Tablet sales are on the rise and there’s never been a better time to buy one
Beyond the alphabet
Beyond the Alphabet is a weekly column focusing on the tech world, both within and beyond the borders of Mountain View.
Ever since the original iPad was released, I’ve been intrigued and enthralled by the idea of having a piece of glass and metal at my disposal. In most cases, I prefer tablets that are smaller than my laptop, but larger than the phone I have with me that day.
Before the days of foldable phones, this distinction was much easier and that’s probably why I still love the Nexus 7. It just served a completely different purpose and one that couldn’t be achieved by my phone or laptop. Unfortunately, we have seen a downward trend in device sales across multiple product categories in recent years. However, tablets have just experienced a surge that could prove that the category is still alive and kicking.
Just before attending the press event of the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and Ultra, a new report from the International Data Corporation (IDC) was released. In this report, the IDC shares that “the tablet market is expected to grow 7.2% year over year.” While that may not seem like a big jump, it actually surpasses PCs, which are expected to grow 4.3% year over year through 2025.
Since there haven’t been many innovations in the tablet space, I tried to figure out why tablets are seeing a resurgence. There are a number of different possible explanations for why this is the case, but first let’s look at why tablet sales suffered in the first place.
The obvious explanation for the downward trend was the end of lockdown in 2021, but it has now been three years. In that time, no groundbreaking devices have actually been launched outside of the foldable phone world, which makes the recent surge all the more surprising. After all, tablets remain slabs of glass and plastic or metal, all with different software experiences.
Undoubtedly, Amazon and Google have pushed the boundaries a bit further, expanding the capabilities of your tablets by turning them into smart home screens. Meanwhile, Samsung has largely kept things ‘business as normal’, while Apple still hasn’t figured out how to implement proper multi-tasking on the extremely overwhelmed iPad Pro lineup.
Despite this stagnation, why are tablets on the rise? The first idea that came to mind is that it’s probably been at least two or three years since people last bought a tablet. That’s a pretty decent upgrade period, which is somewhat in line with purchasing a new smartphone.
Another factor here is that Android has matured quite a bit during that period. Not to mention that we didn’t start seeing the promise of longer software updates for devices until 2022. Samsung now offers seven years of updates, surpassing the Pixel Tablet’s three years of major OS upgrades and five years of security patches.
The other idea has more to do with the way I look at tablets, as they can function as an extension of my phone or computer, or on their own. Leaning again on Samsung, both the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and S10 Ultra can be used as standalone computing devices, even if you don’t take advantage of what Samsung DeX has to offer.
These essentially turned into Android versions of the Microsoft Surface Pro; detachable keyboards and all. While I’m less of a fan of iPadOS now than I used to be, it’s certainly possible to be productive even with a little less flexibility than what the best Android tablets have to offer.
This doesn’t really take Amazon into account, as most Fire Tablets are so cheap that they’re more stocking stuffers than anything else. At least that’s the idea behind the Fire 7 and Fire HD 8, while the Fire Max 11 is the company’s only non-Kindle premium tablet.
In the meantime, this is possible with a Galaxy Tab S10 Plus or Ultra almost no limit to what can be achieved. Here are the different combinations I could think of:
- Use the tablet as a tablet, without messing around with “pro” features.
- With the mobile model, you can take the Tab S10 Plus anywhere and get your work done.
- Use Samsung DeX and enjoy a more desktop-like experience, including the ability to connect to an external display.
- If you own a Galaxy phone, tablet, and laptop, Multi Control lets you use one keyboard and mouse to interact with your devices.
- Second Screen turns the Galaxy Tab into an external display for any Windows computer.
- With the included S Pen, the Galaxy Tab can transform into a drawing tablet or digital notebook.
I’m sure if I thought about it more, I could think of even more things you can do with a flagship Galaxy Tab. But I think you get the idea.
However, I also wondered why Samsung would choose to drop the smaller 11-inch model from its flagship tablet series. If you notice, there is no base Galaxy Tab S10, only the Plus and Ultra. Last year, the base Galaxy Tab S9 finally got an OLED screen, while offering decent battery life and top performance.
It was something I really couldn’t figure out until I looked at the other Galaxy Tabs currently available. I’m not sure if Samsung will keep the Galaxy Tab S9 series, but at the time of writing all three models can still be purchased.
The Galaxy Tab S9 FE Plus and its 12.4-inch screen move further down Samsung’s price range, costing $599, while the 10.9-inch Tab S9 FE costs $449. The Galaxy Tab A9 Plus rounds out the package with an 11-inch screen and a price tag of $319.
Granted, there’s a pretty big gap considering the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus starts at $999. What I suspect is that the Galaxy Tab S9 will remain in the lineup and provide an option to those who want the best performance in a smaller form factor. But if you want the latest and greatest, then you’re probably fine with paying more and getting bigger screens.
While I’ve mostly focused on Samsung tablets, the reality is that there are certainly more options to choose from that aren’t just crappy. The OnePlus Pad 2 was the first Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 tablet, while the rather interesting RedMagic Nova Gaming Tablet will hit the market in mid-October.
Lenovo has its own huge range of tablets to choose from, ranging from the Tab M8 at $99 all the way up to the Tab Extreme at $1,099. Currently there are nine different Lenovo tablets to choose from, available in different sizes and in different price ranges.
This is to say that the reason there is a resurgence in tablet sales may have to do with the sheer number of solid options available. If you want to be productive, there is the iPad Pro, Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra or Lenovo Tab Extreme. Need something on a budget but not at the bottom of a barrel? Well, you have an almost endless stream of options.
Amazon manages to cover some of its own categories, like turning a Fire Tab into an Alexa smart display. While I’m hoping for a refresh, you can make the Pixel Tablet do double duty as a smart home hub or use a regular Google Tablet if you forego the dock.
Regardless of the actual reason, if there is one, I’m glad to see tablets getting a bit of a spotlight, especially when other device categories start to grow more slowly.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra
Everything and the kitchen sink
If you want a tablet that can do almost everything you can think of, and then some, then the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is for you. The only exception is that there is no mobile model available, which is reserved for the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus.
