iPad Pro M4 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

The M4 chip in the iPad Pro benchmarks closer to a MacBook than any tablet chip Samsung ships. Multi-core and GPU-bound tasks (4K video export, Stable Diffusion-style on-device AI, Final Cut Pro) run noticeably faster on the iPad. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is still excellent — it handles multitasking, Samsung DeX, and gaming without breaking a sweat — but reviewers consistently note the ceiling is lower for pro creative work. For everyday use (browsing, video, note-taking) the gap is invisible.

The iPad Pro's tandem OLED panel (introduced with M4) delivers true blacks, higher peak brightness, and best-in-class color accuracy — reviewers call it the best screen ever shipped on a tablet. The Tab S9 Ultra counters with sheer size: 14.6 inches of AMOLED real estate that makes split-screen multitasking and note-taking feel like a full canvas. Artists and PDF/note-takers often prefer the Tab's size; video and photo editors prefer the iPad's color fidelity and brightness.

Samsung DeX transforms the Tab S9 Ultra into something close to a real desktop: resizable floating windows, a taskbar, and drag-and-drop between apps that behaves like Windows or macOS. iPadOS improved multitasking (Stage Manager) but reviewers still describe it as "multitasking with permission," citing inconsistent window resizing and app support gaps. For anyone treating the tablet as a laptop replacement, DeX + the larger screen is a genuine productivity advantage.

Apple Pencil Pro adds haptic feedback, a squeeze gesture for tool switching, and barrel roll for shading — refinements serious digital artists praise heavily in Procreate reviews. Its one drawback: it's a $129 add-on. Samsung includes the S Pen in the box on every Tab S9 Ultra, and its latency is excellent for note-taking and sketching in Samsung Notes. For artists chasing the best drawing tool money can buy, Apple Pencil Pro wins; for anyone who just wants a capable stylus included at no extra cost, the S Pen is the more practical value.

Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Procreate, and a massive library of tablet-optimized pro apps make the iPad the default choice for creative professionals. Android's tablet app situation has improved substantially since Google's 2023-2024 push, but reviewers still find stretched phone-UI apps more often than on iPad, especially outside Samsung's own app suite. This is the single most-cited reason creative professionals choose iPad over Tab S9 Ultra despite the hardware being competitive.

Both tablets comfortably last a full workday of mixed use. The Tab S9 Ultra's larger chassis houses a bigger battery (11,200 mAh vs. the iPad Pro's smaller cell), giving it a slight edge in longevity — roughly an extra hour in most reviewer benchmarks. Neither is a pain point; this category is close enough that most buyers won't notice a practical difference in daily use.

The M4 iPad Pro is the thinnest Apple product ever made at 5.1mm, and reviewers universally praise the fit and finish. The Tab S9 Ultra counters with IP68 water/dust resistance — a meaningful practical advantage the iPad Pro lacks entirely. Both feel like flagship hardware; Samsung wins on durability certification, Apple wins on sheer industrial design and thinness.

Neither tablet is primarily a camera device, but the Tab S9 Ultra's triple-camera system (including a telephoto lens no iPad offers) gives it more framing flexibility for document scanning and video calls. The iPad Pro's LiDAR scanner is a differentiator for AR apps, room scanning, and measurement tools that Samsung doesn't match. Real-world use: most buyers use the front camera for video calls, where both perform similarly well.

Apple's Magic Keyboard (with trackpad, floating design, and backlit keys) is widely considered the best tablet keyboard case available — at a steep $299-349 price. Samsung's Book Cover Keyboard is less refined but costs less, and critically, the S Pen ships in the box rather than as a $129 add-on. When reviewers total the real-world cost of a "fully equipped" tablet, the Tab S9 Ultra comes out meaningfully cheaper for a comparable feature set.

The iPad Pro starts at $999 (11") but the "real" price after adding Apple Pencil Pro and Magic Keyboard routinely exceeds $1,500-1,600. The Tab S9 Ultra starts higher at $1,199 but includes the S Pen, and Samsung's aggressive trade-in and bundle promotions frequently bring the effective price below a comparably equipped iPad. Reviewers and Reddit threads consistently flag Apple's accessory pricing as the biggest value complaint against an otherwise excellent product.