Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra / Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation, M2)

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.

Apple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation, M2): iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation, 2022); Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + Cellular; 128 GB to 2 TB. 8 GB RAM on 128/256/512 GB models, 16 GB RAM on 1 TB and 2 TB models. The 11-inch (4th generation) and the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro are separate models.

SpecificationSamsung Galaxy Tab S9 UltraApple iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation, M2)
Release year20232022
Display14.6-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		12.9-inch Liquid Retina XDR; mini LED with 2596 local dimming zones; 2732 × 2048, 264 ppi; ProMotion; P3; True Tone

Local dimming zones deepen blacks; a faint halo can appear around bright text on a black background.

Apple
ProcessorSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy Samsung—
Memory and storage12 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		8 GB RAM on 128, 256 and 512 GB models; 16 GB RAM on 1 TB and 2 TB models

RAM depends on the storage choice and cannot be chosen separately.

Apple
Rear cameras13 MP autofocus wide + 8 MP ultra-wide Samsung—
Front cameras12 MP wide + 12 MP ultra-wide Samsung—
Battery11,200 mAh (typical) Samsung40.88 Wh lithium-polymer; up to 10 hours of web or video on Wi-Fi; up to 9 hours of web on cellular; 20 W USB-C adapter in the box Apple
CoolingVapor chamber Samsung—
AudioFour speakers tuned by AKG; Dolby Atmos SamsungFour speakers; five studio-quality microphones Apple
S PenBluetooth Low Energy S Pen included in the box Samsung—
Dust and waterIP68 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		—
WirelessWi-Fi 6E; Bluetooth 5.3 SamsungWi-Fi 6E 2x2 MIMO, up to 2.4 Gb/s; Bluetooth 5.3; on Cellular models 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave), nano-SIM and eSIM Apple
SecurityIn-display fingerprint reader; Samsung Knox Samsung—
Size and weight208.6 × 326.4 × 5.5 mm; 732 g (Wi-Fi) Samsung280.6 × 214.9 × 6.4 mm; Wi-Fi 682 g, Wi-Fi + Cellular 685 g Apple
Launch softwareAndroid 13

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

Samsung		—
ColoursBeige, Graphite SamsungSilver, Space Gray Apple
Brightness and contrast—SDR 600 nits; full-screen XDR 1000 nits; HDR peak 1600 nits; 1,000,000:1 Apple
Chip—Apple M2; 8-core CPU (4 performance + 4 efficiency), 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine; 100 GB/s memory bandwidth Apple
Port—Thunderbolt / USB 4: up to 40 Gb/s with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 4, 10 Gb/s with USB 3, DisplayPort; one external display up to 6K at 60 Hz

This matters for fast external SSDs and monitors; actual speed depends on the cable and device used.

Apple
Apple Pencil—Apple Pencil (2nd generation) and Apple Pencil (USB-C); Apple Pencil hover

Hover shows a preview of brush size and where the stroke will land before the pencil touches the screen.

Apple
Cameras—Rear: 12 MP wide ƒ/1.8, 10 MP ultra wide ƒ/2.4 (125°), LiDAR Scanner, True Tone flash; front: 12 MP ultra wide TrueDepth, Center Stage, Face ID

The front camera is on the short edge, so it sits at the side during landscape video calls.

Apple
Video—4K at 24/25/30/60 fps; 1080p slo-mo at 120/240 fps; ProRes up to 4K at 30 fps Apple