Every New Galaxy Tab S9 Feature That You Wont Get With An iPad

During Samsung's Unpacked event, audiences were treated to a sneak peek of the upcoming line of Galaxy tablets. This new iteration, dubbed Galaxy Tab S9, improves on its predecessors in a few different ways. For example, the S9 offers a twenty percent larger quad-speaker system and a bigger display with support for Multi Window and Pop-Up View. It also brings support for applications iPad users have been enjoying for years, such as GoodNotes, the video editing app LumaFusion, and the drawing app Clip Studio Paint, making it a solid alternative to the iPad Pro.

Samsung also packed the S9 with a few features you can't find on an iPad. For example, the S9 offers a new aspect ratio that Apple has yet to match. It also sports some durability features that make the iPad look incredibly fragile in comparison and a top-of-the-line cooling system that keeps the tablet chill at all times.

Larger display and aspect ratio

The Galaxy Tab S9 comes in three models at various display sizes. The standard S9 screen is 11 inches, the S9+ is 12.4 inches, and the S9 Ultra sports a whopping 14.6-inch display. The Ultra display is significantly bigger than the 12.9-inch iPad Pro display. The larger screen size brings a larger aspect ratio of 16:10, giving users extra vertical space. And although Samsung has not revealed the tablet's resolution, it will likely be more impressive than the iPad's due to its higher aspect ratio.

The display is powered by a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with HDR10+. AMOLED screens are known to be more color accurate than other display types. This is because the display produces light individually for each pixel, giving the image a higher color contrast and darker darks. However, without getting our hands on it ourselves, we can't judge the quality of this specific display and compare it to the iPad.

Better suited for the outdoors

The Galaxy Tab S9 has a few handy features that make it more outdoor-friendly than the iPad. For example, the tablet and the S Pen are IP68 rated for water and dust resistance. This is the highest score possible for resistance. On the other hand, Apple has made no claims that its devices can handle water or dust. Although throwing your S9 in the pool is not advised, you shouldn't have to worry about a flash thunderstorm breaking your device. The device is also durable and scratch resistant with its armor aluminum body.

Another feature that makes the S9 suited for the outdoors is its Vision Booster technology. This combats ambient light, such as the sun, from preventing you from seeing the screen. Vision Booster algorithm analyzes the light coming in and how it affects each display pixel. Then, tone mapping makes dark areas darker and pops colors to increase the contrast. This technology is much more sophisticated than automatically turning the brightness up in a bright room.

A premium cooling system

The Galaxy Tab S9 is the first Galaxy tablet to feature vapor chamber technology. Instead of cooling the device with a standard pipe cooler, this tech is powered by a vacuum tube that transfers liquid to gas. Then the Thermal Interface Materials push the heat to the back of the case and towards the screen. Because this cooling technique spreads heat out in multiple directions, it is an improvement from heat pipe cooling.

You may think, "My iPad doesn't get that hot anyway, so why should I care?" Well, adequate cooling is more than keeping your hands from burning. Efficient cooling can extend the life of a battery. And an iPad replacement battery isn't cheap. It also keeps the device from cycling through aggressive cooling stages, which can wear the internal components. Most importantly, an adequately cooled device does not need to throttle back on performance to compensate.