Samsung's Galaxy Tab S9 is built for the bath

Alex Choros - Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor

Last updated 26 July 2023

Samsung's newly announced Galaxy Tab S9 family are the first mainstream tablets to have water resistance since Sony's Xperia Z4 from 2015. While there have been a handful of manufacturers that have released ultra-rugged tablets in recent years - including Samsung itself - the Tab S9 achieves an IP68 rating without looking like it was built for a construction site.

The Tab S9, Tab S9 Plus, and Tab S9 Ultra are all rated IP68, which means they can survive submersion in up to 1.5 meters of fresh water for up to 30 minutes. That's more than enough durability to keep your tablet alive if you accidentally drop it in the bath while watching a movie.

All three also include an S Pen in the box, which also has an IP68 rating. Since the rating only applies to fresh water, Samsung advises against using its tablets at the beach or in the pool.

If you spill any liquid other than fresh water on an IP-rated device, the common advice is to rinse it off with fresh water as soon as possible.

The Tab S9 family comes in three different sizes: the 11-inch Tab S9, the 12.4-inch Tab S9+, and the 14.6-inch Tab S9 Ultra. All three devices are powered by the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor you'll find in the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5, and are available in a choice of WiFi-only or 5G-ready configurations.

Here's the complete pricing for the Tab S9 family:

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 pricing

Model	Storage	Connectivity	Price
Tab S9	128GB	WiFi	$1,299
Tab S9	128GB	WiFi + 5G	$1,549
Tab S9	256GB	WiFi	$1,499
Tab S9	256GB	WiFi + 5G	$1,749
Tab S9 Plus	256GB	WiFi	$1,699
Tab S9 Plus	256GB	WiFi + 5G	$1,949
Tab S9 Plus	512GB	WiFi	$1,899
Tab S9 Plus	512GB	WiFi + 5G	$2,149
Tab S9 Ultra	256GB	WiFi	$1,999
Tab S9 Ultra	256GB	WiFi + 5G	$2,249
Tab S9 Ultra	512GB	WiFi	$2,199
Tab S9 Ultra	512GB	WiFi + 5G	$2,449
Tab S9 Ultra	1TB	WiFi	$2,699
Tab S9 Ultra	1TB	WiFi + 5G	$2,949

Tab S9 pre-orders start today, ahead of release on August 18. Anyone who pre-orders via any major retailer or telco will get a free storage upgrade and keyboard case.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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