As an iPad user since the first generation and an iPadPro user since 2017 as a laptop, I want to discuss my impressions after a week of use with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+.
Design.
We have a fairly landscape design with a 16:10 format, with 12.4" AMOLED with a resolution of 1752 x 2800 pixels and 120hz. The frames are quite reduced, similar to what we see in other competing tablets.
The device is very thin, 5.7mm, and is light, 586gr, so using it in the hand is much more comfortable despite the size of the screen. Compared to my 12.9" iPad Pro, the Samsung is much more comfortable to use in the hand, it is lighter and thinner, although it does not feel fragile, as some iPads do.
It feels solid and robust, which surprised me positively. The feel of the buttons is quite solid.
On the sides we have 4 AKG speakers, the USB-C, the microphones and the 3-pin keyboard connector, similar to the iPad. On the back we have two cameras and a flash and a hole for the Spen, where it charges. The Spen can also be placed horizontally on the right side, it is magnetically attached, although it does not charge, but it is more handy when used with a keyboard.
Overall it is a tablet with a very good build quality, according to its price. It is very light and thin, making it much more comfortable to hold in the hand than other alternatives. However, perhaps out of habit, I find the iPad's squarer proportion more comfortable for productivity, although for consuming content the Samsung's screen is better.
The screen has good definition and resolution, with fairly vivid and contrasting colors, without becoming overly saturated. Brightness is good and glare is not excessive. The miniLED screen of the iPad Pro is perhaps a little better in terms of color calibration and reflections, but the Samsung, being AMOLED has better blacks and contrast.
The AKG sound is good, it has equalizer and different sound modes to adapt it to your taste. However, I consider the iPad's audio to be more loud and enveloping.
Software.
The tablet has OneUI 6.0 and Android 14, at the time of writing this still did not have the update to OneUI 6.1 with Galaxy AI features.
I've been using a Google Pixel 8 Pro as a second phone for a while, whose PixelOS layer I find very nice and aesthetic and the truth is that when you first set up a Samsung product you are overwhelmed by the amount of options, settings and customization.
It has a normal mode and a Dex mode, which makes the tablet practically a computer apparently. It has a multi-window mode that allows up to three simultaneous apps, it has gestures to switch apps quickly, the dock can be hidden or not, and with the Dex mode, you can have multiple windows. Undoubtedly, in this sense, the Samsung is a step above the iPad and iPadOS, since the Stage Manager is very complex to use on the device itself, being more usable when you answer the iPad to a monitor and SplitView and SlideOver options, being very good, are clearly more limited than on the Samsung.
When it comes to the quality of apps, iPadOS is ahead. This is something that is already noticeable on mobiles, but on tablets it is more evident. In the end all apps are scaled from the phone and even Twitter (X), on the iPadOS is adapted to the larger interface of the device, while on Android, it is the same as on the phone, but larger.
On the Galaxy Tab S9+ it comes with different apps like Lumafusion, Good Notes and Clip Studio, good apps for video editing, note taking and drawing. However, Procreate or Pixelmator Photo on the iPad are far superior apps to Lightroom (which needs subscription instead of one-time payment like Pixelmator) or Clip Studio. .
Regarding the Spen, it comes with the tablet (not the charger), is small and light, has a customizable button and for writing I like it better than Apple's Apple Pencil. However, for drawing, the Apple Pencil is better than the Spen, thanks to the pencil itself that allows you to tilt it to make shadows, for example, and the quality of the Procreate app, which is excellent.
The Spen is loaded at the back and can be fixed at the top right when in landscape mode.
The tablet has a fairly fast fingerprint sensor and facial recognition as well.
I like Samsung's security suite, Knox, having many features that Apple incorporates, which I think is very positive for the consumer.
The autonomy of the tablet is correct, around 8-10 hours. With the 45W charger it charges in just over an hour, much faster than the 12.9" iPad Pro which with the 35W charger takes almost two hours to charge.
I also bought the keyboard (without trackpad) for it which looks like the iPad Pro's Smart Keyboard Folio. The feel of the case is similar, silicone type, but the keyboard has traditional keys and does not have the keyboard "built in" to the case, so the feel of the keys is better on the Samsung. However, when you close the tablet, it is not completely "glued" and moves a little. The case has an opening at the top to store the Spen without having to remove the case. It doesn't make it much heavier or fatter, making it quite comfortable to travel with. Like the Apple cases, they stain fairly easily.
It only has a 60° position unlike the full keyboard case which has a Surface style stand or the iPad Smart Keyboard Folio which has two positions.
Hardware.
It has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 12GB of RAM and 512GB in this case, expandable by microSD up to 1TB.
It has enough power to do anything, although it is true that the iPad Pro with the M2 or even the Air with the M1 is better, since they have "computer" processors. The problem with the iPad is that this power is not accompanied by a software that makes the most of it, something that Android allows, especially in relation to everything related to multitasking, background tasks, etc..
You won't have any complaints in this regard and everything you do will be done very quickly, even complex tasks that use AI.
Conclusions.
After a week of using it as my main tablet, I honestly like it a lot. It has much better stuff than the iPad and the iPad has better stuff than the Galaxy.
In terms of apps, for me the iPad has the upper hand, it has many dedicated apps for the iPad, especially for illustration (Procreate) and photo and video editing (Pixelmator Photo, Logic Pro). Then more common apps, such as X/Twitter are better optimized for the device's larger screen size.
As for multitasking, OneUI is way ahead of Apple, both in the "normal" version and in the Dex version. For my taste, SplitView and SlideOver are quite intuitive and easy to use, but Samsung's multiview is far superior, much more customizable and the gestures, once you get the hang of it, work very well.
The Office suite on both is similar. Aesthetically somewhat more neat on iPadOS, but the functionalities are exactly the same, so in the end we have a limited Office suite.
The fact that it is light and comfortable to hold in the hand and the fact that it is well built and feels solid in the hand makes it comfortable to use in touch mode, more so than the 12.9" iPad Pro.
As for the screen format if it's true that I like Apple's square format better, especially when you're using it for productivity. For viewing content, the Samsung is better.
Finally there is the price.
Currently the version I have, the 5G, 512GB and 12GB of RAM, plus the keyboard costs 1300€.
If we compare it to the iPad Pro 12.9 5G 512GB with Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio (not the Magic Keyboard, which is even more expensive) it costs 2427€.
Is it worth the difference? If for you the ecosystem and the specific applications are paramount, surely yes, but objectively the difference, for a basic office use (internet, documents, video, social networks), is not worth it. The Samsung device is excellent, has a good screen, good audio, a fairly powerful security suite, and excellent performance.
Design.
We have a fairly landscape design with a 16:10 format, with 12.4" AMOLED with a resolution of 1752 x 2800 pixels and 120hz. The frames are quite reduced, similar to what we see in other competing tablets.
The device is very thin, 5.7mm, and is light, 586gr, so using it in the hand is much more comfortable despite the size of the screen. Compared to my 12.9" iPad Pro, the Samsung is much more comfortable to use in the hand, it is lighter and thinner, although it does not feel fragile, as some iPads do.
It feels solid and robust, which surprised me positively. The feel of the buttons is quite solid.
On the sides we have 4 AKG speakers, the USB-C, the microphones and the 3-pin keyboard connector, similar to the iPad. On the back we have two cameras and a flash and a hole for the Spen, where it charges. The Spen can also be placed horizontally on the right side, it is magnetically attached, although it does not charge, but it is more handy when used with a keyboard.
Overall it is a tablet with a very good build quality, according to its price. It is very light and thin, making it much more comfortable to hold in the hand than other alternatives. However, perhaps out of habit, I find the iPad's squarer proportion more comfortable for productivity, although for consuming content the Samsung's screen is better.
The screen has good definition and resolution, with fairly vivid and contrasting colors, without becoming overly saturated. Brightness is good and glare is not excessive. The miniLED screen of the iPad Pro is perhaps a little better in terms of color calibration and reflections, but the Samsung, being AMOLED has better blacks and contrast.
The AKG sound is good, it has equalizer and different sound modes to adapt it to your taste. However, I consider the iPad's audio to be more loud and enveloping.
Software.
The tablet has OneUI 6.0 and Android 14, at the time of writing this still did not have the update to OneUI 6.1 with Galaxy AI features.
I've been using a Google Pixel 8 Pro as a second phone for a while, whose PixelOS layer I find very nice and aesthetic and the truth is that when you first set up a Samsung product you are overwhelmed by the amount of options, settings and customization.
It has a normal mode and a Dex mode, which makes the tablet practically a computer apparently. It has a multi-window mode that allows up to three simultaneous apps, it has gestures to switch apps quickly, the dock can be hidden or not, and with the Dex mode, you can have multiple windows. Undoubtedly, in this sense, the Samsung is a step above the iPad and iPadOS, since the Stage Manager is very complex to use on the device itself, being more usable when you answer the iPad to a monitor and SplitView and SlideOver options, being very good, are clearly more limited than on the Samsung.
When it comes to the quality of apps, iPadOS is ahead. This is something that is already noticeable on mobiles, but on tablets it is more evident. In the end all apps are scaled from the phone and even Twitter (X), on the iPadOS is adapted to the larger interface of the device, while on Android, it is the same as on the phone, but larger.
On the Galaxy Tab S9+ it comes with different apps like Lumafusion, Good Notes and Clip Studio, good apps for video editing, note taking and drawing. However, Procreate or Pixelmator Photo on the iPad are far superior apps to Lightroom (which needs subscription instead of one-time payment like Pixelmator) or Clip Studio. .
Regarding the Spen, it comes with the tablet (not the charger), is small and light, has a customizable button and for writing I like it better than Apple's Apple Pencil. However, for drawing, the Apple Pencil is better than the Spen, thanks to the pencil itself that allows you to tilt it to make shadows, for example, and the quality of the Procreate app, which is excellent.
The Spen is loaded at the back and can be fixed at the top right when in landscape mode.
The tablet has a fairly fast fingerprint sensor and facial recognition as well.
I like Samsung's security suite, Knox, having many features that Apple incorporates, which I think is very positive for the consumer.
The autonomy of the tablet is correct, around 8-10 hours. With the 45W charger it charges in just over an hour, much faster than the 12.9" iPad Pro which with the 35W charger takes almost two hours to charge.
I also bought the keyboard (without trackpad) for it which looks like the iPad Pro's Smart Keyboard Folio. The feel of the case is similar, silicone type, but the keyboard has traditional keys and does not have the keyboard "built in" to the case, so the feel of the keys is better on the Samsung. However, when you close the tablet, it is not completely "glued" and moves a little. The case has an opening at the top to store the Spen without having to remove the case. It doesn't make it much heavier or fatter, making it quite comfortable to travel with. Like the Apple cases, they stain fairly easily.
It only has a 60° position unlike the full keyboard case which has a Surface style stand or the iPad Smart Keyboard Folio which has two positions.
Hardware.
It has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 12GB of RAM and 512GB in this case, expandable by microSD up to 1TB.
It has enough power to do anything, although it is true that the iPad Pro with the M2 or even the Air with the M1 is better, since they have "computer" processors. The problem with the iPad is that this power is not accompanied by a software that makes the most of it, something that Android allows, especially in relation to everything related to multitasking, background tasks, etc..
You won't have any complaints in this regard and everything you do will be done very quickly, even complex tasks that use AI.
Conclusions.
After a week of using it as my main tablet, I honestly like it a lot. It has much better stuff than the iPad and the iPad has better stuff than the Galaxy.
In terms of apps, for me the iPad has the upper hand, it has many dedicated apps for the iPad, especially for illustration (Procreate) and photo and video editing (Pixelmator Photo, Logic Pro). Then more common apps, such as X/Twitter are better optimized for the device's larger screen size.
As for multitasking, OneUI is way ahead of Apple, both in the "normal" version and in the Dex version. For my taste, SplitView and SlideOver are quite intuitive and easy to use, but Samsung's multiview is far superior, much more customizable and the gestures, once you get the hang of it, work very well.
The Office suite on both is similar. Aesthetically somewhat more neat on iPadOS, but the functionalities are exactly the same, so in the end we have a limited Office suite.
The fact that it is light and comfortable to hold in the hand and the fact that it is well built and feels solid in the hand makes it comfortable to use in touch mode, more so than the 12.9" iPad Pro.
As for the screen format if it's true that I like Apple's square format better, especially when you're using it for productivity. For viewing content, the Samsung is better.
Finally there is the price.
Currently the version I have, the 5G, 512GB and 12GB of RAM, plus the keyboard costs 1300€.
If we compare it to the iPad Pro 12.9 5G 512GB with Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard Folio (not the Magic Keyboard, which is even more expensive) it costs 2427€.
Is it worth the difference? If for you the ecosystem and the specific applications are paramount, surely yes, but objectively the difference, for a basic office use (internet, documents, video, social networks), is not worth it. The Samsung device is excellent, has a good screen, good audio, a fairly powerful security suite, and excellent performance.
