Samsung in July introduced its latest tablet offering, the 14.6-inch Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. This is Samsung's best and biggest tablet to date, so we thought we'd see how it compares to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
At 14.6 inches, The Tab S9 Ultra is notably bigger than the iPad Pro, and it has an impressive OLED display with deep blacks and rich colors. Apple is using mini-LED for the latest iPad Pro and there are rumors that it will transition to OLED, but Apple hasn't made it there yet.
There's an under-display fingerprint sensor that is supplemented by facial recognition (Samsung's facial recognition still can't compare to Face ID), and a horizontal front camera so you can use the front-facing camera in landscape orientation, unlike with the iPad Pro. There's no Apple Pencil, but Samsung's tablets use the S-Pen, which is feature rich and comparable to Apple Pencil (plus it's included in the price). Latency is about the same, and there's a convenient charging spot for it at the back of the tablet.
The battery lasts for about eight hours and for storage, it supports a microSD card, which is not true of any Apple products. It's IP68 water and dust resistant, which is a higher ingress rating than the iPads.
There are some notable annoyances, such as the $350 keyboard cover that's heavy, can't be used on a lap, and has a jittery, hard-to-use trackpad. The speakers are not as good as the speakers in the iPad Pro, and overall, Android on a tablet doesn't have the smoothness or usability of iPadOS on an iPad.
What do you think of the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra? Let us know in the comments below.
Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring.
There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category.
M4...
Friday February 21, 2025 1:08 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple finally released the first beta of iOS 18.4 to developers for testing purposes, and while the beta is lacking some of the Apple Intelligence features we were hoping for, there are some notable new additions.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Priority Notifications - Apple Intelligence
There is a new Priority Notifications feature that can show you your most...
Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued.
The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
Friday February 21, 2025 11:06 am PST by Juli Clover
In iOS 18.4, there's a new Ambient Music option that can be added to Control Center. There are four different sound categories, including Sleep, Chill, Productivity, and Wellbeing.
Each category can be added to Control Center separately, and tapping one plays a random selection of sounds or music from that particular category.
You can't choose what's playing from Control Center, but if...
Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models.
In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
Friday February 21, 2025 8:01 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple has confirmed that its custom-designed C1 modem in the iPhone 16e has nothing to do with the device's lack of MagSafe support, according to Macworld.
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, there was some speculation online about how MagSafe magnets might have interfered with the C1 modem's cellular connectivity performance, and this was considered to be a potential reason for the...
Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by Juli Clover
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch.
All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
Thursday February 20, 2025 8:55 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Oppo has launched the Find N5, the world's thinnest foldable phone yet. When closed, the book-style foldable measures 8.93mm. That's less than a millimeter thicker than an iPhone 16 Pro, and thinner than the Honor Magic V3, which was the previous record holder.
The device is barely thicker than its USB-C port. Indeed, Oppo has suggested that the obstacle to making it any thinner is now "the...
so it is possible!: OLED in iPad size screen Touch ID under display Face ID in both orientations Camera on both orientations Air commands with a “pencil”. What are you waiting Apple????
I really like the form factor and additional size of the Ultra, would be great if Apple could do something similar with the iPad Pro. The 2022 model was also surprisingly resistant to bending, another trick for Apple to pick up!
I have the 12.9" M2 iPad Pro. After watching your video I have 0 interest in the Samsung tablet.
I don't like the screen aspect ratio for the Samsung. It looks like it's designed to primarily operate with the keyboard like a laptop.
You use the keyboard with your iPad; 98%. You have little experience using the Pencil. Occasionally you grab it to draw some lines.
I don't use a keyboard. I use the Pencil for almost everything. Editing, picking, writing, scrolling, screen shots, using apps,...swipe keyboard is much better using the Pencil to choose letters.
It's quite obvious the Samsung doesn't have Hover. Hover is great on my iPad.
FaceID is much better than finger print.
The most significant complaint I have using the Pencil+iPad is it should be much easier to switch between small and full size keyboard. If I touch the screen with my finger it should open the large keyboard. If I touch the screen with the Pencil the small keyboard opens.
If you need a keyboard and mouse for extended typing on the iPad use continuity.
