Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra / Apple iPad Air (5th generation) Wi‑Fi

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra Wi-Fi (SM-X910); 12 GB + 256 GB, 12 GB + 512 GB or 16 GB + 1 TB. The 5G version (SM-X916B), Tab S9, Tab S9+ and Tab S10 Ultra are separate.

Apple iPad Air (5th generation) Wi‑Fi: iPad Air (5th generation, 2022), Wi‑Fi model; 64 GB or 256 GB. The Wi‑Fi + Cellular version (such as A2589) adds 5G and nano-SIM/eSIM and is 1 g heavier. The 4th generation (A14) and the M2 6th generation are separate models.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Tab S9 UltraApple iPad Air (5th generation) Wi‑Fi
Release year20232022
Display14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X; 60–120 Hz; Vision Booster

Because the screen corners are rounded, Samsung also gives the visible area as 14.5 inches. Vision Booster adjusts colour and contrast in bright conditions.

Samsung		10.9-inch Liquid Retina, LED-backlit IPS; 2360 × 1640 pixels, 264 ppi; P3 wide colour, True Tone; 500 nits

Full lamination and the anti-reflective coating (1.8% reflectivity) remove the gap between glass and panel and reduce reflections. The spec page does not list a refresh rate and there is no ProMotion. Because of the rounded corners, the screen measures 10.86 inches as a rectangle.

Apple
ProcessorSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy Samsung—
Memory and storage12 GB + 256 GB, 12 GB + 512 GB or 16 GB + 1 TB; microSD up to 1 TB

16 GB of memory comes only with the 1 TB storage version.

Samsung		—
Rear cameras13 MP autofocus wide + 8 MP ultra-wide Samsung—
Front cameras12 MP wide + 12 MP ultra-wide Samsung—
Battery11,200 mAh (typical) Samsung28.6 Wh built-in lithium-polymer; up to 10 hours of web or video on Wi‑Fi

A 20 W USB-C adapter and a 1 metre USB-C cable are in the box.

Apple
CoolingVapor chamber Samsung—
AudioFour speakers tuned by AKG; Dolby Atmos SamsungStereo speakers; dual microphones

There is no headphone jack.

Apple
S PenBluetooth Low Energy S Pen included in the box Samsung—
Dust and waterIP68 for the tablet and S Pen

According to Samsung it withstands fresh water at 1.5 m for up to 30 minutes; it is not advised for use at the beach or in a pool.

Samsung		—
WirelessWi-Fi 6E; Bluetooth 5.3 SamsungWi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax), simultaneous dual band, HT80 with MIMO; Bluetooth 5.0 Apple
SecurityIn-display fingerprint reader; Samsung Knox Samsung—
Size and weight208.6 × 326.4 × 5.5 mm; 732 g (Wi-Fi) Samsung247.6 × 178.5 × 6.1 mm; 461 g Apple
Launch softwareAndroid 13

This is the version the tablet launched with, not the current version.

Samsung		—
ColoursBeige, Graphite Samsung—
Chip—Apple M1: 8-core CPU (4 performance + 4 efficiency), 8-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine; 8 GB RAM

The same chip was used in 2020–2021 Macs; the tablet runs iPadOS and cannot install macOS apps. The media engine accelerates H.264 and HEVC decode/encode in hardware.

Apple
Storage—64 GB or 256 GB

There is no 128 GB option and no memory card slot.

Apple
Rear camera and video—12 MP Wide, ƒ/1.8, autofocus with Focus Pixels; 4K video at 24/25/30/60 fps, 1080p slo-mo at 120/240 fps

There is no flash; Smart HDR 3 and extended dynamic range video up to 30 fps are supported.

Apple
Front camera—12 MP Ultra Wide, 122° field of view, ƒ/2.4; Centre Stage

Centre Stage automatically pans and zooms the frame as people move during video calls.

Apple
USB-C and external display—USB-C: charging, DisplayPort, USB 3.1 Gen 2 (up to 10 Gb/s); one external display up to 6K at 60 Hz

Thunderbolt is not supported; transfers from external drives and card readers are limited to 10 Gb/s.

Apple
Accessories—Apple Pencil (2nd generation) and Apple Pencil (USB-C); Smart Connector (Magic Keyboard, Smart Keyboard Folio)

The 2nd-generation Pencil attaches magnetically to the side edge and charges there.

Apple
Authentication—Touch ID in the top button

There is no Face ID.

Apple
Sensors—Touch ID, three-axis gyro, accelerometer, barometer, ambient light sensor Apple