Samsung's Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra goes on sale in India on 7 October at Rs 1,49,999, and the obvious question for anyone spending that much is how it stacks up against Apple's iPad Pro. We put the two side by side using Samsung India's pricing and specification announcement and the Apple India online store, (price as of 7 October 2026, 1:35 AM IST for every figure below).

Short version: the Samsung is bigger, cheaper at the entry level and comes with its pen in the box. The iPad Pro is lighter and runs Apple's M5 chip. The right pick depends more on your phone and your apps than on any single spec.

What each one costs in India

The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra costs Rs 1,49,999 with Wi-Fi and 12GB RAM plus 256GB storage. The 512GB Wi-Fi model is Rs 1,69,999, and the 5G versions are Rs 1,64,999 and Rs 1,84,999.

Apple's 13-inch iPad Pro, the closest in size, starts at Rs 1,99,900 for 256GB with Wi-Fi. The 11-inch iPad Pro starts at Rs 1,39,900. So the 14.6-inch Samsung costs Rs 50,000 less than the 13-inch iPad Pro, and Rs 10,099 more than the 11-inch one.

Accessories widen the gap. Samsung includes the S Pen in the box. Apple sells the Apple Pencil Pro separately at Rs 11,900. For typing, Samsung's Pro Keyboard Cover for the Ultra is Rs 27,999, while Apple lists its Magic Keyboard for the 13-inch iPad Pro at Rs 33,900.

Add pen and keyboard, and a 256GB Wi-Fi Tab S12 Ultra setup comes to Rs 1,77,998. A 256GB Wi-Fi 13-inch iPad Pro with Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard comes to Rs 2,45,700. That Rs 67,702 difference is before any launch offer on either side.

Screen, size and weight

The Tab S12 Ultra has a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display at 2960 x 1848 pixels and 120Hz, with peak brightness of 1,600 nits. The 13-inch iPad Pro has an Ultra Retina XDR tandem OLED display at 2752 x 2064 pixels, with ProMotion from 10Hz to 120Hz, 1,000 nits full-screen and 1,600 nits peak for HDR. Apple offers nano-texture glass, but only on the 1TB and 2TB models.

Both are very thin. Samsung says the Ultra is 5.1mm, its thinnest tab yet. Apple lists the 13-inch iPad Pro at 5.1mm too. Weight is where they split: the Ultra is 692g for Wi-Fi, against 579g for the 13-inch iPad Pro with Wi-Fi. That 113g matters if you hold it in one hand on a train or in bed.

The aspect ratios differ too. Samsung's wide panel suits films and side-by-side apps. Apple's squarer screen is closer to a sheet of paper, which many people prefer for reading and handwritten notes.

Chip, battery and charging

Samsung uses MediaTek's 3nm Dimensity 9500 and claims 61 percent faster NPU, 19 percent faster CPU and 17 percent better GPU over the last generation. Apple uses its M5 chip. Cross-platform benchmarks rarely tell you much about daily use, and both are far more powerful than most tablet apps need.

Battery is clearer. Samsung rates the Ultra's 11,600 mAh battery at up to 23 hours, under ideal lab conditions, with a full charge in 95 minutes on a 45W adapter. Apple rates the 13-inch iPad Pro at up to 10 hours of web browsing or video on Wi-Fi, and says it can reach 50 percent in around 30 minutes with a 60W or higher adapter, sold separately. The two companies test differently, so treat these as their own claims, but on paper Samsung promises much longer endurance.

Cameras, storage and toughness

The Tab S12 Ultra has a 13MP plus 8MP ultra-wide rear camera and a 12MP ultra-wide front camera. It also takes a microSD card up to 2TB, which no iPad does, and Samsung rates it IP68 for water and dust. Apple does not list an IP rating for the iPad Pro.

For software, Samsung promises up to seven OS upgrades and security updates on the Tab S12 series. Apple does not state a fixed number of years of updates on its iPad Pro specification page.

Samsung also bundles more software. The Tab S12 series ships with a six-month Google AI Pro trial, a year of Goodnotes, four months of a Photoshop mobile plan and discounts on LumaFusion and Clip Studio Paint, and Multi Window splits the screen three ways. Those trials end, so judge the tablet on what it does after month six, not on the bundle.

Which one should you buy?

Buy the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra if you want the biggest screen, use a Samsung phone, need expandable storage or water resistance, and want the pen without paying extra. Samsung's launch offers also include Rs 15,000 off when bought with selected Galaxy phones.

Buy the iPad Pro if you already live on an iPhone and Mac, depend on iPad-only creative apps, or want a lighter tablet. The 11-inch model at Rs 1,39,900 is the value pick in Apple's Pro line.

Students who mostly take notes may not need either flagship. The Galaxy Tab S12+ at Rs 1,29,999 is smaller and 139g lighter than the Ultra, and still has the S Pen in the box.

If the Pro tier is more than you need, our guide on which iPad to buy this Diwali covers the cheaper iPad and iPad Air. Android buyers on a smaller budget can look at our report on the Xiaomi Pad 8 Creator at Rs 42,999, and anyone weighing a laptop instead should read our MacBook Air vs Mac mini festive price comparison.