Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ review

Samsung could also be finest recognized for its flagship S sequence and Z foldable telephones, however the tech big additionally produces a wonderful vary of funds gadgets, together with the Tab A sequence.  

This 12 months there are two funds pill entries on supply. The Tab A9+ acts as a direct successor to final 12 months’s Tab A8 due to its bigger 11in display and quad audio system, while the cheaper Tab A9 provides a extra compact 8.7in show and a less expensive value.  

There’s extra competitors on this house than ever from the likes of Xiaomi, Oppo and Nokia, however can Samsung beat them? Right here’s what I consider the Galaxy Tab A9+. 

Design & Construct   

• Three colors
• No IP score
• Premium and fuss-free design

Regardless of its sub-£250 price ticket, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ has a premium feel and appear, with a easy and glossy metallic physique. It is available in three colors: Graphite, Navy and Silver, which I examined. 

It’s 6.9mm thick, so slimmer than its closest rival, the Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE. It weighs 480g, so it’s straightforward to hold round and maintain, and might slip right into a medium-sized bag to be used on the go. 

The again has an ornamental bar alongside the highest/left-hand facet (relying on should you use it in portrait or panorama however the design is for the latter) that’s barely paying homage to the Oppo Pad Air, however with much less flamboyance. In any other case, the again is fuss-free, with each the emblem and digital camera bump tucked away neatly.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

While my pill didn’t decide up any marks throughout testing, it doesn’t include an IP score, so it isn’t protected towards water or mud. That is frequent on funds tablets, however the A9+ is on the higher finish of the bracket, and cheaper rivals supply higher sturdiness – the Redmi Pad SE is IP52, for instance. 

Within the field you get a USB-C to USB-C charging cable, although no adapter – that is frequent throughout most merchandise from Samsung lately. There’s additionally a 3.5mm headphone jack, which I used to be happy to see. I examined the Wi-Fi model, however should you go for the 5G possibility you then’ll get a SIM slot. 

Face recognition is on the market for unlocking the pill, however there isn’t the choice for fingerprint unlocking – one other frequent theme throughout funds tablets. Face recognition nonetheless works when sporting glasses and in dimmer situations, which is a pleasant contact.  

Display screen & Audio system   

• 11in FHD+ LCD show
• As much as 90Hz refresh charge
• Quad audio system

The Tab A9+ comes with an 11in LCD show, with a decision of 1900 x 1200 and 206ppi, a 16:10 ratio and an 80.9% display to physique ratio. Indoors, the display is daring and vivid, however automated brightness typically makes it seem boring. When side-by-side with the Redmi Pad SE, the latter is noticeably extra spectacular.   

Even when the pill is turned as much as full brightness, it isn’t the best to view outside below brilliant daylight, with a lot of glare coming from the panel. This was additionally a problem with the final technology Tab 8.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

You possibly can rise up to 90Hz refresh charge on the Tab A9+. Nonetheless, there isn’t an choice to completely flip this on – you’ll be able to go for the ‘adaptive’ mode which mechanically chooses the refresh charge when scrolling or taking part in movies. Alternatively, you’ll be able to go for the usual 60Hz possibility.  

The upper refresh charge offers a easy expertise when scrolling, however you gained’t lose out an excessive amount of should you’d desire to preserve the battery life.  

The pill comes fitted with quad audio system. Sound in all fairness loud and has a stunning quantity of depth for one thing with out Dolby Atmos or different audio software program help.  

Specs & Efficiency  

• Snapdragon 695
• As much as 8/128GB
• 5G model accessible

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ comes fitted with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset, paired with both 4GB RAM and 64GB price of storage, or 8GB RAM and 128GB price of storage.  

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

This octa-core processor makes efficiency largely easy for day-to-day duties. It’s fast besides up – one thing many funds tablets fail to do, the vanilla Tab A9 included (which runs on a MediaTek Helio G99). Putting in hefty apps did take a while, however for searching the net, watching movies and scrolling by way of social media, I had no points.  

Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ benchmarks

The bottom model doesn’t have a lot storage – there wasn’t sufficient room to put in the performance-heavy sport Genshin Affect. I’d advocate forking out the additional £50 should you plan on utilizing this pill rather a lot, particularly with the additional RAM, however remember that there’s a micro-SD slot for including as much as 1TB of further storage.  

The pill was in a position to play Mario Kart Tour with no lag or stuttering, however if you wish to do extra meatier duties, like enhancing movies or taking part in extra demanding cell video games, then I like to recommend taking a look at extra premium pill choices should you can afford one.  

One benefit this pill has over the A9 is help for 5G – however that solely issues should you plan on getting it on a month-to-month rolling plan. It’s additionally £50 greater than the Wi-Fi model.  

Cameras 

• 8Mp rear digital camera 
• 5Mp entrance digital camera 

Cameras are sometimes an enormous issue when testing smartphones, however we don’t put the identical give attention to them with funds tablets. It’s unlikely that you simply’ll be utilizing them for on a regular basis snaps as you’ll a cellphone, and never many tablets include spectacular digital camera {hardware} anyway.  

That works in favour of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+, because the 8Mp rear digital camera and 5Mp entrance digital camera are fairly darn poor.  

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

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The principle digital camera struggles to remain targeted on distant particulars and produces fairly washed-out outcomes. It performs finest in brilliant daylight, which made testing troublesome because the pill didn’t need to give me a great shot on this gloomy December climate. The identical applies to snaps taken indoors or at evening.

Images that seize issues closer-up – like portrait photographs – are marginally higher however not possible to be extra spectacular than what your cellphone can do. The bokeh impact is on the robust facet and doesn’t have that easy really feel that extra premium smartphones seize.  

There’s as much as 10x digital zoom accessible, however I wouldn’t advocate going past 2x – the digital camera will get extraordinarily shaky, and particulars grow to be blown out and noisy.  

You’re doubtless to make use of the 5Mp entrance digital camera extra, primarily attributable to video calls. For this it’s adequate (and definitely higher than the 2Mp snapper that’s on the Tab A9), however don’t expect any crisp pores and skin particulars on selfies. The digital camera additionally has a wide-angle mode, and one other portrait mode.  

Each cameras supply primary 1080p video recording at 30fps.

Battery Life & Charging   

• 7040mAh battery
• 15W charging
• No brick in field

It’s not that the battery life on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ is unhealthy, per say. It’s simply that rivals supply higher.  

I used to be in a position to get simply over a day’s heavy utilization out of the 7040mAh cell on common, together with searching social media, streaming Netflix and answering emails.  

Compared to the two-day battery life on the Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE, this hasn’t acquired the perfect longevity. That is additionally mirrored in our benchmarking scores, with Samsung’s pill getting eight hours and 32 minutes, and Redmi’s attaining 13 hours and 16 minutes.  

Turning on the usual 60Hz refresh charge does make a distinction. I observed a lot much less depletion watching YouTube and gaming, and the pill acquired one hour larger in our benchmarking take a look at. I’d advocate this mode should you’re touring and have to preserve energy.

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

The USB-C cable within the field supplies as much as 15W charging. With a 30W charger I had, I used to be in a position to juice it by simply 16% in half-hour, which is sluggish. You’ll be taking a look at a number of hours for it to go from flat to full.

Software program & Apps

• Android 13 
• One UI 5.1 
• 4 years of safety patches 

If clear software program is necessary to you, then the Galaxy Tab A9+ provides the most effective on an Android pill. It runs on One UI 5.1, Samsung’s pores and skin over Android 13 which is the same expertise to what you’ll discover on Galaxy telephones. This isn’t the most recent OS accessible, nevertheless it ought to get an replace to Android 14 within the close to future. 

Aside from its personal browser and productiveness apps, there isn’t an excessive amount of pre-installed muddle as you’ll discover on Xiaomi rivals. You’ll get the Google Suite (with just a few exceptions together with Docs and Sheets, although these will be simply downloaded), in addition to in style apps like Netflix and Spotify. 

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

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Navigation is straightforward and the structure is effectively optimised for tablets, with the dropdown settings filling the display moderately than being cramped right into a nook. When you may have a window open there’s a shortcut bar to your most not too long ago opened apps, and you’ll pin your favourites right here as effectively.

This can disappear should you activate full-screen mode on apps similar to Netflix. On the house display, the Edge panel (accessed by swiping from the right-hand facet the place the gray bar is) provides the same expertise however has numerous panels you’ll be able to change on similar to clipboard and instruments.  

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ will get 4 years of safety updates, however the variety of Android updates is unsure. Based mostly on different gadgets, it’s doubtless that it’ll get help for 3 years of OS updates moderately than the 4 years that flagship fashions get.  

Worth & Availability   

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ begins from £239 for the Wi-Fi model. Listed here are the precise configurations you will get:

• Wi-Fi, 4/64GB – £239
• Wi-Fi, 8/128GB – £289
• 5G LTE, 4/64GB – £289
• 5G LTE, 8/128GB – £339

Within the UK, you should buy it from Samsung, Amazon, Argos and John Lewis, and get it on contract from EE and Sky.

On the time of writing, the pill isn’t on sale within the US – if that adjustments, we’ll replace this text.  

Hannah Cowton / Foundry

There’s no denying that the Galaxy Tab A9+ is great worth for cash. It provides spectacular efficiency, an ideal UI and a modern design all for an inexpensive value. Nonetheless, some rivals just like the Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE supply much more bang to your buck.  

This Tab A9+’s youthful sibling, the Tab A9, is one among our prime funds pill picks and one other nice various – offering you’re completely happy to downsize to a smaller 60Hz display and make do with simply two audio system and a decrease decision entrance digital camera.  

Yow will discover much more choices in our article on the perfect tablets.  

Do you have to purchase the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+? 

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ provides nearly all the things that you can need from a funds pill. It’s acquired an understated however refined design, a slick OS and nice efficiency, making it best for streaming movies and browsing the net.  

Maybe just a few years in the past, this may’ve been our best choice for funds pill consumers. Nonetheless, the Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE provides longer battery life, a superior display and a less expensive value. As well as, the Tab A9 is far friendlier on the outdated purse strings and has some comparable specs to the Tab A9+, simply in a smaller type issue.

Nonetheless, if you’d like that bigger 11in display and would favor to stay with the Samsung software program and model, you then gained’t remorse investing within the Tab A9+.

Specs

• Android 13, One UI 5.1
• 11in, FHD+, LCD, 90Hz
• Snapdragon 695
• 4/8GB RAM
• 64/128GB storage
• microSD card slot (as much as 1TB)
• 8Mp most important digital camera
• 5Mp front-facing digital camera
• Quad audio system
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
• 5G (elective)
• Bluetooth 5.3
• Headphone jack
• USB-C port
• 7040mAh battery
• 15W charging
• 168.7 x 257.1 x 6.9mm
• 480g
• Launch colors: Graphite, Silver, Navy