Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Review: It Keeps Getting Better!

The new Galaxy Tab S9 is the smallest premium tablet in Samsung's lineup. The upgrades this year include a new processor, larger speakers, an IP68 water & dust resistance rating (a first for mainstream tablets) & a display that's finally on par with the bigger sizes. Is this android tablet worth the $800 asking price?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please note, some links below are affiliate links.

💗 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE CHANNEL

💬 COME SAY HI:

0:00 Intro
0:22 Why Go Small?
1:21 AMOLED Display
2:27 20% Larger Speakers
2:52 Biometrics
3:13 SPen Experience
4:27 Book Cover Keyboard
5:23 Performance
6:27 Battery Life
6:53 DeX
7:55 Great Multitasking
8:53 Apps & Samsung Workarounds
10:00 Samsung Ecosystem
10:33 Conclusion

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DISCLOSURE ‣ Galaxy Tab S9 was purchased by Thao. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own and not influenced by the developing company, and/ or its affiliates, in any way. Some links provided above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Honesty is key on my channel, thank you for supporting me!

#galaxytabs9 #samsung #android

[Jimmyfly]

Samsung killed it this year. updating the displays, the optimized performance with the processor. the battery is great, display is amazing, and the S pen features with multitasking are great. as an Apple first user, Apple needs to take notes on their iPadOS/Stage Manager imporvements.

[ililili]

Having an OLED screen on the smallest model is such an underrated upgrade. Hated having to consider the bigger models to have one. The market exists, people!📣!📣!📣!

[asifyusoff]

It's great to see that more & more ipad apps are coming to android (lumafusion, goodnote, etc). Hope the developer will consider bringing in more apps to android. Personally I prefer using Samsung Notes than Goodnote since its free and have good intergration with other samsung devices.

[DonJupp]

Great review, most people only review the Ultra and with the new upgrades the S9 seems to be very good choice. It's rather surprising that Samsung hasn't added much to make the plus more appealing.

[Emily-yvis]

I agree with you Thao. The size on the S9 is perfect. I previously had an S7+ and traded it for the S8. The smaller form factor is just way better for lap/couch use. If you primarily use it at a desk then maybe the bigger size is better (or using it as straight up laptop replacement) but for me the small form factor is the one I use the most.

[phlywitegy]

Always tempted to upgrade to a new Galaxy Tab but I'm still rocking my Tab S4. All these years later and it still does everything I need it to.

[AzzamLah]

The base model Tab S9 is a HUGE upgrade from the base model Tab S8. And its screen size is the legacy size for the Tab S series so it's sufficient for most users who don't need bigger display. If I don't already have the Tab S8+, I would totally consider getting the base model Tab S9.

[stefw]

Waited for your Tab S9 video, Watch6 next please 😊.
I just got the Tab S9+ and I really love it. I'm using Galaxy Tabs since Tab S2 and yes they improved a lot over the years. I don't agree with bad app experience though, as with popup window or splitscreen you can force any stubborn app to work (e.g. Insta, which btw doesn't behave on iPads either). I have an M1 iPad Pro too, but honestly I really prefer the Samsung in almost all aspects. This of course matters on how you use your tablet. I don't do big video projects. 😅 The only apps I'm missing are the Affinity ones, but to be honest, when I need them, I'm using them on my PC not my iPad. No tablet can replace a laptop. Maybe I'm not the typical customer, but using Smartphones since Android 2.2, phones getting bigger an bigger, I'm now perfectly fine using a relatively small Phone (S22) during the day, but when at home again, then switching over to the tablet and its big screen. Feature packed with Goodlocks (OneHand opertion is a much have) it's a much better and so more relaxing experience that wouldn't be possible even with a real big smartphone.

[jdneilso]

I agree about the size. I absolutely love my tab S8. I think the LCD looks just fine. I don't see any reason to upgrade at this point. Maybe I'll buy a brand new S9 when the S10 comes out 😊. Great video as always. Oh, and I picked up the Book Keyboard Case cover for $100 on sale. I'm loving this thing. It has mostly replaced my laptop. I use this thing every day. I used my laptop once a week or once every two weeks.

[stefw]

I really want to thank you for your YT videos. Not only do they have the sympathetic Thao feeling, but importantly you're actually using your tech, really talking about pros and cons - not like a lot of these hyped Youtubers getting every week new hardware and not really caring about it but mainly about click counts. Video design is top too. Wish you success and all the best.

[Sagittarius-]

I just upgraded from a tab S4. Yes, that's correct. 2023 and I'm still rocking the S4. LoL. Anyhoo, I just picked up the S9 plus today. This thing is amazing. I was considering the ultra, but the size, particularly when using in portrait mode, was just a bit too much for me. The plus will do just fine. Samsung is currently giving away a free slim keyboard cover with these units, so that's a nice bonus. Coming from an S4, there's a ton of features I've yet to get into, but so far this thing is damn impressive. Not the cheapest for sure, but no regrets on the purchase.

[alex]

If I want to learn about anything Samsung...Thao has got me covered. Can always count on a thorough, informative and enjoyable review. Another excellent review.

[eternalhalloween]

I find 10 " is the best tradeoff between portability and sufficient size. It actually even works for films. The keyboard felt a little cramped at first. But it is SO 2nd nature to me now. And my tablet even has a DVD 📀 player. I bet you didn't see that coming! 🐱

[vansdreamVSD]

The Tab S6 is when they got the design right on the outside, but the Tab S7/S7+ was the beginning of them locking on to what it means to make an overall premium android tablet. Each year since they have refined the experience, and it's been up to Android itself to catch up. While it can't replace a PC 100%, its much better than say, a chromebook or a budget laptop (under $500 USD). And if you're already familiar with the Android/Samsung ecosystem, you'll fit right in. Worried about price? You can always dip your toes into the Tab S8 lineup for a cheaper price, OR the 2022 refreshed Tab S6 lite, which beefed it up from the 2019/2020 versions, and you can get it for $300 USD or less with deals.

Me personally, imma wait one more year to upgrade from my Tab S7+. It still has solid battery life & security updates into the next year, and then I can get what should be a beautiful Tab S10 Ultra.

[matthewrudomin]

Thanks for the review Thao. I ended up getting the Tab S9 Regular based on your size preference. I am glab I did. Typing on the smaller size makes me glad I didn't go any bigger. It's hard to reach as it is to get to the middle of the screen!

[WojtekManiak]

I was waiting for you and your review of this exact model, in this exact color. You didn't disappoint...as always.

[arthurmroyce]

I was weighing the base and the plus model. I bought the base (11") and I really like this tablet. It is a tablet and needs to be portable and easy to use hence I did not want a huge device. I preordered it and got the increase in memory, plus my company also had a discount. A really good move and I just put in a 512Gb SD memory card so I was able to upload all of my music and musical scores. Now to integrate my pedal for turning pages.

[ljacobs]

I have the S9, and while I agree there are some apps that are not tablet compatible, I find it worse on my iPad Mini 6. Many apps just aren't good on the Mini, such as YouTube, where the slider to fast forward is almost unusable. The Mini also has a terrible keyboard that takes up too much space in landscape and not large enough in portrait. On the S9, just use Dex with web pages and it is basically a laptop repacment. The lack of customization on the iPad is frustrating to me.

[bradavon]

The Surface's built-in kickstand is the most useful thing about it. I never remove it from my Lenovo Duet 3.

[sourabhchoudhari]

the most complete review on S9 ❤ gone through many reviews, but instead of only unboxing and showing, you covered important features and use cases i was looking for 😁 LOVE FROM INDIA ❤❤