Samsung’s 2023 tablet lineup has arrived, it’s time to meet the Galaxy Tab S9 series. These new tablets all feature 120Hz AMOLED displays and they all run on the powerfulSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform. Clearly, they come in different sizes, but are there more differences between them elsewhere? We investigate.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9
The smallest and most affordable option in the 2023 Samsung tablet lineup is the Galaxy Tab S9. It has an 11-inch display, and this year it’s been updated to a 120Hz dynamic AMOLED panel for stunning visual clarity.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+
Moving on up to the Tab S9+ gets you a 12.4-inch display with similar specifications. You’ll also get an additional rear camera, in the form of an 8MP ultra-wide snapper, plus it benefits from a larger battery pack.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
The flagship Tab S9 Ultra is the largest of the bunch. It boasts a 14.6-inch AMOLED display and is the only model to feature a secondary selfie camera, which means you can get perfect framing in any orientation.
Specs, price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series was announced atGalaxy Unpackedin July 2023, and are available to preorder now, with products shipping to customers on August 15, 2025.
All models are available in either 5G or Wi-Fi-only options, with multiple storage and memory configurations. Here’s how the pricing breaks down:
Wi-Fi 128GB: £799, Wi-Fi 256GB: £1099, 5G 128GB: £949, 5G 256GB: £1049
Samsung Galaxy S9+
Wi-Fi 265GB: £999, Wi-Fi 512GB: £1099, 5G 256GB: £1149, 5G 512GB: £1249
Samsung Galaxy S9 Ultra
Wi-Fi 256GB: £1199, Wi-Fi 512GB: £1299, Wi-Fi 1TB: £1549, 5G 256GB: £1349, 5G 512GB: £1449, 5G 1TB: £1699
All of the Galaxy Tab S9 models share a similar design, and they’re all available in rather sensible Graphite and Beige colour options. The sculpted rear S Pen dock is present on all models, and this time it matches the colour of the chassis, rather than the contrasting black section that we saw on theTab S8 series. It also now works with the pen facing in either direction, which is sure to alleviate some frustration.
The camera lenses are now separate units, matching the styling of theS23 phones, whereas on the Tab S8 models the cameras were connected to the black S Pen dock. Of course, since the Tab S9 has only one rear camera, and the S9+ and S9 Ultra have two, the appearance differs slightly.
All models carry anIP68rating for water and dust resistance, and this is something that’s still quite rare to see with Androidtablets. It’s great if you like to travel with your tablet, as you won’t need to worry about getting caught out by the weather.
The main difference between the models is the size, and as you might expect, the weight of each increases as you go up the range. The Tab S9 is the lightest, at just 498g, while the Ultra weighs in at 732g - but that’s still reasonably lightweight for such a sizable tablet.
Display and speakers
A big change for 2023 is the fact that the entire range features 120Hz dynamic AMOLED panels. Previously, only the Plus and Ultra models benefitted from OLED tech, while the entry-levelTab S8used an LCD panel.
The benefits of an OLED display are well known at this point, but if you need a refresher, you may expect excellent colour reproduction and unmatched black levels - perfect for watching your favourite shows onNetflix. The 120Hz refresh rate makes swiping around the OS look smooth and fluid, while the panel’s ability to dynamically switch to a lower refresh rate conserves battery life.
The 2023 lineup has 20 per cent larger speakers across the board, and it’s a quad-speaker setup on each model. We haven’t been able to fully assess the quality of these new speakers, but given that the speakers on the S8 models were already impressive- we can only imagine that you’d get great performance from the larger drivers.
All models run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform, and just like the Galaxy S23 phones, it’s a special souped-up version of the chip that has been created for Samsung. This means that these are some of the most powerful tablets on the market, and they’ll be great for creative tasks, multitasking and gaming.
The battery capacity increases as you go up through the range, but larger displays draw more power too, so it remains to be seen if the Ultra will last longer than the other models in the real world. Thus far, Samsung hasn’t given us any battery life estimates, and we haven’t spent long enough with the devices to find out for ourselves.
The other difference is in the memory and storage options that are available for each model. The Ultra gets the most options of the bunch, and you can select up to a whopping 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, the S9+ goes up to 12GB+512GB and the standard S9 maxes out at 12GB+256GB. All models supportmicroSDcard storage in capacities up to 1TB, so it’s easy to boost your storage if you find yourself wanting for more.
The cameras are another differentiator between models. The Tab S9 has the fewest cameras, with just a 12MP selfie camera and 13MP rear camera. This is bumped up to a dual rear camera setup on the S9+, which has an additional 8MP ultra-wide camera.
The S9 Ultra has the same dual-camera setup on the rear, but it also adds an additional selfie camera. In effect, this is just so that you can use the selfie camera while holding the tablet in portrait or landscape modes, and it’ll always be centred and unobstructed.
If you use your tablet to take lots of video calls, the dual front-facing cameras of the Ultra could prove to be very handy. On the other hand, if that’s not the way that you use a tablet, then they’re not likely to provide a whole lot of benefits.
Accessories
All of the Galaxy Tab S9 models come with an S Pen included in the box, so you’re ready to get sketching and note-taking right away. However, if you want to step up your S Pen game, Samsung has introduced a new S Pen Creator Edition, which comes with extra tips and better tilt detection for improved drawing capabilities. this is an optional extra that’s sold separately.
There’s a wide range of additional optional accessories, too. There’s a Book Cover Keyboard like we saw last year, but a new slimmer version has been added as well. There’s also a new Outdoor Cover, which bumps up the durability to MIL-STD specifications and could be perfect if you like to take your tablet out into the wilderness.
It’s also worth noting that the Book Cover Keyboard is included for free with pre-orders (at least in the UK) and normally comes with a £199 price tag. So if you get in quickly, you can save yourself a good amount of money. There’s even 12 months of Disney+ for free to sweeten the deal.
Conclusion
Since all of these tablets run on the same SoC and have similar display specifications, the deciding factor for most people will be the size that they prefer. The Tab S9 is compact and lightweight, perfect for slipping into your bag on a daily basis, whereas the Tab S9 Ultra has a significantly larger display, perfect for watching content around the house.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 is an 11-inch premium Android tablet that ships with a vibrant AMOLED display, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, and an included S Pen.
In terms of performance, the only real difference is the amount of RAM offered on each model, though all can be configured with 12GB, the Ultra offers the most memory with up to 16GB, and the Standard S9 is the only one that can be had with as little as 8GB. If you’re editing extremely heavy files in an app like LumaFusion, or if you multi-task like an absolute beast, you might want to opt for 16GB, but most people will be more than satisfied with 12GB.
There are differences with the camera setups, too, but we can’t imagine that these will sway buyers too much. After all, most people would prefer to use their phones for snapping pics, and you’ll get better results that way. The secondary selfie camera on the Ultra has more practical applications, though, and if you use your tablet for video calling and like the idea of being able to switch orientation, it could be the way to go.
In our view, figuring out which tablet is for you isn’t too difficult. If you want small and lightweight, go for the Tab S9, if you want a big and luxurious display, get the Tab S9 Ultra. If you can’t decide between the two, grab the Tab S9+. In any case, you’re getting a tablet that offers top-tier performance and brilliant visuals, you really can’t go wrong.
