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Samsung recently revealed that its Galaxy Tab S10 series would arrive before the end of this year. Rumors say the new flagship tablets will run a MediaTek chipset globally, a surprising switch from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors. We now have more proof of this rumored switch. After the Galaxy Tab S10+, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra has surfaced on Geekbench with MediaTek’s Dimensity 9300+ flagship SoC.
Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra spotted with MediaTek Dimensity 9300+
Last month, the US version of the Galaxy Tab S10+ (model number SM-X828U) surfaced on the popular benchmarking platform Geekbench running the Dimensity 9300+. The same chipset has now been spotted on the global version of the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra (SM-X926B). Both devices appeared with 12GB of RAM and scored 2,141 in single-core Geekbench tests. Multi-core scores are 6,952 and 5,533, respectively.
But more than the scores, these listings are proof that Samsung’s next-gen flagship tablets will feature a MediaTek chipset globally. We have yet to see the base Galaxy Tab S10 on the benchmarking platform. There are rumors that the company might cancel the base model and only launch Plus and Ultra. But if it exists, it is likely to follow its siblings to the MediaTek camp, leaving the Snapdragon camp for good or worse.
Theoretically, the Dimensity 9300+ is on the same page as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the successor to last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that powered the Galaxy Tab S9 series. Both new chipsets are produced on TSMC’s 4nm process node and feature identical CPU speeds. In fact, they go neck on neck in almost every area. Even the real-world performance has been comparable, so it might not be a bad switch at all.
That said, it’s the first time Samsung is using a MediaTek chipset in its flagship tablets. Switching from Snapdragon probably wasn’t a straightforward decision. Something must have weighed in favor of the Dimensity this time around. Perhaps it’s the cost. Qualcomm’s flagship chipsets are costlier than MediaTek’s, so the Korean firm might be saving a few bucks while still offering a competitive processor in the Galaxy Tab S10 series.
Both chipsets will get a successor later this year
MediaTek and Qualcomm are hard at work on their next-gen Dimensity 9400 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. These chipsets will arrive later this year. It remains to be seen if Samsung will launch the Galaxy Tab S10 series before the two chipmakers introduce their upgraded solutions. The new tablets run Android 14 out of the box, so the company might not delay their release until late 2024. Expect more leaks in the coming months.