Samsung Galaxy Tab S9+ 9+ 12.4" 2023, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 12GB, 256GB, Graphite

The Tab S9+ has the best feature set we've ever recorded, 100th percentile, and a stunning 94th percentile AMOLED display. But the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 only manages 35th percentile CPU performance, so it's a media and productivity champ, not a processing powerhouse. At $475 refurbished, it's a great deal for the right user.

Let's talk about that Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It's a capable processor, no doubt, but our database puts it at the 35th percentile for CPU performance among tablets. That means roughly two-thirds of the tablets we've tested score higher. The GPU story is similar at the 36th percentile. So while Samsung calls this their most powerful tablet processor yet, the numbers tell a more modest story. Day-to-day tasks, streaming, note-taking, light photo editing, all smooth. Heavy 3D gaming or serious video work? You'll feel the ceiling.

Where this thing genuinely shines is the screen. The 12.4-inch AMOLED panel sits at the 94th percentile, which puts it among the best displays on the market. Colors pop, blacks are actually black, and the 2800x1752 resolution means text stays crisp even when you're reading tiny footnotes. Vision Booster helps outdoors too, automatically adjusting brightness and contrast. The 10,090mAh battery also impresses at the 88th percentile, so you're looking at a tablet that can genuinely last through a full day of mixed use.

Stacked against the iPad Pro M5, the Tab S9+ wins on value but loses badly on raw performance. Apple's M5 silicon would embarrass the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in sustained workloads, and our CPU and GPU percentiles back that up. The Surface Pro 11 offers better business chops and a more desktop-like experience, which explains why the Tab S9+ scores just 56.7 for business use. The Xiaomi Pad 7 and Lenovo Idea Tab Plus undercut it on price, but neither matches the S9+'s display quality or feature completeness. The UMIDIGI Active T1 isn't even in the same conversation. If you want the best screen and features per dollar, the S9+ is hard to beat. If you need horsepower, look elsewhere.

At $475 USD from Best Buy's Geek Squad Refurbished program, the Tab S9+ makes a compelling case. You're getting a 100th percentile feature set, a top-tier display, and a battery that outlasts most competitors, all for roughly half what a new flagship tablet typically commands. The refurbished angle means it's been inspected and cleaned, and Best Buy throws in their price match guarantee. For the specs on paper, that's a lot of tablet for under five hundred bucks. The trade-off is that mid-pack processor, which may not matter much if your workflow is browsing, streaming, and note-taking.

The Galaxy Tab S9+ lands in our database with a feature set that's literally the best we've seen, 100th percentile, and a screen that's not far behind at 94th. That 12.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel pushes 2800x1752 pixels, which makes everything from Netflix to note-taking look stupidly sharp. You're also getting 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, plus the S Pen in the box, which is a nice touch when so many competitors charge extra for the stylus.

But here's the thing. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside is a solid chip, yet it sits at the 35th percentile for CPU and 36th for GPU in our tablet database. That's not a typo. The feature set and screen are flagship-tier, but the raw processing muscle lands in the middle of the pack. For most people doing everyday tablet stuff, that's fine. For anyone expecting iPad Pro M5 levels of sustained performance, you'll want to keep reading.

Skip this if you need serious processing power. The CPU at the 35th percentile and GPU at the 36th percentile mean heavy video editing, 3D rendering, or demanding games will feel sluggish compared to an iPad Pro M5 or Surface Pro 11. Business users should also think twice, since that use case scores just 56.7 out of 100, the weakest area for this tablet. If your workflow involves spreadsheets, multitasking across multiple demanding apps, or anything that pushes silicon hard, the Tab S9+ will frustrate you despite its gorgeous screen.

The Galaxy Tab S9+ is a weird mix of best-in-class and middle-of-the-road. The display, battery, and feature set are genuinely outstanding, and at $475 refurbished, the value proposition is strong. But that 35th percentile CPU and 36th percentile GPU mean this isn't the tablet for power users. If your tablet life revolves around streaming, reading, note-taking, and light productivity, the S9+ delivers an experience that feels far more premium than its price suggests. If you're editing 4K video or running demanding games, the processor will remind you it's not a flagship performer.