Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series tablets bring a spec bump… and a price hike

At first glance, the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S9, S9+, and S9 Ultra look a lot like last year’s Galaxy Tab S8 lineup. The new tablets have the same basic design, the same screen sizes, and support for similar accessories including an S-Pen (included) and optional Book or Keyboard covers.

But the new tablets have faster processors, support for WiFi 6E, and more memory and storage options. The entry-level model also now comes with an AMOLED display. There’s also one other significant difference: the Galaxy Tab S series tablets were already among the most expensive Android tablets around, and this year’s models are more expensive. Samsung has increased the starting prices by $100 across the board.

The 11 inch Samsung Galaxy S9 tablet starts at $800, while the 12.4 inch inch Galaxy Tab S9+ sells for $1,000 and up, and the 14.6 inch Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra has a $1,200 starting price.

All three models are up for pre-order now and expected to begin shipping the second week of August.

All of the new tablets also feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor, which is a slightly overclocked version of Qualcomm’s latest flagship chip, Dynamic OLED displays with support for screen refresh rates ranging from 60 to 120 Hz, on-display fingerprint sensors, and  optional support for 5G connectivity.

The Galaxy Tab S9 is available with 8GB or 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage, while the S9+ ships standard with 12GB of RAM and supports up to 512GB of storage and the S9 Ultra supports up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. All three tablets have microSD card readers with support for up to 1TB of removable storage.

Here’s a run-down of key specs for Samsung’s 2023 flagship tablets:

If the prices all seem a bit too steep for you, there are other options. Samsung frequently runs sales on the Galaxy Tab S8 series: right now the tablets are on sale for $100 off, bringing the starting price down to $600.

And later this year Samsung is expected to introduce Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE and S9+ FE models, which would most likely be lower-cost alternatives to the company’s new 11 inch and 12.4 inch flagship tablets.

Also worth keeping in mind? Samsung is running a pre-order promotion that lets you save up to $150 when you pre-order a Galaxy S9 series tablet and opt for something other than the entry-level configuration. That brings the price for a 12GB/256GB Galaxy Tab S9 down to $800 (the same price as an 8GB/128GB model), for example.

via Samsung (1)(2)(3)