I want to note these prices are present/accurate as of August 2024, before I go into my review on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9.
I am Canadian, so I should've bought the A9+, 11", with Wifi. The current price on such a device is $199.00+tax.
The international version is more or less close to the Canadian version, except it's smaller, which means yes the battery and the capacity of it reflects this, and the camera facing you is a bit worse.
For the record, I paid $299 with taxes included, but for that extra $100 or so I got double the RAM, and double the stock hard drive space that the Canadian version lacks!
I've got to go on record that given how long USB 3.0 has been available Samsung is still using USB 2.0 still which is disappointing, but on the upside, this machine has a 3.5 MM jack also. For those of us who like wires, this is great.
Let's talk unboxing/first impressions.
This tablet has more of a boxy feel to it, like Samsung was trying to cram as much as they could into the 8.7" form factor! When I booted mine up I was asked which language I wanted/which country I was in. I can only assume/hope once I signed into my Samsung account that the unit was considered Canadian. Since originally I could only choose one of several Middle Eastern countries.
A long standing problem with Samsung, is the International tablets/phones are better in several ways, but there is a lot of work to fix any 'native' things, like Google Map being set to miles and not KM.
The unit comes with a key to access the mirco card slot, if you should need it. Once again, issue with many developers who don't use that card like they could. Sorta' like all your programs needing to run from the C: drive.
It does come with a USB-C, to USB-C cable, which you can use to charge or to transfer from your old tablet to your new one. My experience it takes about hour to two hours, do not expect your passwords, or media to be transfered with it.
Prepare for about 5 hours to do a transfer/clone, results will vary depending on your old tablet, to the new one. I did go from an A7 to an A9.
Let's talk about the system and performance.
The cameras aren't anything special since I have seen stand alone digital cameras with 52 MP for under $200. To give me a rear one with 8 MP or front 2 MP. Well, you can bet this isn't a tablet you use to take ultra HD photos while you are on vacation.
This unit does come with stereo sound, and it reflects in the sound quality and volume. I mention volume since we've all had devices maxed out we can barely hear it. This one around the 1/4 to 1/2 mark is easily heard. Naturally if you want to make it louder that 3.5 MM port and a bluetooth connection are ways to go.
Let's talk video, between 2021 and 2023 it seems Samsung did increase the resolution, so videos seem crisper. Same level of speed when videos are played back, so I suspect it's the source.
Samsung in this case restored a feature between A7, and A9. Where with the A7 you had to convince the gyroscope you wanted to switch payback angles, click a small on screen button and hope it worked/reversed it when the time came. The A9's is larger, and among the settings like wifi, and power saving, and so forth.
Streaming/download speeds seems to be normal, so no real changes under the hood, depends on your wifi (or others) router you are connecting to.
I think it took me 45 minutes or so to download the 6.0 patch.
The battery I mentioned earlier, yeah it takes the devil's own time to charge, since I am sitting at 93% power. I am running a few tasks, and using the same charger I had with my old tablet, and its 45 minutes to charge! In Samsung's defense the device is doing some calculations, and is downloading files. It could be affecting the charge time.
I can someone asking, why I want an 8.7" tablet, since 11" is bigger. Since more RAM means the device can handle more tasks at the same time, and a larger hard drive means it can handle more files. Factor that in at 8.7" and the boxy design means you can get a good firm grip on it, or slip it into a back pocket and it won't slip out. Unlike the 11” inch unit which is so big it doesn’t feel comfortable in one hand. The international tablet I feel is built better for someone who is working/multitasking, and not a family that wants a tablet to talk over the phone visually with family members.
| Standing screen display size | 8.7 Inches |
|---|---|
| Display Resolution | 1366 x 768 pixels |
| Max screen resolution | 1366 x 768 Pixels |
| Processor | 2.2E+3 |
| Chipset brand | MediaTek |
| Card description | Integrated |
| Wireless Standard | 802.11n |
| Brand | Samsung |
| Series | X110N |
| Item model number | SM-X210 |
| Operating System | Android 13 |
| Product Dimensions | 2.9 x 21.9 x 13.1 cm; 508 g |
| Item dimensions L x W x H | 29 x 219 x 131 millimeters |
| Colour | Gray |
| Processor Brand | MediaTek |
| Flash memory size | 64 GB |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. |
