Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Plus: price, specs

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S12+ on September 30, 2026, refreshing its flagship Android tablet line with a MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chip, longer claimed battery life, and higher starting prices. Both models go on sale October 7 in select markets, in Grey and Silver, with an S Pen in the box. US prices start at $1,199 for the Tab S12+ and $1,399 for the Ultra (checked September 30, 2026).

Price and sale date

According to SamMobile's pricing report on launch day, the Galaxy Tab S12+ starts at $1,199 in the United States, £1,199 in the United Kingdom, and €1,329 in Europe for the base 12GB + 256GB configuration. The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra starts at $1,399 / £1,399 / €1,569. Android Central and Pocket-Lint rounded the US figures to about $1,200 and $1,400; the SamMobile dollar amounts match Samsung's usual $x99 launch style. Both tablets ship in Grey and Silver.

Samsung's Canadian newsroom says the series is available starting October 7 in select markets. SamMobile adds that major markets get that date, with some regions staggered afterward. Ultra configurations listed by Samsung include 12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB, and 16GB + 1TB; the Plus is listed at 12GB with 256GB or 512GB. Both support microSD cards up to 2TB. Wi-Fi and 5G variants are part of the lineup; exact SKU availability varies by country.

Those starting prices are higher than the last generation's launch tags. The Verge notes the Ultra is about $200 above the Tab S11 Ultra's original launch price, and the Plus is about $200 above the older Tab S10 Plus. Coverage across Pocket-Lint and Android Central ties the hike to the ongoing memory-cost crunch that has already pushed up phone and PC pricing this year.

Specs: Dimensity 9500, big OLEDs, long batteries

Both tablets run MediaTek's Dimensity 9500 on a 3nm process — a step up from the Dimensity 9400+ in last year's Tab S11 Ultra and two generations ahead of the Dimensity 9300+ in the Tab S10 Plus. Samsung says the new chip is up to 61% faster on the NPU, 19% faster on the CPU, and 17% faster on the GPU versus the Tab S11 Ultra. A new 3D vapour chamber is meant to keep that performance steadier during long creative sessions.

Displays stay in familiar territory with a jump on the Plus. The Ultra keeps a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel at 2960 × 1848 and 120Hz. The Plus moves to a 12.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X at 2800 × 1752 and 120Hz — slightly larger than the old 12.4-inch Tab S10 Plus. Both peak at 1,600 nits, and Samsung says Vision Booster now adjusts brightness in real time. The Ultra measures 5.1mm thick (Samsung calls it its thinnest Galaxy Tab); the Plus is 5.3mm. Wi-Fi Ultra weight is listed at 692g; Wi-Fi Plus at 553g.

Battery claims are aggressive: up to 23 hours of video playback on the Ultra's 11,600mAh cell and up to 21 hours on the Plus's 10,600mAh cell, per Samsung's lab footnotes. Both support 45W wired charging (adapter sold separately), with Samsung quoting about 95 minutes for a 0–100% fill with the 45W brick. IP68 dust and water resistance covers the tablets and the included S Pen. Connectivity includes Bluetooth 6.0 on both; the Ultra lists Wi-Fi 7, while the Plus lists Wi-Fi 6E in Samsung's published table. Fingerprint sensors sit under the display this year.

Software: One UI 9, Galaxy AI, Photoshop on Android

The Tab S12 series ships with Android 17 and One UI 9, plus Samsung's latest Galaxy AI tools. Multi Window can split the screen into up to three apps — useful on the Ultra's 14.6-inch canvas for notes, video, and an AI assistant at once. Samsung promises up to seven generations of OS upgrades and security updates.

The software pitch leans hard into creation and study. Adobe Photoshop for tablets debuts on Android here and is a Galaxy Store exclusive for six months, with a tablet-optimized interface, S Pen support, and Adobe Firefly generative tools. Samsung also bundles or trials apps including Notability, Goodnotes, LumaFusion, Notion, and Clip Studio Paint, and quotes about $397.70 USD in trial and discount value (availability varies by country). A six-month Google AI Pro trial is part of the package in markets where Samsung offers it.

What actually changed vs last year

The Verge's launch write-up is blunt: the Tab S12+ is the meaningful hardware jump because Samsung skipped a Plus refresh last cycle, while the Ultra is mostly a chip and speaker update on last year's thin design. There is no regular (non-Plus) Tab S12 this year — smaller-tablet buyers wait for 2027. Ultra owners who bought an S11 Ultra mainly get Dimensity 9500, four-channel spatial audio (double the previous channel count, per Samsung), Bluetooth 6.0, and the software stack, at a higher sticker.

Camera hardware stays modest for tablets: Ultra has a 13MP main + 8MP ultrawide rear pair and a 12MP ultrawide front camera in a small landscape notch; Plus has a 13MP rear and 12MP ultrawide front with the camera in the bezel. Quad speakers with four-channel spatial audio land on both.

Who should buy which — and who should wait

Buy the Tab S12+ if you want the bigger generational leap: newer chip versus a two-year-old Plus, a slightly larger 12.6-inch OLED, and a lighter chassis for travel. Buy the Ultra if you need the 14.6-inch canvas, max RAM/storage options, Wi-Fi 7, and the dual rear cameras — and you accept paying for a thinner refresh of last year's design.

Wait if you still like your Tab S11 Ultra day to day, or if you are shopping iPad Pro instead and want to see street prices after the October 7 launch week. Memory-driven MSRPs mean early deals may matter more than usual. Keyboard covers (Pro Keyboard Book Cover and Book Cover Keyboard Slim) are sold separately; Samsung is also pitching Frame Cover accessories for the Ultra.

For Android tablet shoppers who want Galaxy AI, seven years of updates, microSD expansion, and a bundled S Pen, the Tab S12 series is the clearest Samsung answer until the next Unpacked cycle. Just go in knowing the Plus carries more of the hardware story — and both models cost more than their predecessors did at launch.