Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 speed leak hints it isn't a real iPad Pro competitor after all

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (Image credit: Future)

We typically view Samsung tablets as close iPad rivals, and were expecting the upcoming Galaxy Tab S7 to be a fierce competitor to the newest iPad Pro (2020), but a leaked benchmark test for the Android slate suggests that may not be the case.

As spotted by website NashvilleChatter, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 is now listed in the records of Geekbench, a benchmark test site, where it seems to have returned a multi-core score of 12,945.

Judging by that score, we'd say this is the older Geekbench 4 (which was replaced in late 2019 by Geekbench 5, though the older test is still available), as Geekbench 5 scores tend to be much lower. That means we can analyze the score more accurately by comparing it to devices released before 2020.

A score of 12,945 would top many premium smartphones, including all the best from 2019 as the top scores were around 11,000 for the iPhone 11 and Sony Xperia 1; however, it falls shy of the 2018 iPad Pro 12.9, which had a whopping score of 18,104 – in fact, the two-year-old top-end iPad's score is roughly 50% better than Samsung's newest. 

This suggests that while the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 might be a good device in a lot of ways, in terms of raw processing speeds it won't match the iPad Pro models.

New Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus renders

At the same time as benchmark tests for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7, we also saw some new leaked renders for the Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, similar to the 'base' Tab S7 renders we saw a few days prior, from the same source.

These come from blog Pigtou, and show basically the same slate as the non-Plus model, though it'll likely be bigger than its sibling in real life. There do seem to be two front-facing cameras though, suggesting either that Samsung has added a depth sensor at the front for better selfies and AR, or that the company is designing a version of Apple's Face ID system which requires multiple sensors. 

We're expecting the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 to launch in early August, alongside the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and perhaps a few other products. The leaks and rumors have been coming pretty thick recently, so stay tuned for more on the tablets.

Via GSMArena

Tom Bedford
Contributor

Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.


He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist. He also currently works in film as a screenwriter, director and producer.