After being spotted some time back in a couple of regional websites, it looks like Samsung has officially launched its newest addition to its budget Galaxy Tab “A” series, with the Galaxy Tab A9 and A9+. The two new tablets incorporate a lot of design elements seen on previous budget-friendly Samsung tablets, while adding some much-welcome features.
While no pricing has been announced yet for UK markets, it’s expected that the Galaxy Tab A9 might come in at around £195 for the base model, and up to £326 for the maxed-out plus version. With that in mind, they are still considerably more affordable versus the Galaxy Tab S9 or even Tab S9 FE models, but what exactly do you get with the new Galaxy Tab A models?
Galaxy Tab A9
Starting off with the regular Galaxy Tab A9, Samsung’s latest base-model budget tablet features an 8.7-inch display on board, which is rare to find on most tablets these days – you’d either have to spend tons to get an expensive compact tablet like the iPad Mini 6th Gen, or settle for a super low-end device like the Nokia T10, for example. With that being said, the display comes with a basic 800 x 1340 pixel resolution, and while it’s not the sharpest-looking one out there, it should be enough for casual tasks like web browsing, some light gaming, and streaming content.
Inside, the Galaxy Tab A9 comes with Android 13 alongside One UI 5.1, and runs on MediaTek’s Helio G99 chipset, a mobile SoC usually seen on affordable Android devices. For storage and memory, the Tab A9 is available in a 64GB storage + 4GB RAM configuration, although there’s a variant with 128GB storage and 8GB of RAM; the tablet also features expandable storage via a micro SD card slot. For camera hardware, there’s a 2MP front-facing camera that handles selfies and video calls, with a single 8MP shooter on the rear. Due to the tablet’s small size, Samsung has stuck with a 5,100 mAh capacity battery inside.
Galaxy Tab A9+
In terms of overall specs, the larger Galaxy Tab A9+ is a much more appealing choice – it comes with a larger 11-inch display with a sharper 1200 x 1920 pixel resolution, and a much smoother 90hz refresh rate. This larger display brings it closer in terms of size to Samsung’s flagship series tablets, and even certain iPad models on the market. With that being said, the sharper display also makes it more ideal for reading content, especially eBooks with small text for example.
Inside, the Tab A9+ starts with the same base storage and memory configuration as on the smaller A9, although it has the advantage of being powered Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 695 chipset. While it is first and foremost an SoC designed for low to midrange devices, Qualcomm’s 600-series chips have always been reliable thanks to decent battery endurance and a mostly stable user experience. Inside you’ll find a much larger 7,040 mAh battery, which should be ideal for lengthy gaming sessions or Netflix binges. For camera hardware, the Tab A9+ comes with a slightly higher-resolution 5MP front-facing camera, although it retains the 8MP camera on the rear panel.
As we mentioned earlier, Samsung still hasn’t mentioned any pricing or release date in the UK, so interested buyers should keep en eye out once Samsung launches the tablet locally.
