Galaxy Tab S10 vs iPad Pro M4: I Compared Them So You Don't Overspend

Every few months a friend texts me the same question: "I want a tablet that can replace my laptop, but I don't want to light $1,300 on fire. Samsung or Apple?" This time I sat down and worked it out properly.

I set the Galaxy Tab S10 line (the S10+ and the S10 Ultra) against the iPad Pro M4. I leaned on the spec sheets and on published review data from XDA Developers, Macworld, Trusted Reviews, Tom's Guide and NanoReview, plus my own impressions of how these two ecosystems feel.

One note first. Both tablets have newer successors, so the street price you'll see today is probably not the launch price. I'll quote list prices and tell you where I think the value is.

The short version

• iPad Pro M4: more raw power, a better display, thinner and lighter, and a better app ecosystem for creative work.
• Galaxy Tab S10+/Ultra: a bigger screen on the Ultra, the S Pen in the box, microSD, and more RAM at the base level. It also costs less once you count accessories.

Most people end up fighting over the chip, but the accessories and the software matter more.

Specs and price side by side

	Galaxy Tab S10+	Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra	iPad Pro 11" (M4)	iPad Pro 13" (M4)
Launch price (US)	$999.99	$1,199.99	$999	$1,299
Chip	MediaTek Dimensity 9300+	MediaTek Dimensity 9300+	Apple M4	Apple M4
Display	12.4" Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz	14.6" Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz	11" tandem OLED, 120Hz	13" tandem OLED, 120Hz
RAM	12GB	12GB or 16GB	8GB (256/512GB models)	8GB (256/512GB models)
Storage	256GB / 512GB + microSD	256GB / 512GB / 1TB + microSD	256GB to 2TB	256GB to 2TB
Stylus	S Pen included	S Pen included	Apple Pencil Pro (sold separately)	Apple Pencil Pro (sold separately)
Software at launch	Android 14 / One UI 6.1.1	Android 14 / One UI 6.1.1	iPadOS 17.5	iPadOS 17.5
Thickness / weight	Thin, but heavier than the iPad	Thin, but heavier than the iPad	Ultra-thin	5.1mm / 579g
Ports	USB-C 3.2, microSD	USB-C 3.2, microSD	One Thunderbolt/USB4 port	One Thunderbolt/USB4 port

I took the launch prices and the broad spec differences from XDA's head-to-head. It lists $1,000 for the S10+ and $1,200 for the S10 Ultra. Apple's side is $999 for the 11-inch and $1,299 for the 13-inch. Treat the exact Samsung RAM and storage tiers as spec-sheet values and confirm them for your region.

The XDA piece summarizes the Samsung pros as a larger screen, trimmer bezels, more base RAM, microSD support and an included S Pen. Its cons are an inferior chipset and limited onboard storage options. The iPad's pros are the M4 powerhouse, the sleek compact design and more storage choices. Its con is only 8GB of base RAM. That matches my own read.

Performance: the M4 isn't close

I'll be blunt here. The M4 is on a different level.

Trusted Reviews recorded 3,660 single-core and 14,555 multi-core in Geekbench 6 on the iPad Pro M4. They also said it scored more than double the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra in 3DMark Wild Life Extreme. NanoReview lists similar numbers (around 3,683 / 13,402), and its more recent user submissions run higher. A six-month review at The Tested Hub averaged 3,712 / 14,602 across ten runs. It also said the fanless iPad held about 97% of its peak score through ten back-to-back runs, so it doesn't throttle much.

I didn't pull matching Geekbench numbers for the Samsung side in this round. I'm not going to invent any. The Dimensity 9300+ is a flagship Android chip and it's fast. XDA still calls the S10's chipset inferior to the M4, and I agree.

Here's what that means in practice:

• Video editing, 3D, heavy Procreate canvases, big Lightroom RAW batches: the iPad finishes sooner and stays smooth. The Samsung gets there but you notice the wait.
• Gaming, browsing, Netflix, note-taking, reading, Office: you'd have trouble telling them apart. The Tab S10 never felt slow to me in everyday use.

One more thing on the iPad. Apple splits the M4 by storage tier. The 256GB and 512GB models get a 9-core CPU and 8GB of RAM. Only the 1TB and 2TB models get 10 cores and 16GB. Macworld and Alex Reviews Tech both point this out. The gap is small day to day, but it's a bit sneaky. If you want the full chip you're paying a lot more.

Display: both are gorgeous, but they win in different ways

The iPad Pro M4 was Apple's first OLED iPad. Its tandem OLED panel is the best I've seen on a tablet for brightness and contrast. Tom's Guide measured about 1,516 nits peak in HDR at a 10% window, and about 938 nits with adaptive brightness on. The Tested Hub reports 1,612 nits sustained, which is a higher figure than the others, so I'd treat that one as an outlier. Either way HDR content looks fantastic and it handles sunlight well. Apple also offers a nano-texture matte option on the 1TB and 2TB models.

The Galaxy Tab S10 line is the best Android tablet display, and for a lot of people the Ultra's 14.6 inches matters more than peak nits. It's like a small monitor you can carry around. The anti-glare coating on the S10 series helps outdoors. If you mostly watch videos on a couch or do split-screen multitasking, the Ultra's size is a real advantage.

My call: the iPad wins on panel quality. The Samsung wins on size, and the Ultra is the better screen for multitasking.

Design and weight

The 13-inch iPad Pro is 5.1mm thick and 579g, which is absurdly thin and light for its screen size. When I hold one, I can't believe it's a 13-inch tablet. The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is also slim, but its 14.6-inch panel makes it a bigger, heavier slab. I find the iPad easier to hold in one hand and read on the bus. The Ultra is better on a desk than in your hands.

Battery and charging

Both tablets are all-day devices.

• iPad Pro M4: the 13-inch has a 38.99Wh battery and the 11-inch has 31.29Wh (Macworld). Apple claims about 10 hours for both. A Medium review that ran continuous Wi-Fi browsing got 14 hours 35 minutes. Trusted Reviews watched films on a 10-hour London to Seattle flight and had about 20% left. The same review says one hour of Football Manager used 19% and one hour of Zoom used 15%. Alex Reviews Tech got closer to six hours under heavy use, and Trusted measured 0 to 100% in about 100 minutes. The box includes a 20W adapter, which is slow.
• Galaxy Tab S10+/Ultra: the S10 Ultra has an 11,200mAh battery and 45W charging on the spec sheet, and the S10+ has about 10,090mAh. I don't have a matching independent browsing test for it here, so treat that comparison as unverified. On paper the Samsung should charge faster.

The M4 is very efficient, so battery life is excellent for a tablet this powerful. Samsung's 45W charging is a real convenience. Apple's single slow adapter is a small annoyance, and a faster charger costs extra.

Software: what you can actually do with them

This is where my real preferences show up.

iPadOS has more tablet-first apps and better optimization: Procreate, Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Affinity and a lot of polished creative software. Stage Manager works, but it's still not a Mac. Apple Pencil Pro is excellent, but you buy it separately, and a Magic Keyboard adds a lot more to the bill. Alex Reviews Tech calls out the need for pricey accessories and that single port.

One UI on the Tab S10 is more flexible. You get multi-window, Samsung DeX (a desktop-style mode), files, microSD and an S Pen in the box. DeX is the closest either tablet gets to a real desktop, and the S Pen is great for notes and PDF markup. Android tablet apps are still less polished than iPad apps, but the gap has narrowed.

Pros and cons

Galaxy Tab S10+ / Ultra

Pros

• S Pen included in the box, which saves around $130 right away
• microSD slot for cheap storage expansion
• More RAM at the base level
• 14.6-inch Ultra screen is great for multitasking
• DeX mode is better for desktop-style work
• Cheaper overall once you add accessories

Cons

• Noticeably weaker chip than the M4
• Fewer polished pro apps
• Heavier and bulkier, especially the Ultra
• Limited onboard storage tiers compared with Apple

iPad Pro M4

Pros

• Class-leading performance with little throttling
• The best tablet display, with tandem OLED and an optional matte finish
• Very thin and light
• Excellent battery life for the power
• Best pro and creative app ecosystem
• Thunderbolt/USB4 port

Cons

• Expensive, especially with a Pencil and keyboard
• Only one port
• Full M4 and 16GB RAM only on the 1TB and 2TB models
• Slow 20W adapter in the box
• iPadOS still limits laptop-style multitasking

Who should buy which

Get the iPad Pro M4 if:

• You edit video, do serious illustration, or work in 3D
• You want the best screen and the thinnest design
• You're already in Apple's ecosystem (iPhone, Mac, AirPods)
• You plan to keep it for five or more years and want the extra headroom

Get the Galaxy Tab S10+ or Ultra if:

• You mainly take notes, read PDFs, watch videos and multitask
• You want the S Pen included, and a bigger screen
• You use an Android phone and want DeX
• You want to expand storage cheaply with microSD
• You want to save money after accessories

If you're still stuck, here's what I'd do. I'd buy the Tab S10+ for note-taking and general use, and the iPad Pro 11" or 13" for heavy creative work. For everyday use, the Samsung is the better deal. For pure power and polish, nothing beats the iPad Pro M4.

My verdict

The iPad Pro M4 is the better tablet. It has the faster chip, the better display and the lighter body. The Galaxy Tab S10 is the better value. It costs less in practice, includes the S Pen, and gives you more flexibility.

If you can name the one heavy task that justifies the M4, buy the iPad. If you can't, you probably don't need it. In that case I'd save the money and get the Samsung.

Prices are launch list prices (XDA Developers). Benchmark and battery figures come from Trusted Reviews, Tom's Guide, Macworld, NanoReview, The Tested Hub and a Medium review. Check current street prices before you buy.