iPad rival Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is reportedly on the horizon — here's when it may launch

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The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus lost against the Apple iPad Pro in our face-off, but with the Galaxy Tab S8 reportedly on the horizon, Samsung may have a chance to knock the Cupertino-based tech giant off its tablet throne.

Popular and reliable Twitter leaker @UniverseIce spilled the beans about Samsung's alleged plans to release the next-generation Galaxy Tab S tablet alongside the Galaxy S22. If Samsung's roadmap follows this year's S21 release, the Galaxy Tab S8 may be introduced to the masses in January.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is coming

In early July, Korean news outlet Sam Mobile, citing a rumor blog, spilled information about the release date of the Galaxy Tab S8, revealing that the Samsung tablet could arrive in 2022. A new tip from reliable leaker Ice Universe matches this prediction, except that they hint that the Galaxy Tab S8 is arriving a lot earlier than expected.

"Tab S8 + will be released with S22," the Twitter tipster said. As mentioned, the Galaxy S21 series was unveiled this past January. If the S22 launch mimics its predecessor, we may see the new Galaxy Tab S8 in just a few months.

Tab S8 + will be released with S22. SM8450, One UI 4.0，10090mAh battery. But this is not the best. There is “Ultra”. I won't say it first. Let's wait and see.July 27, 2021

Ice Universe also mentioned there will be a third addition to the Galaxy Tab S8 family: an Ultra tablet. This corroborates the leak that Sam Mobile shed light on, which speculated that Samsung planned on adding an Ultra tablet (in addition to the entry-level and Plus models).

Tab S8+ SM-X806x 10090mAhTab S8 Ultra SM-X906x 11500mAhJuly 27, 2021

The Twitter tipster said the Galaxy Tab Plus will pack a 10090mAh battery (just like its predecessor) while the Ultra variant will sport a 11500mAh battery. Perhaps the Ultra model may be what Samsung needs to take down the Apple iPad Pro once and for all.

As always, take these rumors with a grain of salt. We won't know for sure whether all this scuttlebutt about the Galaxy Tab S8 is true until Samsung makes an official announcement.

Kimberly Gedeon, holding a Master's degree in International Journalism, launched her career as a journalist for MadameNoire's business beat in 2013. She loved translating stuffy stories about the economy, personal finance and investing into digestible, easy-to-understand, entertaining stories for young women of color. During her time on the business beat, she discovered her passion for tech as she dove into articles about tech entrepreneurship, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the latest tablets. After eight years of freelancing, dabbling in a myriad of beats, she's finally found a home at Laptop Mag that accepts her as the crypto-addicted, virtual reality-loving, investing-focused, tech-fascinated nerd she is. Woot!