Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 Review: Why It Beats Most Competitors

My review shows that the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 currently leads the market of inexpensive 8-inch Android tablets. It’s more powerful than its competitors from Lenovo and Amazon, has a slightly better display and is likely to receive software updates much longer. However, it’s not a premium device, as it lacks many features such as a fingerprint reader and S Pen support.

In my Galaxy Tab A9 review, you’ll learn what I like about this small Samsung tablet and when you should go for a higher-quality device such as the iPad Mini. In between, I compare the $169 A9 with direct competitors such as the Lenovo Tab M9, Lenovo Tab M8 Gen 4, the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite predecessor, and the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus.

8-Inch Display Without S Pen

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 has an 8.7-inch display with a resolution of 1340 x 800 pixels. This means that the pixel density is low and I can actually see pixels when reading. However, I don’t think this is too bad, as a simple HD resolution is common in this price range. The Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus and the realme Pad mini have a similar pixel density.

Apple’s iPad Mini and some devices from China, such as the Alldocube iPlay50 mini Pro NFE, have a higher resolution at a similar display size. Although the latter is a solid tablet, it will probably never get a major software update.

I think it’s quite a shame that the tablet offers a 60Hz panel only, while the larger Galaxy Tab A9+ supports 90Hz.

Otherwise, the screen is a good one. Compared to the Lenovo Tab M9, which I previously recommended if you wanted a cheap 8-inch tablet, the contrast is stronger and it’s a bit brighter. In this respect, it has also improved compared to the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite, which is the predecessor of the A9. The LCD is fully laminated.

Thanks to the tablet’s Widevine Level L1, you can enjoy movies and TV shows from Netflix and other streaming services in HD quality. The two speakers on the sides are good enough for this, but the Lenovo Tab M9 is slightly ahead in this respect and most 10-inch tablets also have a better sound.

It is important to know that the Galaxy Tab A9 does not support an active stylus, including the S Pen. If you want a good 8-inch tablet with a stylus, I currently recommend the Apple iPad Mini only. For some, the rugged Samsung Galaxy Tab Active5 might also be an interesting choice.

Hardware & Performance Review

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G99 processor and you can choose between 4GB or 8GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. I think it’s great that we get at least 64GB. Samsung also offers it with LTE and all models have GPS. However, there is no version with 5G.

My device is the cheapest version with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage.

In the Geekbench 5 benchmark comparison, you can see that the A9 is significantly more powerful than many competitors such as the Lenovo Tab M8 Gen 4, realme Pad Mini, Nokia T10 and even slightly more powerful than the Lenovo Tab M9. Just tablets that are available in China only, such as the Lenovo Legion Tab Y700 2023, as well as the Apple iPad Mini are noticeably more powerful.

You can see a similar result in the 3D Mark Wild Life test. Compared to the direct competition, the A9 is well positioned and I think it’s nice that it has improved significantly compared to the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite. However, these benchmarks also show that it’s still an entry-level tablet.

The Galaxy Tab A9 does not offer high gaming performance. I wanted to install Fortnite and the game is not supported. However, other games such as PUBG Mobile run and I was even able to play Genshin Impact with high graphics settings. With that being said, it’s also clear that although the game runs, it doesn’t look quite as nice as on an iPad Mini.

Less demanding games like Souls or Roblox run well. And if you want a cheap, small tablet for casual gaming, the A9 is a solid gaming tablet. Hardcore gamers, however, should invest considerably more.

I liked the performance in everyday use. Common apps such as Chrome, YouTube, Feedly, the Kindle e-book reader and Microsoft Office run great. Even with some multitasking. The A9 feels much more powerful here than the A7 Lite and I think it’s definitely worth upgrading.

Software: Android 14 & 15 Updates

The Galaxy Tab A9 runs Android 13 with OneUI version 5.1 out of the box. Samsung promises at least two major updates for the operating system, which means it should receive Android 14 and Android 15. It will also receive security updates for four years.

Samsung is really good at this and we can see this on the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite, which is already running the same software as the A9, even though it’s been released running Android 11 almost three years ago. Samsung clearly stands out from the Android competition here.

As mentioned, the A9 runs OneUI 5.1 and therefore has almost the same software installed as the significantly more expensive Galaxy Tab S9 tablets. This includes a whole range of apps from Google and Samsung, including the Samsung Notes app, although, again, the S Pen is not supported.

It’s a shame that Samsung hasn’t integrated the DeX desktop mode which they include with the equally powerful Galaxy Tab A9+.

Battery Life Test

The battery life is quite disappointing. In my test, the Galaxy Tab A9 achieved a runtime of just 6.75 hours. For this, I always let an HD YouTube video run in an endless loop at maximum brightness.

Although it has improved slightly compared to its predecessor, the Amazon Fire HD 8 Plus with 9.75 hours and the Lenovo Tab M8 Gen 4 with 11 hours have a significantly longer battery life in the same test.

Galaxy Tab A9 Design & Build Quality

The Galaxy Tab A9 looks like a typical Samsung tablet. It’s not as well built as the S9 series, but slightly better than the Galaxy Tab A9+. The back is mostly made of metal, but there is a plastic cover at the top and bottom.

It weighs 332g and is 8mm thin.

It has a USB C 2.0 port on the sides, a normal headphone jack and a MicroSD card slot. Up to 1TB memory cards fit in this slot. No external monitors can be connected to the USB C port.

There is a 2-megapixel front camera, which is sufficient and can be used to record HD videos. This is okay for video chats, but the resolution is not high enough for nice selfies. Photos and videos also look blurry very quickly, especially in low light.

The main camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels and the quality is significantly better compared to the webcam. However, it’s also clear that you won’t be creating detailed landscapes with a tablet for under $200. However, the camera is good enough for scanning documents.

You can unlock the tablet using facial recognition with the front camera. This works well, but is not as secure as a fingerprint reader.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 Review: Final Words

So, is the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9 a good 8-inch tablet? Yes, it’s a great one. The display and performance are slightly better than the competition and I particularly like the fact that we get updates until Android 15. The latter makes it quite unique in this price range.

The build quality is good and games like Genshin Impact can be played with high graphics. It has improved significantly compared to its predecessor, so it’s worth upgrading.

I just think it’s a shame that the battery life isn’t long and that we don’t get a 90Hz screen. Many will also miss the S Pen, as it is not supported.

I think the Galaxy Tab A9 is a good choice if you are looking for an affordable and small tablet. I recommend it if you like reading news, magazines, books, PDFs or even comics with a small and cheap device, for instance. If you want a small entertainment tablet for movies and simple games, it is also suitable for this. However, it’s clear that you would get a better display and better speakers with most larger tablets.

Unfortunately, the only significantly better tablet in this size class is the Apple iPad Mini. Besides that, you could import better 8-inch Android tablets like the Lenovo Legion Tab Y700 from China. I don’t think we’ll get an amazing small Samsung tablet anytime soon.

Before You Go

The Galaxy Tab A9 is pretty great for an entry-level device, but I’d recommend you take a look at the Galaxy Tab A9+ to see whether you would benefit from going one step up Samsung’s range.