Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series is here: Price, specs, availability, and more

Samsung launched the Galaxy Tab S8 series in 2022 and proved to the world that it’s ready to compete with Apple in the premium tablet segment. In 2023, the South Korean company upped the ante again with three new Android tablets — the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9, Galaxy Tab S9 Plus, and Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. All three slates carry forward the aesthetics of their predecessors. However, a lot has changed over and under the hood.

For instance, Samsung has ensured you get a crisper viewing experience on any Galaxy Tab S9 series tablet you buy since all of them feature 2K AMOLED displays. You also get one of the fastest Qualcomm processors on the market right now. Samsung is using the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, the same overclocked processor that powers its Galaxy S23 lineup.

The company has worked especially hard on the standard S series tablet this year. The vanilla Galaxy Tab S9 is more powerful than ever and matches the proficiency of its siblings with similar specs. But there are many other upgrades for the whole Galaxy Tab S9 series. Here’s everything you need to know about Samsung’s flagship tablets.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series: Release date, price, and availability

Price

Samsung officially launched the Galaxy Tab S9 series on July 26, 2023. The standard Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series starts at $799.99 for the base 8GB RAM model with 128GB storage. You can also opt for a Galaxy Tab S9 model with 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage for $919.99

The Galaxy Tab S9 Plus is priced at $999.99 for the 12GB RAM variant with 256GB storage. Samsung skipped an 8GB RAM/128GB storage version of the Plus model this year, but you do have an option for higher 512GB internal storage at $1,199.99.

There is also a Galaxy Tab S9 Plus Connected 5G variant which starts at $1,149.99 for 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. It features an eSIM and space for a physical SIM card so you can switch between different phone plans. If you need more storage, you have the option of getting a 512GB storage version of this Connected 5G variant.

With all the bells and whistles, the top-of-the-line Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra costs $1,199 for the variant with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. You can upgrade your Ultra experience by paying $1,469.99 for 1TB of internal storage and 16GB of RAM. A middle variant with 12GB RAM + 512GB storage is also available for $1,319.

The good news is that all three tablets in the Galaxy Tab S9 lineup allow users to expand storage by up to 1TB using a microSD card. This means you can opt for the base storage variant of any of the models and still get enough storage to tide you by.

As you may have noticed, all three Galaxy Tab S9 series models are more expensive compared to the Galaxy Tab S8 lineup. The $100 difference ensures you get a bunch of upgrades, but are they enough to convince you to pay more? Read on for details on performance, features, specs, and more.

In the UK, the Galaxy Tab S9, Tab S9 Plus, and Tab S9 Ultra start from £799, £999, and £1,199, respectively.

In Europe, the Galaxy Tab S9 starts at €899 (128GB/8GB), and the 256GB/12GB version costs €1,019.

The Tab S9 Plus starts at €1,119 (256GB/12GB). The the 512GB/12GB model costs €1,239.

The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra costs €1,339 (256GB/12GB), and the 512GB/12GB version costs €1,459. Finally, the top-of-the-line Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra (1TB/16GB) costs €1,759.

Finally, it’s worth noting that there’s a newer, more affordable line of tablets from Samsung. The Galaxy Tab S9 FE series arrived in October 2023, starting at $449. As you might have guessed, that lower price means several differences between it and the Galaxy Tab S9.

Availability

The Galaxy Tab S9, Tab S9 Plus, and Tab S9 Ultra went on sale on August 11, 2023. If you’re trading in an old device, you could be eligible for up to $650 off on any Galaxy Tab S9 series device.

Carrier offers

Verizon offers the Galaxy Tab S9 Plus starting at $31.94 a month for 36 months with purchase on Verizon Device Payment. AT&T also sells the Connected 5G version of the Galaxy Tab S9 Plus.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series: Features

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 trio might look a lot like the previous generation of S series tablets, but the lineup got some key upgrades.

Performance

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor is the most obvious hardware upgrade. Samsung is using its custom version of the chip that powers the Galaxy S23 series. Specifically, you get a 3.36GHz CPU clock speed and a 719MHz GPU boost compared to the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor that tops out at 3.2GHz and 680MHz. While the overclocked processor promises a speed upgrade on paper, it isn’t as game-changing in real-world usage. However, during our Galaxy Tab S9 Plus review, we did enjoy the extra bit of punch the chipset gave the slate.

Our testing of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy revealed that it offers minor single-core CPU and GPU gains compared to the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. That said, you should still have plenty of horsepower for all your multitasking needs on the Galaxy Tab S9 series.

Software features

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series comes bundled with Android 13-based One UI 5.1. The tablets are upgradable all the way to Android 17, thanks to Samsung’s superb update policy. That means they’ll last a long time, and you won’t have to switch them out for at least four years owing to a lack of software updates.

The tablets have also received some new Galaxy AI features, including Circle to Search, Note Assist, and more.

Samsung also added several software features to the tablets. It’s now easier to copy-paste assets like images from your phones to the tablets. Samsung’s Good Notes app will also be available on the Galaxy Tab S9 series to help users take advantage of S Pen-exclusive tools like a pencil, felt-tip pen, and marker.

The DeX mode also gained some improvements. Samsung says it’s more intuitive on the Galaxy Tab S9 series, works with multiple windows, and features a more visible and interactive taskbar. It also allows users to expand their workspace by letting them mirror or extend their PC display.

Despite Samsung’s excellent grasp of what makes Android on a tablet a great experience, we can’t say the same for app availability. The Play Store remains in desperate need of more tablet-supported apps, as we discovered during our Galaxy Tab S9 review. Of course, this isn’t necessarily a Samsung issue, but it’s nonetheless worth noting if you’re considering an Android tablet in 2024.

Display

Samsung is continuing to offer a range of sizes in the Galaxy Tab S9 series. You get an 11-inch display on the smallest Galaxy Tab S9. The middle-child Galaxy Tab S9 Plus features a 12.4-inch screen. The largest of the lot is the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, which dons a 14.6-inch display. While there’s no change in the size of the screens compared to the Galaxy Tab S8 series, Samsung is now offering an AMOLED panel across the board.

For the previous generation, the standard Galaxy Tab S8 made do with an LCD display. With 2K AMOLED panels all around this year, Samsung has ensured a uniform display experience no matter which of the three Galaxy Tab S9 models you choose to purchase. Moreover, all three tablets offer a 120Hz refresh rate, so you can expect a smooth UI flow. That said, you can drop the refresh rate down to 60Hz to save some battery life.

Samsung’s Vision Booster tech is also making its way from Samsung Galaxy smartphones to the S9 series of tablets. It provides tone mapping for better visibility against strong outdoor lighting conditions. So when the tablets detect bright illumination situations outdoors, they’ll automatically activate Vision Booster to optimize aspects like contrast, colorfulness, and more for improved viewing.

Another notable upgrade gives the standard Galaxy Tab S9 an in-display fingerprint sensor instead of a side-mounted one on the previous model. So really, Samsung is making sure the vanilla Galaxy Tab S9 model is at par with the Plus and the Ultra models in the display department.

Design, colors, and build quality

The Galaxy Tab S9 slates are the first flagship Samsung tablets to get an IP68 rating. They are water resistant in fresh water to a maximum depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes and are protected from dust — all without the need for extra cases or covers.

The entire Galaxy Tab S9 lineup also gets Samsung’s proprietary Armor Aluminum construction for added durability, ensuring these tablets can take a fair amount of roughhousing.

The overall design of the Tab S9 series hasn’t changed much compared to the previous generation tablets. There are two colorways — Beige and Graphite — that feature an S Pen attachment slot at the back for pairing and charging the stylus. The only difference is that the slots look more discreet now and match the shades of the tablets, unlike the imposing black band that merged with the camera array on the Tab S8 series.

S Pen

As with the Galaxy Tab S8 series, the Tab S9 tablets also come bundled with an S Pen. You don’t have to buy the stylus separately unless you want the S Pen Creator Edition.

This special edition stylus is designed with textured material for a better grip and has a wider tilt angle to give creators more versatility. The Creator Edition S Pen also comes with two types of pen tips — a hard type for natural drawing and a soft type for a paper-like writing experiences.

Samsung promises a latency speed of 2.8ms across the three tablets. Last year, only the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus and Ultra models offered this kind of latency, while the regular Tab S8 was restricted to a latency of 6.2ms because of its inferior display. So this time, you can expect a much better writing and drawing experience on all three Samsung tablets.

Elsewhere, the company says it has worked on increasing the pressure sensitivity on the side button of the bundled S Pen. It can also charge facing down on the provided slot at the back of the tablet and is IP68 rated for water and dust protection.

Samsung says the included S Pen can also be used in search bars, browsers, app stores, and with more apps.

Battery

The battery capacity is yet another area where Samsung is improving the standard Galaxy Tab S9. It now features an 8,400mAh battery compared to the Tab S8’s 8,000mAh juice box.

The Galaxy Tab S9 Plus and Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra get the same batteries as their predecessors, which means you’ll find a 10,090mAh battery on the Plus model and an 11,200mAh powerhouse on the Ultra model.

When we reviewed the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus, its 10,090mAh battery lasted about 8.5 hours with heavy usage. Since the Tab S9 Plus also gets the same battery capacity, we expect it to show similar results. The S9 Ultra should also be good for a day’s work and then some. However, you might struggle with the regular Tab S9 model if you use it extensively during the day. You can count on some battery life improvements owing to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, but we doubt it’s going to make a significant difference.

For charging, Samsung is sticking to its 45W solution. You’ll get a USB-C cable in the box, but you’ll have to buy the 45W adapter separately.

Camera

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra gets the most number of cameras. It’s equipped with a 13MP primary + 8MP ultrawide setup at the back and a 12MP main + 12MP ultrawide setup up front. That’s way too many cameras for a tablet, but Samsung sure wants to stay true to that “Ultra” moniker.

The Galaxy Tab S9 Plus also features the same rear camera configuration as the Ultra model. However, it gets a single 12MP ultrawide shooter on the front.

Being the starting model in the lineup, the Galaxy Tab S9 doesn’t get as much love in the camera department as its siblings. In fact, it’s shedding a whole sensor this year. Unlike the Tab S8 which featured a dual rear camera setup, including a dedicated ultrawide shooter, the Tab S9 sports a lonely 13MP camera at the back. It shares the same front camera as the Tab S9 Plus.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series: Specs

In case we missed anything in the sections above, here are the complete specs of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9, Galaxy Tab S9 Plus, and Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series: FAQ