Last month, Samsung sent me a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra to do a review as part of Members Star program. Unfortunately, due to busy December I haven't really managed to use the device as much as I want to.
So this will be a first impression and very short review of my limited use of the device.
When I received and opened the package, I thought Samsung sent me a monitor. 😅 It's huge!!! The screen is massive and the device is so thin.
I'm not really a tablet guy, and the only Samsung tablet I have is the old Samsung Tab 2 7.0 . You can see below the size comparison between the 2 tablets. Also how it compares with my unfolded Fold5.
The device is so thin but feels solid and sturdy. Unless you sit on it, I don't think you can break it in half. 😄
The screen display is fantastic and crisp. Watching media with this display and screen size while in bed is a dream. Also, the notch didn't bother me. It's there, but once you use the device, you won't really notice it (atleast for me).
I also like how smooth the device is. I haven't encountered any stutter or any performance issue while using it. Even the included SPen works flawslesly. No delays or lags when doing normal writing or even drawing.
The 2 features that stand out to me the most are Samsung Dex and Samsung Flow.
I like how I can use Samsung Dex on this even without connecting to an external monitor or tv *cough please Samsung do it also for Fold5 cough cough*.
I connected my bluetooth keyboard and mouse and boom instant laptop. Well of course it cannot really replace your laptop if you are a power user. But for normal usage like opening and editing docs, spreadsheets etc. I think this is more than enough.
As for Samsung Flow, it really works well with my other device. It's like using my 2 device at the same time. It's seamless and no lags when connected to each other.
Camera is hmmm... I guess ok. Not great but not bad. You can use it if you don't have your phone with you.
Some things I don't like:
Some things I forgot to try/test:
So this will be a first impression and very short review of my limited use of the device.
When I received and opened the package, I thought Samsung sent me a monitor. 😅 It's huge!!! The screen is massive and the device is so thin.
I'm not really a tablet guy, and the only Samsung tablet I have is the old Samsung Tab 2 7.0 . You can see below the size comparison between the 2 tablets. Also how it compares with my unfolded Fold5.
Tab S9 Ultra with his great great great grandfather Tab 2 7.0
Comparing size with unfolded Fold5
Took me 2hrs to draw this masterpiece
I like how I can use Samsung Dex on this even without connecting to an external monitor or tv *cough please Samsung do it also for Fold5 cough cough*.
I connected my bluetooth keyboard and mouse and boom instant laptop. Well of course it cannot really replace your laptop if you are a power user. But for normal usage like opening and editing docs, spreadsheets etc. I think this is more than enough.
As for Samsung Flow, it really works well with my other device. It's like using my 2 device at the same time. It's seamless and no lags when connected to each other.
Using my Fold5 inside the Tab S9 Ultra
Her name is Sky Bluey
Some things I don't like:
- On-display fingerprint - with this size, I think the side fingerprint is better.
- Samsung Flow is great except phone needs to be unlocked to work as it uses screen mirroring.
- Cannot use it as external monitor. I can't make the casting work as it says it only works for samsung notebooks
- There are times when it's getting hot near the camera by just normal browsing.
- Included pen is very nice. Easy to hold and works perfectly, but sad that it's not compatible with Fold5.
Some things I forgot to try/test:
- Battery life - but seems decent. I don't recall charging it more than once a day.
- Multi-control feature
- Continue apps on other devices feature
- A lot of other great features that I'm not aware of 😅
Overall this is a monster product from Samsung. For power users, this is a dream device. But for casual user, I think this will be overkill. S9+ or the normal S9 will be enough.
