Apple iPad Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+: Which Productivity Tablet Is Best?

At its Unpacked event, Samsung revealed new watches and foldable phones, as well as a revamped lineup of tablets to take on Apple’s iPads.

The 11.0-inch Galaxy Tab S9 ($799.99) is the smallest and most affordable, mostly closely competing with the 10.9-inch iPad Air ($599), while the 14-inch Tab S9 Ultra ($1,119.99) doesn’t have a counterpart on the Apple side. The middle sibling of Samsung’s new lineup, the 12.4-inch S9+ ($999.99), is most directly comparable with the 12.9-inch iPad Pro ($1,099). If you’re looking for a tablet you can use for serious work as well as entertainment, these are the models you should look at.

We break down the specs to help you decide which tablet you should buy:

iPad Pro vs. Galaxy Tab S9+: Configurations, Availability, and Colors

The 12.4-inch Galaxy Tab S9+ costs slightly less than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro across the board. The base, Wi-Fi-only version with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM starts at $999.99, whereas the least expensive iPad Pro with 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM costs $1,099.

Apple’s tablet offers far more options in terms of storage and RAM if you’re willing to pay more: It sticks with 8GB of RAM on models with 128GB, 256GB ($1,199), or 512GB ($1,399) storage, but goes up to 16GB on the 1TB ($1,799) and 2TB ($2,199) models. The only other configuration of the S9+ is with 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM ($1,119.99). Samsung’s tablet has the notable advantage of a microSD card slot for up to an additional 1TB of space though, something the iPad Pro can’t claim.

As for the 5G models, the Tab S9+ comes in at $1,149.99, considerably less than the iPad Pro ($1,299). Only the S9+ configuration with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM offers cellular connectivity, but you can add 5G connectivity to any of the iPad Pro models.

You don’t get many color choices with either: The Tab S9+ comes in beige (Wi-Fi-only) or graphite, whereas the iPad Pro is available in silver or space gray.

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is available now and the Tab S9+ is set to launch on Aug. 11 (pre-orders are live now).

(Credit: Apple)

iPad Pro vs. Galaxy Tab S9+: Size and Design

The Galaxy Tab S9+ is slimmer but a hair wider than the iPad Pro; they respectively measure 11.2 by 7.3 by 0.2 inches (HWD) and 11.0 by 8.5 by 0.3 inches. It’s also lighter by a fair amount at roughly 1.3 pounds (compared with the iPad’s 1.5 pounds). Just keep in mind that the Tab S9+’s screen is half an inch smaller.

Both tablets look and feel premium, but the Tab S9+ stands out with a fully dustproof and waterproof IP68 rating. Apple doesn’t make any sort of durability claim about the iPad Pro.

The iPad Pro does have a port advantage, though. Its USB‑C port supports Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4, which outclasses the USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1 connector on the Tab S9+.

iPad Pro vs. Galaxy Tab S9+: Screen and Sound Quality

The Galaxy Tab S9+’s 12.4-inch, 2,800-by-1,752-pixel screen is a bit smaller and ever so slightly sharper than the 12.9-inch, 2,732-by-2,048-pixel display on the iPad Pro. Samsung’s screen also hits a higher peak SDR brightness of 650 nits (compared with 600 nits for the iPad). Samsung uses a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel while Apple uses an LED-backlit Liquid Retina XDR IPS LCD panel. Both support a refresh rate of up to 120Hz.

As for sound, the Tab S9+ includes an AKG-tuned quad-speaker array with Dolby Atmos support, a surround sound standard that the iPad Pro’s four-speaker system also offers.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

iPad Pro vs. Galaxy Tab S9+: Power, Battery, and Connectivity

The Galaxy Tab S9+ uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor, while the iPad Pro runs on Apple’s M2 chip. Both are powerful, high-end processors, but the Snapdragon 8 is a mobile chip, whereas the M2 also appears in the MacBook Air and last year’s MacBook Pro. We don’t have benchmarks just yet, but we expect the M2 to come out significantly ahead on performance. After all, it’s the same Qualcomm chip from the Galaxy S23 Ultra that fell behind Apple’s mobile-only A16 Bionic processor in the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The iPad Pro has a 10,758mAh battery (according to GSMArena(Opens in a new window)) which is larger than the Tab S9+’s 10,090mAh cell. We have to wait for testing to determine whether the iPad’s larger battery or the Samsung’s smaller screen size leads to better results.

Galaxy Tab S9+ (Credit: Iyaz Akhtar)

Apple includes both a USB-C charging cord and a 20W USB-C power adapter in the box, but you get just the cable with the S9+. GSMArena(Opens in a new window) reports that the Tab S9+ supports 45W wired charging, however.

Both the Tab S9+ and the iPad Pro offer Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. Neither has a headphone jack, so you are stuck with Bluetooth headphones on both. If you care about high bit-rate streaming, know that the Samsung tablet supports the high-end LDAC codec as an Android device, whereas the iPad doesn’t go beyond AAC.

iPad Pro vs. Galaxy Tab S9+: Cameras

The Tab S9+ offers both a 13MP autofocusing wide-angle camera and an 8MP ultra-wide camera on the back, whereas the iPad Pro has 12MP wide-angle and 10MP ultra-wide sensors. Both have 12MP ultra-wide cameras on the front.

These cameras should be just fine for snapshots, but they won’t compete with the more advanced, higher-resolution imaging hardware on the Galaxy S23 and iPhone 14 smartphones.

iPad Pro vs. Galaxy Tab S9+: Software and Accessories

The biggest difference between the Galaxy Tab S9+ and the iPad Pro is that the former runs Android 13 and the latter uses iPadOS 16. Samsung promises four OS upgrades and five years of security patches for its tablet, and Apple has a similarly excellent track record of keeping its devices up to date.

Apple’s App Store offers more and better tablet-ready apps and excels particularly in the creative space: Adobe Photoshop, Apple Final Cut Pro, and Logic Pro are some prime examples. That said, more mainstream Microsoft 365 apps run equally well on both platforms.

(Credit: Apple)

In terms of productivity, Samsung’s DeX mode gives the Tab S9+ an advantage. It switches the tablet to a more desktop PC-like interface that you can use on a monitor, TV, or another computer. The iPad Pro can also connect to external devices and displays, but the experience isn’t nearly as seamless.

As for accessories, both support a stylus. The Samsung tablet ships with the IP68-rated S Pen, but with the iPad you have to pay $129 extra for the Apple Pencil (2nd-Generation). Artists and notetakers should factor in that potential extra cost.

Both work with tons of first- and third-party accessories and cases, so you shouldn’t have any issue finding a set of peripherals that works for you.

Premium Productivity Tablets for Different Audiences

Both the Tab S9+ and the iPad Pro can potentially replace a light laptop for general productivity tasks (if you buy a keyboard case), but the iPad Pro comes out ahead for creative work thanks to its higher-quality app ecosystem and laptop-class chipset. If you can look past those advantages though, the more affordable Tab S9+ still offers lots of power in a much more durable frame. Unsurprisingly, the iPad Pro is better if you have a Mac, while the Tab S9+ works more seamlessly with Windows PCs.

Speaking of Windows, you can always consider the Microsoft Surface Pro instead. And don’t count out Google’s Pixel Tablet on the Android side of the equation. Meanwhile, the base iPad remains a fine option if you don’t need the absolute best specs. Keep an eye out for our full reviews of the Galaxy Tab S9 lineup in the coming days.