Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S12+ just showed up in a live image — and it came from the last place you’d expect: a Korean safety certification filing. The photo doesn’t give us much, but the timing says a lot. Here’s what this leak tells us about Samsung’s next flagship tablet and why the real story is bigger than one blurry picture.
What the Certification Image Actually Shows
Safety Korea published a certification record for a tablet carrying model numbers SM-X840 and SM-X846N, according to 91 Mobile. The SM-X846N variant is the Korean model with built-in 5G connectivity.
The image itself doesn’t reveal groundbreaking details. It’s clearly a Samsung tablet, and it keeps the same flat-edged, minimal-bezel design language we’ve seen across the Tab S series for the past three years. No redesign. No surprise form factor shift. If you placed them side by side with a Tab S10+ or Tab S11, you’d have a hard time telling them apart from the front alone.
But here’s what matters: certifications like this typically surface about two months before a device hits shelves. With Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event happening on July 22 and a separate September tablet launch expected, the Tab S12+ is clearly on schedule.
Why Samsung Is Dropping the Base Model Again
The bigger story isn’t the image — it’s what’s not in the lineup. Samsung is skipping the base 11-inch Galaxy Tab S12 entirely, offering only the 12.4-inch Tab S12+ and the 14.6-inch Tab S12 Ultra.
This isn’t random. Samsung has settled into an alternating pattern: in 2024, it released the Tab S10+ and Tab S10 Ultra. In 2025, it brought back the 11-inch Tab S11 and Ultra, but dropped the Plus. Now the Plus returns and the base disappears again.
For buyers, this matters because it raises the floor price of Samsung’s flagship tablet lineup by roughly $300. If you were previously entering the Tab S ecosystem at $799 with the base model, that door is closed this year. The Tab S12+ is expected to start between $1,100 and $1,200 according to ETNews reporting — pricing that puts it toe-to-toe with the iPad Pro, not the iPad Air.
In our view, Samsung is making a deliberate bet. It’s positioning its flagship tablets as laptop alternatives, not media consumption devices. Whether buyers agree with that repositioning is the question that matters most.
What We Know About the Hardware
No specs surfaced from the Safety Korea filing itself, but months of leaks have painted a fairly detailed picture. Both the Tab S12+ and Tab S12 Ultra will run on the MediaTek Dimensity 9500, a 3nm chipset confirmed through an APK teardown of Samsung’s AI Core app.
That processor represents a genuine generational leap. Compared to the Tab S11’s Dimensity 9400+, the 9500 delivers up to 32% faster single-core CPU performance, 119% faster ray tracing, and roughly double the AI compute power — all while drawing 55% less power at peak CPU load.
Here’s a quick look at what’s expected:
| Feature | Galaxy Tab S12+ | Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra |
| Display | 12.4″ OLED, QHD+, 120Hz | 14.6″ OLED, QHD+, 120Hz |
| Chipset | Dimensity 9500 (3nm) | Dimensity 9500 (3nm) |
| Battery | ~10,500–10,600mAh | 11,600mAh (unchanged) |
| Front Camera | 12MP, punch-hole | 12MP, punch-hole |
| OS | Android 17, One UI 9.0 | Android 17, One UI 9.0 |
| Other | S Pen, IP68, Wi-Fi 7, BT 6.0 | S Pen, IP68, Wi-Fi 7, BT 6.0 |
One detail worth flagging: the Tab S12 Ultra’s battery stays identical to last year’s model at 11,600mAh. Samsung appears to be counting on the Dimensity 9500’s power efficiency gains to stretch battery life without increasing cell size. That’s a reasonable engineering tradeoff, but it’s also the kind of decision that makes a $1,200 “upgrade” harder to justify for current Tab S11 Ultra owners.
When You Can Actually Buy It
Samsung’s September release window for flagship tablets has become predictable by now. The Tab S11 series launched on September 4, 2025. The Tab S10 dropped in September 2024. IFA 2026 runs September 4 through 8 in Berlin, making it a natural stage for the announcement.
If Samsung follows its typical cadence, the Tab S12+ and Tab S12 Ultra should be available for purchase within two weeks of the announcement. That puts the earliest possible availability around mid-to-late September — perfectly timed for the holiday shopping season and any Black Friday deals that follow.
Samsung’s recent AI-driven profit surge shows the company is investing heavily in chips and artificial intelligence across its product lines. The Tab S12 series will likely lean hard on Galaxy AI features — including on-device image generation, smarter call screening, and expanded DeX productivity tools — to justify that premium pricing.
The Bottom Line
This certification image confirms what we’ve suspected for months: the Galaxy Tab S12+ exists, it’s real, and it’s on track for a September launch. Samsung isn’t reinventing the wheel with its design, and the spec upgrades — while meaningful on the chipset side — don’t represent the kind of generational leap that makes existing Tab S owners rush to upgrade.
But if you’re coming from an older tablet or shopping for your first premium Android slate, the Tab S12+ looks like a solid entry point. Just be prepared for the price tag.
FAQs
How does the Galaxy Tab S12+ compare to the iPad Pro 2026?
Both target the same $1,100+ price bracket, but they run different ecosystems. Samsung’s OLED display technology and S Pen are strong selling points, while the iPad Pro offers Apple’s M-series chip and a more mature tablet app library. Your choice depends on whether you prefer Android’s flexibility or iPadOS’s polish.
Will Samsung Galaxy Tab S12+ work with existing S Pen accessories?
Samsung has historically maintained backward compatibility with S Pen accessories across Tab S generations. The Tab S12+ is expected to ship with an S Pen in the box, and older Samsung tablet accessories like keyboard covers should remain compatible, though Samsung hasn’t confirmed this officially.
What Android version will the Galaxy Tab S12+ ship with?
The Tab S12+ is expected to launch with Android 17 and Samsung’s One UI 9.0. Under Samsung’s current update policy, it should receive seven years of OS upgrades — meaning software updates through Android 24 and security patches through 2033.
Is the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 as good as Qualcomm Snapdragon chips?
For tablets, MediaTek’s premium chips actually have an edge. The Dimensity 9500’s thermal management suits thin tablet form factors better than Qualcomm’s hotter-running designs, and Samsung’s three-generation commitment to MediaTek in its tablets suggests the partnership is working well.
What happened to Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026?
Samsung confirmed its Galaxy Unpacked event for July 22 in London, where it’ll unveil new foldables, smartwatches, and Galaxy Glasses. The Tab S12 series won’t appear at Unpacked — it’s being held for a separate September announcement, likely timed around IFA Berlin.
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