The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 family is packed to the rafters

Galaxy Tab S9
Pictured: Samsung Galaxy Tab S9
// Three new tablets emerge at Galaxy Unpacked.
Brodie Fogg
Jul 27, 2023
Icon Time To Read3 min read

In an already busy Galaxy Unpacked event, which highlighted anticipated upgrades to Z Flip and Z Fold smartphones, and brought back the rotating bezel with the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic, Samsung didn’t shy away from announcing not one, not two, but three new tablets; the Galaxy Tab S9, Galaxy Tab S9 Plus and Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. It’s the same cadence we saw with the Tab S8 series, and on paper, it seems like a fairly rote annual upgrade.

Starting at $1,299, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 range is available for pre-order today and will be available for purchase online and in-store from the 18th of August 2023.

Here’s what you probs want to know about Samsung’s latest tablets before throwing down your dosh.

I mean, how much do they cost?

Starting at $1,299

Great question. A tablet is, in many ways, a by-product of more affluent times. A piece of tech that’s not quite a smartphone and not quite a laptop, but also both of those things and not. It fills a very small, almost microscopic gap in the market: the device you watch YouTube on while sitting on the loo.

So, in this economy especially, the first question on your mind should be “how much does it cost?”

Unfortunately, the answer won’t shock you into purchasing one. While the lower end of Samsung’s Galaxy S9 tablets are modestly priced compared to Apple’s flagship iPad, they still start at $1,299 at their cheapest (Tab S9 128GB Wi-Fi). If you want to plus up your Tab S9 experience, you can pay up to $2,949 for the Tab S9 Ultra with all the bells and whistles, including 1TB storage and 5G connectivity.

Here’s a rundown of Galaxy Tab S9 pricing in Australia:

Model
Storage
Connectivity
Price
Tab S9128GBWiFi$1299
Tab S9128GBWiFi + 5G$1549
Tab S9256GBWiFi$1499
Tab S9256GBWiFi + 5G$1749
Tab S9 Plus256GBWiFi$1699
Tab S9 Plus256GBWiFi + 5G$1949
Tab S9 Plus512GBWiFi$1899
Tab S9 Plus512GBWiFi + 5G$2149
Tab S9 Ultra256GBWiFi$1999
Tab S9 Ultra256GBWiFi + 5G$2249
Tab S9 Ultra512GBWiFi$2199
Tab S9 Ultra512GBWiFi + 5G$2449
Tab S9 Ultra1TBWiFi$2699
Tab S9 Ultra1TBWiFi + 5G$2949
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 release date

Pre-orders for the Galaxy Tab S9, Galaxy Tab S9 Plus and Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra are available now. All three tablets will be available for purchase online and in-store from the 18th of August 2023.

Features: Galaxy Tab S9 vs Tab S9 Plus vs Tab S9 Ultra

What's special about this year's Samsung Galaxy tablets?

Maybe the most significant feature of the entire Galaxy Tab S9 range— as pointed out by our friends at WhistleOut— is that every model is IP68 rated for water and dust-resistance. That's the most protected you can get according to the IP rating scale, promising complete dust ingress protection and water resistance when submerged beyond one-metre depths. Use it in the rain, drop it in a public toilet, or watch an episode of The Bear under water in the bath. You should be covered, so long as it's dropped in fresh water. The IP rating scale doesn't account for things like salt or chlorinated water. 

The biggest difference between the three tablets boils down to screen size. The Galaxy Tab S9 sports a tidy 11-inch display, the Tab S9 Plus goes a little bigger with 12.4 inches of unadulterated AMOLED and the Tab S9 Ultra is packing a whopping 14.6-inch display that's sure to impress. 

Besides the added screen real estate, size doesn't matter in the Tab S9 family. Each model is rocking the same Dynamic AMOLED display with an adaptive refresh rate (between 60 and 120hz).

Galaxy Tab S9 "colours"
Remember colour? What have they done to us? WHAT DID THEY DO TO US?

On the camera angle, you're giving up one rear shooter if you opt for the cheaper Tab S9, which features a single 13MP lens on the back. The Tab S9 Plus and Ultra have an additional 8MP Ultra-Wide lens, which is a nice-to-have but nary used. The dual 12MP selfie camera on the Tab S9 Ultra is a little more practical, but not noticeably MIA from the Tab S9 and Tab S9 Plus (which both pack a single 12MP Ultra-wide lens for nice group selfies.) 

Other than that (and the storage/connectivity variations outlined above,) the three tablets are practically the same. They even all come with an S-pen stylus in the box for the creative crowd.

All Tab S9 models also come in the same  two colourways: Graphite (Grey) or Beige. Think typical funeral attire and you're pretty much there. 

Here's a side-by-side comparison of all three tablets: 

Model
Galaxy Tab S9
Galaxy Tab S9 Plus
Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
Display size11-inch12.4-inch14.6-inch
Display typeDynamic AMOLED w/ Adaptive Refresh Rate (~60-120Hz)Dynamic AMOLED w/ Adaptive Refresh Rate (~60-120Hz)Dynamic AMOLED w/ Adaptive Refresh Rate (~60-120Hz)
Camera (rear)13MP with Auto Focus13MP with Auto Focus + 8MP Ultra-wide lens13MP with Auto Focus + 8MP Ultra-wide lens
Camera (selfie)12MP Ultra-wide lens12MP Ultra-wide lens12MP main + 12MP Ultra-wide lens
Storage/Memory"128GB/8GB, 256GB/12GB""256GB/12GB, 512GB/12GB""256GB/12GB, 512GB/12GB"
microSDYes, up to 1TBYes, up to 1TBYes, up to 1TB
ChipsetSnapdragon 8 Gen 2Snapdragon 8 Gen 2Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Battery8,400mAh10,090mAh11,200mAh
Connectivity5G or WiFi-only5G or WiFi-only5G or WiFi-only
ColoursGraphite or BeigeGraphite or BeigeGraphite or Beige
Water and dust-resistance IP68IP68IP68
Brodie Fogg
Written by
Brodie Fogg is the Australian editorial lead at Reviews.org. He has covered consumer tech, telecommunications, video games, streaming and entertainment for over five years at websites like WhistleOut and Finder and can be found sharing streaming recommendations at 7NEWS every month.

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