Home Tablet comparison Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018) and Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021) - Which is better?

Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)

71 out 100
Apple iPad Pro 12.9
VS
49 out 100
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018) Manufactured in November, 2018, with display 12.9 with chipsetApple A12X Bionic, vs Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021), Manufactured in January, 2022with chipsetUnisoc Tiger T618. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
  • Larger display: 12.9in
  • Higher pixel density: 265ppi
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Higher battery capacity: 9720mAh vs 7040mAh
  • Supports newer USB: 3.1 vs 2
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)
  • Lighter design: 508g vs 631g

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 4/64 GB
- 4/256 GB
- 4/512 GB
- 6/1024 GB		 - 2/32 GB
- 3/32 GB
- 3/128 GB
- 4/64 GB
- 4/128 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018) and Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Performance
App & system performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison
Tablets:
iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
vs
Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)

Display

Display quality comparison
Type IPS LCD TFT LCD
Size 12.9 in 10.5 in
Resolution 2048x2732 pixels 1200x1920 pixels
Aspect ratio 4:3 16:10
Pixel density 265 ppi 216 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (24-120 Hz) No
Max brightness 600 nits 350 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10 No
Screen-to-body ratio 85.5 % 80 %
Features DCI-P3 n/a
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
601 nits
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)
n/a
sRGB gamut99.7 %n/a
Response time36 msn/a
Contrast1975:1n/a
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 280.6 mm (11.05 in) 246.8 mm (9.72 in)
Width 214.9 mm (8.46 in) 161.9 mm (6.37 in)
Thickness 5.9 mm (0.23 in) 6.9 mm (0.27 in)
Weight 631 g (22.26 oz) 508 g (17.92 oz)
Area 603 cm² (93.47 in²) 400 cm² (62 in²)
Water resistance No No
Back panel Metal Metal
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Silver
- Gray		 - Silver
- Gold
- Gray
- Pink
Fingerprint sensor No No
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
85.5 %
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)
80 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018) and Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021) In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A12X Bionic Unisoc Tiger T618
Max Frequency 2500 MHz 2000 MHz
CPU Cores n/a 8 (2 + 6)
Architecture n/a - 6/1.8 (Cortex-A55)
- 2/2 (Cortex-A75)
Process n/a TSMC
Transistor Size n/a 12 nm
Neural Processor n/a No
Graphics n/a Mali-G52 MP2
GPU Cores n/a 48
GPU Frequency n/a 850 MHz
FLOPS n/a 81.6 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
1358
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)
445
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
4736
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)
1419
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)1358445
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)47361419
Geekbench Compute (GPU)n/a1016
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)], [Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
677981
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)
271752
CPU21020179410
GPU20753848302
Memory12246264260
UX13778079780
NanoReview Score677981271752
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
11793
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)
715
Max Surface Temp.41.2 °Cn/a
Stability76 %99 %
Graphics Test70 fps4 fps
Graphics Score11793715
Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)], [Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)]
PCMark 3.0
PCMark 3.0
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
n/a
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)
7447
Writing scoren/a8864
Web scoren/a6757
Video editingn/a3985
Data manipulationn/a6420
NanoReview Scoren/a7447

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 4 GB 2 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 2133 MHz 1866 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity64 GB32 GB
Storage TypeNVMeeMMC 5.1
Memory CardNoMicroSD

Software

OS iPadOS 12 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 18.1) Android 11 (Upgradeable to Android 14)
UI Skin n/a One UI 6.1

Battery

Volume 9720 mAh 7040 mAh
Max Charging Power 30 W 15 W
Battery Type Li-Po Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No No
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (50% in 60 min) Yes (20% in 45 min)
Full Charge Time 2:45 h 2:30 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
31:49
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)
n/a
Web Browsing11:25 hn/a
Video Playback16:28 hn/a
Games07:17 hn/a
Standby Mode179 hn/a

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 8 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels n/a
Flash Quad LED No
Stabilization Digital Digital
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) No
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
Slow Motion 120 fps (1080p) No
Lenses count Standard: 12 MP Standard: 8 MP
Features Bokeh effect
Main lens
Matrix12 MP8 MP
Aperturef/1.8n/a
Focal length29 mmn/a
Sensor size1/3.0"n/a
Pixel size1.4 μmn/a
AutofocusPhase autofocusPhase autofocus
StabilizationDigitalDigital

Front camera

Matrix 7 MP 5 MP
Matrix 3472x2063 pixels n/a
Aperture f/2.2 n/a
Focal length 32 mm n/a
Sensor n/a CMOS
Autofocus No No
Stabilization Digital No
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5 5
Bluetooth features LE LE
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.1 2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
DisplayPort No No
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS		 - GPS
- GLONASS
- Galileo
- QZSS
NFC* No No
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*11
SIM TypeNanoNano
eSIM Support *YesNo
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHzn/a
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHzn/a
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B11/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B21/B25/B26/B29/B30/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B46/B66/B71)n/a
5G SupportNoNo

Sound

Speakers 4.0 4.0
3.5 mm Jack No Yes
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018)
82.9 dB
Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 (2021)
n/a

Other

Class Flagship Budget
Announced October, 2018 yr December, 2021 yr
Release Date November, 2018 yr January, 2022 yr
Launch Price ($) 999 189
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Face Sensor		 - Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
Charger Included Yes 18 W Yes 8 W
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Apple iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd Gen, 2018) the clear winner in this comparison.

Survey

Which tablet would you pick?
0 (0%)
1 (100%)
Total Votes: 1

User comments

Share your opinion or ask questions below