Android tablets are enjoying something of a renaissance. That certainly seems to be the case if you look at the increased range of options that have appeared on the market over the past 12 months. It’s a reaction to the events of 2020 and 2021, where there was greater demand for such devices, as people suddenly found themselves stuck and home and wanting more screens.

Samsung isn’t part of that pack. While other big name tech companies – Apple excluded – basically gave up on tablets, Samsung was still there. That’s reflected in global market share too: while the iPad has the largest share, Samsung now has around 30 per cent of the tablet market. As such, the Galaxy Tablet S9 is the sort of tablet that people turn to when they want a premium tablet and they don’t want an iPad Pro. And I say iPad Pro deliberately, because this is what the Galaxy Tab S9 is aimed – and priced – to compete with.

Design and build

• 254.3 x 165.8 x 5.9mm, 498g
• Aluminium build, IP68

Shaking up the formula is not something that Samsung seems interested in doing with its family of tablets. The Galaxy Tab S9 is pretty much identical in design to the Tab S8 – which in turn was almost the same as the Tab S7 from 2020. In many ways, Samsung is following Apple’s lead here, with the iPad also not changing much in its design.

What remains is a premium quality to this device, with an aluminium body that feels great, and as before, the most striking thing about the Tab S9 is not just how slim it is, but how solid it feels. In essence, this is metal bodywork done right, and much as I’ve just mentioned the unchanging design, there’s little to complain about.

There is a slight change, however, to the rear of the tablet. That magnetic dock for the included S Pen will now charge whichever way around you attach the pen, while the camera lenses at the end have also been redesigned. They now have the same look as the Samsung Galaxy S23 phones, with separate lenses rather than being set in a single block.

The tablet will again come in beige or graphite colours, leaving the biggest real change when it comes to the design as something you can’t see. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 now carries an IP68 rating with Samsung saying that this is the first premium tablet to get such a rating. This is Samsung thumbing its nose at Apple, as there aren’t many premium tablets to choose from, and that additional protection just adds peace of mind that your expensive tablet isn’t going to get damaged by something as simple as a spilt glass of water.

There are three tablet sizes in the Tab S9 family – this model, the Tab S9+ and the gargantuan Tab S9 Ultra – and of the three, this entry-level model is certainly the most portable and the easiest to use in portrait. That might lend itself better to single-handed use; the other tablets are just a little on the large side for holding for prolonged periods of time. In reality, choosing the Tab S9 model that works for you will very much come down to what you want to do with it, and where.

As before, there are quad-speakers on this tablet, now with greater volume to boost the audio output which is great for ad hoc entertainment. They are tuned by AKG and offering Dolby Atmos support for a more immersive audio experience. During my hands-on time with the Galaxy Tab S9 I didn’t have the chance to test them to any great degree, but will do so with a full review in the near future.

Display and hardware

• 11in, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 60-120Hz
• Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, 8/128GB or 12/256GB, microSD to 1TB
• 5G option
• 8400mAh

A tablet is the display and Samsung has a reputation for producing some of the best displays around. As this is a premium tablet, it’s no surprise to find an AMOLED display on this tablet. First impressions are great, with plenty of vibrancy and punch to the visuals. That’s exactly what you want from a tablet, something that’s going to look as good as your smartphone, whether you’re working on documents or watching the latest hit movies on Netflix.

I only had limited time with the Galaxy Tab S9, so I couldn’t fully evaluate the display, but having used a wide range of Samsung devices in the past, I’m confident that the Tab S9 display will be a strong performer. It’s supported by a 120Hz refresh rate. This isn’t an adaptive system, it’s either 60Hz or 120Hz.

What really makes the Galaxy Tab S line stand out is that it uses premium hardware too. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy sits at the heart of this tablet, the same hardware that powers Samsung’s flagship smartphones. That means these tablets are going to be just as capable as the best phones out there and able to give you the same fast and fluid experience.

There are options for either 8GB RAM with 128GB storage or 12GB RAM with 256GB storage along with support for microSD to boost the storage up to 1TB, which makes for a more affordable way to increase the amount of content you can carry around. There are options for Wi-Fi only or a 5G model too, and with the growth of cloud services, it might be that the lower storage will suit you fine.

During my time with the Galaxy Tab S9 I didn’t have the chance to test the performance to any great degree, but that will come in the future. The Tab S9 was quick to respond to touches and as I said, looks sensational, but I can’t make any deeper determination about its performance. I also can’t speak to the performance of the 8400mAh battery. I expect this to give day-long use, but that can’t be verified until I spend longer with this tablet.

Software and features

One of the reasons why Samsung tablets are popular is because Samsung didn’t step out of the market when others did. Instead it stayed, tweaking and changing the experience offered by an Android tablet to make it more usable. Samsung was looking to make its devices take advantage of the bigger display long before Google stepped back in with native support through Android 12L – or with the adaptations made to Google apps to support the launch of Pixel Tablet more recently.

Samsung has the advantage of boosting this experience not just on its tablets, but also on its folding phones and as we’ve often seen through the last decade, it’s often Samsung’s software development that leads others. That means that you get a more mature multi-tasking experience than you do elsewhere, with the S Pen providing additional features and writing support for those who want to jot down notes, annotate or sketch.

We’ve mentioned that this is a rival to the iPad Pro and Samsung is getting an exclusive benefit to rival the iPad with the launch of the Galaxy Tab S9. The iPad’s most popular note-taking app, GoodNotes, is coming to Samsung Galaxy. It will be a Samsung exclusive (likely just for a short period of time) but it joins the likes of LumaFusion, Clip Studio Paint and ArcSite as productive tools this tablet will give you access to.

Then there’s DeX Mode, allowing you to have a desktop-like experience as well as Multi Control so you can take advantage of Samsung’s ecosystem and control your phone. Much of the experience of this tablet will come down to the software and I’ll be taking a closer look at the software experience when I come to review this tablet.

Cameras

• Rear: 13MP AF
• Front: 12MP ultrawide

I’m not going to dwell long on cameras, because this isn’t a smartphone and you’re unlikely to be out snapping photos of your friends in the latest on-trend restaurant. On this model there’s a single 13-megapixel camera on the rear of the tablet but it is autofocus, so will likely give you reasonable ad hoc shots when you need them. For many tablet users, that might just be snapping documents, or using it to scan QR codes.

The front camera is an ultrawide 12-megapixel unit designed mainly for video calling. I didn’t have the chance to test either cameras during my time with the tablet.

First impressions

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 is the smallest and therefore most affordable of Samsung’s 2023 premium tablets. It brings with it the quality expected from this grade of device, with what appears to be a great display and I’m sure that the Snapdragon hardware in this tablet will deliver a slick and fast Android experience.

Much of that experience will be defined by the software and previous editions of this tablet have been popular and well received. I expect the same thing of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 – and I’ll deliver a full verdict on this tablet once I’ve had the chance to fully review it.