Tab S12 Ultra vs MacBook Air: price check

A reader comment under a recent GSMArena poll raised a question worth a closer look: when does a premium tablet stop making sense next to a laptop?

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra starts at $1,400 for a 12/256GB model. The keyboard is sold separately for an extra $380. For comparison, a 13" MacBook Air with an M5 chip, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is listed at $1,300, and the 15" version at $1,500. On paper, that is a faster chip, more memory, more storage and a keyboard for roughly the same money.

Why it matters: buyers increasingly compare devices by total cost and capability, not by category. For hardware makers, pricing a tablet near laptop levels means it has to justify itself on workflow and form factor. For product and marketing teams, it is a reminder that the competition is often the device next door on the shelf.