REVIEW: Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, the mega powerful tablet of 2023

At its latest launch event, the Samsung announced the new family tablets Galaxy Tab S9. We received the premium model Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra to test the capabilities of this hybrid of tablet and notebook. Check out the review below!

Design

O Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is a device Android da Samsung with a 14,6-inch immersive screen, equipped with a processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, that has the interesting proposal of being a mobile device that simulates the experience of a Desktop, with the DeX mode.

It's the first tablet Galaxy S on certification IP68K, with resistance to water up to 3 meters deep and dust.

It is 5,5 millimeters thick and weighs 732 grams, which is surprising due to the size of the screen, which is quite large compared to conventional tablets on the market. We receive the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra in graphite color, and can also be found in ivory color, with a satin metal housing and very beautiful rounded edges.

Despite being large, the tablet Samsung It is reasonably light, another point that I found interesting was the discreet design of the device, which, at the same time, does not fail to deliver its grandeur. There are a total of four sound outputs on the horizontal sides of the tablet, two volume buttons, a main button and just one USB-C input for a charger.

Having only one input for cable connection may be a choice of the Samsung to follow the market trend, which is increasingly reducing the number of mobile device connections, but I thought it was a shame that it didn't have a standard input for headphones, making it necessary to purchase an adapter.

On the one hand it makes sense, since we are in the era of headphones Bluetooth, but on the other hand, it may be missed by many people.

S Pen and Keyboard Cover

O Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra comes with some accessories, such as the magnetic rubber keyboard cover that protects the device, provides support and support on smooth surfaces and keeps the S Pen BLE O (which connects with Bluetooth low energy), famous touch pen from Samsung which helps a lot in everyday life and charges magnetically when attached to the back of the device.

A S Pen it can be used not only for navigation, but also for taking photos, assisting in presentations and much more. Working or spending time with S9Ultra It's very pleasant and I ended up preferring to use the tablet with the S Pen Instead of using my fingers, even to play I used the pen because I got so used to it.

A S Pen It is also a pleasant surprise for those who, like me, love to draw. O Tab S9 Ultra comes with 6 months of Clip Studio Paint — which in my opinion is the best digital art software today.

I felt the pen was much more sensitive than my graphics tablet. Wacom that I use to draw on the computer. Lighter and thinner, it imitates the grip of a pencil, avoiding pain over time.

We've rebuilt the included S Pen to be IP68-rated, water-resistant, just like the Tab. It's also been completely improved, with improved tip sensitivity for fewer accidental clicks. And with the magnetic accessory and two-way charging, just dock it to charge.

Samsung

O Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra It has a magnetic keyboard cover with touchpad that, when connected, enables the DeX mode, which we will talk about later. The keyboard has thin, shallow keys, I found the touchpad very sensitive and the shortcuts work very well, in fact, there is no shortage of shortcuts.

As my hands are small, I didn't find it difficult to use the keyboard to work, but I have the impression that thicker fingers would be a bit hindered by the short spacing between one button and another, be warned.

Fabric

The line Galaxy Tab S9 comes with screen 2X Dynamic AMOLED 120Hz with improved HDR10+ standard that provides content reproduction with high dynamic range and more realistic colors. The display features technology developed by Samsung with more vibrant and contrasting colors and visuals, while reducing blue light emission, protecting the eyes.

Another technology present in the S9 line is the vision booster, an intelligent algorithm that detects sunlight and adapts screen brightness as needed.

I compared the screen Tab S9 Ultra with my computer's gaming monitor screen at maximum brightness and contrast and the results were incredibly similar, the difference is that the S9Ultra It's a tablet, so it wouldn't need visual quality as intense as what we find on the model.

A detail that I had to configure my monitor to show the same result, since I don't use it that way on a daily basis. The color density and resolution quality of the Tab S9 Ultra they impressed me a lot.

I believe that the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra works very well as a second screen due to the high resolution and contrast of the screen, imagine playing with two high resolution screens?

Cameras

O Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra It has 4 cameras, 2 rear and 2 front. The rear cameras are in the upper left corner and have 13 and 8 megapixels respectively. Honestly, I wasn't expecting magnificent results from the tablet's lenses, precisely because this isn't usually the focus of this type of mobile device, but once again, I was surprised.

In natural light, the resolution of the rear camera is very good, with little noise and vivid colors, in artificial light, the noise appears a little, but nothing too exaggerated, the contrast between colors remains, I really liked the saturation of the images, but some people may find it exaggerated.

The two front cameras are located in the upper horizontal center of the tablet, closely resembling the position of a computer's Webcam, the notch gives them extra prominence. Both have 12 megapixels and are very competent in resolution. The same color contrast remains, but the quality drops a little more in environments with little or artificial lighting.

The biggest difference happens in videoconferences, the quality drops a lot, but the contrast is once again maintained.

Regarding video recording, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra records in Ultra HD (4K) at 30FPS, the video results are satisfactory, but nothing surprising, the same points stand out here, the color contrast and the great resolution in natural light.

Audio

There are four quad speakers AKG with ambient sound Dolby Atmos, the power and sound immersion that this tablet Samsung brings is higher than expected for a tablet. Even at minimum volume the sound is loud and clear and when turned up to maximum, it seems like it comes directly from a notebook.

The quality of the microphones is also satisfactory, the sound is clear and clean in just the right way.

Processor

The processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy was developed for the line Galaxy S23 as the main chip for the brand's mobile devices in 2023. This Octa-core chipset from Qualcomm It has superior performance to the conventional model with a speed of 3,36GHz compared to 3,2GHz of the standard version.

Designed to offer energy savings and accelerated gaming performance, its graphics engine enables realistic reflections and shadows in 3D environments.

It was to be expected that a Premium tablet would come with the most modern processor on the market. In that case, the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra It does what it promises, being a smart, fast device that adapts very well to both everyday tasks and professional use.

We received the 12 GB RAM version with 512 GB of internal storage, but it is important to highlight that the tablet is sold in two versions of 12 GB RAM in options of 256 GB or 512 GB of internal storage with the possibility of expansion up to 1 TB, being compatible with MicroSD card. There is still a 16 GB RAM version in both storage options, but it is not yet sold in Brazil.

O Tab S9 Ultra is powered by the operating system Android 13 with interface One UI 5.1.1 da Samsung, a layer of personalization that adds a series of features and improvements exclusive to the brand. A One UI is known for its intuitive interface and optimized design, providing a more fluid and pleasant user experience.

DeX mode

The keyboard cover of the Tab S9 Ultra, In addition to bringing comfort to typing on the device, it brings the user the experience of DeX mode, a Samsung feature that turns the tablet into a Notebook.

In the previous version of DeX mode featured in the series Galaxy Tab S8, we had little integration of Android applications with the “PC” format, presenting problems when using multi-tasking mode and a certain delay in opening applications. This time, some problems were overcome, making the DeX mode much more intuitive, faster and comfortable to use.

I really enjoyed using the tablet with the DeX mode to work with, but honestly it is a little difficult to understand, precisely because of the integration of the language Android With the Desktop layout, at first it is confusing to understand which resource continues to function as a tablet and which functions as a “PC”. It takes some getting used to.

Overall, I had a comfortable experience during my time with the Tab S9 Ultra and in fact occasionally forgot that it was a tablet and not a notebook. It is worth highlighting, however, that the experience remains far from comparable and that the device does not replace a computer, except for specific uses, such as opening and responding to emails, using social networks, taking notes, making video calls, play, draw, etc.

There is still a long way to go for more elaborate work, after all, it is still a device Android.

Performance

No AnTuTu benchmark, the results were excellent with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra reaching an incredible 1331235 points. During the tests, the tablet did not show heating or freezing and the performance of the CPU remained stable.

I took advantage of the Samsung tablet to spend hours playing Pokémon UNITE e Genshin Impact, needless to say that the games ran very well on the device, right? The only problem I found was with the screen size, especially in the case of Pokemon UNITE, because it's a game mobile devices, was designed for much smaller screens than the Tab S9 Ultra and sometimes it took a while to respond to touches and commands, at first it was quite strange to play with a giant display like that.

The same problem repeated itself with Genshin Impact but on a smaller level, perhaps because it is a multiplatform game.

Overall, gaming performance was very good, I played at maximum quality without worrying about the device crashing or heating up.

Battery

During four days of use, playing, working and drawing with the Tab S9 Ultra, I only needed to load it once. On days of more occasional use, when I picked up the tablet every now and then to take photos, watch videos and respond to messages, the battery lasted almost six days.

The tablet's battery has 11.200 mAh with support for 45W fast charging, the same battery size as the Tab S8 Ultra and the charging time was just over an hour for a full charge, the battery doesn't seem to heat up easily.

Considerations and price

the tablet Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is certainly the most modern model on the market, with DeX mode improved and new processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy the Korean brand hit the nail on the head with this launch. It's definitely worth investing in a portable device like this and without a doubt the S Pen is one of the device's strong points.

It is clear that the DeX mode still needs adjustments and improvements to deliver a satisfactory user experience, but just to better integrate applications Android in “PC” format it is already quite a gain.

Remote and nomadic workers have a lot to gain from Tab S9 Ultra, an incredible screen, plenty of memory, top-of-the-line processing for a tablet and a long-lasting battery.

Therefore, the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is made for those who don't mind spending money to have the latest on the market at their fingertips, taking full advantage of multitasking features with high performance and a great audiovisual experience. It is a very versatile device, which can please technology enthusiasts, Designers, students, gamers and much more.

The tablet can be found at Carrefour by values ​​from R $ 5.111,28 in the 256 GB storage version e R $ 5.831,28 in the 512 GB storage version.

Technical specifications

Brand	Samsung
Córdoba	Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
Social	GSM/HSPA/LTE/5G
GSM chip	Nano SIM, eSIM
Dimensions	326.4 x 208.6 x 5.5 mm
Weight	735 gr
Composition	Front: Corning Reinforced Glass | Gorilla Glass 5 Back and sides: Aluminum
Resistance	IP68 (water and dust), submersion up to 1,5m in fresh water for up to 30 minutes
Fabric	2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 120X, 10Hz, HDR14,6+ Resolution: 2960X1848 (WQXGA+) – Pixel Density (PPI): 240 – Quantity of Colors: 16M
Processor	Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 – Octa Core (4 nm)
GPU	Adreno 740
Sensors	Fingerprint (under screen, optical) Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Compass, Compass Samsung DeX Wireless
Front cameras	13 MP, f / 2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/3.4 ″, 1.0µm, AF 8MP, f/2.2, (ultrawide) Features LED flash, HDR, panorama Video 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps
Rear cameras	Dual 13 MP, f / 2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/3.4 ″, 1.0µm, AF 8MP, f/2.2, (ultrawide) Features LED flash, HDR, panorama Video 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps
Videos	4K to 30 sound recording stereo Stabilization three microphones
System	Android 13 with One UI 5.1
Wi-Fi	WiFi 6E
RAM and Internal Memory	12GB of RAM Internal storage of 256 and 512GB (UFS 3.1)
Memory card	Yes
Battery	11200 mAh Fast charging support up to 45W
Adjustable	USB Type-C 3.2
Loudspeakers	4 AKG stereo speakers
Colors	Graphite
Price	R $ 5.111,28 in the 256 GB version R $ 5.831,28 in the 512 GB version

See also other features

REVIEW: Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is the biggest and most powerful Android tablet

REVIEW: Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is the biggest and most powerful Android tablet

reviewed by Glaucon Vital in 28 / 9 / 23.