It was in late October when the alleged Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra showed face, complete with a notch cut-out to house its cameras. Six weeks on from that reveal, the Ultra has leaked again in a new image, courtesy of EV Leaks, reconfirming that notch display.
With all the talk of under display cameras (UPC) and other advanced methods to hide cameras out of sight, the sudden re-emergence of the notch comes as a bit of a surprise. Even Apple's MacBook Pro redesign features a notched display front and centre.
The reason for the notch? The Tab S8 Ultra is the only one of the series expected to feature dual cameras both front and rear. It enables the 8-megapixel and 5-megapixel optics to the front, without the bezel being as large all the way around the slate's design.
In addition to the top-end Ultra, the leak also presents the mid-level Tab S8 Plus and entry-level Tab S8, neither of which appear to feature a notched display. The core difference between the three is down to screen size: the S8 with an 11-inch LCD; the S8 Plus with a 12.4-inch OLED; and the Ultra going all-out with its 14.6-inch OLED.
How well the notch will be received in the Tab S8 Ultra is up for debate, but with the tablet market going from strength to strength during the global pandemic - people are actually buying them in greater numbers, hence more companies are now producing slates - the increase in video calls gives good reason for featuring front-facing cameras capable of wider-angle views and background blur capabilities.
The trio of Galaxy Tab S8 devices isn't expected to be revealed officially until early 2022. We suspect we'll be seeing more leaks prior to then, though.