Key points
▶ Samsung Electronics unveiled three products on October 1: the premium Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and S12+, its first clip-on wireless earbuds, the Galaxy Buds On, and the Galaxy SmartTag3 location tracker.
▶ The Tab S12 Ultra is 5.1 mm thick and features a 14.6-inch display. Its NPU performance is about 61% faster than its predecessor, and its battery lasts up to 23 hours of video playback.
▶ The Buds On are open-ear earbuds that clip onto the ear without blocking it. They feature a bass-enhancing speaker and sound-leakage reduction. They launch first in South Korea on October 27 at 299,000 won.
▶ The SmartTag3 is 35% smaller by volume and 33% lighter than its predecessor. Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding shows the direction and distance of a tag from up to 60 meters away. The tag can also be located with an iPhone. It launches on October 7 for 44,000 won.
Samsung Electronics unveiled a tablet, earbuds and a location tracker all on the same day. On October 1, the company introduced the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra, Galaxy Tab S12+, Galaxy Buds On and Galaxy SmartTag3.
The tablets and SmartTag go on sale on October 7, while the earbuds launch in South Korea on October 27. Here is a closer look at what has changed in each product.
◆ Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and S12+: 5.1 mm thin, with up to 23 hours of battery life
The Tab S12 series consists of two models: the Ultra and the Plus. The Ultra retains the 5.1 mm thickness of its predecessor, the Tab S11 Ultra, and has a 14.6-inch (369.9 mm) display. The Plus has a 12.6-inch (320.4 mm) display—larger than the 12.4-inch screen on the Tab S10+—with narrower bezels.
Both models feature Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays with peak brightness of 1,600 nits. Vision Booster adjusts screen brightness to match ambient light, making the display easier to see outdoors. Both tablets have four-channel speakers.
Performance has improved over the previous generation. Samsung said that, on the Ultra model, the NPU for AI processing is about 61% faster than on the Tab S11 Ultra, while the CPU is about 19% faster and the GPU about 17% faster. The company did not disclose the processor name. A newly designed 3D vapor chamber spreads heat to help maintain performance during extended, demanding workloads.
Video playback battery life is up to 23 hours on the Ultra and up to 21 hours on the Plus. Both support 45 W super-fast charging and can be fully charged in about 95 minutes. An S Pen is included, with a hexagonal shape designed for a secure grip. The aluminum Pro Keyboard is sold separately and includes a Galaxy AI key for quick access to the AI assistant.
The tablets run One UI 9, based on Android 17. Multi Window lets users divide the screen into as many as three sections—for example, watching a lecture, opening Samsung Notes alongside it and using an AI assistant at the same time. Note Assist can instantly summarize handwritten notes made with the S Pen. Samsung Browser can summarize the contents of multiple tabs at once and help users find web pages they viewed days earlier.
The biggest change is Photoshop. The tablets are the first Android tablets to come with Adobe Photoshop preinstalled. Its interface is tailored to the tablet screen and S Pen for drawing and photo editing. Photoshop Mobile Premium is free for four months.
The note-taking app Notability is free for six months, with a 20% discount on the first subscription. Goodnotes, LumaFusion, Notion, Clip Studio Paint, MyScript Notes, MyScript Math, Noteshelf 3 and ArcSite also come with free trial periods or discounts.
Samsung said the combined value of the benefits, including a six-month Google AI Pro subscription, is about 800,000 won. Free periods vary by app.
The tablets are available in gray and silver, with 5G and Wi-Fi models. The Ultra comes in three configurations: 16 GB of memory with 1 TB of storage, 12 GB with 512 GB, and 12 GB with 256 GB. The Plus comes in two configurations: 12 GB with 512 GB and 12 GB with 256 GB.
Prices range from 1,899,700 won to 3,018,400 won for the Ultra, and from 1,549,900 won to 2,069,100 won for the Plus.
The series goes on sale October 7 in South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, India, Japan and other markets. Customers who sign up for a pre-order notification on Samsung.com between October 1 and 6 and make a purchase will be entered into a draw to win a Galaxy Watch Ultra2, Galaxy Watch9 or Galaxy Buds4 Pro. The tablets will receive up to seven OS upgrades.
“The Galaxy Tab S12 series is a premium tablet for people who constantly explore new ideas, build their capabilities and turn goals into reality,” said Kim Jung-hyun, executive vice president. “By combining powerful hardware with the latest Galaxy AI, we will help users achieve the highest levels of productivity.”
◆ Galaxy Buds On: Samsung’s first clip-on earbuds
The Buds On are the first clip-on earbuds in the Galaxy Buds lineup. Rather than being inserted into the ear canal, they attach to the outer ear like an earring.
Because they do not block the ears, users can hear traffic and announcements while listening to music. Samsung said it analyzed ear-shape data and simulated how the earbuds would fit before positioning the speakers and batteries. The earbuds are controlled by tapping their backs.
Open-ear designs do not block the ears, but they can have weaker bass and allow sound to leak out. Samsung addresses these limitations with Twin Boost speakers, which enhance bass, and automatic volume adjustment, which adapts the volume to surrounding noise.
The Buds On are the first Galaxy Buds to feature sound-leakage reduction. They use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S7 Gen 1 Sound Platform and a Class D amplifier. A single charge provides up to 9.5 hours of music playback.
The Intelligent Clear Call feature uses three microphones together with a bone-conduction vibration sensor, or VPU. The sensor picks up the vibrations in the bones produced when speaking to isolate the user’s voice. Samsung said machine learning also helps transmit the voice clearly amid wind or noise from appliances such as vacuum cleaners.
The earbuds also work with Galaxy AI. Saying, “Hey Google, let’s talk live,” launches Gemini Live. Quick Voice Memo lets users press and hold the earbuds to record a thought immediately and find it later with Bixby.
The feature requires a Galaxy AI-compatible device with the Samsung Voice Recorder app and Bixby, and must be set up in advance. Users can answer calls by nodding and end them by shaking their head. The same gestures can be used to dismiss alarms or choose whether to have notifications read aloud. The earbuds connect as soon as the case is opened, and users can adjust volume and the equalizer from Settings or the Quick Panel without opening the Wearable app.
The Buds On launch first in South Korea on October 27, followed by other markets. They are available in black only and cost 299,000 won.
“The Galaxy Buds On have a form factor designed for a variety of everyday situations, offering users a comfortable listening experience while allowing them to stay naturally connected to their surroundings,” Kim said.
◆ Galaxy SmartTag3: smaller, longer-range and compatible with iPhone
The SmartTag3 is a device that can be attached to keys, bags or pets to help locate them. Compared with its predecessor, it is about 35% smaller by volume and 33% lighter. It has rounded corners and an aluminum-finished button. Samsung is also offering silicone cases with key rings and loop cases. The device is rated IP67 for water and dust resistance.
It is the first Galaxy SmartTag device to support iOS. Until now, only Galaxy devices that supported SmartThings Find could locate and share a tag’s location. With the SmartTag3, users can also locate and share its position using an iPhone.
The tag uses one replaceable CR2032 coin-cell battery. Battery life is up to 550 days under normal use and up to 790 days in power-saving mode. Samsung said this is among the best in the industry.
The tracking range has increased. The “Search Nearby” feature, which shows the tag’s signal strength on a phone as the user moves, now uses Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding, a technology that precisely measures the distance between two devices.
Depending on the surroundings, Compass View can show the tag’s direction and distance from as far as 60 meters away—about three times farther than before. Within 20 meters, ultra-wideband (UWB) technology pinpoints its location.
For example, if someone loses their keys in a large park, Compass View can guide them toward the keys from within 60 meters, and UWB can pinpoint them once they are within 20 meters. Compass View is available only on the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Z Fold8, S26 Ultra and S26+.
Even when the tag loses its direct connection to a phone, it can still be located through the Galaxy Find Network, a location-tracking network based on Bluetooth Low Energy and UWB. More than 900 million Galaxy devices are connected to it worldwide. Nearby Galaxy devices with Offline Finding enabled can detect the tag and report its location. Location updates are also faster.
The SmartTag3 adds more notification options. With “Get alerts at selected locations,” users can set an area, such as a garden or parking space, and receive a notification when an item or pet wearing the tag enters or leaves it. “Get alerts when movement is detected” sends an alert if the tag moves after its connection is lost. Location History also shows the route the tag has taken.
When NFC-based Lost Mode is enabled, someone who finds the tag can tap it with an NFC-enabled phone to view the registered contact information or message. The SmartThings IoT Control feature lets users press the tag’s button to activate SmartThings routines, such as turning off the lights at home or closing the curtains. Location data is encrypted.
The SmartTag3 launches in South Korea on October 7, followed by other markets. It comes in white and black and costs 44,000 won. A four-pack containing two white and two black tags is available for 149,600 won, a 15% discount.
Through October 31, customers who purchase a Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8, Flip8, an S26 series device or an S26 FE can get a 30% discount on a SmartTag3 and case package. Customers who purchase a Galaxy Tab12 Ultra or Tab S12+ can get a 30% discount on the SmartTag3.
“Users have wanted an easy and convenient way to check the location not only of their luggage, but also of everyday belongings and pets,” Kim said. “The Galaxy SmartTag3 brings these varied uses together in a compact design and enables precise tracking through the powerful Galaxy Find Network.”