Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Tab S9 series, Galaxy Z Fold5 and Z Flip5, and Galaxy Watch6 / Watch6 Classic at a major unpacked event today. Like last year, the smallest Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 has an 11-inch display, the Plus model has a 12.4-inch screen, and the Ultra has a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
At first glance, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra hardly seems to differ from its predecessor. But there are several updates. All three models are now dust and water resistant according to IP68, making them the first Samsung tablets apart from the Tab Active series with this protection class. The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra features a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 1848 x 2960 pixels and a variable refresh rate of 120 Hz.
New here is Samsung’s Vision Booster, which also runs on the Galaxy S23 phones. It improves the readability and colors of the display in extremely bright light conditions. The notch, on the other hand, is already known and houses two 12 megapixel front cameras – a wide-angle and an ultra-wide camera. The quad speakers with AKG tuning are now 20% larger, while the in-display optical fingerprint sensor is unchanged.
As with the Galaxy S23 series and the latest foldables, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset sits at the helm. In addition, you can configure the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra with 12 or 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB, 512 GB or 1 TB of storage. microSD cards are supported for memory expansion and you get to choose from WLAN or 5G options.
On the back there are two cameras and an LED flash. The 13 megapixel main camera has autofocus and shoots 4K videos at up to 60 frames per second. The 12 megapixel ultra wide camera replaces the 6 megapixel ultra wide of the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra. Android 13 with Samsung One UI 5.1 is used as the operating system. There’s also a continuity feature for select Galaxy smartphones that allows you to use your smartphone as a companion display for your tablet in select apps. Samsung also promises four Android updates and five years of security patches.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 tablets also get some exclusive apps and features like GoodNotes. One of the most popular apps for Apple’s iPads is finally available for Android and runs exclusively on supported Samsung Galaxy Tab tablets.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra prices
The professional video editing app LumaFusion is available for Tab S9 owners with a 50% discount. All three tablets also come with an S Pen. The Ultra also packs an 11,200mAh battery with 45W fast charging. However, a charger is not part of the scope of delivery. The Ultra is available in Beige and Graphite colors and starts at $1,199/£1,199/€1,339. Pre-orders start today, while open sale begins on August 11th.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 and Tab S9+
Unlike last year’s Galaxy Tab S8, which featured an LCD display, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 now also has a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel like its bigger siblings. The 11-inch display offers an adaptive refresh rate of 120 Hz. You also get a single 12-megapixel front camera and an under-display fingerprint sensor. The Tab S9+ has a diagonal of 12.4 inches and the same refresh rate. Like the Tab S9 Ultra, it has two cameras on the back with a resolution of 13 and 8 megapixels. Samsung’s Vision Booster is also available.
The Galaxy Tab S9 and Tab S9+ also have Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipsets. However, the Tab S9 comes with 8/12 GB of RAM and 128/256 GB of storage, while the Plus model comes standard with 12 GB of RAM, and 256 or 512 GB of storage. The other difference is in the batteries. The Tab S9 has an 8,400 mAh cell, while the Tab S9+ uses 10,900 mAh. Both tablets support fast charging with up to 45 watts. Additionally, all Tab S9 models launch One UI 5.1 based on Android 13 and also come with S Pen styluses.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 starts at $799/£799/€899, while the Tab S9+ costs $999/£999/€1,199. Pre-orders start today, while open sale opens on August 11th.
