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Samsung treats its tablets like it treats its smartphones — there's a grand trio of the flagship Galaxy Tab S9 line, and then there is a plethora of lower-cost or previous-gen devices for the less demanding users.
Premium tablets get upgraded less often than phones. So, for the time being — the Tab S9 are still the best tablets you can get from Samsung and will continue to hold that crown when this year's Black Friday and Cyber Monday roll about. But with so many models to choose from... which Samsung Galaxy Tab is the best?
No worries, we are here to walk you through them. For various budgets and various needs, here are the current best Samsung Galaxy tablets:
The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is the biggest, meanest tablet in Android land right now. With S Pen support (it comes in the box!), a beautiful AMOLED screen, support for LumaFusion, Samsung's DeX, and quad speakers — it's here for both work and play!
Make no mistake, this tablet is a straight-up laptop replacement — with its 14.6-inch screen, it looks huge and it feels huge. You will very much want to have a case with it — either one that has an integrated stand or the keyboard cover.
Not a fan of paying north of $1k for a tablet? Do check out the Galaxy Tab S9 and Tab S9 Plus — no notch, same powerful hardware, more affordable prices! Grab any of them with the keyboard folio for a hybrid tablet-laptop experience.
The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is nice and all, but let's be real — it's kind of nuts. Way too big, much too expensive. Well, Samsung gets it — that's why we also have the more... "normal" Galaxy Tab S9 and Tab S9+.
These come with the same internals and also have their S Pens to use, but they are a bit scaled down. The Galaxy Tab S9 will feel most comfortable for users that are looking for the classic tablet experience — portable, yet with an 11-inch screen large enough to enjoy videos and games. The Tab S9+ goes up to 12.4 inches, which will feel more comfy if you are looking for that laptop-replacer experience without going all out with the Ultra.
The differences between the Tab S9 and Tab S9+ are negligible and mostly come down to that screen size. But they do both have keyboard accessories to pick from.
2022's Galaxy Tab S8 series are still as powerful as they were and are now sold at a $100 discount compared to the Tab S9's MSRP. So, if you want an Ultra with just a bit of the top taken off, it's a good idea to check those. Besides, Samsung often runs Enhanced Trade-in offers, which might help you compress that price down even further.
For most intents and purposes, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra and Tab S8+ look and feel exactly like their Tab S9 counterparts.
The biggest difference you can find between the generations is in the smallest Galaxy Tab S8 — the older model has an LCD panel where all of the others have AMOLED. That said, all of the Tab S8 and Tab S9 tablets have a 120 Hz refresh rate.
The Galaxy Tab S7 FE was announced mid-2021 — we were expecting a Tab S8, but alas. It’s a mix between the Tab S7 and Tab S7+. Meaning, it has a large, 12.4-inch screen, as big as the Tab S7+, but it’s a 60 Hz LCD panel, like on the Tab S7. The processor inside is also different — a midrange Snapdragon 750G. The Tab S7 FE comes in with 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage, 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage, or 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage. All variants are available in Wi-Fi only or 5G models.
It's a very weird offering, for sure, and we are not sure what Samsung's plans for it were. It just felt like a 5G tablet that was meant to tide us over until the Galaxy Tab S8 comes out.
Samsung still sells it at a price slightly higher than the Galaxy Tab S8. Obviously, we would recommend you go for a base Tab S8 instead of this one, but if you really need 5G on your tablet and if you can find a Tab S7 FE on sale somewhere, there's value to be had in that purchase.
The Galaxy Tab S9 FE and Tab S9 FE+ were an interesting entry in late 2023. They come with 90 Hz LCD displays and are powered by Samsung's own Exynos 1380 chips — a decidedly midrange performer.
You still get the S Pen in the box, more colorful options to pick from, dual speaker setup, and they fit in the same Book Cover Keyboard as the Tab S9 line. The Galaxy Tab S9 FE has a pretty generous 10.9-inch screen, but if you want to go even bigger, the 12.4-inch of the Tab S9 FE+ will be sublime overkill.
The Galaxy Tab A8 has just launched and is still making its way across various markets. It's the successor of the Galaxy Tab A7 — the A series is your standard media consumption device. It has a big LCD screen and quad speakers in stereo setup.
You can still slap a Bluetooth keyboard case on it, but there’s no DeX on this one, as it's clearly not meant as a productivity tablet like the Tab S family.
Samsung's Chromebooks are typically more premium than their affordable cousins from competing manufacturers. And yes, the Chromebook 2 can definitely wow you. Now, keep in mind that Chrome OS is a pretty light system that more or less offers Android-type functionality, apps, and performance. As long as you want a light laptop-tablet hybrid that you can carry around anywhere for some writing, taking notes, and enjoying multimedia — the Chromebook 2 can be right up your alley.
It comes with a stylus, and hey — we all know how good Samsung is with its S Pen game.
If you love the look of a Samsung tablet-laptop hybrid, but would rather have Windows as an operating system... well, lookie here! The Galaxy Book 2 360 or Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360 may just be your thing.
12th gen Intel processors, Dolby Atmos sound, multiple ports to connect to, and Windows 11 on board make these machines quite flexible — work, play, casual communication, you can cover everything. The Pro comes with Samsung's excellent S Pen included, so you can do even more on one device.
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Preslav, a member of the PhoneArena team since 2014, is a mobile technology enthusiast with a penchant for integrating tech into his hobbies and work. Whether it's writing articles on an iPad Pro, recording band rehearsals with multiple phones, or exploring the potential of mobile gaming through services like GeForce Now and Steam Link, Preslav's approach is hands-on and innovative. His balanced perspective allows him to appreciate both Android and iOS ecosystems, focusing on performance, camera quality, and user experience over brand loyalty.
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