Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 review: Should you buy it?

Samsung is without doubt one of the few massive OEMs that has constantly provided Android tablets, and even with new competitors from the likes of OnePlus and Google, it’s nonetheless manner out in entrance. Consequently, Samsung didn’t have to vary a lot with its Galaxy Tab S9 household. In truth, the smallest member of the household, the Galaxy Tab S9, is the one mannequin that noticed a major improve in comparison with the Tab S8 sequence. While the Tab S8 had the identical 11-inch display screen measurement, it was an LCD. Samsung gave the Tab S9 an AMOLED, matching the dearer Tab S9 Plus and Tab S9 Ultra.

In the previous, an 11-inch pill would have appeared large, however we stay in a world of huge telephones and gargantuan tablets. The Tab S9 Ultra, as an example, has a whopping 14.6-inch display screen. You can get telephones that measure virtually 7 inches, and a foldable just like the Pixel Fold is 7.6 inches. If you’ve bought certainly one of these massive telephones, the 11-inch Tab S9 might sound slightly small. It’s nonetheless lots large enough to be helpful, although it’s widescreen as an alternative of a extra sq. ratio just like the OnePlus Pad or iPad. Even at 11 inches, that makes it considerably awkward to make use of in portrait orientation.

The new AMOLED panel is pretty much as good as Samsung’s different AMOLED tablets, only a bit smaller (and cheaper). It has glorious viewing angles, and it’s shiny sufficient to make use of open air. The Tab S9 additionally has 4 Atmos-compatible audio system across the periphery, and so they sound nice for a pill. In truth, they’re most likely louder and clearer than the audio system in your laptop computer.

Unlike Samsung’s different 2023 tablets, the Tab S9 is compact sufficient that you gained’t thoughts carrying it round. The sturdy aluminum chassis is simply 5.9mm thick, and it weighs 498g (slightly over one pound). There’s simply sufficient bezel across the display screen to carry the Tab S9 with out by accident touching the display screen, and the decrease mass makes it way more comfy than the Tab S9 Ultra and S9 Plus (that are additionally impressively skinny). The 8,400mAh battery is a bit bigger than the one in final 12 months’s pill, and it does the Tab S9 good. It’ll final by a day of intense use with slightly left within the tank. It’s not essentially the most long-lived slate, however utilizing it for an hour right here and there’ll nonetheless get you a number of days of use, and it loses virtually no juice sitting on the espresso desk.

We’ve seen most Samsung telephones acquire water resistance over time, however that’s nonetheless uncommon on tablets. Yet, the Galaxy Tab S9 does have an IP68 score. It’s much less prone to encounter water than a telephone, nevertheless it’s nonetheless good to have.

The Tab S9 is an effective measurement if you want one thing greater than your Android telephone, and it has Samsung’s superior multiwindow performance to take advantage of all that actual property. Android remains to be gentle on apps which can be optimized for the large display screen, however split-screen in One UI 5.1 saves the day. The Tab S9 is large enough that you can have three apps up directly, and so they’ll all be usable. On foldables just like the Galaxy Z Fold 5, the three-up format generally is a bit cramped. Samsung additionally lets you have your favourite app teams for straightforward entry. That makes the Tab S9 an actual multitasking powerhouse, although it’s not as compact as a Z Fold.

Update help on Android tablets is an actual crapshoot — even “important” units like Lenovo’s flagship Tab P12 Pro, which was one of many few with an Android 12L beta, have languished on previous variations of the OS. Samsung’s tablets get the identical basic replace assure as its telephones: 5 years of safety patches and Android OS updates. The first spherical of updates later this 12 months will convey Android 14 and One UI 6.0, however future replace cycles might be a bit extra delayed if previous years are something to go by.

Samsung contains the S Pen stylus with the Tab S9, making this machine a fantastic canvas for drawing, coloring, and taking notes. The S Pen is super-responsive due to the 120Hz show refresh, and it’s a pleasure to put in writing on the display screen. The S Pen’s comfortable tip is way simpler to regulate on the glass show than the Apple Pencil on an iPad. However, you’re largely restricted to the S Pen-enabled apps that ship with the pill. Very few apps within the Play Store will work correctly with the S Pen.

The S Pen works as a stylus whether or not or not it’s charged, however protecting it topped up will allow some further options like button shortcuts and gestures. Neither are must-haves, however it’s simpler to maintain the pen charged with the Tab S9. Samsung made the magnetic S Pen holder on the again of the pill work in both orientation, a pleasant improve from the complicated magnetic mount on the Tab S8.

Samsung sells a keyboard case for this pill, which makes it virtually a miniature laptop computer. The keys are a bit wobbly, and vertical journey is minimal, even for a laptop-style keyboard. It’s quicker than typing on the display screen, however the case does add a number of bulk if you’re simply trying to shield the pill when not in use. The keyboard case is $140, and it’ll more than likely solely work for this pill era. That makes it a troublesome promote.

All variations of the Tab S9 have the most recent Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Samsung, which is clocked a contact greater than non-Samsung variations of the chip. Some Samsung telephones throttle too closely once they warmth up, however the firm’s tablets have much more thermal headroom. The Tab S9 solely loses slightly velocity when it warms up, making it a great possibility for gaming, although peak efficiency for multitasking {and professional} design work will not be remotely akin to the Apple M-series iPads.

The Galaxy Tab S9 begins at $799.99 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. A model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is accessible for $920, however we advise you persist with the bottom mannequin. You may spend extra on the Tab S9 Plus or S9 Ultra, however you’re simply getting the identical expertise in a bigger, much less handy footprint.

Samsung makes a number of variations of the Tab S9, however there are a number of non-Samsung tablets you may additionally take into account if you don’t want essentially the most premium piece of {hardware}.

• Google Pixel Tablet ($499 at Best Buy): Google’s first pill in years presents the slick Pixel interface with Android 13 (quickly to be Android 14). It’s additionally $300 cheaper than the Tab S9 and might double-up as a pseudo-smart show due to the bundled speaker dock. However, the show is a run-of-the-mill 60Hz LCD, and it doesn’t include a stylus.
• OnePlus Pad ($479 at OnePlus): The OnePlus Pad is the corporate’s first pill. It’s quick, enticing, and has a stable 144Hz LCD display screen. There’s an included stylus, nevertheless it’s barely supported in software program. The newest model of Oxygen OS lacks the superior multitasking options of the Galaxy Tab S9, although.
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus ($999 at Amazon): The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus is basically the identical because the Tab S9 with a bigger display screen and better value. Unless you want a pill bigger than 11 inches or a mannequin with 5G help, there’s no purpose to improve.
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra ($1119 at Samsung): The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is the most important member of the Tab S9 lineup, with a 14.6-inch AMOLED display screen. It additionally has two front-facing and rear cameras. If the Tab S9 and Tab S9 Plus are each too small for what you bear in mind, this $1,200 pill is for you.
• Apple iPad Pro M2 ($786 at Amazon): The 11-inch iPad Pro requires a transition to iPadOS which doesn’t play fairly as properly with an Android telephone, nevertheless it makes up for it with laptop-grade energy and a extra complete software program suite with distinctive app help and compatibility.