The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series is the long-rumored upgrade to the company's flagship tablet line, and a new rumor suggests it'll be accompanied by an affordable edition that some are calling the Galaxy Tab S8 Lite.
The leak, courtesy of Galaxy Club, says there will be four models of the upcoming tablet, and the Lite model will be the cheapest of the series.
The leak doesn't confirm the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Lite name, so the company may opt to call it the Galaxy Tab S8 Fan Edition (as it did with its Galaxy Tab S7 FE tablet).
- These are the world's best Android tablets
- What we know about Samsung Galaxy S22
- The ranking of the very best tablets
This leak gives two model numbers, which is rumored to be for two different variants of the tablet. Those names are SM-X500 for the Wi-Fi variant and SM-X506B for a 5G-ready version.
Previous rumors suggested we'll be seeing a Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 with an 11-inch screen, a Galaxy Tab S8 Plus with a 12.4-inch display and a Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra with a mamoth 14.6-inch display.
We don't yet know when we'll see these models, or if we'll see them all debut at the same time. Previously, Samsung has waited at least a few months after its main series of tablets debut before bringing out its cheaper model.
It may still do similar here, so there's no gurantee we'll see all four of these models at the same time. So when are we likely to see the first models of the Galaxy Tab S8 series appear?
Analysis: When could we see these debut?
As with a lot of gadgets in 2021, the Galaxy Tab S8 series was intitially expected to make its debut earlier this year but it hasn't appeared. Rumors suggest the product has been delayed.
Samsung often brings out new flagship Android tablets every 12 months or so, but there's no clear sign of any new devices being revealed before the end of 2021.
There are a few clear dates where these may appear, though. A recent rumor suggested the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE may debut at CES 2022 at the very beginning of January.
It's unlikely we'll see new tablets debut there, but the company is rumored to be introducing its next flagship phone - that's the Samsung Galaxy S22 - during February this year.
It may be that it tags on the Galaxy Tab S8 series (or some models) to make their official appeareance. Either that, or we may be waiting until deeper into 2022 until we hear anything about these new tablets.
