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Grueling durability test reveals another key Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra strength
Even though high-end, high-priced Android tablets are a notoriously tough sell in a market dominated by Apple's iPads where super-productive Windows models from companies like Microsoft have also become fairly popular in recent years, Samsung truly pulled out all the stops with this year's Galaxy Tab S8 family.
Just in case 2020's 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S7+ failed to impress you with its ultra-advanced hardware and sheer size, the 14.6-inch Tab S8 Ultra entered the picture a couple of months ago to give the 2021-released 12.9-inch iPad Pro with M1 power a run for its money.
Incredibly enough, Samsung's absolutely gigantic slate is only slightly heavier and somehow thinner than Apple's most sophisticated tablet yet, at 726 grams and an almost absurd (in a good way) 5.5mm respectively. That makes the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra a little easier to maneuver than one would expect, but at the same time, it raises some pretty obvious concerns.
Specifically, you might understandably be worried about the long-term durability of this Android-powered bad boy, especially if you're familiar with the structural weaknesses of Apple's 2018 and 2020 iPad Pros revealed by popular YouTuber and professional gadget destroyer Zack Nelson from JerryRigEverything.
Well, Nelson is back with yet another excruciating test, this time aiming to assess the overall robustness of Samsung's top iPad Pro alternative. And while there's naturally no foolproof way to determine how well a new product will actually handle real long-term usage, the Tab S8 Ultra definitely seems like it was built like a tank... without looking like one.
Made from a premium combination of metal and glass that protects all four of its cameras from scratches while keeping the under-display fingerprint scanner working in the hardest possible conditions, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra takes bending attempts like a champ, posing a lot of resistance and even hurting Nelson without creaking, cracking, breaking, or even curving as drastically as you might expect.
At least based on this durability test, it sure doesn't look like you'll be able to fold the 14.6-inch giant in half, no matter how hard you're willing to try. That officially makes the razor-thin tablet stronger than significantly thicker and smaller devices like the OnePlus 10 Pro, and although the results of its own bend test are nowhere near as dramatic as those of its forerunners, the iPad Pro 12.9 (2021) also looks more fragile than the Tab S8 Ultra.
