Samsung's New Tablet Comes Free With Adobe Photoshop, GoodNotes, Notability And Six Other Apps

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Samsung Electronics announced the Galaxy Tab S12 Series for Malaysia recently — two tablets, one remarkably specific boast, and a software bundle that raises an obvious question about what exactly it’s selling.

The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra measures 5.1mm at its thinnest point, making it the slimmest Galaxy Tab Samsung has ever produced.

It also packs the company’s most powerful tablet processor to date — a MediaTek Dimensity 9500 built on a 3nm node, delivering 61 per cent faster AI processing than the previous generation.

The battery runs for up to 23 hours.

A full charge takes 95 minutes.

The Box Is Doing a Lot of Work

The device ships with Adobe Photoshop pre-installed — described by Samsung as a first for any Android tablet.

Users receive a four-month free premium subscription.

The rest of the in-box software bundle includes:

Samsung values the pre-loaded applications at RM1,123.58. Accessories — the Book Cover Keyboard and S Pen — total RM1,208.

The launch rebate reaches RM500.

The tablet retails from RM4,999.

Bundled value declared by Samsung: RM2,331.

Same Screen as Last Year, Samsung Would Like to Talk About the Chip Instead

Both models feature Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays — 14.6 inches on the Ultra, 12.6 inches on the S12+ — large enough to run two apps side by side without squinting, at 1,600 nits peak brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate smooth enough to make scrolling feel like turning a printed page.

Vision Booster automatically adjusts brightness based on ambient lighting, meaning the screen stays readable in direct afternoon sun without the user manually hunting for the brightness slider.

Both models include the S Pen in the box with no additional purchase required — uncap it on day one, no separate accessories aisle trip needed.

The display supports three-window multitasking simultaneously, so a lecture video, a notes page and a browser tab can all stay visible at once without switching back and forth.

Samsung has dropped the 11-inch base model entirely, meaning buyers who preferred a one-handed, bag-friendly form factor now face the larger and pricier 12.6-inch Tab S12+ as their closest alternative.

On the Ultra tier, the screen is identical to last year — same dimensions, same resolution, same 120Hz, same 1,600-nit brightness — so a Tab S11 Ultra owner upgrading for the display alone is paying for a screen they already own.

Neither model carries built-in anti-reflective glass, and under office lighting or near a window, fingerprints and glare will show — Samsung sells the anti-reflective screen protector separately.

The meaningful generational upgrades sit beneath the display: the Dimensity 9500 processor opens heavy apps without lag, and a step up from two-channel to four-channel spatial audio means a movie watched flat on a table now sounds like it is coming from four directions instead of two.

Vision Booster is a software refinement, not a hardware brightness increase — in practice, text stays legible a few seconds faster when stepping from indoors to bright sunlight, rather than the screen going momentarily washed out.

For buyers choosing between generations on display quality alone, the screens are identical on spec — the reason to upgrade is the chip and the software bundle, not what the eyes will see.

Malaysia Pricing at a Glance

Instalment pricing starts at RM127.75 per month over 36 months at zero per cent interest with eligible bank cards — the equivalent of a mid-range smartphone plan, spread across three years, for a device that ships with a keyboard cover and nine applications.

Samsung confirmed both models will receive seven OS upgrades and seven years of security updates — meaning a tablet bought in October 2026 is, on paper, still receiving software support in 2033, matching the longest update windows in the tablet market.

Samsung Care+ covers accidental damage and provides certified repair support in Malaysia and abroad — relevant for a device thin enough that a single bad drop carries real consequences.

The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Tab S12+ go on sale in Malaysia on 7 October, in Gray and Silver, with retail pricing starting at RM4,999 for the Tab S12+ Wi-Fi and reaching RM6,649 for the Tab S12 Ultra 5G.

The launch promotion runs until 8 November and includes up to RM500 in instant rebates with eligible bank cards or SPayLater, a bundled Book Cover Keyboard Slim, and the full software trial bundle — meaning buyers who move during the window pay less, receive more, and leave the store with a functioning keyboard already in the bag.

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