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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If all you're doing is watching videos or maybe playing some games the Tab S9 has better displays unless you only watch in direct sunlight and need blindingly bright display. That will likely change with the next iPad Pro but you'll also pay a lot more for the iPads (especially if you are able to get these Samsung trade in deals). Also the S9 is waterproof if you use it by pools or maybe in a kitchen. I expect the next update to the iPads will offer this as well though. Oh and ditto on the size as iPads are expected to offer larger (15" I believe?) size. The Ultra is too big for a tablet, but if you're using it for document viewing, video (with it propped up by a case or some other way and not holding it), the extra size is nice.
Both are good, but I also have issues with both (well its more their software than the hardware). I got an iPad Pro for my Mom in the Woot deal about a month or so ago, and it was like double the cost of my upgrade (which I think was about the same cost as my upgrade from S7+ to S8 Ultra; I paid maybe $300 for the S7+ back in the deal I got it on; so all told I spent like $1100, which is what an iPad Pro would likely cost me new even on a "deal" which is rare that the iPad Pros go on a really good sale)
Even though I think the + is the sweet spot for size, I already had the note cover for the S8 Ultra, figured the keyboard case would be more usable (I got it free with the base S9 and it was too small for me to type on properly, the one for the Ultra is better but its still not something I'd want to type on much and I doubt I'll use it often, but for typing some quick notes its serviceable at least) and I might use it as an external display or to have videos or play music on while I use my PC for gaming/etc. I mostly use the note cover as a hard case/screen protector since it chews through the stylus nub like crazy if you use it that way (it does feel more like paper though; and we'll see once Samsung releases the fancier stylus they announced at the S9 launch; at least it should hopefully have replaceable stylus nubs available). I had to cut a bit of the back around the camera because Samsung changed that for no good reason. Honestly though probably should've just gotten the S9+ and skipped the cases entirely as I didn't use on on the S7+ and it held up fine. I did put it in a small padded tablet case/sleeve when not in use.
snapdrago g1 to g2 isn't enough of an upgrade to justify spending any money imho
EyeLikeDeals answered it, cannot, since camera module is diff;; sigh
As for it being worth it or not, I upgraded for these reasons:
SoC/Processor: I believe it was a pretty big bump in GPU, is also more efficient, but important for media consumption, has AV1 decode hardware support.
Waterproof: I have used my tablet around pools and also occasional spills (also situations like a co-worker recently killed a laptop because a drink spilled inside their bag)
Support: Samsung extended the software support starting with their products this year (think its 4 years of Android updates and 5 years of security updates, up from I think 3 before).
These 3 things makes it so I can keep it for a long time without missing out on much. I'm expecting that I won't upgrade for awhile, if really ever again (at least on a dedicated tablet), as this offers everything I'd want out of an Android tablet. By the time 5 years is up, I have a strong hunch that I'll either switch to Apple (where I'm waiting for a hybrid tablet/laptop akin to the Surface Book), have a folding phone that functions as a tablet, or will be using an AR/VR headset for what I'd use a tablet for.
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Regardless, the slickest deals you can get on phones and some tablets usually involve trade-ins. When I bought my Pixel 6a I saw I could get more trade in value for a phone worth half as much as the phone i had. So I bought the cheapest most beat up Pixel 4 that booted up normally, didn't have a cracked screen, and had a clean IMEI the seller let me check. Went ahead and bought both with the trade in discount auto applied and got 10% CB thanks to my first year Discover It and paypal. Then sold my old phone and ended up with a profit of about $60 and a free just released Pixel 6a.
Then just recently got a scraped to hell beaten up but non cracked screen Galaxy 21 Ultra for $250 so I could get $650 trade in on the 23 Ultra on sale for $999. Certain site had 10% CB and once again got 10% CB on a Discover It (wife got one when my promo 2x CB year ended) for using a digital wallet. Then sold the Pixel 6a for $170. So trade ins enabled me to buy a phone to flip and upgrade from Pixel 6a to the 23 Ultra for only $360.
Regardless, the slickest deals you can get on phones and some tablets usually involve trade-ins. When I bought my Pixel 6a I saw I could get more trade in value for a phone worth half as much as the phone i had. So I bought the cheapest most beat up Pixel 4 that booted up normally, didn't have a cracked screen, and had a clean IMEI the seller let me check. Went ahead and bought both with the trade in discount auto applied and got 10% CB thanks to my first year Discover It and paypal. Then sold my old phone and ended up with a profit of about $60 and a free just released Pixel 6a.
Then just recently got a scraped to hell beaten up but non cracked screen Galaxy 21 Ultra for $250 so I could get $650 trade in on the 23 Ultra on sale for $999. Certain site had 10% CB and once again got 10% CB on a Discover It (wife got one when my promo 2x CB year ended) for using a digital wallet. Then sold the Pixel 6a for $170. So trade ins enabled me to buy a phone to flip and upgrade from Pixel 6a to the 23 Ultra for only $360.
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
Got S7+ 256GB for $265 in Oct 22, upgraded that to S8+ 128GB in Dec 22 for another $90 out of pocket. So I'm about $355 at cost right now. Honestly, not using it that much since my Fold has taken over multimedia in bed duty. So the question is am I better off selling the S8+ used at $350 cost or selling the S9 Ultra New at $650 cost?
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!
I had the S7+. I liked it but, like you, rarely used mine....so I will ask...why do you rarely use it?
For me......I realized that the reason that I rarely used my S7+ was the size was just wrong.
I got the S7+ because I wanted the OLED screen and the S7 did not have it.
But the real-world application was just not working for me.
It was too big, heavy, and awkward to lay back in bed and watch Netflix, etc.
The same was true for being truly portable.
In fact, the size meant that I rarely detached the keyboard and this meant it mainly competed with my laptop...which happens to be a 360...and the tablet just loses in this case.
So one question is...why the Ultra?
In my case, since the S9 is OLED too, instead of going up in size, I went down. The S9 is already working much better for my needs than the S7+ ever did.
It is smaller, lighter..feels far more portable...and steps back from competing with a laptop to actually being a tablet. I can always put the keyboard on it but I am actually motivated to pull the keyboard off and use this as a tablet.
The Ultra is huge...and I just can't imagine it as ever being portable. It would be desktop only for me. When I am at my desk, I just plug my laptop into a dock/hub and use a 27" monitor. The monitor is cheaper and bigger than the Ultra.
Of course, I am speaking about my use and my needs. Perhaps yours are far different and maybe you see a scenario that has you using the Ultra all the time. I would carefully think about this though.
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I wish I had not bought my Galaxy Buds2 Pro recently with a trade in of the OG Galaxy Buds (Got $75 for the trade in) Paid $86 after taxes. Could have gotten them along with this deal for $50 but if you are on the fence of getting new earbuds along with a tablet, this is a no brainer.
Now I currently have the Samsung S8+ and purchased it last year during a promo in which I also bought a Galaxy Watch4 44mm for an additional $50 (solid deal). Total came out after promo discount and taxes: $984. Let's just take out the $50 and say I paid for the S8+ $930.
Now, I don't really need a keyboard for S8+ but I went ahead and bought a used one from AWS (there were so many) for about $50 in great condition, nothing wrong with it but you will see why maybe people returned it.
I was walking to work one day and somehow I dropped or the tablet slipped out of my hand/arm and hit the ground. Case didn't do anything and the tablet didn't stay in place and screen cracked. Still was functional but now you see 3 or 4 different cracks streaming from the bottom right corner. Can't unsee it. So I painfully contact Samsung to get the screen replaced and expecting a $450 price tag on the replacement of it. To my surprise $279 after taxes (still pricey). I sent it in and realizing after, I didn't have to send in the S Pen.....
I get it back and its perfect again, with some dings on the edges (which is normal from the fall) but I didn't get back my S Pen. It clearly says to not send in any additional parts since the repair shop will throw it away (probably keeps them). So now I have a tablet without an S Pen (which I don't use that often but does come in handy at times.
So with all that said and done, hopefully you can see where my dilemma is at:
Would it be worth upgrading to the S9 Ultra 512GB and 12GB RAM for $300?
I would get added storage (which is nice but I don't think I need much of it)
4GB more of RAM
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
An S Pen (That I stupidly gave away)
Bigger Screen (I use it to view charts and stuff)
I would need to buy a new case for it and or keyboard (I'm 50/50 on the keyboard since I'll be buying a 60% or 75% mechanical keyboard with bluetooth connectivity, which will add versatility when switching between PC and Tablet, so more likely will go for a good protective case) and if I buy either or, they would be used from AWS which they tend to be almost 50% off from original price.
Should I wait for a "better deal"
I see many are hoping to either get more for their tablet or getting the keyboard for free or getting both.....The only incentive I would probably want is to get is a bit more for my S8+, considering that it no longer costed me $930 after taxes and more like $1200 with the screen replacement ($1,100 without taxes give or take)
I don't have a need for a new watch (already have a Watch5, Watch6 wouldn't be much of an upgrade) and no need for the Buds2 Pro since I just got them.
I can't think of another incentive that could better this deal unless if any of these items were added for less where I can profit from selling them and off-setting the cost.
Would really like peoples opinion on this one.
Thank you for reading this long comment lol
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