Samsung’s new Android tablets are so popular that pre-orders had to be stopped | GeekComparison

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Promotional image of mammoth computer tablet being used.
enlarge † The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, with S-Pen and insanely thin bezels.

People Like it Android tablets? That is the bizarre world presented to us by the latest news from Samsung. The company made the lineup of the Galaxy Tab S8 available for pre-order last week, and now Samsung says the tablet is so popular it had to stop taking pre-orders.

XDA developers noted that pre-orders for some models were being discontinued and received the following statement from Samsung:

We are excited about consumer response to our new Galaxy Tab S8 range. Due to overwhelming demand in the past 48 hours, we are pausing pre-orders on Samsung.com for the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S8. We work quickly to meet consumer excitement and demand. Stay tuned for more updates

Samsung launched three models of the S8 last week: the base model Tab S8, the Tab S8+ and the Tab S8 Ultra. Only the Tab S8+ is still on sale, with the $699 Tab S8 and $1,099 Ultra models “sold out”.

The Ultra model made headlines for being a massive 14.6-inch tablet with a unique slim-bezel design and a Macbook-Pro-style display notch for the front camera. The other models have a more traditional tablet design. The Tab S8 line has flagship specs, with a Snapdragon 8 Gen-1 SoC, 8GB of RAM, high-resolution displays and aluminum bodies.

Samsung's website. As you can see at the bottom right, everything is sold out except the Tab S8+.
enlarge † Samsung’s website. As you can see at the bottom right, everything is sold out except the Tab S8+.

Samsung

There’s no obvious reason why the Tab S8 should suddenly be popular. Aside from the camera notch, Samsung’s Tab S8 line isn’t all that different from the Tab S7 line, which launched in 2020. Samsung chose not to update the Tab S line in 2021, suggesting it wasn’t a big seller. The company says the shortfall is due to higher sales, but it could just be the usual supply chain issues. According to the IDC, Samsung is the number two tablet maker after Apple, with 20 percent of the market.

Google is hoping for a revival of Android tablets with the launch of Android 12L in March and a push for more tablet apps. We have not yet seen the effects of this in the market, but many OEMs, including Samsung, are showing a renewed commitment to Android tablets.

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