Intro
After a brief hiatus, Samsung is finally giving us a successor to the compact but very capable Galaxy Tab S8 tablet that was launched all the way back in 2021. Yes, we didn’t get anything new on the Samsung tablet front in 2022, but the upcoming Galaxy Tab S9 will rectify that with a multitude of improvements that definitely make the juice worth the squeeze.
What’s changed, exactly, and should you consider upgrading from your older Samsung tablet?
What’s new about the device
- 11″ AMOLED display instead of LCD
- Fast new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset
- Galaxy S23-like rear camera design
- IP68 water resistance
- Single rear camera only
Table of Contents:
Galaxy Tab S9 Specs
Some decent improvements
| Specs | Galaxy Tab S9 |
|---|---|
| Size and Weight | 165.3 x 253.8 x 6.3 mm, 503gr |
| Display | 11-inch, 2560 x1600, Super AMOLED, 120Hz |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy |
| RAM, Storage and Price | 8GB/128 GB 12GB/256GB |
| Software | OneUI 5.1 |
| Cameras | 13MP wide-angle camera |
| Battery Size | 8,000mAh |
| Charging Speeds | 45W wired charging |
Galaxy Tab S9 Design & Colors
Galaxy S23-like design
Samsung wouldn’t be changing the design language of the Galaxy Tab S9 too much, which also applies to the other tablets in the family. It seems what we had with the Galaxy Tab S8 series is sticking around for yet another generation, which isn’t bad at all. We are getting some design updates, though––there’s just a single rear camera, and it closely follows the Galaxy S23 design language with a protruding lens and ring surrounding it.
The magnetic strip used to attach the S Pen stylus, which will likely come in the box, is still here, so that you will once again be able to stick the accessory at the back of the tablet and even use it as a rudimentary kick stand of sorts.
Samsung is also widely rumored to be adorning all Galaxy Tab S9 tablets with the best IP68 dust- and water-resistance. This ingress rating allows you to keep the tablet submerged under water for long, though we’d normally advise against such stunts. Still, having IP68 resistance on any device gives a generous peace of mind.
Colors-wise, rumors have it Samsung would only offer the Galaxy Tab S9 in just Beige and Silver, which is relatively sparse compared to the array of colors that the Galaxy Tab S8 family was available in: Graphite, Silver, Pink, and Gold.
Galaxy Tab S9 Display
The big change with the Galaxy Tab S9 is that it will finally be scoring an AMOLED display. At least that’s what the rumors say!
Previously, the most compact slate utilized an LCD display. Not bad, but after years of staring at state-of-the-art and lovely-to-look-at Samsung AMOLED displays across a plethora of devices, gawking at the Galaxy Tab S8’s LCD display felt like a downgrade in most ways. Fortunately, Samsung is finally bringing the Tab S9 into the OLED fold.
Aside from the drastic change of display technology (for the better, we might say), the rest of the general screen specs are likely not getting changed that much. So, we expect a screen size of 11 inches across, possibly with a smooth refresh rate of up to 120Hz.
An in-display fingerprint scanner will most certainly be the secure biometric option on board. Meanwhile, Face Unlock will exist as a convenient way of unlocking your device, though not as secure as 3D-based solutions like Apple’s Face ID.
Galaxy Tab S9 Camera
One less camera, but does it even matter?
Tablets cameras are easily one of the more overlooked aspects of those large slates, existing as an afterthought rather than a big selling point. Don’t expect the Galaxy Tab S9 to turn this notion upside down.
So, don’t expect the device to be able to take breathtaking landscape shots or have any particularly fancy zooming capabilities: a camera good enough for the occasional normal photo is what you will get.
Galaxy Tab S9 Performance & Benchmarks
The best chipset available
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor will power the Galaxy Tab S9 series. In case that rings a bell, yes, the Galaxy S23 series is powered by the very same chipset globally, so you can expect the same performance on the Galaxy Tab S9 as on Samsung’s proper flagship phones. Neat!
Compared to the ordinary Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, the Galaxy Tab S9’s silicon will have a maximum clock speed of 3.2GHz, this one has a slightly higher maximum clock rate of 3.36GHz, an increase of 0.16GHz. That’s a minor increase, but still sufficient to boost the performance and efficiency even further, always a nice thing to have.
We expect 8GB of RAM and 128GB of native storage to be featured in the base version of the tablet. Higher-spec’d versions of the Galaxy Tab S9 might come with possibly up to 12GB of RAM and more storage, likely 256GB and probably 512GB. There should also be a microSD card slot on deck, here’s to hoping Samsung wouldn’t nix the useful expansion slot.
Galaxy Tab S9 OS / Android version
In terms of software, the Galaxy Tab S9 is coming in hot with Android 13 running in the background and with Samsung’s custom One UI 5.1 interface running on top. It’s chockfull of new features and is quite functional, not to mention being the peak of Samsung’ personalization efforts, now supporting customizable lock screens and deeper interface customization.
How long will the tablet be supported? It’s very likely to get four major Android updates, so expect updates all the way to Android 17, as well as five years of security support, so until 2028. A very decent lifetime for this new tablet, for sure!
Galaxy Tab S9 Battery
Not many changes expected
At the moment, we don’t expect any major changes in terms of battery capacity. That’s why we generally expect that the tablet will come with an 8,000mAh battery, which should allow the device to last a while. The more efficient chip will likely aid the battery endurance further, so we are quite hopeful that the Galaxy Tab S9 will provide decent battery life.
Galaxy Tab S9 Charging Speeds
The Galaxy Tab S9 will most certainly support charging speeds of up to 45W, similarly to its predecessor. Don’t expect to find a wall charger in the box, though: you’d either have to get one yourself or use another compatible charging brick.
Galaxy Tab S9 Models
Aside from the Galaxy Tab S9, Samsung is also releasing the Galaxy Tab S9+ and the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra alongside it, as well as the supposedly more affordable Tab S9 FE and Tab S9 FE+. While the Galaxy Tab S9+ is mostly a larger version of the Galaxy Tab S9, with one additional camera, larger display and battery, the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra will turn things to 11 with its gargantuan 14-inch notched screen and best possible hardware specs inside.
Galaxy Tab S9 Competitors
Some of the more serious potential competitors of the Galaxy Tab S9 are actually its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab S8, which despite starting to get a little long in the tooth and merely with an LCD screen, could still be one of the better compact Android tablets you might consider.
You could also count many of Apple’s iPads as potential rivals, like the iPad 10th Gen and the latest iPad Air. Throw in the OnePlus Pad and the Google Pixel Tablet, and you’ve got a serious roster of devices that will be beefing it up with the most compact new Samsung tablet that’s coming.
Galaxy Tab S9 Summary and Final Verdict
While it’s too early to draw any conclusions, it seems as if the Galaxy Tab S9 is shaping up to be an excellent follow-up to the Galaxy Tab S8 that will improve some essential aspects of the device, like the screen and the processor inside. With such improvements in tow, it’s hard to fault the yet-unreleased S Pen-flaunting tablet and downplay its potential effect on the Android tablet market.
Here’s to hoping that it will be another successful release that will ameliorate the Samsung tablet scene and make it a bit more competitive.
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