M2 iPad Pro vs Samsung Tab S9 Ultra: Which is the best tablet in 2024?

The M2 iPad Pro vs Samsung Tab S9 Ultra battle is among the most heated discussions in the tablet user community. Both are designed to be performance powerhouses that boost your productivity, but they achieve that differently. So, which is the best tablet in 2024? While that depends on a few factors, the M2 iPad Pro is generally considered the best compared to the Samsung Tab S9 Ultra.

The M2 iPad Pro is best for raw performance, while the Samsung Tab S9 Ultra is best for multi-tasking. This article tells you everything you need to learn about M2 iPad Pro vs Samsung Tab S9 Ultra tablets to help you decide which one is better.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.

M2 iPad Pro vs Samsung Tab S9 Ultra

Let's dive into the M2 iPad Pro vs Samsung Tab S9 Ultra battle and see which tablet fares better, starting with the specs.

Specs

Here's the full specs list of the M2 iPad Pro and Samsung Tab S9 Ultra:

	M2 iPad Pro	Samsung Tab S9 Ultra
Size and weight	280.6 x 214.9 x 6.4 mm and 682 grams	326.4 x 208.6 x 5.5 mm and 732 grams
Display	12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED LCD with 120Hz	14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X with 120Hz
Chipset	Apple M2 at 3.5GHz	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 at 3.36GHz
Operating System	iPadOS 16.1, upgradable to the latest iPadOS 17.1	Android 13, upgradable to Android 14 with One UI 6
RAM and storage	Up to 16GB RAM and 2TB storage	Up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage
Camera	12+10MP rear camera system with 12MP front camera	13+8MP Rear camera system and 12+12MP front camera system
Battery and charging	Li-Ion 10758 mAh with 20W wired fast charging support	Li-Po 11200 mAh with 45W wired fast charging support
Price	$1099 (128GB)$1199 (256GB) $1399 (512GB) $1799 (1TB) $2199 (2TB)	$1199 (12GB RAM+ 256GB SSD)$1319 (12GB RAM+ 512GB SSD)$1619 (16GB RAM + 1TB SSD)

The specs provide a general idea of what you can expect from the two tablets, but they only tell half the story. Below is everything you need to know about M2 iPad Pro vs Samsung Tab S9 Ultra tablets.

Design and display

Samsung Tab S9 Ultra playing Avengers movie (Image via Tech Gear Talk/YouTube)

In terms of design, the M2 iPad Pro and Samsung Tab S9 Ultra tablets have metallic unibody designs with flat side frames and flat edges that allow for a stronger grip. The Samsung tablet is slimmer, making it easy to hold, but the iPad Pro is lighter.

The iPad Pro has a 12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR mini-LED display, while the Samsung Tab S9 Ultra has a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, considerably bigger than the iPad.

As for the technology behind the two displays, the iPad Pro consists of a mini-LED panel with QHD+ resolution and higher pixel density. But the Samsung Tab S9 Ultra's display incorporates an AMOLED panel with QHD+ resolution and a lower pixel density.

Samsung wins this round of the M2 iPad Pro vs Samsung Tab S9 Ultra battle, thanks to its thinner body that is more comfortable. However, the iPad Pro wins in display sharpness. Both tablets have a 120Hz refresh rate, so both displays feel equally good when interacting with the UI.

Performance, software, and productivity

M2 iPad Pro running video editing (Image via Tech Gear Talk/YouTube)

When it comes to the hardware inside, the iPad Pro has the better chipset. The Apple M2 chipset inside the iPad Pro is a lot more powerful compared to the Samsung tablet's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The M2 is essentially a MacBook chipset that is now inside a tablet. It's significantly better than the mobile chipset inside the Samsung tablet.

However, the hardware can only do so much when software is the limiting factor. Much of this chipset's performance is left untouched during normal activities, as iPadOS is incapable of multitasking. There's no way of launching multiple apps on the iPad Pro, definitely not in the same way as you can on the Samsung tablet. The Android OS is far superior at multitasking.

In terms of raw performance, however, the iPad Pro is better. When running video editing apps with multiple layered timelines, the iPad Pro can smoothly scrub through them without a single hitch. The same cannot be said about the Samsung tablet as you will notice some prominent stutters in video editing workloads. Additionally, the app support for professional workloads is much higher on the iPad Pro.

The performance advantage of the M2 iPad Pro can be seen in gaming. It can run console-level games like Resident Evil Village, Death Stranding, and even Assassin's Creed Mirage at native resolution and high settings. The M2 iPad Pro wins this round of the M2 iPad Pro vs Samsung Tab S9 Ultra battle as these console games are unavailable on Samsung.

Camera

For the rear camera system, both M2 iPad Pro and Samsung Tab S9 Ultra tablets have dual rear cameras, which we think is an overkill. Clicking ultra-wide photos with tablets of this size is not easy. These shots need better stability, without which the images end up hazy or blurry; getting such stability with a tablet is hard.

A single camera should be enough on a tablet for most people. The images coming from the cameras of both tablets are neck and neck with each other. They have a good amount of detail, the color tone is natural, and their quality is comparable to most midrange smartphones.

The front camera system is the most important part; that's where the Samsung tablet wins the M2 iPad Pro vs Samsung Tab S9 Ultra battle again. The Samsung Tab S9 Ultra has dual cameras, and they are positioned in the top bezel part when the tablet is in a horizontal orientation, which looks natural.

On the iPad Pro, the front camera is also in the middle but positioned vertically, which is not ideal if you want to use the iPad Pro with the Magic keyboard.

Battery and charging

Samsung Tab S9 Ultra playing Transformers movie (Image via Tech Gear Talk/YouTube)

The M2 iPad Pro and Samsung Tab S9 Ultra tablets have similar battery life. The iPad Pro has 500 mAh less capacity than the Samsung, but the difference is not noticeable. Even with the lower battery capacity and the desktop-class Apple M2 chipset, the iPad Pro delivers a battery life close to Samsung's, thanks to the Apple software's iPadOS optimizations.

However, the Samsung tablet charges faster due to the support of the 45W charger. The M2 iPad Pro and Samsung Tab S9 Ultra tablets have USB-C connectivity and support most USB-C accessories.

Price

The M2 iPad Pro vs Samsung Tab S9 Ultra gets even more fierce regarding pricing. That's because the iPad Pro is cheaper even though it has more performance. The M2 iPad Pro starts at $1099, while the Samsung Tab S9 Ultra starts at $1199. However, the iPad Pro only comes with 128GB for that price tag, but the Samsung Tab S9 Ultra provides 256GB for $1199.

M2 iPad Pro vs Samsung Tab S9 Ultra: Which is the best tablet in 2024?

It all comes down to your preferences and how you intend to use the tablet. If you are a content creator or a video editor, then the power of M2 iPad Pro would be the most suitable. The same goes for code compilation or crunching large datasets.

The M2 iPad Pro easily wins the performance crown in the M2 iPad Pro vs Samsung Tab S9 Ultra battle and is also $100 cheaper. But if you are a multitasker and run multiple applications on the screen, then the Samsung Tab S9 Ultra would be better.

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