The differences between the S9 Ultra and S8 Ultra I've been able to figure out from reviews are:
- IP68 rating.
- Minimum spec is now 12 GB / 256 GB (used to be 8 GB / 128 GB). With the free memory upgrade, you get is12 GB / 512 GB. (1 TB bumps you up to 16 GB of RAM.)
- Screen has an adaptive refresh rate. The S8 Ultra is fixed at 60 Hz or 120 Hz (your choice). This should result in a slight improvement in battery life, especially if you mostly view static content.
- Peak adaptive brightness is now 900+ nits (vs 500+ on the S8 Ultra). But this isn't under the user's control - the tablet will only do it if you're using it in sunlight. And it probably can't do it for long due to overheating when in the sun. Because your eyes perceive brightness logarithmically, this isn't as big a difference as the numbers make it seem. You can barely notice it even with the two tablets side by side.
- PWM appears to be improved. The video reviews which show some banding on the S8 Ultra screen, show none on the S9 Ultra screen.
- The pink cast when viewing the S8 Ultra screen at oblique angles, has been fixed.
- The storage speeds are 1.5x to 2x faster. Though I doubt this will be noticeable in regular use.
- Processor (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the S9 Ultra, Gen 1 in the S8 Ultra) is about 1.5x faster, GPU about 1.7x faster, and less prone to throttling. Again, shouldn't matter to most people. But if you do heavy processing tasks (e.g. photo or video editing) or heavy duty gaming, it's probably worth upgrading.
- That said, a leaked benchmark for what's claimed to be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 place it at 2x faster than the Gen 2 (or 3x faster than the Gen 1). So if you're not in a particular hurry to upgrade, you may wish to wait for the Tab S10 Ultra. Edit: apparently this was discredited.
- Battery life in use has improved only slightly (no change to about 5%). But battery life in standby has improved substantially (3x - 5x). So much that I wonder if the test was flawed. Awaiting NotebookCheck's thorough review of the S9 Ultra.
- Rear wide-angle camera has been bumped up from 6 MP to 8 MP. But the FOV is now narrower (not as wide-angle). Frankly, if you're taking photos, you should be doing it with something smaller than this monster of a tablet. But if you do use it to take wide-angle photos, the S9 Ultra is actually a downgrade.
- Camera bumps in the rear are larger, so many S8 Ultra cases (including the Samsung keyboard cover) will not fit. People have reported getting it to fit after a little bit of carving with an x-acto knife. The S8 Ultra keyboard does fit. You get a notification saying it's an older keyboard and may not be fully compatible, but people have reported no problems.
- Face tracking on the front camera is much faster (camera "follows" your face during video calls).
- Pen will charge when oriented in either direction. The S8 Ultra only charges if it's oriented with the nib pointed towards the camera lenses.
- Pen attaches much more securely. In the review, they could almost lift the tablet by picking up the pen. I'm dunno if this is due to better magnets in the tablet, or in the pen.
- Bluetooth 5.3 now supported (older version only supports 5.2)
- Speakers are slightly louder, have more bass.
- Fingerprint scanner is slightly faster.
- Option for a beige color.
- Weight has increased by 6 grams (0.2 oz). I doubt anyone will notice this.
- The dimensions are unchanged.
Sources:
https://youtu.be/qsbXSHKJEwA
https://youtu.be/kGx759MTN8Q
https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyTa...ts_t
https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyTa..._s9_
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7:40 mark in the video. The guy claims S8 ultra keyboard works for S9 ultra. I would assume form factor is more or less the same or compatible. I have not had either device personally, so take this info with grain n salt
EyeLikeDeals answered it, cannot, since camera module is diff;; sigh
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See how that's not a "discount"? You're just paying with your old tablet's value.
It's the same as a car dealership. You aren't getting a "discount" when you trade your old car into a dealer, you're using the equity you have in it as payment!
First time order with app gets $25 coupon. Not too shabby. Too bad the popular CB portal didn't have their occasional 15% offer.
EyeLikeDeals answered it, cannot, since camera module is diff;; sigh
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seems like a good deal/upgrade.. but must fight urge and wait for black friday..
to anyone interested, buy the buds2 pro for $50, then sell that to shave off more out of pocket cost
I have rubber protective case from Samsung. I cut it little bit around cameras and flash on the back and it works
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