I tried Samsung’s iPad rival on a 10-hour flight – here’s where it lost and won

Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is a truly mighty tablet that offers a feast of epic features. It’s powered by a fast MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ processor, comes with an S Pen stylus in the box (Apple take note) and has a supremely skinny design that’s now made of tougher enhanced Armor Aluminium. There are dual-lens cameras on both front and rear, long battery life, booming quad speakers and it’s now smarter thanks to the introduction of clever Galaxy AI.

It’s all solid stuff but the real show-stopper is the Tab S10 Ultra’s ludicrously big 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 120Hz display. This pin-sharp, bright and colour-rich screen is absolutely massive. To give the S10 Ultra a thorough test I decided to use it to keep me entertained on a long-haul flight from London’s Heathrow to Seattle on the west coast of America.

With the Tab S10 Ultra fully charged, full of films to watch and games to play it was time to settle into my seat for the tedious 10-hour journey.

So how did it perform and is this now the ultimate iPad Pro killer?

I have to start with that screen as it really is a thing of beauty. Colours appear vibrant, blacks are rich and content looks sumptuous when watching things on this premium panel.

The 16:10 aspect ratio also makes it perfect for a Netflix binge and it totally eclipsed the diddy low-resolution display tucked into the back of the airline seat in front of me.

It even features a special coating that reduces glare and annoying reflections – that’s something Apple charges a lot extra for. It’s almost impossible to criticise the Ultra’s screen but there is a big compromise as it’s simply too humungous for a tablet.

Yes, bigger is normally better but these devices are meant to be portable and perfect for use anywhere you decide to take them.

I actually felt a bit embarrassed when I pulled this vast slab from my backpack and holding it for long periods became really uncomfortable – you can also forget using it with one hand unless you have an arm like The Hulk.

You can, of course, add a case with a kickstand or keyboard but these accessories will push up the price and add to its overall weight which is already over 700g without any accessories attached.

There’s no question that having a massive display is great for multitasking – something the Ultra is excellent at by the way – and doing numerous things at once but I just feel the Ultra has taken this concept to the extreme. Once I’d finished my boxset binge it was tough trying to find anywhere to store it in my seat and trying to watch a movie whilst eating my tray of airline food was a worse experience than the taste of the re-heated chicken.

So, going supersized is not for me but that’s not to say this is a bad tablet. In fact, it’s very, very good.

Battery life is excellent and it lasted my entire journey – things were running low as our wheels touched the ground on the other side of the pond but it will easily keep going for over eight hours.

The sleek 5.4mm thin design is stunning, it’s supremely powerful and you get that S Pen without paying anything extra. That means you can scribble, paint and make notes which is all pretty useful especially as Galaxy AI makes everything smarter.

My drawing skills are pretty poor but Samsung’s intelligence instantly transformed a pretty rough sketch of my plane into something more professional.

It also does a good job of transcribing audio recordings and formatting notes to make them easier to read. There’s even the clever ability to jot down a sum or equation and see the answer appear before your very eyes plus you get the smart Circle to Search which works really well on the big screen, helping you Google search with ease.

It keeps cool under pressure thanks to a larger Vapor Chamber – that’s great when gaming – and it’s also waterproof. Luckily my flight was turbulence-free so no gin and tonics were spilt during my testing.

The dual front-facing cameras are good for making video calls, even if they sit in an annoying notch that cuts into the screen slightly, and if you really feel the need to take photos with the rear camera (expect some funny looks) they’ll snap a decent image.

It’s all very good but so it should be when you see the price. This device starts from a whopping £1,199 which is more expensive than most laptops.

That’s my final niggle as I just don’t think the Tab S10 Ultra will fully replace your portable PC – it’s the same problem the iPad has when placed against the MacBook.

That means you have a very expensive screen that might just end up being used as a posh way to watch Netflix and not much else.

Is the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra a brilliant tablet? 100% yes! Would I rush out and buy one? Probably not.

This gadget is supremely powerful, comes packed with smart features, looks premium and has performance that won’t crumble under pressure.

The AMOLED screen is simply stunning and you even get that S Pen stylus in the box – that’s something Apple charges over £100 to add. However, no matter how good it is, that 14.6-inch panel is just too big for me especially when travelling and that’s important as this is the time, like most people, when I use my tablet the most.

Of course, some will love the mammoth display and if you genuinely need a super-sized screen then this is a solid, if very expensive, option. It ticks all the right boxes and you really won’t be disappointed with your purchase.

However, if you simply want a tablet that fits in with your whole life I’d look for something smaller such as the iPad Pro or Galaxy Tab S10+.