Deal: Samsung's flagship Galaxy Tab S9 tablets get price cuts

07 January 2024

Samsung’s latest flagship tablets are powerful – but pricey. The good news is that the Galaxy Tab S9 series prices are already starting to fall. The FE models are cheaper but less capable too and sometimes you need the extra grunt of that Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset.

The smallest tablet of Tab S9 trio has an 11” display (2,560 x 1,600px) and an 8,400mAh battery. Unlike the other two, the base configuration here has 8GB of RAM and 128GB storage.

The mid-sized tablet is the Galaxy Tab S9+ with a 12.4” display (2,800 x 1,752px) and a 10,090mAh battery. All three tablets have 210Hz HDR10+ AMOLED displays, by the way.

The top of the line model is also the largest, the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. It has a 14.6” display (2,960 x 1,848px) and an 11,200mAh battery. All three support DeX, so you can plug in an external display too.

Unlike the S-phones, the Tab S slates have microSD slots, so you don’t have to get a larger storage capacity if you don’t want to. For £17 you can add 256GB more, £33 is the cost of a 512GB card. These are rated V30 meaning that they can handle video recording, A2 means that you can move some apps to them.

Moving over to phones, the Motorola Edge 40 was one of the best value for money mid-ranges of 2023. It combines a Dimensity 8020 with a 6.55” 144Hz OLED display and, unlike many Motorolas, it has a full IP68 dust and water resistance rating.

The camera features a 50MP main (1/1.55”, OIS) and a 13MP ultra wide (120°), plus a 32MP selfie cam. The Edge 40 has stereo speakers but no microSD slot or 3.5mm jack. The 4,400mAh battery is on the small side, but efficient hardware gets good endurance out of it. And it’s quick to recharge with 68W wired and 15W wireless charging.

The Sony Xperia 10 V is not small, but it is quite narrow at 68mm. This is due to the 6.1” 21:9 OLED display (FHD+, 10-bit, 60Hz). Disappointingly, this phone is powered by the Snapdragon 695 – well, it’s disappointing if you were looking for performance. If battery longevity is the goal instead, the 10 V is one of the longest-lasting phones we’ve ever tested. Charging is slow and wired only.

The Xperia 10 V has an 8MP 2x camera, which is more optical zoom than the Xperia 5 V has to offer. The 48MP main camera (1/2.0” sensor) has OIS and there is an 8MP ultra wide too (120°).

The Samsung Galaxy A54 and A34 were two of the most popular mid-rangers last year, but their replacements will arrive soon. Not at these prices, of course. The A54 combines a 6.4” display with the Exynos 1380, the A34 offers a 6.6” display and a Dimensity 1080. Both displays are FHD+ 120Hz AMOLEDs, by the way.

The A54 has the better camera with a 50MP main (larger 1/1.56” sensor) and a 12MP ultra wide, compared to Galaxy A34’s 48MP main (1/2.0”) and 8MP ultra wide. The A34 has slightly better battery life even though both phones have the same 5,000mAh battery with 25W wired-only charging.

The Samsung Galaxy A14 5G was already retired by the A15 5G. The new model has a 6.5” 90Hz AMOLED instead of a 6.6” LCD (both FHD+ 90Hz) and a Dimensity 6100+ instead of a Dimensity 700. The older A14 5G also lacks an ultra wide camera (not that the 5MP unit on the A15 is stellar) and has slower charging for the 5,000mAh battery (15W vs. 25W).

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