It has been over two years since I purchased one of Samsung’s high-end tablets, so after looking closely at the now-official Galaxy Tab S9 series, I decided it was time to swap my Galaxy Tab S7+ for a newer model. Today might seem to be all about smaller devices around here and you may find it unsurprising that I went with the smallest of the group, but there are some very specific reasons why the 11-inch Tab S9 pulled me in.
Leaving the Galaxy Tab S7+ behind
A couple of years ago, I finally came back to Android tablets with the purchase of a Galaxy Tab S7+. This was the 12.4-inch model with an AMOLED display up to 120Hz, 128GB storage, 6GB RAM, and who knows what processor. It has been an excellent tablet when traveling, as a workout set tracking buddy in my garage, to play a bit of Pokemon Unite on, or to watch soccer or NBA games when my kid has taken over the TV. Samsung has kept it updated, it performs mostly good on most days, and hasn’t had any noteworthy issues to report back on.
I really don’t have complaints about the Tab S7+ outside of its size. And that’s one of the big reasons I decided it was time to move on from it. Trying to hold onto a 12.4″ device for long periods of time is not that fun. I’m also just ready for 2023 specs in a tablet and couldn’t pass on the pre-order deals that Samsung is currently offering.
Why the Galaxy Tab S9 and not the S9+ or S9 Ultra?
If you missed all of the specs and pricing for the new Galaxy Tab S9, you’ll want to read up on them over here. Samsung appears to have put together a really solid level of high-end tablets again, all of which put to shame the other Android tablets on the market. The Pixel Tablet and OnePlus Pad are not competitors to these. These are in a completely different category.
So, I went Galaxy Tab S9 with the 11-inch display. The iPad Pro I also use frequently at home is an 11-incher and it fits my uses quite nicely. It’s easy to hold for longer gaming session, when moving about my house, and to pack into a bag. It’s big enough to give you a proper tablet viewing experience too. Using a tablet with a 12.4″ display isn’t for me, so I can’t even fathom holding onto the S9 Ultra with its 14.6″ panel. That’s wild, man.
You may want to ask, “But Kellen, they have had several 11-inch versions of Galaxy Tab S units before, why this one?” Because Samsung finally changed the display on the smallest model to an AMOLED. They used LCD displays on both the 11-inch Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S8. As someone who watches enough media on the tablet, I need those deep blacks, folks. This display should be as good as the bigger models, especially with its 120Hz refresh rate.
I was also tempted by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that Samsung used. These are the same high-end chips that make the Galaxy S23 as good as it is, especially in the battery department. They upgraded the WiFi to WiFi 6E too, plus in my own mind I’ve told myself that I need more RAM. My Tab S7+ has only 6GB RAM, but I can essentially double that to 12GB on this new Tab S9 for free.
And that brings us to the next reason I’m upgrading – the pre-order deals.
Samsung’s Tab S9 pre-order deals are very good
Because I have a Galaxy Tab S7+ to trade-in, Samsung is giving me a really big discount on their expensive new Tab S9 tablets. On top of that, I can use our special Samsung.com link to save another $50. And on top of all of the discounts, they are currently doubling storage (and upping the RAM) for free as a part of the pre-order specials.
What that looks like is a $350 instant discount for my Tab S7+, another $50 discount by using this link, and then a jump from 8GB RAM-128GB storage in the base S9 model to 12GB RAM-256GB for free. Instead of paying $919.99 for this 11-inch Galaxy Tab S9, I’m only paying $399.99. $520 in savings is a deal I couldn’t pass on as I look to upgrade.
I don’t get excited about Android tablets very often, but I’m pretty excited about August 11 when my Tab S9 should show up. Oh, I went Beige for the color. My Tab S7+ was black and I need something new.