Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus review: At a glance
- What is it? The Galaxy Tab S9 Plus is the middle entry in Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 flagship tablet set. It replaces the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus with a few updates, including a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, a slightly sharper ultrawide camera, and increased base RAM. The Galaxy Tab S9 Plus is also the only 5G-ready member of the Galaxy Tab S9 family.
- What is the price? The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus is available in the US with 256GB of storage for $999. If you want the 512GB model, it will cost you $1,199. AT&T’s 5G-enabled model costs $1,149.
- Where can you buy it? Samsung opened its Galaxy Tab S9 Plus for pre-orders at the end of its Galaxy Unpacked event on July 26, with open sales beginning on August 11. The tablet is available from retailers like Samsung, Best Buy, and Amazon, or a 5G-enabled model is available from AT&T and Verizon.
- How did we test it? I tested the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus for 10 days. The unit was supplied by AT&T on behalf of Samsung.
- Is it worth it? Samsung’s middle slate is its most balanced premium Android tablet, offering excellent performance, punchy speakers, and a vibrant display. Its upgraded RAM and storage pair nicely with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy to give the premium slate a bit more punch than its predecessor, and also adds an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. It may be a little on the steep end of the price scale, but the Galaxy Tab S9 Plus lands in a sweet spot with more real estate than the 11-inch Galaxy Tab S9, but is still small enough to carry comfortably if you’re working in a coffee shop, unlike the monster Tab S9 Ultra.
Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus?
Credit: Ryan Haines / Android Authority
If there’s one thing Goldilocks taught us, the middle option is usually just right. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus slots between the 11-inch Galaxy Tab S9 and the 14.6-inch Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, and I think I agree with everyone’s favorite breaking-and-entering fairy tale. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S9 Plus offers a larger battery than the base model while skipping the notched dual-selfie setup and enormous size of the high-end Ultra — making it just right. Overall, however, Samsung hasn’t changed much with its latest selection of premium tablets, but that’s no bad thing.