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The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra is the more natural choice if you want a very large Android tablet and plan to use Samsung DeX with an optional keyboard and trackpad. The 2025 iPad Pro with M5 is a better fit when your essential apps and creative workflow are strongest on iPadOS. Neither is a dependable laptop replacement for every job: check the exact apps, files, peripherals and work tools you rely on before choosing.
What these tablets offer as laptop alternatives
This comparison is between Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra, announced September 30, 2026, and Apple’s 2025 iPad Pro with M5. The Samsung has a 14.6-inch display and supports Samsung DeX. Apple offers the M5 iPad Pro in 11-inch and 13-inch sizes, with iPadOS 26 windowing and external-display features.
Both can make common mobile work—such as email, web browsing, video calls, note-taking and documents—more comfortable when paired with a keyboard. But a desktop-style interface does not turn a mobile app into its desktop counterpart. Compatibility with your actual work tools is the deciding factor, not the processor branding or the ability to arrange windows.
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Before buying, make a list of the things you must use for work and verify that each works in the tablet’s operating system. Check the specific mobile app or browser experience, rather than assuming a familiar product name means desktop-level features.
#1 Best Overall
- WHY IPAD PRO — iPad Pro with the Apple M5 chip delivers extraordinary performance for effortless productivity on a stunning display. Take on pro workflows with Neural Accelerators for AI and a redesigned iPadOS with game-changing capabilities.*
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — iPad Pro with M5 brings next-generation speed and the power of on-device AI to all your tasks.* Featuring up to 2TB of storage, 16GB of memory, and Neural Accelerators for next-level AI performance.*
- IPADOS — Run pro apps and get more done with iPadOS 26 with Liquid Glass design and game-changing capabilities.* With an intuitive and flexible windowing system, you can control, organize, and manage your workflows like never before.
- APPLE INTELLIGENCE — Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that helps you communicate, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly with groundbreaking privacy protections at every step.*
- 13-INCH ULTRA RETINA XDR DISPLAY — The world’s most advanced display, featuring extreme brightness, precise contrast, ProMotion, P3 wide color, and True Tone.* Nano-texture display glass available in 1TB and 2TB configurations
- Essential apps, browser extensions and employer or school tools
- File formats and any editing, export or sharing features you need
- VPN access, authentication methods and collaboration workflows
- Peripherals that require drivers, specialist software or particular ports
- Any task that depends on a desktop-only feature or a specific external monitor setup
If a required tool is unavailable or missing a needed function, DeX or iPadOS windowing will not fill that gap. A recent Tom’s Guide assessment says the Tab S12 Ultra can replace a laptop for email, web work, video calls, notes, documents and light multitasking, particularly with a keyboard and DeX; it also cautions that Android app versions and DeX or keyboard limitations matter. That is the publication’s assessment, not a test of both configurations here.
DeX or iPadOS 26: which desktop-like setup suits you?
| Feature | Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra | iPad Pro M5 |
|---|---|---|
| Multitasking approach | Samsung DeX provides a PC-like desktop mode. Samsung’s UK product specification describes up to four workspaces. | iPadOS 26 adds a windowing system; Apple also describes external-display support. |
| Operating system and app environment | Android | iPadOS 26 |
| Best reason to prefer this approach | You prefer Android or Google workflows and want DeX’s desktop-style workspace. | Your required apps and established creative or work processes are well supported on iPadOS. |
The workspace figure is a stated feature on Samsung’s UK page, not evidence of a measured productivity advantage. DeX and iPadOS windowing are different designs; neither should be treated as equivalent to Windows or macOS. Decide based on whether your apps and daily tasks work well in the specific environment.
Rank #2
- WHY IPAD PRO — iPad Pro with the Apple M5 chip delivers extraordinary performance for effortless productivity on a stunning display. Take on pro workflows with Neural Accelerators for AI and a redesigned iPadOS with game-changing capabilities.*
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — iPad Pro with M5 brings next-generation speed and the power of on-device AI to all your tasks.* Featuring up to 2TB of storage, 16GB of memory, and Neural Accelerators for next-level AI performance.*
- IPADOS — Run pro apps and get more done with iPadOS 26 with Liquid Glass design and game-changing capabilities.* With an intuitive and flexible windowing system, you can control, organize, and manage your workflows like never before.
- APPLE INTELLIGENCE — Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that helps you communicate, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly with groundbreaking privacy protections at every step.*
- 11-INCH ULTRA RETINA XDR DISPLAY — The world’s most advanced display, featuring extreme brightness, precise contrast, ProMotion, P3 wide color, and True Tone.* Nano-texture display glass available in 1TB and 2TB configurations
Screen size and portability
The Tab S12 Ultra’s 14.6-inch display offers more physical screen area for side-by-side content than either iPad Pro size. That may be useful when you regularly compare documents or keep a call visible beside notes. Apple’s 11-inch model is the more compact option; the 13-inch model sits between the iPad sizes and the Samsung Ultra by diagonal measurement. These are size-based trade-offs, not evidence that one device makes people work faster or more comfortably.
Samsung describes the S12 Ultra as 5.1 mm thick and its thinnest Galaxy Tab to date. That is Samsung’s product specification and positioning, not an independent comparison of complete setups: adding a keyboard changes the size and handling of the device you carry.
Rank #3
- WHY IPAD PRO — iPad Pro with the Apple M5 chip delivers extraordinary performance for effortless productivity on a stunning display. Take on pro workflows with Neural Accelerators for AI and a redesigned iPadOS with game-changing capabilities.*
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — iPad Pro with M5 brings next-generation speed and the power of on-device AI to all your tasks.* Featuring up to 2TB of storage, 16GB of memory, and Neural Accelerators for next-level AI performance.*
- IPADOS — Run pro apps and get more done with iPadOS 26 with Liquid Glass design and game-changing capabilities.* With an intuitive and flexible windowing system, you can control, organize, and manage your workflows like never before.
- APPLE INTELLIGENCE — Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that helps you communicate, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly with groundbreaking privacy protections at every step.*
- 13-INCH ULTRA RETINA XDR DISPLAY — The world’s most advanced display, featuring extreme brightness, precise contrast, ProMotion, P3 wide color, and True Tone.* Nano-texture display glass available in 1TB and 2TB configurations
Keyboard and trackpad setups
Samsung lists an optional Pro Keyboard with trackpad for the Tab S12 Ultra, as well as the Book Cover Keyboard Slim among its S12-series accessory choices. Apple offers Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro. These are not included in the tablet specifications above, so compare the complete configuration rather than the tablet alone.
Before choosing, check the exact keyboard model’s compatibility with your tablet size and generation. Consider typing feel, trackpad support, viewing angles, protection and the weight of the attached setup. The cited product announcements establish the accessory options but do not establish that one keyboard is objectively better. Apple Pencil Pro is a separate option for handwriting or drawing; it does not address laptop-replacement needs by itself.
Rank #4
- WHY IPAD PRO — iPad Pro with the Apple M5 chip delivers extraordinary performance for effortless productivity on a stunning display. Take on pro workflows with Neural Accelerators for AI and a redesigned iPadOS with game-changing capabilities.*
- PERFORMANCE AND STORAGE — iPad Pro with M5 brings next-generation speed and the power of on-device AI to all your tasks.* Featuring up to 2TB of storage, 16GB of memory, and Neural Accelerators for next-level AI performance.*
- IPADOS — Run pro apps and get more done with iPadOS 26 with Liquid Glass design and game-changing capabilities.* With an intuitive and flexible windowing system, you can control, organize, and manage your workflows like never before.
- APPLE INTELLIGENCE — Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that helps you communicate, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly with groundbreaking privacy protections at every step.*
- 11-INCH ULTRA RETINA XDR DISPLAY — The world’s most advanced display, featuring extreme brightness, precise contrast, ProMotion, P3 wide color, and True Tone.* Nano-texture display glass available in 1TB and 2TB configurations
External displays, ports and peripherals
Apple’s technical page for the 11-inch M5 iPad Pro lists Thunderbolt/USB 4 and support for one external display up to 6K at 60Hz or 5K at 120Hz. Those stated limits are for that 11-inch model; check the matching 13-inch technical information rather than assuming every detail is identical.
Samsung’s DeX positioning supports a desktop-like-use case, but the specifications available here do not establish a complete, directly comparable external-display matrix for the S12 Ultra. If you plan to work at a desk, verify the exact tablet’s supported monitor resolution and refresh rate, ports, hub or adapter requirements, and compatibility with each peripheral you intend to connect. Do the same for the iPad configuration you plan to buy.
What will the complete setup cost?
Do not pick a price winner from the available product information: it does not establish current comparable U.S. prices, storage-tier totals, a complete release-to-delivery schedule or the combined cost of each tablet-and-keyboard setup. Check current listings in your market for the capacities and exact accessory models you want. Include any required hub or adapter in the total, and compare equivalent configurations rather than a bare tablet on one side with a keyboard bundle on the other.
Which tablet should you choose?
Choose the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra if
- You want a very large Android tablet and prefer Samsung DeX’s desktop-style multitasking.
- Your must-have apps, files and work services function adequately in their Android versions.
- You are prepared to evaluate the optional Pro Keyboard with trackpad or another compatible setup as part of the total system.
Choose the iPad Pro M5 if
- Your essential apps or creative workflow are better supported in the iPadOS environment you use.
- You want a choice between 11-inch and 13-inch tablet sizes.
- The iPad’s documented display and port capabilities meet your needs for the specific model you intend to purchase.
If neither device runs a required app or supports a necessary peripheral or workflow, keep a conventional laptop in consideration. For either tablet, the useful test is whether your actual work can be completed—not simply whether the screen can show several windows at once.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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