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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch: Which flagship tablet should you buy?

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Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra vs. Apple iPad Pro: Design and screen

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The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra home screen

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra and the iPad Pro 12.9-inch are the two best tablets you can buy right now, and they include a lot of exciting features. Let’s start with Samsung; the Tab S9 Ultra has an aluminum chassis and is identical to its predecessor in terms of the design, but there are subtle changes to the dimensions, so any existing cases or accessories don’t work with the tablet — obviously.

The Tab S9 Ultra is sleek at just 5.5mm, but thanks to the flat sides, you can easily hold the tablet. That said, because you get a 14.6-inch screen, it is absolutely massive — it is 326.4mm wide and weighs 732g, so this isn’t the sort of tablet that you just hold one-handed to stream movies while in bed.

Close-up on Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra front cameras

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

And talking about the screen, the 14.6-inch AMOLED panel is outstanding, and while it doesn’t get as bright as the best Samsung phones, it is more than adequate on a tablet. You get excellent color vibrancy and contrast levels, and there’s decent customizability as well. The only issue I have with the screen is that there’s a large cutout in the middle to accommodate the camera, and that looks ungainly. Samsung could have used a more elegant system here.

Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch 2022

(Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)

Ironically, it’s the iPad Pro 12.9 that doesn’t have any cutout, with the camera embedded into the side bezels. That makes the tablet look a lot sleeker, and while the design hasn’t changed here either, it looks a smidgen more refined than what you get with Samsung. It’s also a little easier to hold and use, and at 685g, your arms aren’t getting as much of a workout — but you’ll still need to invest in a good case, ideally with a hinged design.

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