Samsung could kill one Galaxy tablet for 2025 and bring another back from the dead - Android Police

Summary

Samsung is rumored to skip the Galaxy Tab S Plus variant this year and revive the base model it neglected to update with the S10 family release.
Samsung’s strategy to release fewer tablets in 2024 contributed to increased sales of over 2 million units, with both flagship and entry-level models playing a part.
The rumored Tab S11 Ultra will also reportedly see a battery capacity boost of nearly 5%.

Samsung’s 2024 strategy of releasing fewer tablets but selling more worked out well, with the Android slate leader shipping over two million more units compared to 2023. It will reportedly continue in that vein this year, as a Dutch tipster outlet claims only two Galaxy Tab S models will hit the shelves in 2025.

Samsung opted not to upgrade the base model Galaxy S tablet last year. This time around, it will likely shelve the middle-child Plus variant, instead refreshing the most affordable entry in its high-end tablet lineup. At the same time, the S11 Ultra — whose predecessor helped keep Samsung atop the Android tablet leaderboard — could see a nearly 500mAh, or almost 5%, bump in capacity (Source: GalaxyClub via 9to5Google).

A Galaxy tab displaying three apps at the same time.

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Early 2024 figures warned of poor tablet sales for Samsung and others, but impressive third and fourth quarters resulted in a 9% year-on-year increase in total shipments. Apple accounted for nearly 3 million units throughout the year, but competitors like Lenovo and Amazon continued their strong presence to boost Android’s overall tablet numbers, according to an IDC Research report. The report also points to the entry-level Tab A9 and A9+ as drivers of the late-year shipment increase.

That context helps explain why Samsung appears poised to update the Tab S10 Ultra. Not everyone finds the massive laptop replacement convenient or necessary, but Samsung has plenty of experience selling tons of large-format mobile devices — its Galaxy S Ultra smartphones routinely best the base model and Plus variants, despite costing quite a bit. With an increasingly crowded low-end market, the company may be putting the Tab S Plus version on hold in order to divert resources to the rumored Tab S10 Lite, which fits neatly into the segment between the Tab A series and Tab S FE models.

The Galaxy Tab S10+ running Samsung Dex.

The Galaxy Tab S10+ is still a great tablet, and many users would argue it hardly needs an update.

There’s no word yet on the Tab S11 FE series, but if it’s similar to the S10 FE, its more affordable Plus variant would fill the gap left by the nonexistent Tab S11+. Once again, if Galaxy tablet numbers mimic Galaxy phone sales at all, that makes sense; the middle Galaxy S smartphone sells fewer models than the other two every year. That would be a logical reason to maintain the 12″-13″ size tablet lineup using less expensive, FE-capable hardware, instead of flagship stuff like the Dimensity 9400 rumored to drive the Tab S11 series.

The final Galaxy tablet update to accompany the tip indicates a slightly increased battery exclusively in the largest model. It’s the first battery increase Samsung has indulged in since introducing the Ultra form factor with the Tab S8 series. As Android and Samsung developers continue to focus on streamlined multitasking, effective desktop-like interfaces, and generally enhanced Android tablet productivity, a longer battery life can only be a good thing.