Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra Surfaces with Dimensity 9500 Power

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Samsung's next big tablet just showed its hand. A Geekbench entry tied to model number SM-X946B hints strongly at what the Tab S12 Ultra will bring: faster silicon and a modest performance bump over last year's flagship.

The listing reveals the chip's blueprint rather than a brand name. One prime core, three performance cores and four efficiency cores. A peak clock of 4.21 GHz on the prime cluster and 2.7 GHz for the efficiency cores. Those figures, combined with the overall topology, point to MediaTek's Dimensity 9500 — not the latest Snapdragon flagship of the past two generations.

Numbers matter. On Geekbench the device posts about 2,424 in single-core and roughly 8,446 in multi-core. That's a noticeable nudge ahead of the Tab S11 Ultra, but it's not a seismic leap. Think incremental refinement: better thermal tuning, clever performance islands, and a chip that favors sustained workloads over brief bursts.

Memory on the test unit sits at 12GB, matching the S11 Ultra's base configuration. Expect Samsung to keep a 12GB entry point and likely offer a 16GB variant for power users who juggle heavy apps or multi-window workflows.

Leaks so far suggest Samsung won't reinvent the hardware wheel. The S12 Ultra is rumored to hold onto a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, an 11,600mAh battery and 45W wired charging. Camera specs look familiar too: a 13MP main, an 8MP ultra-wide and a 12MP front-facing shooter — solid, dependable optics aimed at creators and productivity users more than photography obsessives.

Software will be a selling point. The tablet is expected to ship with One UI 9 on top of Android 17, and Samsung's commitment to long-term support remains: seven major Android upgrades and seven years of security updates. That's the sort of promise enterprises and longevity-minded buyers notice.

There was chatter about a hole-punch selfie this year, but recent signals make that less likely for the Ultra. If Samsung sticks to its usual rhythm, we should see the series arrive around September. Faster chip, familiar hardware, and long software support — is that the combination tablet users are ready to upgrade for?