Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series rumours: What’s the story so far?

2023 is a great year to be a fan of Android tablets. We’ve already seen the excellent OnePlus Pad, as well as Google’s own Pixel Tablet, and rumours say that Samsung has some tablets in the works, too.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series has proven to be a popular option for those seeking a more premium Android experience, and until recently, Samsung didn’t have a lot of competition in the space.

Now though, things are starting to heat up in the world of tablets, and with Google making tablet-focused improvements to Android 14, it could be the perfect time for Samsung to wow us with its next generation of tablets.

It’s still early days, but details are starting to leak about the upcoming Galaxy Tab S9 devices. Here’s everything we’ve heard so far.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series release date

• Second half of 2023

Ever since the first rumours started to appear, it has been said that the Galaxy Tab S9 series would launch in late 2023. All the rumours are still pointing to the second half of 2023, which makes a lot of sense, given that we’re well into Q2 at this point.

By contrast, the Galaxy Tab S8 series launched in February 2022, and the S7 series launched in August of 2020 – there’s not really a set pattern to Samsung’s tablet launches, making things a little more challenging to predict.

At this stage, we haven’t seen any exact dates being leaked. All we know is that we can expect the new tablets to surface in 2023.

OnLeaks / Mysmartprice

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series models

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9, Tab S9+ and Tab S9 Ultra
• Possible folding model?

Most of the leaks and rumours agree that the Tab S9 series will follow the same structure as the Tab S8 series, and the Galaxy S23 series, for that matter.

This means we’ll be seeing a three-tier setup, with the standard Tab S9 being the most affordable, the Ultra being the super-powerful flagship model and the S9+ sitting in the middle.

However, there was a rumour early on that suggested we could see a folding tablet added to the lineup, too. We’ve not heard much about this in the time since, so we’re not sure how accurate it will prove to be. If it does prove true, it would be very exciting, indeed.

OnLeaks / Mysmartprice

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series design

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+: 285.4×185.4×5.64 mm
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: 208.6×326.4×5.5 mm

When it comes to design, of the leaks that we’ve seen revolve around the Tab S9+ and the Tab S9 Ultra, we’ve yet to see any speculation on the standard Tab S9 model.

According to the renders, the Galaxy Tab S9+ will be almost identical to the Tab S8+, with the only major difference being the styling of dual cameras on the rear. They’re now separated as individual circular lenses to match the styling of the Galaxy S23 series.

There also appears to be a secondary sensor on the front bezel, which is suspected to be a secondary selfie camera that can be used when the tablet is held in landscape mode – though details are slim here.

OnLEaks / WolfofTablet

The Tab S9 Ultra renders tell the same story, it’s basically the same design as the previous model, but the cameras have that new separated styling. This means that, perhaps unfortunately, the camera notch is still present on the Ultra’s display.

Both models have the signature magnetic S Pen storage area on the rear, just as we saw on the S8 series. We’re expecting this theme to extend to the standard Tab S9, too.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series display

• Galaxy Tab S9: Moving to OLED?
• Galaxy Tab S9+: 12.4-inch display, 2800×1752 pixels
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: 14.6-inch display, 2960×1848 pixels and 120% DCI-P3 coverage

Starting with the basic Galaxy Tab S9, display supply chain analyst Ross Young claims that we’ll be seeing a move to OLED panels on the 11-inch tablet. A huge upgrade over the LCD panel of the Galaxy Tab S8.

The Tab S9+ is said to feature the same display specifications as its predecessor, a 12.4-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 2800×1752 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate.

The same is true for the Tab S9 Ultra, with the same resolution and size as the S8 Ultra. However, we may see a bump in colour accuracy, it’s said to cover 120 per cent of the DCI P3 colour space – which is an upgrade from 100 per cent on the S8 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 hardware and specs

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, 11,200mAh battery
• 8GB+128GB / 12GB+256GB /16GB+512GB
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9: 8,500mAh battery?

When it comes to hardware specs, most of the rumours have been focusing on the flagship Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. We’ve heard very little about the other two models, aside from that we can expect around an 8,500 mAh battery on the standard Tab S9.

If true, that’s an extra 500 mAh compared to the Tab S8, and should help it last a bit longer. Both the Tab S9 and S9 Ultra are expected to have the same 45W wired charging capabilities as the S8 series.

OnLeaks / WolfofTablet

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is said to run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy SoC, the same slightly customised chip that powers the flagship S23 smartphones.

It’s rumoured that you will be able to choose between three base models with 8GB, 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X memory. The 8GB model will come with 128GB of storage, the 12GB model gets 256GB and the 16GB model will have 512GB of storage.

It’s said that the 12GB and 16GB models will benefit from UFS 4.0 storage speeds, whereas the 8GB model could be limited to UFS 3.1.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series rumours: What’s happened so far

May 17 2023: Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra renders give us our best look at the upcoming tablet so far

OnLeaks and MySmartPrice teamed up to release some high-resolution renders depicting the expected design of the Tab S9 Ultra.

April 5 2023: Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra specs leak ahead of launch

This latest round of information comes from Twitter leaker @UniverseIce and suggests that the tablet will not be found lacking in terms of specs.

April 9 2023: Detailed renders show off the possible design of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+

OnLeaks and WolfofTablet shared high-resolution renders showing the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ in all its glory.

March 23 2023: The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9’s battery could be bigger than last year’s

Spotted by ITHome, the Galaxy Tab S9 appears to be using a battery carrying the model number EB-BX716ABY. That’s a part that has a rated battery capacity of 8,160mAh which might suggest a typical battery capacity of anything up to 8,500mAh.

March 18 2023: Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra tipped for special Qualcomm Snapdragon chip

The Tab S9 Ultra will use a special Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip built especially for Samsung. That chip will likely carry the same “for Galaxy” branding that the phone’s chip had, leaker @Tech_Reve believes.

March 8 2023: Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 reportedly coming late 2023 with Ultra model too

Much like it did with the S8 series, it is said that the company will introduce a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 (SM-X710), Galaxy Tab S9+ (SM-X810) and Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra (SM-X910) at the same time.

August 8 2022: Samsung may launch a foldable tablet alongside its Galaxy Tab S9 series

Rumours suggest that the brand may have an additional foldable device up its sleeve, this time in the form of a tablet.