• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus

  Brand

  Samsung

  Storage

  256GB, 512GB, microSD up to 1TB

  CPU

  Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy

  Memory

  12GB

  Operating System

  Android 13.0

  Battery

  10,090 mAh

  The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ is the latest middle device in the premium Galaxy Tab range. It's got a 12.4-inch AMOLED X2 screen running at 60-120Hz, the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy SoC, and up to 512GB of storage.

  Pros & Cons

  • Gorgeous AMOLED screen
  • More affordable
  • S Pen is included

  • Android is clunky on tablets

  $1000 at Samsung $1000 at Best Buy $1000 at Amazon

• Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2022)

  Brand

  Apple

  Storage

  128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB

  CPU

  Apple M2

  Memory

  8GB, 16GB

  Operating System

  iPadOS 16

  Battery

  10,758mAh

  The new M2-powered iPad Pro 12.9-inch has a gorgeous Mini-LED screen, the most powerful chip put into a tablet, and an ecosystem for creators that can't be beaten. It's the tablet all others are measured against, and Samsung will have to pull out all the stops to surpass it.

  Pros & Cons

  • Mini-LED screen
  • Unmatched ecosystem
  • Laptop-class processor

  • Expensive
  • File management on iPadOS is clunky
  • Apple Pencil 2 sold separately

  $1099 at Amazon

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ is now out, and along with the other two Tab S9 slates, is one of the most premium Android tablets to date. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro M2 is the gold standard that tablets are compared against, with Apple once again showing why it’s the class leader. Both of these slates are among the best tablets around, with quality cameras, large, crisp, and bright displays, and stylus support. While the hardware is similar in design and power, the Samsung runs Android while the iPad runs iPadOS. Which of these premium tablets is right for you?

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ vs. iPad Pro 12.9 M2: Price, specs, and availability

The Galaxy Tab S9+ is now widely available for $1,000 for the 12GB RAM, 256GB storage configuration, or $1,150 RAM for the 12GB RAM, 256GB storage option with 5G. The tablet will be available from the manufacturer’s online store or from most major U.S. retailers like Amazon or Best Buy. You can also pick one up from major carriers like Verizon or AT&T.

The iPad Pro 12.9-inch M2 has been out for a while now, and it starts at $1,099. It’s available from Apple’s online store and major U.S. retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. Both of these tablets increase substantially in price if you decide to upgrade the amount of internal storage or add 5G connectivity.

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus

  Storage

  256GB, 512GB, microSD up to 1TB

  CPU

  Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy

  Memory

  12GB

  Operating System

  Android 13.0

  Battery

  10,090 mAh

  Ports

  USB-C, microSD

  Size

  11.23 x 7.30 x 0.22 inches (185.4 x 285.4 x 5.7mm)

  Connectivity

  5G, LTE,Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth v5.3

  Colors

  Beige, Graphite

  Front Camera

  12MP UW

• Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2022)

  Storage

  128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB

  CPU

  Apple M2

  Memory

  8GB, 16GB

  Operating System

  iPadOS 16

  Battery

  10,758mAh

  Ports

  Thunderbolt 4

  Size

  280.6 x 214.9 x 6.4mm

  Connectivity

  Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, 5G (optional)

  Colors

  Space Gray, Silver

  Front Camera

  12MP, TrueDepth

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ vs. iPad Pro 12.9: Design

First, let’s take a look at the outside of each premium tablet. As you would expect of a device of this tier, matte aluminum is everywhere, and their design languages are very similar, with a boxed chassis with flat edges, rounded corners, and thin bezels around the screens. They’re so similar from the front that you’d have a hard time telling them apart without measuring, with the only difference being the button placement. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro M2 has its power button on the short side and the volume buttons on the longer side, while the Galaxy Tab S9+ has all three buttons in a line on the longer side.

Flipping them over, you start to see more differences emerge. The Tab S9+ has the Samsung logo up in the top left corner and some AKG branding at the bottom. There’s also the indentation where the S Pen magnetically attaches for charging across the top, followed by an LED flash and two camera bumps for the wide and ultrawide sensors. The iPad Pro has the Apple logo in the center and a square camera bump in the top-right corner that houses the wide and ultrawide sensors, a microphone, an LED flash, and a LiDAR scanner.

The high-end Android tablet comes in two colors this year: Graphite and Beige. The awesome iPad comes in Space Gray and Silver. Dull colors, perhaps fitting for the professional environments they’re intended for, but you could always pick up a case for the Galaxy Tab S9+ or iPad Pro M2. That will protect your investment while allowing for some individual style with your choice of colors.

This round ends in a tie, as both premium tablets are very similar in looks and design. Both also have styluses that use magnetic wireless charging. The colors of the tablets might factor into your buying decision, but it doesn’t affect how you use the tablet.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ vs. iPad Pro 12.9: Display

We’ve said this many times, but it bears repeating. The display is what makes or breaks a tablet. The reason to buy a tablet over another device is the size of the screen, and both the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro M2 have stunning displays.

Starting with the similarities, both displays here support 120Hz refresh rates, giving you smoother animations and transitions and improving your experience substantially. Both also support stylus use. Samsung includes the S Pen stylus with the tablet, which saves you a considerable chunk of change, while Apple sells the Apple Pencil 2 for $129.

Both have relatively large screens, with the Galaxy Tab S9+ having a 12.4-inch display (2800x1752) and the iPad Pro M2 having a 12.9-inch screen (2732x2048). Size doesn’t mean everything, though; half an inch is nothing to write home about. What could be more important is that Samsung uses an AMOLED screen while Apple puts a Mini-LED screen into the larger iPad Pro. Pixel count is very similar, so both of these tablets will be crisp and easy to read.

The Mini-LED screen can output 1,600 nits of peak brightness, outpacing any OLED screen overall. It does have some issues with halos or fringing around bright objects on dark backgrounds, as the backlight isn’t per-pixel like the self-emissive AMOLED. Overall, both displays are worthy of the premium devices they are in. While they are slightly better at different tasks, the difference is minor; therefore, another tie is found.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ vs. iPad Pro 12.9: Performance

Tablets with larger displays like this are often marketed as laptop replacements. To fully realize that, the performance of the device needs to be up to the task. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, while the 12.9-inch iPad Pro uses the Apple M2 chip. While we don’t have benchmarks for this specific iteration, we have tested the normal Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 to last-gen’s Gen 1 and found the newer SoC was more efficient (the "for Galaxy" moniker refers to a couple Galaxy-exclusive customizations). The thing is, Apple's M2 chip is a laptop-class SoC and runs rings around the Qualcomm chips. Add in some desktop-level software like Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve, and the iPad Pro is the winner.

The Apple tablet comes with up to 2TB of SSD, while Samsung has options for 256GB or 512GB, with a miniSD card slot that adds up to 1TB more of removable storage. You can also get 16GB of RAM on the iPad Pro, while the Tab S9+ tops out at 12GB.

Overall, iPadOS 17 has more optimized apps than Android 13. That makes the experience on an iPad more seamless, with apps that fill the screen or have custom UI, toolbars, and features for the larger screen. Android often stretches out the phone versions of apps to fit the larger tablet screen, and it’s not a great look.

Both tablets have wide and ultrawide cameras on the back. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro also has a LiDAR scanner on the camera bump, which can be used to 3D-map interior spaces or scan objects into digital versions. It’s a nice feature but has limited utility to most users. The front-facing camera on the iPad is more useful, holding the TrueDepth system for using Face ID for biometrics. This is light years ahead of Android face unlock methods and one of my favorite Apple features. Simply on raw power, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro M2 beats the Galaxy Tab S9+, whatever task you are doing.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ vs. iPad Pro 12.9: Which is right for you?

While the 12.9-inch iPad Pro M2 beats the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ in almost every category, it's not by much. And it's really hard to overlook the fact that the Galaxy Tab S9+ is $200 cheaper. It has a great AMOLED screen, comes with the superlative S Pen in the box without it being an added purchase, and is great for all the things that people use their tablet for. It also has deeper ties to the Windows ecosystem, which is used by more people than macOS.

Before the launch, I wasn't convinced that the tablet would match up to the iPad Pro, which is the gold standard for tablet computing. Samsung has convinced me that I was wrong, and I'm changing my recommendation to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+. It's over 90% of the way there for 20% less money, and that makes the choice a simple numbers game.

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro M2 is still the tablet that all others are judged against and is better for some users. The M2 chip is laptop-class for extra power in video editing and other power-hungry tasks. It also has more RAM, options for up to 2TB of SSD storage, and Apple Pencil 2 support. Apple devices also hold their value better over time, and reselling this tablet even two years later will recoup a larger percentage of the original price. Apple also tends to offer more years of software support than Android tablets, leading to a longer lifespan overall.