London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Nov 06, 2026

No iPad Screen Can Compare to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+

No iPad Screen Can Compare to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+

The Galaxy Tab S7 may not have immediately stood out among Samsung’s avalanche of new products announced during last week’s Galaxy Unpacked event, but after getting the chance to actually spend some time with a Galaxy Tab S7+ and use it some more, it’s quickly becoming a contender for Samsung’s most improved new gadget thanks in large to its incredible display.

Unlike the standard Tab S7, the Tab S7+ features a larger 12.4-inch screen that uses an AMOLED panel instead of an LCD, and the results are stunning. Not only does the Tab S7+’s screen offer those rich, saturated colors and strong brightness you expect from a top-notch OLED display, for 2020, Samsung has also bumped up its specs to support a 120Hz refresh rate and significantly lower touch latency that stands at just 9ms, down massively from the 40ms latency on last year’s Tab S6. This puts the Galaxy Tab S7+ on the same level as Apple’s flagship 12.9-inch iPad Pro, except that the Tab S7+ produces even more vivid colors and starts at $150 less ($850 versus $1,000).



Photo: Sam Rutherford/Gizmodo


In a world where people are surrounded by screens, it’s easy to forget how important it can be to have that one spectacularly gorgeous display. The Tab S7+’s screen isn’t just what you look at, it’s also the main way you interface with the device (even on a hybrid device that can be paired with a keyboard), so if you’ll allow me to make a car analogy, that means the Tab S7+’s screen is equivalent to both a car’s windshield, its steering wheel, and even its tires. It’s nearly everything that isn’t the processor or other guts like RAM and storage, and it’s a huge reason why the Tab S7+ feels like such a major step up compared to Samsung’s two previous slates.

Those incredible colors just beg you to pick up the tablet, and do something, anything that makes those pixels moves and utilizes that 120Hz refresh rate because it’s so damn satisfying. Even doing something like scrolling through your Twitter feed is entrancing because of how smooth it looks, regardless of how much good or bad stuff is actually getting posted at the moment.

And when you pull out the Tab S7+’s stylus, things get even better, because that upgraded refresh rate combined with lower input latency means notes and drawings are even more precise, while the motion of dragging the S Pen across the screen manages to look even more fluid. At home, while I was testing out the Tab S7+, my wife even stopped in her tracks (something she rarely ever does regardless of how fancy the tech is) as I was testing out Samsung’s Screen Write feature, before noting that even my awful chicken scratch looked so sharp and smooth she thought it was part of the background, and not something that I could produce. It really was just the screen doing its thing.



Photo: Sam Rutherford/Gizmodo



The Tab S7+’s display is one of those features that you start looking for excuses to use. Honestly, after getting to use it, it’s kind of shame took Samsung this long to make a screen like this, because as the world’s leading producer of high quality mobile displays, this is the kind of thing Samsung should be using to lord over its completion. Well as much as it can, because since Samsung’s Android tablet is the first of its kind with a 120Hz AMOLED screen, the Tab S7+ doesn’t really have a comparable rival without looking at devices on other platforms like the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 7.

Now I will admit that there is a downside to having a screen this good, which is something I ran into most often when playing mobile games. The problem is that a lot of Android games like Riot’s Teamfight Tactics are designed to run on significantly less powerful hardware, so in order to accommodate for a wide range of devices, Riot resorts to using lower-res graphics and optimizations to make sure things run smooth on even lower performance machines. Normally, on a phone or something with a smaller screen, this isn’t something you’d really notice, but on a screen with a 2736 x 1824 resolution and image quality this good, you quickly start noticing where some textures and spell effects just don’t look quite as good as they should, or least as good as they do on desktop.



Photo: Sam Rutherford/Gizmodo



Thankfully, Samsung has a solution to that because by partnering up again with Microsoft, using the Windows 10 Your Phone app, you should be able to mirror your PC’s display onto the Tab S7 to get the full desktop experience. Unfortunately, that functionality isn’t available quite yet, but it’s something I’m looking forward to testing our for real when it is. Same goes for Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox Ultimate Game Pass streaming, which should make console-level games (and graphics) playable on the Tab S7, regardless of where you are. And when it comes to productivity, that larger screen makes multitasking a feasible plan of operations, instead of always feeling somewhat restricted like it did when I used Samsung’s previous 10-inch Tabs.

The Tab S7 also has a few quirks, like the inability to right-click using the Samsung’s keyboard accessory, but only when in tablet mode. If you want to right click, it seems the only way to do that is to enable DeX mode, which is a bit strange, and because of that, I ended up leaving the Tab S7+ in DeX mode all the time.

But perhaps the Tab S7+’s real criticism is one that doesn’t really have anything to do with its build or its components, but instead with its platform. So many people continue to say Android just isn’t built for productivity the way Windows 10 or iPadOS is (especially after recent updates), and in some respects they’re correct. It’s a problem that Google has sort of ignored for a long time and should have been better addressed by now. However, while DeX still isn’t perfect, it does a lot of fix many of these issues, while still giving longtime Android users a desktop-like OS that’s easy to use without being entirely unfamiliar.



Photo: Sam Rutherford/Gizmodo



Yet really it’s all about that screen. There’s really nothing else like it on any other tablet—Android or otherwise—and much of the Tab S7+’s strengths come from Samsung’s ability to get the most out of this display. In a lot of ways, paying $850 for a screen this good seems surreal, and I can’t wait to test it out for real when the Tab S7+ goes on sale for real sometime later this fall.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
High Court Rules in Favor of Comprehensive Transparency Review Regarding Government Artificial Intelligence Procurement Contracts
Home Office Expands Digital Border Security and Electronic Travel Authorization Systems Across International Arrivals
Scottish Government Confirms Accelerated Investment in Offshore Renewable Energy Infrastructure Across North Sea Corridors
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Implements Stricter Water Company Oversight and Environmental Penalties
National Health Service England Unveils Emergency Winter Resilience Package to Tackle Acute Accident and Emergency Backlogs
Office for National Statistics Reports Gross Domestic Product Growth Stagnated at Zero Point One Percent in Third Quarter
Chancellor of the Exchequer Outlines Comprehensive Fiscal Strategy to Stabilize National Borrowing and Public Spending
Bank of England Maintains Base Interest Rate at Five Percent Amid Persistent Service Sector Inflation Pressures
Office for National Statistics Reports Stable Consumer Confidence and Modest Retail Growth Heading into Winter
Welsh Government Launches Strategic Regional Transport Initiative to Modernize Rail Links Across South Wales
Home Office Expands Digital Border Security Controls and Electronic Travel Authorisations for Inbound Visitors
Scottish Government Announces Emergency Housing Investment Package to Tackle Urban Homelessness Crises
Northern Ireland Executive Reaches Bipartisan Consensus on Public Sector Pay Reform and Budget Allocations
Automotive Manufacturing Sector in the West Midlands Welcomes New Electric Vehicle Supply Chain Investments
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Approves Offshore Wind Expansion in the North Sea
HM Treasury Finalizes Regulatory Framework for Stablecoins and Digital Asset Markets in London
National Health Service Unveils Comprehensive Digital Integration Strategy to Slash Hospital Waiting Lists
Bank of England Leaves Interest Rates Unchanged Amid Persistent Wage Growth and Inflationary Pressures
United Kingdom and Caribbean Nations Agree to Establish Formal Diplomatic Dialogue Following Reparations Discussions
Cambridge University Appoints Senior Barrister to Lead Independent Review into Death of Academic Jason Arday
Historic Hastings Castle and Kent Dickens Chalet Added to National Heritage at Risk Register Amid Deterioration Concerns
Incoming British Ambassador to Japan Calls for Deepened Bilateral Cooperation on Artificial Intelligence and Semiconductors
Milburn Review Urges Employment Revolution to Unlock Workforce Opportunities for Young Disabled Britons
British Healthcare Worker Evacuated from Democratic Republic of Congo to United Kingdom Following Ebola Exposure
United Nations Refugee Agency Criticises Government Proposal for Thirty-Year Earned Settlement Pathways for Asylum Seekers
Parliamentary Inquiry Warns United Kingdom Remains Exposed to Chinese Critical Mineral Dependencies
Bank of England Prepares Interest Rate Decision as Inflation Pressures Prompt Expectation of Four Percent Benchmark
Department for Business and Trade Overhauls Protection Standards for Digital Animation and Moving Image Files
Intellectual Property Office Introduces Thirty-Month Grace Period for International Product Launches
Intellectual Property Office Targets Anti-Competitive Filings With New Powers to Verify Novelty Before Registration
Creative Industries Minister Ian Murray Praises Regulatory Reforms to Safeguard Small Businesses and Micro-Enterprises
Government Unveils Major Design Framework Overhaul to Protect British Creators and Boost Economy
Global Asset Management Reports Surge in British Dividend Payouts Driven by Strong Financial and Mining Sectors
HM Treasury Confirms Strongest Group of Seven Growth Figures as Fiscal Consolidation Plans Progress
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Approves Construction of New North Sea Offshore Wind Hub
Northern Ireland Executive Finalizes Public Sector Pay Agreements Following Months of Inter-Agency Negotiations
Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan Secures Cross-Party Support for Regional Clean Energy Infrastructure Bill
Competition and Markets Authority Launches Formal Investigation Into Dominant Artificial Intelligence Cloud Partnerships
United Kingdom Foreign Secretary David Lammy Concludes High-Level Diplomatic Mission to Washington and Ottawa
Scottish Government Announces Emergency Housing Investment Package to Address Escalating Urban Homelessness
Chancellor Rachel Reeves Finalizes Corporate Tax Adjustments Ahead of Upcoming Business Investment Summit
National Health Service England Unveils Emergency Winter Resilience Plan to Combat Projected A&E Overcrowding
Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee Votes to Hold Base Interest Rate Steady at Four Point Seven5 Per Cent
UK Gross Domestic Product Expands by Zero Point Four Per Cent in Third Quarter Driven by Resilient Services Growth
Northern Ireland Executive Agrees on Multi-Year Public Sector Pay Restructuring Framework at Stormont
Department for Transport Confirms Acceleration of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Rollout Along Strategic Motorways
Welsh Government Announces Emergency Funding Package to Support Agricultural Sector Facing Severe Weather Impacts
High Court Rules in Favor of Environmental Coalition Over Government Carbon Reduction Plan Deficiencies
Office for National Statistics Reports Stable Retail Sales Growth Supported by Strong Digital Commerce Volumes
Scottish First Minister John Swinney Secures Cross-Party Support for Renewable Energy Export Expansion
×