Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 pre-orders halted, as Samsung cites 'overwhelming demand'

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 pre-orders halted, as Samsung cites 'overwhelming need'

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 front-facing camera

(Paradigm credit: Tom'due south Guide)

While virtually will have assumed that the Samsung Milky way Tab S8 was a support human activity to the Galaxy S22 at last week's Galaxy Unpacked event, pre-guild demand for the tablet has evidently proven to be so stiff that the visitor has temporarily blocked would-be buyers from placing orders.

If yous visit Samsung'due south online store today (February 13), you'll meet only one available pre-order pick: the $1,100 128GB Milky way Tab S8 Plus with 5G, and even then only in the graphite colour scheme. The eleven-inch Milky way Tab S8 and fourteen.6-inch Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra are listed equally unavailable as of this writing.

Samsung told XDA Developers that pre-orders accept been temporarily paused due to "overwhelming demand in the last 48 hours."

"We are working quickly to encounter consumer excitement and need," the company added.

In the meantime, if you're really desperate to get your hands on the Galaxy Tab S8, Best Buy still lists all 3 equally available to purchase, with the same costless keyboard embrace every bit offered when buying directly from Samsung.

Huge need or something more familiar?

It does, of course, make sense for Samsung to spin this pre-order pause as being due to "overwhelming demand." Information technology certainly suits Samsung for people to believe a product is then popular that they may not be able to get concur of ane.

And while it'south perfectly possible that Samsung has hit upon an irresistible Android tablet formula, sometimes demand outstrips supply for more than mundane reasons. We know that the global fleck shortage continues to be a alive problem, and given the Galaxy S22 and Tab S8 families both use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, it seems likely that Samsung would prioritize the erstwhile over the latter, which could pb to smaller-than-usual inventories for the tablet.

Prioritizing one device over another wouldn't be without precedent: last year, it was reported that Samsung was considering cancelling the Milky way S21 FE because of the want to place its limited Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 inventory in its foldables. The phone ended upward being released this yr, of form, but it's certainly plausible that the filibuster was to ensure the foldables had plenty chips to keep up with demand. Similarly, Apple reportedly prioritized iPhone 13 product over new iPads so the in-demand telephone would get first fissure at shared components used by both devices.

That said, fifty-fifty if this is downward to a smaller-than-usual inventory for the latest Galaxy tablet, we wouldn't recommend hanging around if you're later on the flagship 14.half-dozen-inch Milky way Tab S8 Ultra, equally i report has claimed that it volition but be made in pocket-sized quantities without long-term restocking plans. That report may non pan out, merely given the scarcity of other similarly sized tablets, you may non want to have that chance.

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing well-nigh tech for over a decade, roofing phones, drones and everything in betwixt. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his always-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.