Blending cutting-edge technology and innovative design, Samsung's Galaxy Tab 'S' series has consistently set new benchmarks in the realm of premium tablets. The latest addition of this series, S9 Ultra, debuted on August 11, 2023. This device stands as a testament to Samsung's commitment to pushing the boundaries of tablet technology. With a bunch of exclusive features Tab S9 Ultra has thrown challenges to the rivals. Now, the question arises, can S9 Ultra compete with the iPad Pro? Let’s take a look into the specs, pros, cons and price of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. Key Features of Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra Design Similar to the Tab S8 Ultra, the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra emerges as a colossal tablet that distinctly outshines its rivals. Despite its substantial dimensions measuring 12.85 by 8.21 by 0.22 inches, the device maintains a relatively lightweight profile, tipping the scales at just 1.61 pounds.  Samsung has done a great job with this, and its Tab S9 Ultra is a full millimeter thinner than the iPad Pro 12.9. However, weighing only 1.5 pounds, it appears lighter than the S9 Ultra. Read more: Vivo V27 5G Review: Is it worth buying? The power and volume buttons are situated along the right edge of the tablet, oriented vertically. Positioned near the lower right corner is a microSD card slot. The rear side is adorned with dual rear-facing cameras and a magnetic strip designed to secure and charge the accompanying S Pen. Quad speakers are housed within, projecting sound through grilles running along the tablet's sides, coinciding with the singular USB-C port. Regrettably, the absence of a headphone jack is notable. All variations of the Galaxy Tab S9 come equipped with an IP68 waterproof certification, offering enhanced dust resistance compared to the previous year's Galaxy Tab S8 lineup. For those inclined to use tablets in poolside or beach settings, this represents a noteworthy upgrade over the prior model, alleviating concerns about potential damage to the device. Display The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra boasts a large 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, overshadowing the comparatively smaller 12.9-inch display of the iPad Pro. However, size alone doesn't necessarily equate to superiority in display quality. Read more: Oppo Reno10 5G Review: Is it a balanced phone? In terms of display benchmarks, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra and the latest iPad Pro stand closely aligned. Both devices offer similar brightness levels, with the Tab S9 Ultra achieving 592 nits (adaptive) and the iPad Pro hitting 591 nits (adaptive). The color reproduction also showcases a close match, as the Tab S9 Ultra covers 117.7% of the sRGB color gamut and 83.4% of the DCI-P3 color space in its Natural mode. This is complemented by an impressive Delta-E score of 0.17. In its Vivid mode, the Tab S9 Ultra pushes the boundaries even further with percentages of 181.7% for sRGB, 128.7% for DCI-P3, and a Delta-E score of 0.18. Evaluating the brightness factor, the Tab S9 Ultra manages to achieve commendable levels, especially when handling HDR content. The Tab S9 Ultra’s display is of a huge 1848 x 2960 pixels resolution which is incomparable to other market competitors. Performance and Software Equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and running on Android 13, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra shares its chip and operating system with phones like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Read more: Infinix GT 10 Pro 5G Review: Is it a capable gaming phone? The review unit of the Tab S9 Ultra, identical to the entry-level model, incorporates 12GB of RAM. This, combined with the swift Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 4nm chip, results in impressive performance for an Android device. Nonetheless, it falls short of matching the performance level of the iPad Pro. Benchmark outcomes reveal the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra's capabilities. It scored commendable figures on the Geekbench 5 CPU benchmark, with 1,560 for single-core and 4,970 for multi-core performance. The tablet also managed a score of 14,722 and achieved 88 frames per second on the 3DMark WildLife Unlimited test, assessing graphics performance. While the iPad Pro outperformed the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra in these aspects, Samsung's tablet is still more than capable of handling demanding mobile games.