Samsung Galaxy Tab S9: Everything you need to know

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S range might not be quite as dominant as its Galaxy S smartphone stablemate, but if you’re looking for a premium Android tablet that isn’t an iPad, it’s an excellent option.

New reports indicate that you might want to hold off buying the current iteration though, as an updated version could be arriving soon. Here’s all we know so far about the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9.

When will the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 be released?

There’s been no official word from Samsung at the time of writing, so we’ll need to look at the past models, as well as rumours doing the rounds, for when we might see the new hardware make its debut.

SamMobile reports that Samsung will hold an Unpacked event in the last week of July, revealing the Tab S9 series alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 foldables and the Galaxy Watch 6.

That lines up fairly well with when previous Galaxy Tab iterations were released:

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 – Feb 2022
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 – Aug 2020
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 – Aug 2019

The S8 range was a bit of a departure from form, moving the traditional summer release forward to February. With that month now gone, we won’t be seeing a repeat in 2023, so a return to the July/August window makes sense.

As for which Tab S9 models to expect, we’re a little uncertain. Last year’s line included regular, Plus, and Ultra models, and we expect the same this year. But SamMobile has also found evidence pointing towards two separate cheaper models – perhaps both a Tab S9 FE and a Tab S9 Lite? If so, it’s not clear if they would launch alongside the main models, or later in the year – Samsung’s usual approach with its FE and Lite options.

How much will the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 cost?

Again, Samsung has yet to confirm a price on the new tablets, so looking back should give us some clues.

Here’s the launch prices for the last few Samsung tablets:

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 – $699/£649
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 – $899/£849
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra – $1,099/£999
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 – $649/£619
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ – $849/£799
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE – $529/£449

We’d say it’s reasonable to expect the Galaxy Tab S9 range to come in at around the same price as the S8 models, albeit with the potential for a slight increase as the financial situation around the world remains somewhat challenging for both manufacturers and customers.

What will be the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 specs and features?

Design

We’re beginning to piece together what the three tablets will look like.

Firstly, in April renowned leaker OnLeaks put together some CAD renders of what he says is the Galaxy Tab S9+:

This remarkably complete render shows a tablet which looks pretty similar to last year’s, except that the two rear camera lenses have been separated from the S Pen charging strip and set in discrete circles, much like on the recent S23 phones.

OnLeaks suggested that the Plus-size version of the Tab S9 will have a 12.4in display, dimensions of 285.4 x 185.4 x 5.64mm, four speakers, and dual rear cameras.

The same leaker returned in May with similar designs for the larger Tab S9 Ultra – which, again, looks much like the Tab S8 Ultra, including the divisive display notch, but with the same redesigned rear cameras.

The Ultra will reportedly come in at the exact same dimensions as its predecessor, at 326.4 x 208.6 x 5.5mm, but weigh a little more at 737g, and feature a similar 14.6in display.

We’re still waiting to see renders or dimensions as detailed for the final model in the line-up, the regular Tab S9, but it’s a safe bet that they’ll pop up online eventually.

The other physical detail we think we know is that the Tab S9 series as a whole will include at least an IP67 rating, meaning the tablets should be safe from dust and survive immersion in water up to a depth of 1 metre for 30 minutes – Ice thinks the Ultra may have the even tougher IP68 certification. Even Apple hasn’t committed to an IP rating for any of its iPad models, so this could be a bit of a coup for Samsung if true.

Specs

Now, as for internal specs, it’s been widely agreed that all three core models in the Tab S9 range will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy – that’s the customised version of the flagship chipset that appeared in the Galaxy S23 series, with some very slight overclocking compared to the regular edition.

We’ve now seen evidence of that in Geekbench listings for all three models featuring the overclocked 8 Gen 2, paired with 8-12GB of RAM. Ice Universe reported that the Ultra model could come with up to 16GB RAM, and another tweet points towards three Ultra options: 8+128GB, 12+256GB, and 16+512GB.

As for those two FE/Lite models mentioned earlier, they’ve also popped up on Geekbench, but interestingly appear to be running the Exynos 1380, with 6GB and 8GB of RAM respectively. The 1380 is one of Samsung’s own chipsets, the one used in its recent mid-range Galaxy A54 phone, where it proved surprisingly strong.

Thanks to Ice we have a few more specs for the Ultra, but they basically all match last year’s model: a 14.6in 2960 x 1848 display, 11200mAh battery, and 45W charging.

A TUV certification listing confirms that 45W charging speed for the Ultra, and adds that the same should apply to the S9+ – though remember that it’s likely neither will actually ship with a charger in the box.

The regular model should at least get a slightly larger battery, with GalaxyClub reporting it will use a cell with a rated capacity of 8160mAh – 400mAh more than its predecessor.

Finally – and perhaps less excitingly – the updated S Pen stylus has passed FCC certification. The listing doesn’t reveal any updates to the stylus hardware, but does add to the sense that the tablets’ launch can’t be too far off.

Aside from these choice morsels, there’s nothing else being reported so far about the new tablets, although the possible release dates mean things shouldn’t stay a mystery for long. In the meantime, check out our roundups of the best Android tablets and best tablets to see which other devices are out there.