Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 Unboxing & Review 2024 | Samsung Galaxy Best Budget Tablet l Galaxy Tab A9 & A9 Plus
Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 review
The 2023 A-series tablet comes with a smaller screen than last year at 8.7in and a number of downgrades to achieve that more affordable price. However, Samsung has introduced the Galaxy A9+ with 11in screen for those wanting something more akin to the Galaxy Tab A8.
Design & Build
Smaller and lighter
Three colours
Understated style
You can, of course, use it in landscape mode when needed and Samsung has put the speaker grilles on the top and bottom so that when you do, the speakers are on the sides giving you a stereo setup when watching content.
At this price it’s no surprise to find a lack of waterproofing. Even more expensive devices don’t typically have it and there’s no fingerprint scanner either.
Still, the display is decent enough with its Full HD+ resolution and reasonable viewing angles,
though you get a fair amount of that classic blue tint. Text, icons and even video look crisp.
Screen & Speakers
8.7in LCD
Full HD+, 60Hz
Stereo speakers
With the size of the display at 8.7in, the Tab A9 is much smaller than the Tab A8. We’re back to the compact nature of the Tab A7 Lite here so if you want something bigger the Tab A9+ is 11in and what you might consider full size.
There are no frills here with an LCD panel and a standard 60Hz refresh rate, though the A9+ is 90Hz if that takes your fancy.
One of our complaints about the Tab A8 was its limited brightness but I measured the A9 at a decent 459 nits. Not an outstanding figure for outdoor use in really bright light but it should be useable in bright but not direct sunlight. It has more than enough brightness for indoor use.
There’s no S Pen support here but that’s to be expected and you can use an active stylus if you wish.
The Tab A8 (and Tab A9+) have quad speakers but this smaller and cheaper design just has stereo speakers. They’re on the sides if you’re holding it in landscape mode and towards the top so your hands don’t get in the way while holding it.
Like many things on the A9, the speakers are surprisingly good and have more power and poise than budget rivals. Perfectly serviceable for watching some catch-up on iPlayer or some casual tunes when nothing better is available.
We’re just talking about personal listening here, the A9 won’t fill a large room for a party. It’s also good to see a 3.5mm headphone jack so you don’t have to faff around with Bluetooth headphones - ideal if you’re considering this as a kid’s tablet. /im
Specs & Performance
Mediatek Helio G99
Up to 8/128GB
Bluetooth 5.3
Budget tablets can arrive with chipsets from a number of years ago but the A9’s MediaTek Helio G99 is from 2022 and had mid-range level specs similar to a Snapdragon 695 (found in the Tab A9+).
We don’t need to delve into the specs too far but it’s an octa-core chip with some decent speeds on offer at an efficient 6nm process.
At the entry-level price you only get 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, but this is to be expected.
Cameras
8Mp rear camera
2Mp front camera
Sadly the Galaxy Tab A9 had to fall flat on its face eventually and it’s in the photography department where it does. Although this is the best place for the tablet to suffer, if you ask me.
Pixel counts of 8Mp at the rear and 2Mp at the front don’t really matter when both struggle to capture anything remotely decent.
Battery Life & Charging
5100mAh
Adapter not included
15W charging
At 5100mAh, the battery inside the Galaxy Tab A9 isn’t much bigger than many smartphones but this is a thin and compact tablet. And it’s what you do with it that counts.
With six out of the eight processor cores being efficiency cores, the Tab A9 does quite well for battery life. It achieved a solid 12 hours and 18 minutes in our usual PCMark battery test at a brightness of 200 nits.
Software & Apps
Android 13
One UI 5.1
Four years of security patches
Like a lot of Android devices, the Tab A9 doesn’t come with the latest version of Google’s operating system but Android 13 is still respectable and the slate should receive an update to 14 before too long.
Price & Availability
The Galaxy Tab A9 is available now and you can buy it from Samsung with prices starting at just £169, getting you a Wi-Fi only model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
There are three more SKUs on offer if you want more memory, storage and LTE connectivity.
Wi-Fi, 4/64GB - £169
Wi-Fi, 8/128GB - £209
LTE, 4/64GB - £219
LTE, 8/128GB - £259
Specs:
Android 13, One UI 5.1
8.7in, FHD+, TFT LCD, 60Hz
MediaTek Helios G99
4/8GB RAM
64/128GB storage
microSD card slot (up to 1TB)
8Mp main camera
2Mp front-facing camera
Stereo speakers
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
4G LTE (optional)
Bluetooth 5.3
Headphone jack
USB-C port
5100mAh battery
15W charging
211 x 124.7 x 8mm
332g
Launch colours: Graphite, Silver, Navy
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