I like to use multiple platforms. I have an inexpensive but nice Windows laptop. I have always had Samsung phones over the years. I usually get them pretty cheap with free promotions from carriers and trade in deals. I also have a M2 MBA and iPad air 5. I have a Samsung Tab s8 I got when trading in an older Samsung tablet and a promotional offer.
I had two iPhones over the past three years and this year I ditched iPhone for a Pixel 7.
The iPad Pro is nice but crazy expensive for a tablet IMHO.
I really like my air 5 iPad. I think it is just a great overall tablet I got it on sale and a promotional gift card. I bought one from Amazon which I returned (actually returned two on Amazon) and it had terrible speaker volume. I bought direct from Apple and it is much better.
The tab S8 is also a great tablet. The 120hz screen, quad speakers, it has double the base storage, and it is more solid feeling overall.
In terms of interoperability between iPhone and Android you can forget it. Apple doesn't play nice or even fair for that matter. I can get Google messages on my browser using any device but I can't get iMessage on my Windows computer or Samsung tablet. If you had a windows PC and Android phone you can use link to phone and make and receive calls and texts from your computer and S8 tablet. So that is nice.
If you have a Mac and iPad and iPhone they all work great together.
If you bought just the Samsung tablet it would be a stand alone device. Your Mac, phone, Watch would not communicate well.
In your situation it doesn't make sense to get the Samsung tablet unless you don't care about the tablet communicating with your Apple devices. If you are just going to use it as a tablet then you would be fine.
Compared to the air the S8 has a very slightly larger display with higher resolution. I think brightness is about the same although the s8 feels brighter. The color on the s8 is better. S8 uses tft screen while Apple uses IPS. The speed feels the same and smoothness is really close with a slight edge to Air. The animations on Apple are nicer but one ui 5 is really good. You also get an s pen on the s8. The quad speakers are really loud and clear but the iPad has more bass and is still very loud. The m1 is a faster chip with much better graphics so in terms of longevity the iPad should last a long time and be better for gaming and other graphics related tasks. Battery life is really close between the two with a slight edge to the s8. So in terms of the air 5 or tab s8 they are very closely matched. In my experience I don't really notice a huge difference between the 120 hz and 60hz. It is noticeable but you get used to the iPad pretty quickly.
So there are some hardware advantages to the Samsung but I think because of your other devices it would make a lot more sense to get the iPad. I went through 3 iPad airs before I got one I was happy with. So if build quality was an issue maybe try again. Honestly if you drop any tablet on a hard surface from more than a foot you are going to have problems. The jelly roll is there but again it is really minor and Samsung a little bit of it in settings. The big difference I would say is when scrolling fast on a website the s8 is really smooth. The s8 is more solid feeling and uses aluminum armor to resist minor scratches.
I would not recommend any cheaper Samsung tablets other than the s8 or the air 5.
Just my 2 cents dealing with both ecosystems.
