Update 27/07/2023: India prices have been updated below.
Samsung’s premium range of tablets is now getting new models under the Galaxy Tab S9 series, including the Tab S9, Tab S9+ and the Tab S9 Ultra. The new Galaxy tabs offer some of the most top-end specifications in the world of Android tablets and don’t seem to compromise in any aspect. Take a look at them.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series: Price & Variants
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series consists of three models all of which can be bought in Beige and Graphite shades. The base mode Galaxy Tab S9 is available in three variants such as:
- 8GB + 128GB
- 12GB + 256GB
The Tab S9+ comes in following variants:
- 12GB + 256GB
- 12GB + 512GB
The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is available in:
- 12GB + 256GB
- 12GB + 512GB
- 16GB + 1TB
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 price begins at $799 (approx Rs 65,000), while the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ carries a starting price tag of $999 (approx Rs 82,000). The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra starts at $1,999 (approx Rs 1,63,000). India prices and availability will be announced tomorrow (July 27) at 12PM IST. Stay tuned as we’ll update the prices as soon as they get revealed.
India Prices, Availability
Galaxy Tab S9 is available in the following models:
- 8GB + 128GB: Rs 72,999 (Wi-Fi), Rs 85,999 (5G)
- 12GB + 256GB: Rs 83,999 (Wi-Fi), Rs 96,999 (5G)
The Galaxy Tab S9+ comes in following variants:
- 12GB + 256GB: Rs 90,999 (Wi-Fi), Rs 1,04,999 (5G)
The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is available in:
- 12GB + 256GB: Rs 1,09,999 (Wi-Fi), Rs 1,22,999 (5G)
- 12GB + 512GB: Rs 1,19,999 (Wi-Fi), Rs 1,33,999 (5G)
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series: Specifications
The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra display is a 14.6-inch WQXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with dynamic Refresh Rate up to 120Hz. Further, the Tab S8+ has a smaller 12.4-inch Super Dynamic AMOLED 2X display while the Tab S8 has an even smaller 11-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel. Both the Plus and regular models also have dynamic refresh rate support up to 120Hz. All the tabs have HDR 10+ support.
The Galaxy Tab S9 series is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy SoC. As for RAM & Storage, we mentioned the variants above already. In addition, all three of them support microSD card storage expansion up to 1TB.
The Tab S9 Ultra and Tab S9+ get a dual-camera setup at the back, comprising of a 13MP auto-focus and an 8MP Ultra Wide-Angle camera. The Tab S9 has a single 13MP sensor at the back. In addition, there’s a 12MP ultra wide sensor at the front of the Galaxy Tab S9 and Tab S9+. The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra gets a dual front camera setup, including a 12MP wide-angle sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide sensor. The rear cameras on the three can shoot up to 4K 30fps videos.
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An 11,200mAh battery backs Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra while the S9+ has a 10,090mAh battery. The Tab S9 packs an 8,400mAh battery, and all three of the tablets support up to 45W fast wired charging. They are chargeable via USB-C 3.2.
The Tab S9 series runs on One UI Tab 5.1 based on Android 13. Further, the series is set to receive 4 major Android OS Upgrades along with 5 years of security updates. Additional features include S-Pen support, which comes with the tablets inside the box. Further, the Galaxy Tab S9 series have in-display fingerprint sensors.
Connectivity options on the device include Wi-Fi 6E, 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi Direct. They all have a Quad Speaker setup tuned by AKG with support for Dolby Atmos and a triple mic system. Lastly for specs, the S-Pen as well as the tablets are all IP68 rated.
As for supported accessories, these include S Pen Creator Edition, Book Cover Keyboard, Book Cover Keyboard Slim, Smart Book Cover, Outdoor Cover, Notepaper Screen, and Privacy Screen.
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series: What has changed from Tab S8 series?
The Galaxy Tab S9 series succeeds the Tab S8 series from last year and offer some upgrades as well. Notably, the base model Tab S9 gets the most upgrades, as it now gets an AMOLED panel instead of the TFT LTPS display on Tab S8. Further, the fingerprint has now also moved from the side power button (in Tab S8) to under the display (in Tab S9), thanks to the inclusion of AMOLED panel.
However, a single downgrade has also taken place, where the Galaxy Tab S9 now has a single wide-angle 13MP auto-focus sensor, and the 6MP ultra-wide angle sensor that was seen on the Tab S8 has been omitted. Then, the battery capacity has gone up by 400mAh, where Tab S8 had an 8000mAh unit and Tab S9 gets an 8400mAh battery.
As for the rear cameras of Tab S9+ and Tab S9 Ultra, they have the same 13MP AF sensor but have a slightly upgraded 8MP ultra-wide angle sensor compared to the 6MP lens on Tab S8+ and Tab S8 Ultra. Next, a storage bump can also be seen on Galaxy Tab S9+ and Tab S9 Ultra, where the former now gets up to 512GB storage while the latter gets up to 1TB of storage.
In addition, a major upgrade implemented across all the Tab S9 models is in terms of power, as they have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, instead of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 on Galaxy Tab S8 series. Moreover, the Galaxy Tab S9 series is the first ever tablet series from Samsung that is IP68 rated.
Another upgrade is the internal vapour chamber custom engineered for the high-intensity demands of a tablet. It comes with a two-way heat dissipation helps enable and sustain better performance over a longer usage period. Lastly, the Tab S9 series is equipped with 20% larger quad speakers (over Tab S8 series).
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series: Competition
The Galaxy Tab S9 series is competing with some of the other tablets but they aren’t from the Android world. The series definitely gives a tough fight to Apple’s iPad Pro and iPad Air models. If we consider specifications, the Tab S9 series is much better than the iPad Air in almost every aspect and is equal to the iPad Pro. Not only that, even the base line Tab S9 seems almost equal to the iPad Pro.
Furthermore, the main advantage with Galaxy Tab S9 series is that you get the S-Pen stylus included with each mode whereas you have to purchase the Apple Pencil separately if you go for an iPad. This can come in really handy if you are a designer and often use your tablet for your illustrations.
Lastly, your choice would depend on what eco system you want to enter, such as Android or iOS. If it’s Android which you want, and a budget that can reach the price point of Tab S9 series, then there seems to be no other Android tablet that comes close to Samsung’s.