Tab S9 Ultra WIFI 512GB Gray/Beige
TabletS9 ULTRA=CREATIVE…
10/09/2023 20:20
This Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra WiFi was purchased after a great deal of comparison and contemplation regarding my burgeoning need for a high end portable technology upgrade. The impressive advertised performance and efficiency specifications plus brand reputation persuaded me despite what does seem to be a high new to market price. However, smartly boxed with an exquisitely minimalist design finish, it does also come with an extended warranty plus a long pre-installed software support period alongside much hyped next generation improvements including an adapted S-pen. Having versed myself with the official specifications and with expectations of so many promised bells and whistles, I can happily state that after a thorough period of testing most claims do seem to impressively hold true!
I feel that a 45w wall charger should crucially have been included to utilise it's USB-C cable allowing the battery to be charged optimally despite it lasting very well over many full day's use. I was also frustrated by the lack of a basic physical start up guide but eventually discovered a thorough user manual link in it's settings which would have saved a lot of wasted time including 'powering off' which is actually defined within the proprietary BUSBY App which has many attributable settings and acts akin to Google or Alexa too. These sort of things seem to be presumed knowledge by Samsung but are a hindrance to new users unfortunately!
On the flip side "Samsung Quickshare" immediately made moving files between old devices and this a breeze.
The manual guided me to many exclusive apps {with others that I'm still investigating} but everything hints at an excellent expanse of customisation and versatile functionality within what is a surprisingly durable feeling compact (5.5mm), yet manageably light (732gm) massive 14.6" display tablet. To my understanding the "strong as armour aluminium frame and S-pen dust & water resistant IP68 rating" is also a first and adds to it's future proof design alongside the fact that despite having 512gb internal storage it allows expansion by upto 1tb via microSD so a whole library of media and documents might be contained!
With the addition of a folding "Bookcover" keyboard plus software named "DeX" this transforms the tablet into acting just like windows does. For personal and small business use I believe this combination might well offer a replacement to using laptops, especially mobile, but more thorough testing would be needed to best understand if this is the case for heavier office use, plus the fold didn't keep the weight of the tablet in place and flopped over without counter balance sadly. For this reason I suggest it would be advantageous for said item to be included in the purchase especially as it safely secures the tablet and pen within, and without this cover the S-pen simply magnetizes against the tablet's rear compared to being integrated within the tablet housing, which would be an improvement in my opinion, along with it being fully closeable with a carry handle for superior protection.
For me the S-pen "air commands", pressure sensitive functionality, precision and "handwriting to text" ability appears second to none and was the deciding factor in my purchase allowing amazing note-taking and creativity, plus instantaneous shared collaboration and brainstorming presentations via the impressive set of Apps it works with. Handwriting takes a little practice to reduce transcription mistakes but the tips sensitivity allows for enhancing documents and some serious artistry! It's a shame that "Goodnotes" is only provided for the first year with prescription after, but I would be interested to see if the advertised extra detachable "Notepaper" like transparent screen would make up for this with a more realistic experience? The upgraded AMOLED display maintains a vivid range of colours, contrasts and a crisp and clear lifelike dynamic set of screen hues and depth which in direct sun can still be very well seen, plus the 'Zoom in' functions great without any adverse pixelation. The Snapdragon processor meant that everything functions fast and smoothly even when utilising the (upto 3) multitasking split screen windows simultaneously or its numerous connectivity abilities, whilst quickly switching between Apps, and has exceeded my expectations with such impressive top tier media consumption and performance!
There is a built in "Samsung TV" app with extensive viewing options and of course many other (varieties of) apps could be easily installed, however I found altering video playback qualities difficult in these, and realised that camera video capture although 4k was only 30 frames per second despite playback nominally being 60fms which is subtle but noticeable. Having a set 16:10 aspect ratio also detracted from what having a 4:3 option would have improved. To be honest apart from the additional 'wide angle' feature I feel the camera quality is too homogenous despite ample editing modes, but then being so large this model probably isn't intended by most to act as a prime camera tool. The sound quality although 'loud' seems to lack richer definition and base frequencies, plus I found the speaker position muffled by being held on occasion, but otherwise the quad speakers and display proficiency as a result meant I thoroughly enjoyed an Immersive audio cinematic experience.
There is a 5G model but with all the modern sharing and connecting capabilities this tablet can utilise I felt the WiFi model would suffice for my more personal home use, however having the pleasure of owning it I would actually recommend any more serious or professional user to opt for 5G enabling realistic foreseeable future proofing.
For creative and/or editing usage, or a versatile home studio or office I believe this might well become the new standard for innovative premium products despite the higher price. Whether it can be classed as a laptop replacement in terms of productivity for heavier use is open to debate but it certainly gives the versatility of carrying less weight around without the struggles of a smaller screen. In conclusion this is ultimately a high spec intelligently engineered next generation Android tablet with a myriad of functions and features which stands up and even out from other comparable devices whilst providing an exceptionally enjoyable experience for todays digital lifestyles!
msg4geoff
wolverhampton , Spojené království
Age: 48
Gender: Female