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Want to buy a Galaxy Tab S9 : it's proving more difficult than I expected...

Giallo Corsa

Gold Member
Hey boys, what the title says basically.

Now, to make a long story (somewhat) short :
I'm excluding the smaller S9 since I want something bigger, the S9+ it's going to be the better option I think since the S9 ultra approaches laptop size levels and I have to take portability and comfort into account, having said that, I can't friggin decide on the configuration, do I need 512Gb of space or shall I opt for 256 ? Do I need 5G or shall I go for the wi-fi only version (having my phone's hotspot as an alternative when needed) ?

Now, here's the OTHER mothafuggin' thing :
always taking price into account, I can find the 256+5G for almost the same price as the "plain" 256 wif-fi only version (859€ vs 855€ lol), but, if i opt for the 12/512Gb version (which I'm interested in) I'm looking north of 1000+/- € AND, to make things worse, I've found the S9 Ultra for the same price of the S9+ 12/512 + 5G ffs (about 1145€)...

These are all search engine prices, on Samsung's site, even with all the promotions active/going on, the tab(s) are more expensive, but, they give the keyboard cover slim for free which goes for another 170€ separately.

Now, there's also the fact that we're only a month and a half away from the Black Friday deals and I don't know whether I should get it now or just wait since most of the times here in good ol' Euroland the BF "deals" are actually the same price (and sometimes more expensive) than the pre-deal prices.


Any opinions gents regarding the preferable screen size/ROM configuration?
Shall I wait or get it now ?

Cheers
 

Giallo Corsa

Gold Member
Sorry for the bump gents but could use some input...

I know that the tablet landscape is mostly iPad oriented but does anyone have the tab S9 ?

Cheers
 

Toots

Gold Member
Here my two cents (and a bump hoping someone will answer your question),

Few days ago, a friend went to the apple store to see if he could get some discount if he bought an iphone and an ipad at the same time. Crazy i know but he's brazilian he likes to haggle.
The dude at the apple store told him no of course, but he also told him the next iphone will be out in a few weeks and a new iphone release mechanically drops thge price of the old ones.
I'm guessing Samsung might align itself on Apple's price drop for when the next iphone is out.
So my advice is wait a bit and it might be less expensive.

I realize now i sound like a grandma and i'm giving you tech advice so maybe don't follow them too much...
Anyway I'm really proud of you you know, and i'll be always rooting for you, and your grandada is watching you from heaven and he is really proud. Don't forget to wash your teeth, eat some more you're looking thin, and cover yourself a bit would you, it's cold at this time of year...
 

Giallo Corsa

Gold Member
Here my two cents (and a bump hoping someone will answer your question),

Few days ago, a friend went to the apple store to see if he could get some discount if he bought an iphone and an ipad at the same time. Crazy i know but he's brazilian he likes to haggle.
The dude at the apple store told him no of course, but he also told him the next iphone will be out in a few weeks and a new iphone release mechanically drops thge price of the old ones.
I'm guessing Samsung might align itself on Apple's price drop for when the next iphone is out.
So my advice is wait a bit and it might be less expensive.

I realize now i sound like a grandma and i'm giving you tech advice so maybe don't follow them too much...
Anyway I'm really proud of you you know, and i'll be always rooting for you, and your grandada is watching you from heaven and he is really proud. Don't forget to wash your teeth, eat some more you're looking thin, and cover yourself a bit would you, it's cold at this time of year...

Thanks Toots, appreciate it my good man ;)

Anyway, the tablet released this August and there's already a -150€ off deal on the official site with a keyboard case included (which goes for another 170 euros) , but, the price is still.more expensive compared to 3rd party sellers plus the fact that it can take up to 180 days(!) as to have the keyboard cover delivered (says so on the fine print of the deal).

Regarding the screen size, well, bigger is always better (or so they say) and the price for the ultra model (14 inches) is almost the same as the S9+ (12.4 inches) but I just can't imagine me lying in bed/on the couch holding a 0.5Kg huge device, that's why I asked what's the ideal sweet spot for a tablet.

Any Android tablet/iPad bros care to chime in ?

Cheers
 
Last edited:

Dural

Member
Hey boys, what the title says basically.

Now, to make a long story (somewhat) short :
I'm excluding the smaller S9 since I want something bigger, the S9+ it's going to be the better option I think since the S9 ultra approaches laptop size levels and I have to take portability and comfort into account, having said that, I can't friggin decide on the configuration, do I need 512Gb of space or shall I opt for 256 ? Do I need 5G or shall I go for the wi-fi only version (having my phone's hotspot as an alternative when needed) ?

Now, here's the OTHER mothafuggin' thing :
always taking price into account, I can find the 256+5G for almost the same price as the "plain" 256 wif-fi only version (859€ vs 855€ lol), but, if i opt for the 12/512Gb version (which I'm interested in) I'm looking north of 1000+/- € AND, to make things worse, I've found the S9 Ultra for the same price of the S9+ 12/512 + 5G ffs (about 1145€)...

These are all search engine prices, on Samsung's site, even with all the promotions active/going on, the tab(s) are more expensive, but, they give the keyboard cover slim for free which goes for another 170€ separately.

Now, there's also the fact that we're only a month and a half away from the Black Friday deals and I don't know whether I should get it now or just wait since most of the times here in good ol' Euroland the BF "deals" are actually the same price (and sometimes more expensive) than the pre-deal prices.


Any opinions gents regarding the preferable screen size/ROM configuration?
Shall I wait or get it now ?

Cheers

I've had the S7+ for 2.5 years now and love it, it's a great tablet and I'm sure the S9+ is even better. I bought mine on a ridiculous discount in February 2021, got the 512GB tablet and earbuds for ~425. Fall of 2021 Samsung had another ridiculous deal where I got my kids the S7 FE with free earbuds for ~$150 each. They always seem to have huge discounts for the tablets in the fall. Set a deal alert on Slickdeals for the tablet if you can wait.
 

Cyberpunkd

Member
Sorry for the bump gents but could use some input...

I know that the tablet landscape is mostly iPad oriented but does anyone have the tab S9 ?

Cheers
There is a reason it is mostly iPad - everything else is thrash, priced to iPad levels because reasons.
 

Dural

Member
The Samsung tablets aren't trash, they've implemented a lot of features because Google has been so behind with tablets. Apparently Google are pushing developers to make their apps tablet compatible since they have their Pixel tablet. Pretty shitty of them to take as long as they have to make the Android tablet experience better, but Samsung has been killing it with their tablets for a while. I also have an iPad Pro but it barely gets used, usually my 3yo would grab it but we have a 9in Lenovo tablet that he prefers due to the size.

I got a $150 Apple gift card as a promotion for buying my niece a Macbook for college and I was looking at getting an iPad mini and I can't believe how much they're asking for it. Seems crazy that the smaller tablet costs more than the larger ones.
 

Giallo Corsa

Gold Member
The Samsung tablets aren't trash, they've implemented a lot of features because Google has been so behind with tablets. Apparently Google are pushing developers to make their apps tablet compatible since they have their Pixel tablet. Pretty shitty of them to take as long as they have to make the Android tablet experience better, but Samsung has been killing it with their tablets for a while. I also have an iPad Pro but it barely gets used, usually my 3yo would grab it but we have a 9in Lenovo tablet that he prefers due to the size.

I got a $150 Apple gift card as a promotion for buying my niece a Macbook for college and I was looking at getting an iPad mini and I can't believe how much they're asking for it. Seems crazy that the smaller tablet costs more than the larger ones.

Thanks brother !
The S7+ is also 12.4 inches - how's the size ? Do you find it comfortable when holding it/not having it sit on its case stand ?
The "plain" S9 is 11 inches which isn't small by any means but the S9+ looks more appealing to me, do you think that the jump in price for a 1.4.inch difference is worth it ?
I'm gonna be using it for media consumption (duh), web browsing, some light drawing and some multi-tasking when connecting it to my TV (Dex is lovely and also one of the reasons I'm interested in this tablet).

Regarding the RAM and ROM now : I'm definitely going for 12GB but...I can't decide on the storage, is 256GB enough ? Sure, it supports micro SD but fook if I know the whole micro SD situation on Android in 2023...

And yes, smaller devices are always more expensive/same price as their bigger siblings - companies know that the portability factor is a thing and they price their products accordingly.

PS: Those are some good deals that you had man, thing is, the free keyboard cover promotion that they have going on now lasts until the 30th is September, that's why I'm actually interested in getting one now since the friggin thing would cost me and additional 170€ ffs, don't know if - in the end - any BF deals would be worth it since I don't think that the price will drop THAT much even from 3rd party sellers, plus, there's always the keyboard cover thing to take.into consideration.

Anyway, I really appreciate the input brother, cheers !
 
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Dural

Member
I like the size a lot but don't really hold it, it's usually sitting on my lap on the covers stand. I pretty much use it daily for browsing and media consumption but have also taken it on vacation and used it for 360 video editing and encoding. It has worked great for me and I don't really use a laptop anymore (other than at work) because the tablet is so much more convenient. I think I'd prefer the larger screen as I like to use the split screen feature, but I haven't used the S7 to really know how I'd like it. The iPad Pro I have is the 10.5" version, and I do always choose the S7+ over it.

As for storage, I like not having to think about it with the 512GB as the 360 videos are giant but I think 256GB would have been fine for me as well. The max ram on the S7+ was 8GB and I haven't ran into any issues yet. I mostly use the browser set to desktop mode and only use apps when I have to so I normally have 30+ tabs open and haven't ran into a ram issue yet.
 

Reallink

Member
In the US Samsung's deals are primarily trade in based, in that their promos will give you $800+ for the prior model. I had an S7+ I traded for an S8Ultra and paid $299, then traded the S8 Ultra for S9+ for $199 out of pocket.

Functionally they're just like big screen versions of a Galaxy S23 Ultra phone. The Ultra tabs are really too large for tablet use, but probably better as a chromebook/laptop replacement style device. The plus is better for tablet use. I've never used the base size model.
 
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Tams

Member
It all depends on how you are going to use it.

For holding, no more than 11" is really tolerable for extended periods of time. 8" is more the one-handed territory, but there are few good offerings there these days and they are cramped to do stuff on.

12"+ is really where you probably will want a dedicated bag for it, and have it supported by/on something most of the time. Lots more real estate to work with, but less portable.

I can get by with a 10.6" tablet as a work machine and can just about tolerate running two programmes side by side. It's cramped though and a 12" is noticeably nicer. I can throw the 10" into almost any bag I own though.

Samsung make the best tablets, tbh. The S Pen (Wacom EMR) is honestly the best; it's a shame they lock their implementations down.
 
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Sleepwalker

Member
I have the tab S9 ultra and it shits all over the ipad pro I had before. I wouldn't worry too much about storage as these come with a micro SD slot, worst comes to worst you'll be able to add an extra TB pretty easy.

I definitely recommend either the S9+ or the ultra. it cost me under $1000 usd with all said and done on samsungs website without a trade in.
 

Giallo Corsa

Gold Member
In the US Samsung's deals are primarily trade in based, in that their promos will give you $800+ for the prior model. I had an S7+ I traded for an S8Ultra and paid $299, then traded the S8 Ultra for S9+ for $199 out of pocket.

Functionally they're just like big screen versions a Galaxy S23 Ultra phone. The Ultra tabs are really too large for tablet use, but probably better as a chromebook/laptop replacement style device. The plus is better for tablet use. I've never used the base size model.

You boys in the good ol' US of A have it good 😁
Better prices, better deals etc etc...
Took a look at various official Samsung EU sites and...not every country has the same deals - here in Italy for example, the S23 phone series is -300€ off, the S9 tab series -150€ off with an extra 5% applied to the cart, the free keyboard cover is "free" in most countries until the 30th of September - not that it really matters though since the Sammy prices are still higher compared to other online shops.
Anyway, think I'm gonna go with the S9+, thanks for the input man 😉
It all depends on how you are going to use it.

For holding, no more than 11" is really tolerable for extended periods of time. 8" is more the one-handed territory, but there are few good offerings there these days and they are cramped to do stuff on.

12"+ is really where you probably will want a dedicated bag for it, and have it supported by/on something most of the time. Lots more real estate to work with, but less portable.

I can get by with a 10.6" tablet as a work machine and can just about tolerate running two programmes side by side. It's cramped though and a 12" is noticeably nicer. I can throw the 10" into almost any bag I own though.

Samsung make the best tablets, tbh. The S Pen (Wacom EMR) is honestly the best; it's a shame they lock their implementations down.

Hey Tams, thanks for the input man 😘
Yeah, you're right about the sizes, the 12 inch ones is where I draw the line since with the 14inch ones you're approaching laptop size levels (and I already have a 15inch Lenovo gaming lappy).
Even the 12.4 inch one is big for real portability but, like you said, it's gonna be less cramped for split-screen/multi-window functionality, still, I still worry about the size since not too long ago, the 10 inch ones used to be the "big size" ones...

Thanks !
I have the tab S9 ultra and it shits all over the ipad pro I had before. I wouldn't worry too much about storage as these come with a micro SD slot, worst comes to worst you'll be able to add an extra TB pretty easy.

I definitely recommend either the S9+ or the ultra. it cost me under $1000 usd with all said and done on samsungs website without a trade in.

I mean, the S9 Ultra is friggin' glorious man but at that size it's basically a 15inch laptop and I already have one 😁

The reason i'm getting a tablet is cause I'm tired of destroying my eyes using my 6.4 inch phone while browsing, watching videos etc, basically, I need something bigger than a phone but smaller than a laptop, thing is, while the S9 might be a better option in my case, the 12/512 config is almost the same price as the S9+ so...S9+ it is.
To be honest, I found the S9 ultra for a couple of € more than the S9+ 12/512+ 5G but it's overkill for me since I want something more portable...

Talking about 5G, I know that's not really needed since I could always hotspot from my phone but the FOMO is real G'damn it...

Thanks for the input friend
 
Last edited:

Tams

Member
You boys in the good ol' US of A have it good 😁
Better prices, better deals etc etc...
Took a look at various official Samsung EU sites and...not every country has the same deals - here in Italy for example, the S23 phone series is -300€ off, the S9 tab series -150€ off with an extra 5% applied to the cart, the free keyboard cover is "free" in most countries until the 30th of September - not that it really matters though since the Sammy prices are still higher compared to other online shops.
Anyway, think I'm gonna go with the S9+, thanks for the input man 😉


Hey Tams, thanks for the input man 😘
Yeah, you're right about the sizes, the 12 inch ones is where I draw the line since with the 14inch ones you're approaching laptop size levels (and I already have a 15inch Lenovo gaming lappy).
Even the 12.4 inch one is big for real portability but, like you said, it's gonna be less cramped for split-screen/multi-window functionality, still, I still worry about the size since not too long ago, the 10 inch ones used to be the "big size" ones...

Thanks !


I mean, the S9 Ultra is friggin' glorious man but at that size it's basically a 15inch laptop and I already have one 😁

The reason i'm getting a tablet is cause I'm tired of destroying my eyes using my 6.4 inch phone while browsing, watching videos etc, basically, I need something bigger than a phone but smaller than a laptop, thing is, while the S9 might be a better option in my case, the 12/512 config is almost the same price as the S9+ so...S9+ it is.
To be honest, I found the S9 ultra for a couple of € more than the S9+ 12/512+ 5G but it's overkill for me since I want something more portable...

Talking about 5G, I know that's not really needed since I could always hotspot from my phone but the FOMO is real G'damn it...

Thanks for the input friend

I wouldn't go comparing them in terms of inches per dollar.

It's the hours used per dollar which is going to ultimately determine if they are good value for you, and if that is more likely to be influenced by their physical size than computing specs.

Do you want to travel quite a bit with one? Then the 10/11" one. Do you want to hold it? Again, the 10/11" one.

No? Then go for the 12" one.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
I'm not a fan of 12+ inch tablets. They're just large and not comfortable for me to hold. I like them in the 10-11 inch range. I've also never personally never needed more than 256 GB storage or 5G on a tablet. I just tether to my phone's wifi hotspot and utilize an external SSD and Cloud storage for stuff I don't need all the time.

Don't the Galaxy tablets allow you to expand internal storage with SD cards? I mainly use iPads these days, but if the Galaxy tabs do allow SD card expansion I would probably get a 256 GB Wi Fi version and pop in a 512 GB card, keeping apps in tablet storage and files on the SD card.
 
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