First Impressions
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra might be an incremental update, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. With a huge high-res display, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy power and handy accessories, it has the potential to be the best premium Android tablet around – though at quite the cost.
Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is available to pre-order at Samsung.
Introduction
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is the biggest, most expensive tablet of the Tab S9 collection – and the tablet market in general, to be honest – and I’ve had the chance to go hands-on ahead of its reveal.
While I’m not yet ready to deliver my final verdict on the top-end tablet, I’m impressed with what I’ve seen. It might not look that different from its predecessor, but key upgrades to the build with IP68 resistance, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy power and useful accessories could make the Tab S9 Ultra one to watch – as long as you can get over just how huge the 14.6-inch tablet is, anyway.
The big hurdle for most will be price, starting at a whopping £1,199 with 256GB of storage – an increase on the already-expensive £999 Tab S8 Ultra – making it a hard sell, especially with so many similarities with the older model. So the question is, is it worth the even higher price tag?
Here’s what I think of the Samsung Tab S9 Ultra so far, with the full review coming very soon.
Design and screen
- Incredibly thin at 5.5mm thick
- IP68 dust and water resistance
- Large 14.6-inch 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X display
To say that the Samsung Tab S9 Ultra is the biggest consumer-focused tablet around doesn’t really do this behemoth any justice. This thing is huge, with a whopping 14.6-inch display that makes even the 12.9-inch iPad Pro feel relatively portable.
It truly is a two-handed device, not because it’s overly heavy at a relatively lightweight 732g for the size, but because it’s just a bit unwieldy. That said, it is impressively thin at just 5.5mm thick, making it a thing of beauty you can truly marvel at – especially when combined with an aluminium body and fabulously thin bezels.
All of this is no different than the Tab S8 Ultra, with the same dimensions, but it’s worth reiterating for those new to the Ultra category of Samsung’s tablet collection.
However, What is new is IP68 dust and water resistance – a first for any premium tablet on the market and a huge benefit compared to Apple’s iPad collection, which offers no water resistance at all.
That should provide peace of mind, especially if you want to watch movies in the bath or have little ones running around knocking juice all over the place.
The 14.6-inch 16:10 Dynamic AMOLED 2X display is truly something to behold; it’s not only absolutely massive, making it one of the best tablets for split-screen multitasking and watching movies on Netflix, but it’s exquisitely crisp and vibrant.
A quick re-watch of the Barbie and Oppenheimer trailers on the tablet (Barbenheimer FTW) at the Samsung event showcased a cacophony of vibrant colours and deep blacks, and it was plenty bright too.
In fact, Samsung claims that the tablet matches the exceedingly high brightness of the Galaxy S23 Ultra at 1750nits. The super-smooth 120Hz refresh rate, though unchanged from its predecessor, delivered a buttery-smooth experience during my limited hands-on time too.
Audio comes from quad speakers – one in each corner – with AKG Harman tuning and Dolby Atmos support. A loud hands-on area isn’t the ideal setting for testing audio quality, but it could certainly go loud enough for me to hear the two movie trailers among the constant chatter around me.
Accessories
- Updated S Pen offers IP68 dust and water resistance
- New S Pen for Creators offers better angle detection
- Book Cover Keyboard case turns the tablet into a fully-fledged laptop
It’s the accessories that truly unlock the Tab S9 Ultra’s potential. This comes in three forms: the standard S Pen, the new S Pen Creator Edition and the Book Cover Keyboard case that essentially turns the big-screen tablet into a fully-fledged laptop.
The good news is that the standard S Pen comes in the box, complete with IP68 dust and water resistance, to complement the tablet’s protection. It worked well during my hands-on session, with me comfortably doodling on the large display with very little lag.
The problem is that it still attaches to the rear of the tablet via magnets, which, while strong enough to snap it into place, makes it easy to knock off when carrying the tablet. I dropped the pen twice during my hour-long hands-on to give you an idea of how common this is.
There’s also the new S Pen Creators Edition, available at additional cost post-purchase, that offers better angle detection for sketching and shading and the ability to swap out the pen tip too. What’s not known, however, is whether there will be alternative designs/textures of the pen tip to further close the gap between the digital and traditional drawing experience.
The real standout option for me was the Book Cover Keyboard case, complete with a large trackpad, that makes the tablet look and feel like a true laptop – and that extends to the software too. Thanks to Samsung’s little-used DeX software, when connected, you’ll be able to use the tablet in a desktop mode akin to Windows 10, with all your favourite apps and games ready to run in resizable windows.
It could be a game-changer for work and play, allowing for a true 2-in-1 without compromise, but I’ll leave my final verdict for the full review.
Performance and software
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
- OneUI 5 based on Android 13
- 11,200mAh battery
Given the Tab S9 Ultra’s premium price point, it shouldn’t be as surprising to learn that the tablet is a true processing powerhouse.
It sports Qualcomm’s modified Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy – the same as that in the S23 range – which boasts additional benefits, including higher CPU and GPU clock speeds to eke out the very best performance possible. Compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 within the Tab S8 Ultra, the Tab S9 should be both more powerful and more powerful.
That’s paired with either 12- or 16GB of RAM and 256GB, 512GB or 1TB, depending on the variant you go for. The 1TB model, for reference, will be exclusive to the Samsung website.
It certainly felt rapid and responsive during my hands-on time, with no hint of lag or stuttering anywhere to be seen – though it was limited to basic split-screen multitasking rather than high-end gaming. I’ll put it through its graphical paces once I get a sample back to the Trusted Reviews offices for review.
In terms of software, you’ll find Samsung’s OneUI 5 based on Android 13 out of the box. All the staples of the big-screen tablet experience are present and accounted for, including split-screen multitasking with support for several additional pop-up windows and a handy iPad-esque toolbar with recent apps. The tablet can also connect to a compatible Samsung phone to wirelessly transfer photos and other files.
More importantly, Samsung has managed to get a few big-name iPad app developers to work on Android variants of apps, with Goodnotes, LumaFusion, Clip Studio Paint and ArcSite all exclusively available on Samsung’s latest tablet collection. It’s not clear just how long the exclusivity will remain in place, but it’s a key selling point for the Tab S9 series if you’re serious about using the tablet for work purposes.
Battery life should be consistent, if not slightly better than the Tab S8 Ultra, which is to say that it’ll keep on going – our reviewer found the Tab S8 Ultra would comfortably get them through a week of use as a personal tablet.
While both sport the same 11200mAh cell, the improved battery efficiency of the newer chipset should allow it to last a little longer than its predecessor – though that’s something I’ll be putting to the test for the full review. It has fairly speedy 45W charging, though rather disappointingly for a tablet that costs well over a grand, it doesn’t ship with a charger in the box.
Latest deals
Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is available to pre-order at Samsung.
Early Thoughts
I’m not yet ready to deliver my full thoughts, but I like what I’ve seen so far. The Samsung Tab S9 Ultra may not be that different from its predecessor, but welcome improvements to overall build and improved performance from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy could make the Tab S9 Ultra the premium Android tablet to get.
However, the high price means it’ll likely remain a niche compared to the smaller, more affordable Tab S9 and Tab S9 Plus, which offer the same IP68 resistance, display quality and top-end power as the Ultra model.
Jargon buster
mAh
An abbreviation for milliampere-hour and a way to express the capacity of batteries, especially smaller ones in phones. In most cases the higher the mAh, the longer the battery will last but this isn’t always the case.
OLED and AMOLED
Types of displays that use self-lighting pixels to provide greater contrast and more vibrant colours than a typical LCD display, as well as sharper blacks.
First Impressions
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra might be an incremental update, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive. With a huge high-res display, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy power and handy accessories, it has the potential to be the best premium Android tablet around – though at quite the cost.
Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is available to pre-order at Samsung.
Introduction
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is the biggest, most expensive tablet of the Tab S9 collection – and the tablet market in general, to be honest – and I’ve had the chance to go hands-on ahead of its reveal.
While I’m not yet ready to deliver my final verdict on the top-end tablet, I’m impressed with what I’ve seen. It might not look that different from its predecessor, but key upgrades to the build with IP68 resistance, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy power and useful accessories could make the Tab S9 Ultra one to watch – as long as you can get over just how huge the 14.6-inch tablet is, anyway.
The big hurdle for most will be price, starting at a whopping £1,199 with 256GB of storage – an increase on the already-expensive £999 Tab S8 Ultra – making it a hard sell, especially with so many similarities with the older model. So the question is, is it worth the even higher price tag?
Here’s what I think of the Samsung Tab S9 Ultra so far, with the full review coming very soon.
Design and screen
- Incredibly thin at 5.5mm thick
- IP68 dust and water resistance
- Large 14.6-inch 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X display
To say that the Samsung Tab S9 Ultra is the biggest consumer-focused tablet around doesn’t really do this behemoth any justice. This thing is huge, with a whopping 14.6-inch display that makes even the 12.9-inch iPad Pro feel relatively portable.
It truly is a two-handed device, not because it’s overly heavy at a relatively lightweight 732g for the size, but because it’s just a bit unwieldy. That said, it is impressively thin at just 5.5mm thick, making it a thing of beauty you can truly marvel at – especially when combined with an aluminium body and fabulously thin bezels.
All of this is no different than the Tab S8 Ultra, with the same dimensions, but it’s worth reiterating for those new to the Ultra category of Samsung’s tablet collection.
However, What is new is IP68 dust and water resistance – a first for any premium tablet on the market and a huge benefit compared to Apple’s iPad collection, which offers no water resistance at all.
That should provide peace of mind, especially if you want to watch movies in the bath or have little ones running around knocking juice all over the place.
The 14.6-inch 16:10 Dynamic AMOLED 2X display is truly something to behold; it’s not only absolutely massive, making it one of the best tablets for split-screen multitasking and watching movies on Netflix, but it’s exquisitely crisp and vibrant.
A quick re-watch of the Barbie and Oppenheimer trailers on the tablet (Barbenheimer FTW) at the Samsung event showcased a cacophony of vibrant colours and deep blacks, and it was plenty bright too.
In fact, Samsung claims that the tablet matches the exceedingly high brightness of the Galaxy S23 Ultra at 1750nits. The super-smooth 120Hz refresh rate, though unchanged from its predecessor, delivered a buttery-smooth experience during my limited hands-on time too.
Audio comes from quad speakers – one in each corner – with AKG Harman tuning and Dolby Atmos support. A loud hands-on area isn’t the ideal setting for testing audio quality, but it could certainly go loud enough for me to hear the two movie trailers among the constant chatter around me.
Accessories
- Updated S Pen offers IP68 dust and water resistance
- New S Pen for Creators offers better angle detection
- Book Cover Keyboard case turns the tablet into a fully-fledged laptop
It’s the accessories that truly unlock the Tab S9 Ultra’s potential. This comes in three forms: the standard S Pen, the new S Pen Creator Edition and the Book Cover Keyboard case that essentially turns the big-screen tablet into a fully-fledged laptop.
The good news is that the standard S Pen comes in the box, complete with IP68 dust and water resistance, to complement the tablet’s protection. It worked well during my hands-on session, with me comfortably doodling on the large display with very little lag.
The problem is that it still attaches to the rear of the tablet via magnets, which, while strong enough to snap it into place, makes it easy to knock off when carrying the tablet. I dropped the pen twice during my hour-long hands-on to give you an idea of how common this is.
There’s also the new S Pen Creators Edition, available at additional cost post-purchase, that offers better angle detection for sketching and shading and the ability to swap out the pen tip too. What’s not known, however, is whether there will be alternative designs/textures of the pen tip to further close the gap between the digital and traditional drawing experience.
The real standout option for me was the Book Cover Keyboard case, complete with a large trackpad, that makes the tablet look and feel like a true laptop – and that extends to the software too. Thanks to Samsung’s little-used DeX software, when connected, you’ll be able to use the tablet in a desktop mode akin to Windows 10, with all your favourite apps and games ready to run in resizable windows.
It could be a game-changer for work and play, allowing for a true 2-in-1 without compromise, but I’ll leave my final verdict for the full review.
Performance and software
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
- OneUI 5 based on Android 13
- 11,200mAh battery
Given the Tab S9 Ultra’s premium price point, it shouldn’t be as surprising to learn that the tablet is a true processing powerhouse.
It sports Qualcomm’s modified Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy – the same as that in the S23 range – which boasts additional benefits, including higher CPU and GPU clock speeds to eke out the very best performance possible. Compared to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 within the Tab S8 Ultra, the Tab S9 should be both more powerful and more powerful.
That’s paired with either 12- or 16GB of RAM and 256GB, 512GB or 1TB, depending on the variant you go for. The 1TB model, for reference, will be exclusive to the Samsung website.
It certainly felt rapid and responsive during my hands-on time, with no hint of lag or stuttering anywhere to be seen – though it was limited to basic split-screen multitasking rather than high-end gaming. I’ll put it through its graphical paces once I get a sample back to the Trusted Reviews offices for review.
In terms of software, you’ll find Samsung’s OneUI 5 based on Android 13 out of the box. All the staples of the big-screen tablet experience are present and accounted for, including split-screen multitasking with support for several additional pop-up windows and a handy iPad-esque toolbar with recent apps. The tablet can also connect to a compatible Samsung phone to wirelessly transfer photos and other files.
More importantly, Samsung has managed to get a few big-name iPad app developers to work on Android variants of apps, with Goodnotes, LumaFusion, Clip Studio Paint and ArcSite all exclusively available on Samsung’s latest tablet collection. It’s not clear just how long the exclusivity will remain in place, but it’s a key selling point for the Tab S9 series if you’re serious about using the tablet for work purposes.
Battery life should be consistent, if not slightly better than the Tab S8 Ultra, which is to say that it’ll keep on going – our reviewer found the Tab S8 Ultra would comfortably get them through a week of use as a personal tablet.
While both sport the same 11200mAh cell, the improved battery efficiency of the newer chipset should allow it to last a little longer than its predecessor – though that’s something I’ll be putting to the test for the full review. It has fairly speedy 45W charging, though rather disappointingly for a tablet that costs well over a grand, it doesn’t ship with a charger in the box.
Latest deals
Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is available to pre-order at Samsung.
Early Thoughts
I’m not yet ready to deliver my full thoughts, but I like what I’ve seen so far. The Samsung Tab S9 Ultra may not be that different from its predecessor, but welcome improvements to overall build and improved performance from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy could make the Tab S9 Ultra the premium Android tablet to get.
However, the high price means it’ll likely remain a niche compared to the smaller, more affordable Tab S9 and Tab S9 Plus, which offer the same IP68 resistance, display quality and top-end power as the Ultra model.
Jargon buster
mAh
An abbreviation for milliampere-hour and a way to express the capacity of batteries, especially smaller ones in phones. In most cases the higher the mAh, the longer the battery will last but this isn’t always the case.
OLED and AMOLED
Types of displays that use self-lighting pixels to provide greater contrast and more vibrant colours than a typical LCD display, as well as sharper blacks.
