Along with the Galaxy S22 series of smartphones, Samsung has also announced its latest flagship tablet lineup — the Galaxy Tab S8, Galaxy Tab S8 Plus, and Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. Over the years, Apple’s iPad has maintained its dominance in the flagship tablets category. If there’s one brand that has been competing with Apple in this space, it’s Samsung. The flagship ‘S’ series of tablets has always stood for a premium experience right from performance to display. The Galaxy Tab S8 series is no different. If you’re planning to buy any of the three flagship tablets in the Galaxy Tab S8 series for yourself, here are some of the best deals to take advantage of. The tablets are quite expensive, so a nice deal is always welcome!
In fact, you can invest your savings towards some nice cases for your brand new device. You can take a look at the best Galaxy Tab S8 cases, Galaxy Tab S8 Plus cases, and Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra cases to change the look of your tablet while protecting it from scratches and dents. That being said, here are some of the best Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series deals. The tablets have been announced on 9th February and were available to pre-order until 24th February 2022. They went on sale in the US starting from 25th February.
Best Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Series Deals
There are several online retailers you can get the Galaxy Tab S8 series from with varying offers and discounts. From the three tablets, the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus is the only tablet that comes with 5G connectivity in the US, which makes it the only version that can be bought with a carrier subscription.
Samsung Store
Given that these are Samsung tablets, the brand’s online store is the first place from where you can get your hands on the new Galaxy Tab S8 series of devices. Samsung is also providing the best launch deals on top of the $700 launch price for the Galaxy Tab S8, $900 for the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus, and $1,100 for the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. Samsung is offering enhanced trade-in of up to $450 on the tablets, alongside 3 months of free Spotify Premium, as well as varying amounts of Samsung Store credits ($50 on the regular Tab S8, $75 on the Tab S8 Plus, and $100 on the Tab S8 Ultra) which you can later spent on other stuff on the store. If you’re planning to pick up a Galaxy S22 series too, you can actually get a 25% discount on your Tab S8 series purchase too.
Amazon is the retailer of choice for a lot of people since it’s both reputed and reliable. You can buy the Galaxy Tab S8 series via Amazon. The prices are the same on the platform — $700 for the Galaxy Tab S8, $900 for the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus, and $1,100 for the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. Amazon is also matching the store credits that Samsung is offering, but for its own platform, which makes sense if you heavily rely on Amazon for your purchases.
If Best Buy is the retailer you prefer, you can buy the Galaxy Tab S8 series for the same starting prices — $700 for the Galaxy Tab S8, $900 for the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus, and $1,100 for the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. You also get the added advantage of store pickup. Further, just like Amazon and Samsung, Best Buy is also offering the relevant value gift cards for its own platform that can be used for future purchases.
Of the three tablets in the Galaxy Tab S8 series, the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus is the only version that has cellular support in the USA. So, if you wish to use 5G on your tablet when you’re not connected to a Wi-Fi network, you have no choice but to opt for the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus. Here are all the carrier deals for the device.
You can get the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus from Verizon for $30.55 a month along with an additional $130 off when you buy it with a Galaxy S22 series device. You can also trade-in select tablets for extra $180 off.
These are some of the best Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series pre-order deals if you plan on purchasing the tablet right now. Apart from these individual offers, buyers will get four months of free YouTube Premium subscription (new accounts only) along with any of the three Galaxy Tab S8 series devices.
As the tab is still new and has surpassed Samsung’s demand expectations, you will find that the devices are available only at select outlets and retailers. Currently, the Samsung Store seems to be the best option if you want to purchase any of the three devices in the Galaxy Tab S8 series, although the platform-specific gift cards may make you gravitate towards the sales platform of your choice. We will add more retailers and carriers as and when the tablets become more widely available.
Buying a new phone charger used to be something most of us didn’t expect to do, since we all got a charger in the box when we bought the phone. Now that premium phones are starting to ship without a charging brick, it’s more of a necessity for many of us. That’s also the case with the Samsung Galaxy S22, but we’re here to help. We’ve rounded up the best wired chargers you can buy for the Galaxy S22 family. If you want to charge wirelessly, we’ve also rounded up the best wireless chargers for the Galaxy S22 series in a separate article.
Before buying a charger, you should know the maximum power input that your phone supports. The standard Samsung Galaxy S22 supports up to 25W fast charging, while the Galaxy S22 Plus and Galaxy S22 Ultra support up to 45W charging. On the face of it, 45W charging seems logically faster than 25W charging. But we’ve noticed some oddities in our Galaxy S22 Plus review, wherein the 45W fast charging not only failed to offer quicker charging, but it was also actually slower than the 25W charger. So at least on the Galaxy S22 Plus and Galaxy S22 Ultra, you’d get no tangible benefit opting for a 45W charger. However, it may be well worth it to future-proof yourself for your other devices. Buying a more powerful charger than your phone needs isn’t a problem, and it can actually help you be ready for the future when you eventually switch phones again. But you can save some money with a lower-power charger, so it’s up to your needs.
Best 25W chargers for the Samsung Galaxy S22
Starting with the standard Galaxy S22, we have a handful of chargers that support 25W charging. And based on our testing, 25W charging is better than 45W for the Galaxy S22 Plus and Galaxy S22 Ultra too. Here are our recommendations:
If you want the official charger straight from Samsung, this is it. It can deliver up to 25W of power to the Galaxy S22 and it comes in black or white options.
This Anker charger supports 25W charging with PD and PPS support, plus Anker's PowerIQ technology. The prongs can also fold to be extra compact for travelling.
The Belkin 25W USB-C charger is a fairly stanndard charging brick with 25W of power delivery and PPS support for the Galaxy S22. It has a clean look and it's cheaper than Samsung's charger.
Ideal for travel, this compact Spigen charger supports up to 25W charging with PPS support for Samsung's Galaxy S22 series. It's super small so you can easily fit it anywhere.
If a compact charger is your top priority, then the Anker Nano II 30W is another great option. It's even smaller than the Spigen ArcStation, and it can provide just as much power to your Galaxy S22.
If you need a pair of chargers, this set of two might just do the trick. The chargers deliver 25W of power to the Galaxy S22 and they should work with just about any smartphone with the right cable.
Best 45W chargers for the Galaxy S22 Plus and Galaxy S22 Ultra
If you bought the more expensive Samsung Galaxy S22 models, whether that’s the Galaxy S22 Plus or Galaxy S22 Ultra, you might want to get a 45W charger instead. However keep in mind that you may not get any tangible benefit, but if you’re making a purchase, you as well future-proof yourself for your other devices.
Once again, you can't go wrong with the official Samsung charger. This model offers 45W charging for the Galaxy S22 Plus and S22 Ultra, and it still comes in your choice of black or white colors.
Spigen makes some great phone chargers, and the ArcStation Pro icomes with 45W of power delivery in a relatively compact design. Plus, a cable is included in case you don't have yours anymore.
Packing a lot of power in a compact package, this Anker charger can deliver 45W of power to your Galaxy S22 Plus or S22 Ultra, but it can go up to 65W for devices like laptops. Despite that, it's very compact.
This sleek Nekteck charger can provide up to 45W of power to the Galaxy S22 Plus and S22 Ultra, and it comes with PPS support, too. The cable is built-in so you can't lose it easily.
Have multiple devices to charge? This Hyphen-X charger has four ports and up to 100W of power. It supports PPS, so it can deliver 45W to the Galaxy S22 Plus and S22 Ultra through the USB-C ports. The prongs are foldable, too.
If you need to kee your phone powered up during a trip, the Baseus charger can deliver up to 45W of power to the Galaxy S22 Plus and S22 Ultra, or up to 65W for supported devices. It even has two charging ports.
And those are some of the best chargers for the Samsung Galaxy S22 series, including the regular model, the Galaxy S22 Plus, and the Galaxy S22 Ultra. If you’re looking for other accessories for your shiny new smartphone, we also have lists of the best cases for the Galaxy S22 family, as well as the best screen protectors.
If you haven’t made a decision on which phone to buy yet, check out our Galaxy S22 Ultra hands-on if you want the top-tier model. And if you’re ready to buy one, you can use the links below or check out our roundup of the best deals on the Galaxy S22 series.
Chinese sub-brands pump out a lot of phones. And while they may offer great value, they are almost certainly inferior to the parent brand’s devices around the same release cycle. No matter how much Redmi or Realme’s marketing flex their specs, we know there’s almost no chance the phones are actually better than a recent Xiaomi or OPPO device. The word sub is, after all, short for subsidiary, which literally means “of less importance.”
iQOO 9 Pro may be the first sub-brand release to come close to outshining its parent brand flagship. Launching in India today after a release in mainland China last month, the iQOO 9 Pro is one of the first phones anywhere to use Samsung’s GN5 image sensor, and one of the first internationally released device to use Qualcomm’s 3D Sonic Max fingerprint scanner — neither of these components can be found in any Vivo device yet. And iQOO 9 Pro even managed to do what Vivo’s excellent X70 Pro Plus couldn’t do: fit its main camera into Vivo’s proprietary gimbal system. The result? Some of the best video stabilization I’ve ever tested. In fact, the only thing missing here is a great zoom lens, otherwise, every spec, every component here is tip-top, premium flagship territory.
The iQOO 9 series will go on sale in India starting March 2nd, with pre-orders beginning February 23rd. The prices are:
iQOO Pro:
₹64,990 for 8GB RAM + 128GB storage
₹69,990 for 12GB RAM + 256GB storage
iQOO 9:
₹42,990 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB model
₹46,990 for the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage
There are a bunch of launch offers related to specific banks, which will further bring the pricing down.
iQOO 9 and iQOO 9 Pro: Specifications
Specification
iQOO 9
iQOO 9 Pro
Build
Metallic frame
Glass back
Metallic frame
Glass back
Dimensions & Weight
164.5 x 76.7 x 8.4 mm
206g
164.8 x 75.2 x 8.8 or 9.2 mm
204/210g
Display
6.78-inch Full HD+ AMOLED
1080 x 2400 pixels
HDR10
120Hz refresh rate
1,500 nits peak brightness
6.78-inch QHD+ AMOLED
1440 x 3200 pixels
HDR10
120Hz LTPO panel
1,500 nits peak brightness
SoC
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
Adreno 730 GPU
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
Adreno 730 GPU
RAM & Storage
8/12GB RAM
128/256/512GB storage
8/12GB RAM
128/256/512GB storage
Battery & Charging
4,700mAh
120W fast charging
4,700mAh
120W fast charging
Security
In-display fingerprint scanner
In-display fingerprint scanner
Rear Camera(s)
Primary: 50MP, f/1.8, OIS
Secondary: 12MP, f/2.0, 2X telephoto
Tertiary: 13MP, f/2.2, ultra-wide
Primary: 50MP, f/1.8, OIS
Secondary: 16MP, f/2.2, 2.5X telephoto
Tertiary: 50MP, f/2.3, ultra-wide
Front Camera(s)
16MP. f/2.5
16MP. f/2.5
Port(s)
USB-C
USB-C
Audio
Stereo speakers
Stereo speakers
Connectivity
Wi-Fi 6 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax
Bluetooth 5.2
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS
Wi-Fi 6 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax
Bluetooth 5.2
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS
Software
OriginOS
Android 12
OriginOS
Android 12
Colors
Black, Orange, White with BMW stripes
Orange, White with BMW stripes
About this hands-on: Vivo provided a review unit of the iQOO 9 Pro BMW M edition. Vivo did not have any input in this review.
iQOO 9 Pro: Design and Hardware
The iQOO 9 Pro is yet another curvy Android glass slab phone, with a glass front and back that curve to meet an aluminum frame in the middle. The 6.78-inch OLED display is an LTPO 2.0 panel, meaning refresh rate can drop to as low as 1Hz and as high as 120Hz; it can display 10-bit color, get to a maximum brightness of 1500 nits, and has a resolution of 3200 x 1400 — in other words, it’s about as good as an OLED panel can get right now.
The curvature on the screen is more dramatic than in recent Samsung flagships or the Pixel 6 Pro, resulting in a narrower frame that feels a bit pointy in the palm. The aluminum chassis has a flat top and bottom — the phone can stand upright on its own.
Flip the phone around and it’ll look familiar to those who’ve seen the Vivo X70 Pro series — there’s a large camera island that spans almost the width of the phone despite the cameras being located on just the left side, leaving a right side that’s entirely for decoration.
The glass plate appears to be just standard glass and not Gorilla Glass, and it features the tri-colored stripe that has been used in previous iQOO devices. The white part of the glass is matte and cool to the touch, while the striped part has a different texture that’s more grippy and slightly raised.
Under the hood the iQOO 9 Pro packs a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with either 8 or 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage, along with a 4,700 mAh battery that can be topped up at 120W speeds — the charging brick is in the box. From my testing, the iQOO 9 Pro charged from 0% to 100% in about 23 minutes. In another test, it charged from 15% to 63% in 10 minutes. So in effect, you’d need just a few minutes of charging to get going for a fair few hours, and probably even half a day.
The fastest ultrasonic fingerprint reader I’ve tested
In the smartphone space, there are two major suppliers of in-display fingerprint scanners pushing two different technology: Shenzhen-based Goodix and American silicon maker Qualcomm (there are other suppliers, like whoever made the mediocre scanner in the Pixel 6 series, but the majority of phones use either Goodix or Qualcomm). Goodix’s technology uses an optical solution, which shines a light in between pixels to scan our digits. Qualcomm’s version, as the name implies, uses soundwaves and works more like sonar.
Qualcomm’s solution is supposedly more secure (because soundwaves can map a finger in 3D form while light cannot), but there was no denying that Goodix’s scanners were faster and more likely to unlock on the first try. This remained true until last August when Qualcomm announced its 3D Sonic Max solution, which has a significantly larger scanning area than Qualcomm’s previous 3D Sonic solution (without the Max).
For reasons not made public (perhaps cost?), not many phones have adopted Qualcomm’s 3D Sonic Max solution — not even the Galaxy S22 series, which uses Qualcomm’s Sonic sensor (without the Max). Last year’s iQOO 8 Pro became the first phone in the world to use this solution, and now the iQOO 9 Pro brings this solution to an international audience — and it’s awesome.
Registering my fingerprint took just half a second
When I first set up the iQOO 9 Pro, I was stunned to see that registering my fingerprint took half a second — just one tap, and it was ready. I had been so accustomed to the fingerprint setup process which usually takes anywhere from 6-10 seconds, requiring up to a dozen taps, that I thought the iQOO 9 Pro must have made a mistake. But nope, once I made it through the setup to the homescreen, I tried to unlock the phone and my digit worked. This is the first scanner in which I don’t have to hold my thumb in place for a beat — even if I tap the screen and immediately pull away, it’s enough to unlock.
Further, while most of us have become used to placing our thumbs at a very exact spot on the display of our phones, the iQOO 9 Pro has a bigger recognition area. In the gif above, the circle is representative of the size, although I have had success even when half my thumb was out of the circle, indicating that the recognition area is even larger. So not only do you get an insanely quick unlock, you need fewer attempts to get it right too, since you have a larger sensor area and no longer need to play darts with your thumb on the scanner. Touch and unlock. In fact, after using this, I find the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s fingerprint scanner now slower and harder to find, so the iQOO 9 Pro certainly has me spoiled.
iQOO 9 Pro: Cameras
The iQOO 9 Pro packs a triple camera system, consisting of a 50MP main camera, 50MP ultra-wide, and a 16MP 2.5x telephoto lens. The main camera is the aforementioned Samsung GN5 sensor, which boasts a fast f/1.75 aperture and decently large 1/1.57-inch image sensor size. On top of this, this lens is built on Vivo’s gimbal system. I’ve tested Vivo’s gimbal system plenty, and while it’s not as game-changing as the name would imply, it does help offset micro-jitters and z-axis shakes.
The iQOO 9 Pro has perhaps the best stabilization in any phone I've tested
In the Vivo X60 Pro Plus and X70 Pro Plus, the gimbal system was used to support the ultra-wide lens, because the 50MP GN1 sensor was too heavy to use the gimbal. Either the GN5 sensor is lighter or Vivo improved its gimbal payload because the iQOO 9 Pro’s gimbal supports the main camera instead of the ultra-wide, which makes more sense, because the main camera is always superior, and the wider lens does not need as much stabilization.
The result? Perhaps the best stabilization in any phone I’ve tested. Don’t take my word for it, look at the video samples below — the first 20 seconds is of me walking up and down stairs while holding the iQOO 9 Pro with one hand; the rest of the clip contains night and day walking samples. All footage was shot with the main camera.
For still photos, the iQOO 9 Pro’s main camera seems to be as good as the Vivo X70 Pro Plus’ — which is saying a lot, because I think the latter is still the reigning smartphone camera champion.
I included the Galaxy Z Fold 3 in this comparison to show the difference between excellent, tip-top cameras and a merely “good” camera. The Galaxy Z Fold 3’s shot, once you examine, is inferior: notice the visible noise in the upper right corner of the image, the lights are slightly blown out, and if you zoom in to actual size, is a much softer image.
And that was a relatively easy shot. Move to a challenging scene — in a dark room with some bright lights coming through from the monitor and moderate light from windows, and this is where iQOO 9 Pro and Vivo X70 Pro Plus’ camera prowess shines.
So yes, the iQOO 9 Pro’s main camera keeps up very well with the Vivo X70 Pro Plus. Here are more samples from the iQOO 9 Pro’s main shooter.
The ultra-wide sensor here is a 50MP JN1 sensor, which seems to be the ultra-wide sensor du jour at the moment at BBK Electronics, as it’s the same sensor used in the OnePlus 10 Pro and the Realme GT 2 Pro. This sensor is notable for having a really wide 150-degree field-of-view, so it’s almost like a fisheye lens. While OnePlus hides the 150-degree option deeper in the camera app, iQOO’s camera app offers that FoV directly in the camera app, along with a more traditional ultra-wide “0.6x” framing.
I’m not sure why the 150-degree FoV is needed, as fisheye distortion is so bad the photo look odd. I think, 99 times out of 100, I’d rather just shoot with the digitally cropped in 0.6x framing.
The zoom lens, at just 2.5x optical, is fine, but I would have preferred a Periscope zoom lens that can at least give me 5x optical.
The 2.5x zoom lens is an ideal focal length for portraits, however.
The 16MP selfie camera gets the job done, but as usual, there’s a heavy layer of beauty filters. I wish my skin actually looked this smooth and blemish-free in real life.
iQOO 9 Pro: Software and Performance
iQOO 9 Pro runs FunTouch OS 12 over Android 12. Other than the camera app interface and an “Ultra Game Mode,” the phone behaves like any other Vivo phone I’ve tested recently. FunTouchOS is much improved over years past and not a bad software skin at all — animations here are particularly smooth — but I still rank it below Samsung’s One UI, Xiaomi’s MIUI, and my personal favorite, OPPO’s ColorOS. Reasons range from lack of polish (there’s still the occasional Chinese text or oddly translated English phrases that pop up despite the fact this is an international ROM meant for release in India and Europe), and the software does not allow apps to be opened in floating window mode — the only multi-tasking option is split-screen.
Ultra Game mode is a slide-over menu that’s activated with a swipe from the sides during gaming. The menu offers controls like turning off notifications, grabbing screenshots, or pushing the iQOO 9 Pro into “Monster” mode which essentially turns off most background processes so the phone can dedicate all its resources to running the game.
Over my week of use, I encountered no issues with the device. The only area that leaves me wanting is battery life — because I run the phone at its full resolution and I’m a heavy user, I find the battery can only barely squeak by a full 12-, 13-hour day for me. However, the 120W charging brick can top up the phone so fast it’s a non-issue.
iQOO 9 Pro: Conclusion
The iQOO 9 Pro is the rare phone from a sub-brand to outshine devices from the parent brand
The iQOO 9 Pro’s ₹64,990 price tag (which converts to $870) seems reasonable, considering this is a device with top-tier components almost everywhere except in the ultra-wide and zoom lenses. The main camera is among one of the best in the market, with some of the best video capabilities around too. While I think the Vivo X70 Pro Plus still has a better all-around camera system, the iQOO 9 Pro has a better in-display scanner, superior LTPO panel, larger battery, and faster charging too.
