Galaxy Tab S9 vs Galaxy Tab S8: Is it worth the upgrade?

Samsung announced its newest high-end tablet, the Galaxy Tab S9, today. It succeeds the Galaxy Tab S8 that was launched last year and brings faster performance, improved screen, better durability, and a bigger battery. It is an excellent tablet for media consumption, gaming, web browsing, and other tasks. You can see Galaxy Tab S9's pricing and release date here.

If you already have a Galaxy Tab S8, should you upgrade to the Galaxy Tab S9? Let us find out.

Galaxy Tab S9 has a much better screen and louder speakers

The Galaxy Tab S8 and the Galaxy Tab S9 have an 11-inch screen with QHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. However, the Galaxy Tab S9's screen uses a Dynamic AMOLED 2x panel compared to the Galaxy Tab S8's IPS LCD one. So, that's a massive upgrade for anyone who wants deeper blacks and better colors. Moreover, the new tablet has Vision Booster, which was earlier limited to just Samsung's phones Everything from games to pictures to videos looks better on the Galaxy Tab S9's OLED screen.

As a result of the OLED screen, the fingerprint reader has moved under the display on the Galaxy Tab S9. On the Galaxy Tab S8, the fingerprint reader was on the side. The Galaxy Tab S9 also features 20% bigger speakers (quad-speaker setup), resulting in better audio quality.

Galaxy Tab S9 has faster and more consistent performance than Galaxy Tab S8

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy Tab S9 with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 For Galaxy chipset, which is more powerful and a lot more power-efficient than the Galaxy Tab S8's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip.

The South Korean firm has also improved the sustained performance of the Galaxy Tab S9 by using a new vapor chamber system for two-way heat dissipation. So, even longer DeX or gaming sessions shouldn't be a problem, and you will notice fewer performance drops compared to the Galaxy Tab S8.

The Galaxy Tab S8 was launched with Android 12 onboard and was promised four major Android OS updates (up to Android 16). The Galaxy Tab S9 runs Android 13-based One UI 5.1.1 out of the box and will get four Android OS updates (up to Android 17) and five years of security updates.

Galaxy Tab S9 is more durable than Galaxy Tab S8, thanks to its IP68 rating

Another area where Samsung has improved its tablet is durability. The Galaxy Tab S9 is the company's first high-end tablet to feature an IP68 dust and water resistance rating. Even the bundled S Pen has an IP68 rating. So, you can use the Galaxy Tab S9 on a beach or near a pool without worries. Another thing to note about the new S Pen is that it charges in its cradle regardless of its orientation.

The Galaxy Tab S9 is compatible with the new S Pen Creator Edition. This new version of the S Pen has a more textured material for a comfortable grip and a wider tilt angle for better performance while drawing.

Galaxy Tab S8 has a better camera than Galaxy Tab S9

One area where the Galaxy Tab S8 trumps the Galaxy Tab S9 is the cameras. While both tablets have a 12MP front-facing camera and a 13MP rear-facing camera, the Galaxy Tab S8 has a 6MP ultrawide camera on the rear. There is no rear-facing ultrawide camera on the Galaxy Tab S9. Both tablets can record 4K 60fps videos using the front and rear-facing (primary) cameras.

Both tablets have 8GB/12GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage, a microSD card slot, GPS, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth, USB 3.2 Type-C port, and Samsung DeX.

Galaxy Tab S9 has longer battery life than Galaxy Tab S8

The Galaxy Tab S9 has an 8,400mAh battery, slightly bigger than the Galaxy Tab S8's 8,000mAh battery, so you can expect longer battery life, especially with the help of the new power-efficient processor. Both tablets have 45W fast charging, so charging speeds stay the same.

Galaxy Tab S9 vs Galaxy Tab S8: Is the newer tablet worth the upgrade?

After looking at all the aspects of the Galaxy Tab S8 and the Galaxy Tab S9, it seems like the Galaxy Tab S9 is a worthwhile upgrade over its predecessor if you spend a considerable time playing games or watching videos. It is also a good upgrade if you spend a lot of time commuting or near a pool or a beach, as the Galaxy Tab S9 has an IP68 rating for the tablet and the bundled S Pen.

If you need a rear-facing ultrawide camera, you can stay happy with the Galaxy Tab S8 as it has a 6MP ultrawide camera. And that is something the Galaxy Tab S9 lacks. Both tablets have the same connectivity features and charging speeds. If you are okay with an LCD screen, you can save some money and get the Galaxy Tab S8, which will be considerably discounted now.

• Pre-order Galaxy Tab S9 and get a free Slim Book Cover Keyboard

Samsung
Galaxy Tab S9

Select model SM-X710 Buy Full specs

Samsung
Galaxy Tab S8

Select model SM-X700 Buy Full specs