Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 11" 9+ Graphite 2024

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ is a solid budget tablet built for entertainment, not work. Its standout CPU and quad speakers make it a great little media machine, but the 4GB of RAM and mediocre screen hold it back. At a real-world price under $200, it's a fantastic buy for kids or casual streaming, just don't expect to multitask.

The upgraded Qualcomm chip is a genuine bright spot, landing in the 85th percentile for CPU performance in our database. That's well above average and means apps open quickly and the interface feels smooth, especially with the 90Hz display. The quad speakers with Dolby Atmos are another win, pumping out surprisingly full sound for a budget slate. But that 4GB of RAM is a bottleneck, sitting in the 32nd percentile. You'll feel it when you try to keep more than a couple of apps open at once, and the 'multiple apps at once' feature Samsung advertises is more of a technical possibility than a pleasant experience. The 7040mAh battery is solid, not spectacular, giving you a comfortable day of casual use.

Stacked against the Apple iPad Air M3, the Tab A9+ is in a completely different league, and that's fine. The iPad is a laptop replacement for creatives; the Samsung is a couch companion. The more direct fight is with the Xiaomi Pad 7 and Lenovo Idea Tab Pro. Those competitors generally offer better screens and more RAM for a similar price, making them stronger all-rounders. The Tab A9+ fights back with its excellent speaker setup and Samsung's cleaner software experience. If your priority is a cheap, durable screen for kids that sounds great, the Samsung wins. If you want a better display for reading or a bit more multitasking muscle, the Lenovo or Xiaomi are worth the extra cash.

Pricing on this thing is all over the map, with a wild spread from $160 to over $5000 across vendors. Let's be real: the $5000 listings are nonsense. The real value is at the low end. At around $160 to $200, this is a fantastic deal for a kid's first tablet or a dedicated media streamer. It handily beats an Amazon Fire tablet thanks to full Google Play access and no lockscreen ads. Just make sure you're shopping at a store with a sane price, because paying anything close to iPad money for this would be a mistake.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ is a tablet that knows exactly what it is: a family workhorse, not a productivity powerhouse. It's built for streaming shows, keeping kids entertained, and handling the light daily tasks most people actually use a tablet for. With an 11-inch 90Hz screen and quad speakers, it nails the entertainment basics at a price that doesn't make you wince.

But you can feel the corners Samsung cut to hit this price point. The 4GB of RAM is tight, the LCD screen is just okay, and don't expect to get any real work done here. Our scoring puts it at a 28.8 for productivity, which is frankly abysmal. If your ambitions stop at Netflix, casual games, and video calls, you'll be happy. If you need more, this isn't your tablet.

Skip this if you need to do any real multitasking. The 4GB of RAM is a dealbreaker for running apps side-by-side smoothly. Also, if you're a student or anyone who wants to use a stylus for notes, look elsewhere because the pen support just isn't there. This is a consumption device, period.

The Galaxy Tab A9+ is a purpose-built entertainment tablet that succeeds on its own terms. It's not trying to be a laptop or a creative tool, and it shouldn't be judged as one. For streaming, casual gaming, and keeping kids occupied with Samsung Kids mode, it's a reliable and surprisingly nice-sounding device. Just know its limits: the RAM is stingy and the screen is nothing special. If your needs are basic and your budget is tight, you'll be perfectly happy. If you need to do more than one thing at a time, you'll be frustrated fast.