[ad_1]
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Two-minute preview
Samsung lifted the lid on its Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series at the second edition of Samsung Unpacked 2023, with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra debuting alongside the smaller Galaxy Tab S9 and Tab S9 Plus, as well as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Samsung Galaxy Watch 6. Read our early impressions of all five devices below:
A direct successor to the sufficiently bonkers Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, the S9 Ultra keeps the same 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display but brings improvements in the chipset, RAM, storage and durability departments, with an IP68 water resistance rating chief among the upgrades.
Naturally, these features come at a cost – and given that Samsung’s Tab S8 prices are (or rather, were) exceptionally high already, the market for the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra will surely be even smaller – but there’s no denying that this is a mightily impressive piece of Android hardware.
We haven’t had a chance to properly test this creativity powerhouse just yet, but below, you’ll find our hands-on impressions of the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, along with a detailed breakdown of its impressive specs.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Price and availability
As mentioned, Samsung debuted the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra at Samsung Unpacked on July 26, 2023, with the supersized tablet becoming available to pre-order on that date.
The device begins shipping in the UK, US and Australia on August 11, and anyone who pre-orders the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra from Samsung directly ahead of time will get a slim book-cover keyboard and 12 months of Disney Plus thrown in for free.
As with the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra lineup, the S9 Ultra ships in three RAM/storage configurations and with either Wi-Fi or 5G connectivity, but last year’s 128GB storage options have been replaced by two 1TB configurations.
| Header Cell – Column 0 | US | UK | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12GB / 256GB (Wi-Fi): | $1,199.99 | £1,199 | AU$1,999 |
| 12GB / 256GB (5G): | TBC | £1,349 | AU$2,249 |
| 12GB / 512GB (Wi-Fi): | TBC | £1,299 | AU$2,199 |
| 12GB / 512GB (5G): | TBC | £1,449 | AU$2,449 |
| 16GB / 1TB (Wi-Fi): | TBC | £1,549 | AU$2,699 (12GB RAM) |
| 16GB / 1TB (5G): | TBC | £1,699 | AU$2,949 (12GB RAM) |
Compared to Samsung’s Tab S8 Ultra pricing, the S9 Ultra range is more expensive across the board – but you do get more RAM with each model (with the exception of the 12GB RAM / 256GB storage variants, which cost £100 more than their equivalent predecessors). We’ll confirm full pricing for the US ASAP.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Specs
Check out the full specs for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra below:
| Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions: | 208.6 x 326.4 x 5.5mm |
| Weight: | 732g (Wi-Fi), 737g (5G) |
| OS: | Android 13 |
| Display: | 14.6 inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X |
| Refresh rate: | 120Hz |
| CPU: | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy |
| RAM: | 12GB, 16GB |
| Storage: | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
| Battery: | 11,200mAh |
| Rear cameras: | 13MP main, 8MP ultra-wide |
| Front camera: | 12MP main, 12MP ultra-wide |
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Design
In terms of design, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is almost a carbon copy of the Tab S8 Ultra – but that’s by no means a bad thing, just as long you’re someone who’s comfortable with its almighty 326 x 208 x 5.5mm size.
And make no mistake, this thing is an absolute beast. At 732g (Wi-Fi) / 737g (5G), the Tab S9 Ultra is a fairly heavy device, but one that also feels like it could be broken in half by a determined child. Of course, it’s a testament to Samsung’s design flair that a tablet of this size can be so darn thin, though we’d really suggest handling the Tab S9 Ultra for yourself in a Samsung store before shelling out four figures on such a uniquely-sized device.
It’s certainly a looker, mind. As with the S8 Ultra, the S9 Ultra boasts a sharp-edged, all-aluminum frame, practical button arrangements, minimal display bezels and an inoffensive camera cut-out at the top of its 14.6-inch screen.
Despite its size, the device is comfortable to hold with two hands, though it’s worth reiterating that this isn’t a tablet for casual movie-watching on the bus. You’ll almost certainly want to set up the Tab S9 Ultra as part of a workstation.
The smart-looking magnetic silo for the included S Pen stylus returns for this generation of the Ultra, too, again doubling as a charger.
The only real design upgrade comes in the form of an IP68 dust and water resistance rating, but this is a huge feather in the S9 Ultra’s cap. No other premium tablet on the market right now – save for the newly announced Tab S9 and S9 Plus – is immune to the perils of use in close proximity to water, but Samsung claims that the Tab S9 Ultra can survive being submerged in up to 1.5m of water for up to 30 minutes.
Obviously, we haven’t been able to test that claim for ourselves just yet, but it sounds like Samsung’s latest super-premium tablet is a safer bet than the iPad Pro 12.9 (2022) when it comes to water resistance.
The Tab S9 Ultra is available in either graphite or beige.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Display
The flagship feature of the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is, of course, its giant 14.6-inch display, which is bigger than the screen on the largest iPad Pro (12.9 inches).
This Super AMOLED 2X panel is pretty much the same as the one you’ll find on the Tab S8 Ultra, meaning you’ll get a healthy 1848 x 2960 pixel resolution and a dynamic refresh rate that automatically moves between 60Hz and 100Hz depending on the task you’re performing.
The presence of AMOLED tech here means colors are bold and contrast is stark, and Samsung has also endowed the Tab S9 Ultra with its new Vision Booster technology, which the company claims will improve outdoor visibility.
As mentioned in the display section, the Tab S9 Ultra does feature a visible selfie camera notch that breaks up the screen every so slightly, but as with the S8 Ultra, the tablet’s display is so outrageously big that it’s easy to ignore.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Cameras
The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra Premium sports four cameras: a 13MP main camera and an 8MP ultra-wide camera on the rear, and 12MP main and 12MP ultra-wide cameras on the front.
Suffice to say, you won’t get anywhere near the quality of shots from this tablet as you would from the best camera phones, but the snapper setup on Tab S9 Ultra will be adequate enough for anyone who useds their tablet in education or work environments, or who just likes to take the occasional cat photo. The device does actually offer a handful of useful picture modes – including Single Take, Pro, Portrait and Night – but don’t expect any mindblowing results.
At first glance, the S9 Ultra’s front-facing cameras are perfectly fine, too. The 12MP main lens is the one you’ll use for selfies, while the 12MP ultra-wide is best for video calls (since it allows for a wider field of view). For comparison, both the Tab S9 nor S9 Plus have the latter camera only.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Performance
The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra gets its customary chipset upgrade in the form of Qualcomm’s excellent Snapdragon Galaxy 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy – that’s a bespoke version of the processor that powers almost all of the best Android phones released in 2023 (and the very same processor powering Samsung’s Galaxy S23 phones).
We’ll be running benchmark tests for our full review of the Tab S9 Ultra, but we don’t need a set of lab results to tell you that smooth scrolling, seamless multitasking and stellar gaming performance are all guaranteed here. With up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage available, this is sure to be a powerhouse tablet for gamers and creative professionals.
Oh, and you’ll get four Dolby Atmos-enabled speakers on the Tab S9 Ultra, too, so expect better bass and treble than most premium tablets out there.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Software
As with the Tab S9 and S9 Plus, the software experience on the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is a familiar one. The tablet runs Android 13 with Samsung’s OneUI laid over the top, which remains a love-it-or-hate it operating system that offers plenty of quirks for users to master.
You’ll also get a helpful DeX mode on the Tab S9 Ultra, which lets you mimic the desktop experience by linking a keyboard and monitor, as well as split-screen functionality and MultiControl, Samsung’s multi-device multitasking software.
GoodNotes – the most popular note-taking app on iOS – makes its Android debut with the Galaxy Tab S9 series, too, and all three tablets come equipped with integration for creative apps including LumaFusion, Clip Studio Paint and ArcSite.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Battery life
The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra packs a huge 11,200mAh battery, but this isn’t an improvement on last year’s model. The Tab S8 Ultra lasted between eight and 10 hours in our testing, so it’s safe to expect comparable figures from its successor (though factors like brightness and refresh rate will affect battery life performance).
As with the S8 Ultra, you get 45W charging with the S9 Ultra, but we’ll have to run proper battery tests before offering any sort of charging-speed figures. In all likelihood, the sheer size of this tablet’s display will mean it needs charging overnight.
First tested July 2023
[ad_2]
#Hands #Samsung #Galaxy #Tab #Ultra #review #supersized #slate #Androidloving #creatives