Samsung's Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and SmartTag 3 aim at Apple's turf

Samsung has unveiled its 2026 tablet lineup, led by the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S12 Plus, alongside the SmartTag 3 tracker. The Ultra is positioned as the company's most powerful and thinnest tablet yet, while the SmartTag 3 becomes Samsung's first tracker to support cross-OS compatibility, including iOS.

The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra features a 14.6-inch 2960 x 1848 120Hz AMOLED display, a 5.1mm-thick body, MediaTek's Dimensity 9500 chipset, and an 11,600mAh battery with 45W charging. Memory options include 12GB or 16GB of RAM, and storage goes up to 1TB. It also carries an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, a 13MP wide rear camera, an 8MP ultra-wide, a 12MP front camera, quad speakers, and an included S Pen.

Samsung claims the Ultra delivers up to 61% faster NPU processing, 19% faster CPU performance, and 17% improved GPU performance versus the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. Those figures suggest a meaningful generational leap, but real-world gains will depend on how apps leverage the new silicon.

The Galaxy Tab S12 Plus scales down to a 12.6-inch 2800 x 1752 screen, a slightly thicker but lighter 5.3mm build, a 10,600mAh battery, and up to 512GB of storage. It tops out at 12GB of RAM and has a single 13MP rear camera. The Plus supports Wi-Fi 6E, while the Ultra moves to Wi-Fi 7.

Both tablets launch on October 7 in gray or silver, priced from £1,199 / $1,200 for the Plus and £1,399 / $1,400 for the Ultra. That's a slight increase over last year's starting prices. Samsung is bundling subscriptions to soften the cost, including six months of Google AI Pro and Notability, and four months of Photoshop. Australian pricing and availability have not yet been confirmed.

Separately, the SmartTag 3 represents a strategic shift. For the first time, Samsung's tracker works with both Galaxy and iOS devices, directly challenging Apple's AirTag on its home turf. The device is 35% smaller and 33% lighter than the Galaxy SmartTag 2, and Samsung rates battery life at up to 550 days in standard use or up to 790 days in Power Saving mode. It also extends the range of Compass View for precision finding and adds a Place Notification feature that alerts you when a tagged item moves in or out of a user-defined area.

The SmartTag 3 will come in white and black. It goes on sale in South Korea on October 7, but global availability is not expected until sometime in 2027.

For buyers weighing an upgrade, the Ultra's faster internals and IP68 rating are the most tangible improvements for daily use, particularly for creative professionals and heavy multitaskers. The Plus remains a strong option for those who want a large screen without the Ultra's top-tier price. The SmartTag 3's cross-platform support is a notable first, but its delayed global rollout limits its immediate impact outside South Korea.

Attribution: This report is based on information originally published by TechRadar.