The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 will get one big upgrade over its predecessor

The display is getting a welcome boost

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Android tablet being used by two young people, one a man, the other a woman, sat down at night outdoors
(Image credit: Samsung)

If you're in the market for one of the best tablets, you'll likely be steered towards an iPad. The range is vast, and they offer competitive spec sheets at almost every price point. If you don't fancy going with an Apple device, though, there are alternatives. 

Just as with the best phones, one of the biggest competitors for Apple's tablet range is Samsung. We're big fans of the Samsung tablet range here at T3. When we reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra last year, it earned five stars thanks to an impressive spec sheet which translated into an effortlessly useable device.

Now, it sounds like the base model of the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series will take on one of the best features from the S8 Ultra – an OLED display. The news comes from Ross Young, a tipster with very close links to the display supply chain. Safe to say, if it's about a display, and it comes from Young, it's as good as gospel.

The inclusion of an OLED panel should give the 11-inch Galaxy Tab a significant boost, better enabling it do battle with the similarly priced iPad Air. That unit features Apple's Liquid Retina display, which uses mini-LED's for greater pixel density.

An OLED display should offer a few benefits for the Tab S9, though, including better battery efficiency, brighter pictures and deeper blacks. The added efficiency, in particular, should be a big boost, offering better battery life.

There's currently no confirmed launch date for the new range. However, given a historical 18-month release schedule, we could see the new tablets as soon as August this year.

Sam Cross
Staff Writer

Online news writer at T3.com, Sam has five years of experience in online and print journalism, with work featured in publications like Metro and Last Word on Sports. After years writing about music and football, Sam now turns his hand to bringing you news about new phones, smart home products, smart watches, laptops and TVs. Sam is a longtime fan and user of Apple products, including iPhones, MacBooks and Apple Watches.He’s also T3’s resident football expert, bringing you everything you need to know about the big games, including how to watch them. In his spare time, Sam is a keen guitarist, watch lover and (very) amateur golfer.