Apple iPad Air 13-inch (M2, Wi-Fi) / Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

Apple iPad Air 13-inch (M2, Wi-Fi): 13-inch iPad Air (M2), Wi-Fi model; 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB. The Wi-Fi + Cellular model (A2899/A2903) is 1 g heavier and uses eSIM only. The 11-inch iPad Air (M2) and the later M3 version are separate models.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra Wi-Fi (SM-X910); 12 GB + 256 GB, 12 GB + 512 GB or 16 GB + 1 TB. The 5G version (SM-X916B), Tab S9, Tab S9+ and Tab S10 Ultra are separate.

SpecificationApple iPad Air 13-inch (M2, Wi-Fi)Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra
Release year20242023
Display13-inch Liquid Retina, LED-backlit IPS; 2732 × 2048 pixels, 264 ppi; 600 nits; P3 wide colour; True Tone; fully laminated; antireflective coating

Full lamination removes the gap between the glass and the panel, so the pencil tip appears closer to the image. Apple ProMotion (120 Hz) is not on this model.

Apple		14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X; 60–120 Hz; Vision Booster

Because the screen corners are rounded, Samsung also gives the visible area as 14.5 inches. Vision Booster adjusts colour and contrast in bright conditions.

Samsung
Chip and memoryApple M2; 8-core CPU (4 performance + 4 efficiency), 9-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine; 8 GB RAM

Memory is 8 GB on every configuration and cannot be upgraded later.

Apple		—
Storage128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB Apple—
Pencil and keyboardApple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C); Apple Pencil hover; Smart Connector

Apple Pencil Pro pairs and charges on the magnetic connector on the side. The Smart Connector powers a keyboard without a separate battery or pairing.

Apple		—
CamerasRear: 12 MP wide, ƒ/1.8, 4K at 60 fps; Front: landscape 12 MP Ultra Wide, Center Stage

Placing the front camera on the long edge keeps the face centred in video calls when used landscape with a keyboard.

Apple		—
AudioLandscape stereo speakers; dual microphones AppleFour speakers tuned by AKG; Dolby Atmos Samsung
USB-C and external displayUSB-C: charging, DisplayPort, USB 3 (up to 10 Gb/s); one external display up to 6K at 60 Hz Apple—
WirelessWi-Fi 6E (2x2 MIMO); Bluetooth 5.3

Wi-Fi 6E uses the 6 GHz band with a compatible router, which means less interference on busy networks.

Apple		Wi-Fi 6E; Bluetooth 5.3 Samsung
AuthenticationTouch ID in the top button Apple—
Battery36.59 Wh lithium-polymer; up to 10 hours of web or video on Wi-Fi Apple11,200 mAh (typical) Samsung
Size and weight280.6 × 214.9 × 6.1 mm; Wi-Fi model 617 g Apple208.6 × 326.4 × 5.5 mm; 732 g (Wi-Fi) Samsung
ColoursBlue, Purple, Starlight, Space Gray AppleBeige, Graphite Samsung
Processor—Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy Samsung
Memory and storage—12 GB + 256 GB, 12 GB + 512 GB or 16 GB + 1 TB; microSD up to 1 TB

16 GB of memory comes only with the 1 TB storage version.

Samsung
Rear cameras—13 MP autofocus wide + 8 MP ultra-wide Samsung
Front cameras—12 MP wide + 12 MP ultra-wide Samsung
Cooling—Vapor chamber Samsung
S Pen—Bluetooth Low Energy S Pen included in the box Samsung
Dust and water—IP68 for the tablet and S Pen

According to Samsung it withstands fresh water at 1.5 m for up to 30 minutes; it is not advised for use at the beach or in a pool.

Samsung
Security—In-display fingerprint reader; Samsung Knox Samsung
Launch software—Android 13

This is the version the tablet launched with, not the current version.

Samsung