New Samsung Galaxy tablets bring game-changing upgrades I've been waiting for
Samsung revealed a host of new kit during its Galaxy Unpacked showcase – from Galaxy Z Flip 5 clamshell flip phone, to Galaxy Z Fold 5 flagship foldable, and Galaxy Watch 6 wearables – but it's the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series of tablets which bring upgrades I've been waiting for.
The update to 2022's Galaxy Tab S8 line, the Galaxy Tab S9 series follows the same triple-release product pattern – 11-inch Tab S9, 12.4-inch Tab S9 Plus, 14.6-inch Tab S9 Ultra – only this year all three bring a lucrative new feature to the series: IP68 water-resistance. Even the included S Pen stylus gains this feature.
The changes year-on-year don't stop there, though, as in addition to being available in a Graphite finish, there's a new Beige option. It might sound simple, but I think it's an upgrade that makes this tablet line look much more appealing – as you can see in the pictures on this very page.
In addition all three tablets bring the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor to bear, which is tuned specifically for Samsung devices, so there's more power on tap to ensure these are among the best tablets money can buy. Whether you want a tablet for entertainment or for work, the Tab S9 will have you covered.
There's a bunch of accessories available, too, so you can transform the Tab S9 into a laptop-like replacement, and with pro apps compatibility – including GoodNotes for note-taking, LumaFusion for affordable video editing – you might be able to ditch the laptop altogether. I think the base Tab S9 is a little small for such a task, but the Tab S9 Ultra's 14.6-inch screen is so large it's an obvious choice.
Speaking of the screen, all three tablets offer Dynamic AMOLED X2 displays, so are super-bright and able to display HDR10+ high dynamic range content, and with a 120Hz refresh rate there's great fluidity for apps from this high frame-rate playback. Samsung is the AMOLED master, seeing as it creates these panels, and from what I've seen in early previews of the Tab S9 series, everything looks great.
The pricing, however, might make you think twice. In the UK, the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra will cost from £/$1199 in its base configuration of 256GB storage and Wi-Fi only – increasing to a from £/$1349 asking price with 5G mobile connectivity added. The Galaxy Tab S9 Plus, meanwhile, is priced from £/$999 (from £/$1149 with 5G), and the entry Galaxy Tab S9 is from £/$799 (from £/$949 with 5G).
