Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. Apple iPad Pro 12.9: Which is the best tablet?

Samsung just unveiled the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, the company’s best new tablet, so naturally, we’re going to pit it up against Apple’s iconic iPad Pro 12.9. Let’s see which is the best tablet.

We don’t have all the testing done yet, so this is just a sneak peek (we’ll have a 100% accurate face-off at a later date). However, Apple has been the king of tablets for a long time, both in consistency and quality. Although, you are paying a boatload of money for the best.

Here’s a brief look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. Apple iPad Pro 12.9.

Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. iPad Pro 12.9: Price

The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra starts at $1,199, which includes an S Pen, while the Apple iPad 12.9 starts at $1,099 and does not include any of its accessories.

The Galaxy Tab S9 starts with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, but the iPad Pro starts with 16GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. If you’re getting the base model, you have to decide what you want more — RAM or storage (performance vs. space).

While this is perhaps the only occasion where the iPad Pro 12.9-inch offers a cheaper starting price, if you were to match the storage of the two the price is identical at $1,199. I still may lean toward the iPad Pro winning if it weren’t for the addition of the S Pen with the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, while the Apple Pencil 2 is $129. Factoring all of that we’re calling it a draw between these pricey portables.

Winner: Draw

Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. iPad Pro 12.9: Design

Ah, yes, the age old question of which nearly identical metal slate looks better? There’s not a lot of style that goes into the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra or iPad Pro 12.9 unfortunately, so we’re going to talk about function or form… well, maybe a little form

The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra or iPad Pro 12.9 both have a sleek metallic design, with the former offering Beige and Graphite color schemes and the latter featuring Space Gray and Silver. This comes down to personal preference, but I hate them both.

When it comes to size and weight, the iPad Pro (1.5 pounds, 11.0 x 8.5 x 0.25 inches) is lighter than the Tab S9 Ultra (1.61 pounds, 12.85 x 8.21 x 0.21 inches), but the Ultra is thinner. And since there’s a massive display size difference, the iPad is overall more portable.

However, that’s not why I am choosing the iPad Pro as the victor here. Like I said, it’s about form over function. And there doesn’t seem to be a way to attach the S Pen to the Galaxy Tab directly, while the Apple Pencil can magnetically attach and charge to the iPad Pro.

Winner: iPad Pro 12.9

Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. iPad Pro 12.9: Display

The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra comes in with a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X (60~120Hz) panel, whereas the iPad Pro 12.9 offers a 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR (2732 x 2048) display. Unfortunately, it’s not clear what the Tab S9 Ultra’s resolution is going to be.

The Apple iPad clocks in with 591 nits of brightness and 82.4% DCI-P3 coverage. Meanwhile, we don’t have exact numbers for the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra because we haven’t tested it yet. However, both tablets support stylus pens.

We don’t have all the information, so this is a little difficult, but what we can say right now is that bigger is often better.

Winner: Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. iPad Pro 12.9: Cameras

When it comes to cameras, size matters, but it also doesn’t. It’s a mix between who has the biggest lens and who has the better software, which makes the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. iPad Pro 12.9 fight complicated.

Samsung has more lenses and they’re slightly bigger, featuring a 12MP and 12MP UW on the front as well as a 13MP AF and 8MP UW on the rear. However, Apple offers one 12MP on the front as well as a 12MP and 10MP UW on the rear. Despite a whole camera difference, Apple phones are renowned for its stellar camera software. 

It’s impossible to judge this from afar, but since this isn’t a final test, I’m going to give it to Samsung for now. More and bigger lenses win.

Winner: Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. iPad Pro 12.9: Performance

Samsung is launching the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and that’s going up against the Apple’s M2 chip. Technically, we’ve tested both of these chips. Let’s see how they rock.

On the Geekbench 5 benchmark, the Apple M2 scored 8,500, while the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra scored 5,081. There’s no shot that Samsung can take this away from Apple.

Obviously, this isn’t the most accurate reading, since these results come from the a smartphone versus a tablet, but it doesn’t look good for Samsung.

Winner: iPad Pro 12.9

Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. iPad Pro 12.9: Battery life

On our battery test, the iPad Pro 12.9 lasted 10 hours and 40 minutes with a 10,758mAh battery. What does that mean for Samsung?

The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra sports a 11,200mAh battery, which is only a ~500mAh difference. Unfortunately, the Galaxy Tab S9 has a larger screen, so it’s consuming more battery, and Apple has been the king of battery life for a while now. Unless Samsung can do a 180, this goes to Apple.

Winner: iPad Pro 12.9

Outlook

We can’t decide an official winner at this point, but the larger display and more affordable all-in price with accessories would almost have to be the tipping point for the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. Once we get Samsung’s latest tablet through our lab, we’ll have definitive answers. I hope Samsung can bring competition because no one likes a monopoly. Well, Apple does in this case. At the very least, the one thing that Apple can’t beat Samsung on is more cameras and a bigger display.