Samsung's also integrated the S Pen with select tablets and laptops — including the Galaxy Tab S7, Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, and the Galaxy Book Pro 360.
That brings us to the Galaxy Tab S8 series. Released in February 2022, the Tab S8 family consists of the Galaxy Tab S8, Galaxy Tab S8+, and Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. There's a lot to like with all three tablets. They have high-quality 120Hz displays, the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, big batteries, and expandable storage. Making all of this better is an included S Pen. No matter which version of the Galaxy Tab S8 you buy, Samsung's latest tablet also comes with a free S Pen in the box.
What You Should Know About The Tab S8's S Pen
Considering the Tab S7 and Tab S7+ also shipped with an S Pen, it's no surprise that the Tab S8 keeps the trend going. What is exciting, though, is how Samsung made the S Pen better. For the Tab S7 and S7+, the included S Pen featured a latency of 9ms. That means it's not quite as natural as writing with a physical pen and paper, but it's good enough for casual writing and drawing.
No matter which model of the Tab S8 you buy, the latency is reduced pretty dramatically. For the regular Galaxy Tab S8, its S Pen shortens the latency to 6.2ms. If shoppers splurge for the Tab S8+ or Tab S8 Ultra, they get an S Pen with a mere 2.8ms latency — the same performance you get with the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Samsung (rightfully) touts this as the "fastest S Pen yet" and says it allows users to "write, draw, and doodle with near-zero latency." Casual S Pen users may not notice any difference, but anyone using the Tab S8 for professional drawing should benefit greatly.
There are a few other things Tab S8 users should know about the S Pen. Just like the Tab S7, the Tab S8's S Pen magnetically attaches to the back of the tablet when it's not in use. Not only does it keep the S Pen out of the way when it isn't needed, but it also allows it to recharge in between drawing sessions. And, finally, anyone with a Galaxy S22 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S8 can use the two together. So long as both devices have the same Samsung account and are near each other, you can have your drawing tools present on the S22 Ultra while keeping the Samsung Tab S8 reserved as a distraction-free canvas.
Source: Samsung