Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is the all - bell - and - whistles braggy - screen Android tablet with an exceeding physique , spectacularly detail ( and huge ) 14.6 - in 120Hz AMOLED show , telling processing power and tenacious battery life history . However , it ’s very similar to its much cheaper forerunner , and its large dimension have in mind it ’s not as portable as you might have a bun in the oven , making it more of a niche choice than the veritable Tab S9 or Tab S9 Plus .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is the big , most expensive tablet of the Tab S9 collection – and the tablet market in cosmopolitan , to be honest – but the question is , is ittoomuch ?
It might not look that different from its herald , but central upgrades to the build with IP68 resistance , Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy major power and useful accessory make the Tab S9 Ultratheultimate bounty Android pill – as long as you may get over just how huge the 14.6 - in tablet is , anyway .
The large vault for most will be price , starting at a whopping £ 1199/$1199 with 256 GB of reposition – an step-up on the already - expensive £ 999/$999 Tab S8 Ultra – making it a strong sell , specially with so many similarity with the older model , which can now be find at well less than its RRP .
So the interrogation is , is the Tab S9 Ultra worth the even higher price tag ? Here ’s what I think of the Samsung Tab S9 Ultra after using it as my main pad for two weeks .
Design
To say that the Samsung Tab S9 Ultra is one of the big consumer - focalise tablets around does n’t really do this behemoth any jurist . This affair is Brobdingnagian , with a humongous 14.6 - inch display that makes even the12.9 - in iPad Profeel relatively portable .
It rightfully is a two - handed gadget , not because it ’s overly gruelling at a relatively lightweight 732 g for the size , but because it ’s just a bit gawky . That enounce , it is fantastically thin at just 5.5 mm thick , making it a thing of beauty you may really marvel at – especially when combined with an aluminium consistence and fantastically thin bezels .
However , the big dimension also imply it ’s not the idealistic size for some tab - theme bodily process . scroll through TikTok in seam on such a large pad of paper is a formula for disaster , specially if it slips from your suitcase and lands on your face like it did to me . It ’s not exactly the most portable of devices either , taking up the same footprint as my MacBook Pro 13 in my rucksack .
This is no unlike than theTab S8 Ultra , with the exact same dimensions , but it ’s deserving retell for those new to the Ultra family of Samsung ’s tablet collecting .
What is raw , however , isIP68dust and H2O electrical resistance – a first for any premium tablet on the market , and a Brobdingnagian benefit compare toApple ’s iPad collection , which bid no kind of water ohmic resistance at all .
Pulling back from the specifics , the Tab S9 Ultra looks and feels every bit like apremium tabletshould . The cool - to - the - spot Al skeletal system and angled edges finger decent in the hand , and the mat finish on the rear further sum up to that high-pitched - conclusion look .
My only complaint is that it ’s only available in rather muted Beige and Graphite finish . It ’s a vulgar trend among high - end pad – you do n’t see the iPad Pro in any fun finishes , do you ? – but one that I ’m keen to see the conclusion of . The Tab S9 Ultra would seem sensational in a dark ghost of blue or greenish , in my sentiment .
Screen
For all the possible return about portability , the 14.6 - inchDynamic AMOLED 2X displayis truly something to lay eyes on .
Its massive property make casual tablet undertaking like take in YouTube videos and scrolling through Twitter an right-down joy . The level of detail on whirl here is great , despite the tumid dimensions that could easy make text look a little easy , with gorgeously vibrant colors that make Netflix statute title like David Attenborough ’s Life in Colour especially intense and sensational .
That ’s mate with an adaptive120Hz refresh ratethat not only helps make animations and scroll feel larder fluent , but can drop down toas picayune as 1Hzto save shelling aliveness – an area where the Tab S9 Ultra excels despite the huge screenland .
The 16:10 facial expression ratio lends itself well to movie - watching , with very little in the way of black bar when keep an eye on stock 16:9 message . I ’m not one for see movies on a tablet , but I observe myself scarf out Guardians of the Galaxy 3 on Disney+ with absolutely no complaint .
That ’s also help by support for HDR with a whopping peak luminance of 1750nits that match that of the top - endGalaxy S23 Ultra . This not only deliver a more active movie - watching experience with bright peaks and darker shadow when watch HDR content in apps like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video , but also allows it to ramp up the brightness when out of doors .
It ’s still musing in bright environments , but overall visibility is n’t too much of an issue .
The display ’s gossamer size also lend itself particularly well to split - screen multitasking . It ’s not something I find myself doing often , but it ’s an option for those who wish to scroll through X and Threads instantaneously . It does n’t lay off at two apps either ; you could open additional apps in a smaller floating window . While this would look cramped on passably much any other tablet , it actually feels like a usable selection on the 14.6 - in venire .
Accessories
It ’s the accessories that unlock the Tab S9 Ultra ’s potency , which make the fact that the S Pen is include in the box even more of a profits . That ’s concluded with IP68 dust and water resistance , complementing the pad ’s upgraded protective covering .
It ’s a handy accessory that allows you to doodle freely and scribble notes on that large video display , even when the presentation is off for quick note - taking , and it plays well with apps like Goodnotes .
In fact , with a response time of just 2.8ms , it ’s much more responsive than Apple ’s compete Apple Pencil 2 . It ’s not quite as instantaneous as unspoilt old pen and theme , but it ’s not too far off .
The trouble is that it still attaches to the rear of the lozenge via magnets , which while strong enough to snap it into seat , makes it easy to tap off when carrying the pad of paper . It happened multiple metre during my followup point , mainly when the Tab S9 Ultra was in my rucksack . It also entail it does n’t sit down flat when the penitentiary is dock .
A side - dock system like that used by the iPad Pro and even theOnePlus Padwould’ve been preferred here .
Performance
Given the Tab S9 Ultra ’s premium price dot , it should n’t be surprising to learn that the pad of paper is a truthful powerhouse of processing power .
It feature Snapdragon ’s modifiedSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy – the same as in the S23 cooking stove – which boasts additional benefits like higher mainframe clock speeds and an superfluous GPU core group to achieve the estimable carrying out potential . compare to theSnapdragon 8 Gen 1within the Tab S8 Ultra , the Tab S9 is more powerful and power - efficient .
That ’s mate with either 12- or 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB , 512 G or 1 TB depending on the variant you go for . The 1 TB modelling , for reference , is exclusive to the Samsung website , though entrepot is expandable via the microSD scorecard expansion slot .
With all that in judgement , the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is incredibly responsive in everyday role , comfortably able to address whatever I could give at it .
That ’s not only in the form of playing mobile games like Call of Duty Mobile running with top - closing graphic enabled , but split - screen multitasking with multiple floating window , and I spread out plenty of apps in the DeX mode without even the slender jot of stuttering . hold open pic edits in the Gallery app was close - instant , and swiping between apps saw them directly burst into liveliness .
That ’s all illustrated in bench mark examination too , with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra well deliver some of the best benchmark scores of any Android tablet we ’ve tested to date – even with an exquisitely high-pitched - res display – though it is still behind the M2 chipset of the latest iPad Pro .
Audio is deliver from quad verbalizer – one in each corner – with AKG Harman tune up andDolby Atmossupport . It ’s not only plenty loud , but it ’s detail enough to comfortably watch a movie on Netflix without scrambling for the cheeseparing yoke of headphones .
However , if you have a pair of compatible Bluetooth headphones ready to hand , you ’ll do good from high - res sound recording support .
Cameras
Neither the 13MP primary or 8MP ultrawide rear cameras will win honour for quality , especially with rather noisy images from the ultrawide lens in smear . Still , the elemental camera is more than enough for a quick snapshot or habit with AR - enabled apps with decent degree of illumination , detail and colour in well - lit environments .
What ’s more significant to the lozenge experience is unspoilt - quality selfie cameras , and the Tab S9 Ultra has that covered with double 12MP primary and ultrawide lens roost within a small notch on the long edge of the pad – nonesuch for picture chats .
The 12MP primary camera is on equality with the rearward snapper , deliver decent particular for selfies and video call , with the ultrawide coming in ready to hand if you want to squelch someone else into the shot .
Video crest out at a respectable 4K@60fps , though as with photography , it ’s not really a video - first gadget – you ’d get much better solution from the little slab in your sac , even if it ’s a couple of age sure-enough at this point .
Software
In condition of software package , you ’ll find Samsung ’s OneUI 5.1 based onAndroid 13out of the box .
All the staples of the big - cover tablet experience are present and calculate for , including split - screen multitasking with support for several extra popping - up window and a handy iPad - esque toolbar with recent apps , provide a more polished experience than the like of the OnePlus Pad .
More significantly , Samsung has oversee to get a few handsome - name iPad app developers to work on Android discrepancy of apps , with Goodnotes , LumaFusion , Clip Studio Paint and ArcSite all only available on Samsung ’s late tablet appeal – for now , at least .
However , even with the gain of several crowing - name iPad apps , there are still a few notable omissions that barricade true pro - tied creators from picking up the tablet . Apps like Procreate , arguably the most popular graphical design tool on iPad , have no Android eq , and it ’s a standardized write up with a few other big - name iPad apps too .
Android tablets also still have the years - old issue of not displaying apps right on large displays . As a solution , some Android apps plainly wo n’t dilute in a pad - same horizontal aspect ratio , and when they do , many apps seem to be merely blown - up phone apps rather than bespoke layout designed for large - blind tablets like the S9 Ultra .
So , while Samsung has come a recollective way with its software and has done a slap-up job tempting iOS developer to Android , it ’s still not entirely on equivalence with what you ’d get from an iPad .
Battery life
The Tab S9 Ultra makes use of its XL chassis by stuffing in a whopping 11,200mAh battery within . For reference , the OnePlus Pad sports a 9510mAh battery while the iPad Pro 12.9 comes in at 10,758mAh .
With that in judgement , I find the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra would keep going . I used it most eve to scroll through TikTok and Instagram , graze the web and once in a while take in YouTube videos , and even after a week , there was still around 15 % guardianship leave in the tank . That telling standby clip is also highlighted by the fact that I ’ve only had to file the pad of paper once in the two weeks I ’ve been using it .
I was pretty surprised , give the sheer size of the presentation . I expected it to bleed flat fairly quickly , especially when gaming , but 30 minutes of Call of Duty Mobile saw only 6 % drain , while an hr of HDR Netflix playback see a similarly impressive 7 % .
It has pretty quick 45W charge , though rather disappointingly for a tablet that costs well over a one thousand , it does n’t send with a charger in the boxful . Even when I used my UGreen 100W USB - speed of light PD charger , I find that the pad of paper would only charge at around 25 - 28W , regaining 23 % kick in 30 minutes , while a full charge took two 60 minutes and 23 hour .
You ’re dear off forking out for the official Samsung charger to ensure you get the best bang velocity possible .
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Should you buy it?
With a premium 14.6 - in dynamic AMOLED 2X display on offering , the Tab S9 Ultra offers an unparalleled movie - ascertain and gaming experience .
As epic as the Tab S9 Ultra is , it ’s not exactly the most portable of devices , taking up a interchangeable step in a back pack to a MacBook Pro . The regularTab S9boasts all the same primal features with a much smaller 11 - in screen .
Final Thoughts
The Samsung Tab S9 Ultra may not bethatdifferent from its forerunner , but welcome improvements to overall build up and improved execution could make the Tab S9 Ultrathepremium Android tab to get – as long as you ’re happy with the downsides of owning such a prominent - silver screen tablet , that is .
If you could get over that , however , the Tab S9 Ultra offer an exceptionally premium Android tablet experience , from the build with IP68 debris and water resistance to the top - endSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxychip which confidently handles everything you could throw at it .
The high monetary value and exit with portability have in mind it ’ll likely remain a niche compared to the smaller , more affordableTab S9andTab S9 Plus , both of which offer the same IP68 electrical resistance , display quality and top - goal major power as the Ultra model .
If you’re able to deal with missing out on Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 power and IP68 pee underground , you could save a pretty penny by opting for the older and much cheaperSamsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra . There are also mass of other greatAndroid tabletson the market , many of which are much inexpensive than Samsung ’s latest option .
Trusted Score
How we test
FAQs
It can charge at up to 25W , but you wo n’t regain a charger in the box .
It ’s not completely rainproof but it does extend IPX8 water opposition .
Test Data
Full Specs
