Warning: Tab S8 Ultra w/Book cover Keyboard

bill-e

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Jul 8, 2011
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So I had my Tab S8 Ultra for 8 days. On the 6th day I was using it on a sturdy snack table, with the keyboard, while sitting on my couch. I should have known better because I had read of another user doing the same thing.

While using it I noticed that the keyboard was hanging over the front of the table about 2" so I decided to push it back onto the table to provide more support and in an instant the kickstand was off the back of the tray table and the tablet fell flat and then pulled away from the magnets, flipped, and went sailing down onto the hardwood floor with a loud crash!

I'm not quite sure how it hit but it eventually landed screen down on the floor. Anyone who owns an S8 Ultra knows that this isn't a light tablet and it doesn't look beefy at all so I was expecting the worst as the user who posted before me had cracked his screen.

I picked up the $1260 tablet and examined it and sure enough the $32 Spigen screen protector had radial cracks expanding out from one corner for about 1/3rd of the screen. I ordered a $19 Whitestone Dome glass protector instead of another Spigen first, because I thought that $32 was a bit much for the protector, and second because while it looked simple, the installation wasn't as the tabs on the frame didn't align up right with the slots on the glass.

I didn't remove the cracked screen protector while I awaited the new one so I had no idea what the actual screen looked like until today when I received the Whitestone Dome protector and removed the Spigen.

Whew! The screen was not cracked and while having both new and old protector in my hands the Spigen appeared to be heavier.

The WhiteStone Dome protector went on easily and without issue and I'm happy with the fit but I must say that I totally believe that the Spigen protector saved my screen and would buy it again if needed notwithstanding its high price.

The Whitstone Dome really went on easy and looks great and I believe is more fingerprint resistant than the Spigen.

Of note, neither of these premium protectors had any warranty that I could find and each was in quantity of 1.

So word to the wise, be careful when using the keyboard as it is a poor design for anything other than a desk or table.
 

L0n3N1nja

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Jan 11, 2014
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This has been something to be careful about for over a decade now, same thing can happen to the Surface Pro and countless other tablets with a magnetically attached keyboard and kickstand.

Glad your tablet didn't break.
 

bill-e

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My only experience with magnetically attached keyboards is my Galaxy Book and it doesn't suffer from this poor design feature.
 

L0n3N1nja

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My only experience with magnetically attached keyboards is my Galaxy Book and it doesn't suffer from this poor design feature.

Stronger magnet on the Galaxy Book perhaps? Never used one but from images it looks like it would topple over like other tablets I've used. I know my Surface will flop over if I push the kickstand over an edge. Lol
 

bill-e

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Stronger magnet on the Galaxy Book perhaps? Never used one but from images it looks like it would topple over like other tablets I've used. I know my Surface will flop over if I push the kickstand over an edge. Lol

It's not the toppling over that's the issue, it's the separation of the tablet from the keyboard once it topples which allows it to crash to the floor.
The Galaxy Book (original) has a folio-like case with the magnets at the hinge so as long as you holding onto the keyboard it isn't going anywhere and is simple to remove if you just want the tablet.

Because it's a folio which uses the back cover as the prop, if it topples the magnetic back cover slaps itself back onto the tablet which is strong enough to grab and hold the tablet.

In the many years I've owned it I've taken it on over a hundred business trips and almost twice as many flights and it has come off the edge of the table/tray/lap multiple times but never with the Tab S8U results.