Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Tab S12 Plus Poll Results Show Consumers Think They Are Overpriced Compared to Laptops

When Samsung introduced its latest high-end slate lineup, it ignited a lively debate across the tech community regarding the true value proposition of modern ultra-premium tablets. Following last week’s weekly poll exploring consumer interest in the Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and the Galaxy Tab S12 Plus, the community feedback has arrived, and the overarching sentiment is hard to ignore. For many potential buyers, these massive slate offerings simply cost too much money, especially when rival laptops and traditional computers offer more comprehensive packages for similar or even lower price points.

The core of the discussion often traces back to a sharp observation made by a commenter under the initial poll. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra starts at a hefty $1,400 for the base configuration featuring 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. Crucially, that price tag does not include the essential keyboard accessory, which Samsung sells separately as an extra $380 purchase. When consumers look at a total investment approaching or exceeding $1,780 just to get a functional laptop-style setup, a compelling alternative naturally comes to mind: why not simply buy a dedicated laptop instead?

To put that pricing into perspective, a 13-inch MacBook Air equipped with an M5 chipset, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage commands a retail price of $1,300, while the larger 15-inch version sits at $1,500. This means buyers can acquire a faster processing chipset, more system memory, double the storage capacity, and an included keyboard for roughly the same price as the bare Tab S12 Ultra—or even less money overall if the keyboard expense is factored into the tablet equation.

For consumers who prefer to avoid Apple’s macOS ecosystem, similar dilemmas arise within the Windows landscape. Samsung’s own 16-inch Galaxy Book6 touchscreen laptop retails for $1,450 through the official US store. This traditional laptop runs Windows 11 powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 355 processor, paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, featuring a 1,920 by 1,200 resolution IPS LCD screen. While a non-touch variant can be found for $100 less, that cost reduction comes with a downgrade to an Intel Core Ultra 5 325 CPU.

Even for users who consider Android applications an absolute requirement for their daily workflow, alternatives exist that bypass the high cost of flagship slates. An Acer Googlebook 14, which runs Android apps natively, offers a 14-inch 2.8K OLED display, an Intel Core Ultra 5 CPU, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage for a much more palatable $900.

With all of these competitive market alternatives in mind, the poll results for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra unfold with a predictable outcome. The most popular opinion among respondents was clear and direct: the tablet is simply too expensive for what it delivers.

Despite the widespread price resistance, a dedicated segment of consumers remains genuinely interested in Samsung’s latest 14.6-inch behemoth. However, an almost equal number of voters indicated they would have strongly preferred a smaller offering from the manufacturer. Industry watchers suggest that Samsung may have missed the mark by failing to refresh the vanilla Tab S model on an annual basis, a sentiment that the community feels will become even more apparent as product cycles continue.

At the same time, upgrading ultra-tier tablets every single year does not make practical sense for everyone. One community commenter noted that they currently own last year’s Tab S11 Ultra and see virtually no compelling reason to upgrade to the new generation, particularly in the absence of major hardware shifts like a 10-bit display panel or significantly larger batteries. On a positive note, Samsung’s hardware choices still earned praise in certain areas; users heavily appreciate that the company has maintained the microSD card slot across its Tab S lineup, preserving expandable storage in an era where most competing tablets and standard Galaxy smartphones have completely abandoned the feature.

Moving down the lineup to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S12+, the newly introduced 12.6-inch model struggled to establish a strong identity among prospective buyers. Voters who favored the device were narrowly outnumbered by respondents who expressed a preference for a much smaller tablet measuring 11 inches or less. This reinforces the recurring community critique that Samsung should have built a standard, vanilla-sized Tab S12 to capture a broader audience.

The competitive landscape proved even tougher for the Plus model. While the larger Ultra variant managed to fend off direct comparisons from iPad fans during the voting process, the Tab S12+ experienced a much tighter margin. The final tally showed that roughly 10% of voters wanted the Tab S12+, 10.2% favored a smaller tablet form factor, and 9.7% stated they would rather choose an Apple iPad.

When looking strictly at those actively considering the Galaxy Tab S12+, a prevailing narrative remains that the device is overpriced. Many consumers noted they would rather choose an alternative Android tablet or an iPad. For comparison, Apple’s 11-inch iPad Pro starts at $1,200, while the 13-inch model begins at $1,500—putting them in direct price competition with the base Tab S12+, which also starts at $1,200.

Ultimately, time will likely soften the retail prices of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S12 duo through market discounts and promotions, which may eventually make them far more appealing purchases. Right now, however, buyers must possess a very specific desire for the unique qualities of the Tab S12+ or the Tab S12 Ultra to justify the investment. That commitment is tested further when users intend to utilize them purely as tablets, considering that the Ultra’s optional keyboard cover alone commands a price point equivalent to roughly 40% of a capable traditional laptop.