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:
| 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.
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