Apple IPad Air 13" (2024) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

85 out 100

VS

80 out 100

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple IPad Air 13" (2024) Manufactured in May, 2024, with display 13 with chipsetApple M2 (iPad), vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, Manufactured in August, 2023with chipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages

Reasons to choose Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

Higher pixel density: 264ppi
Lighter design: 617g vs 732g
Built-in eSIM
Includes charger

Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

Larger display: 14.6in
Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
Higher battery capacity: 11200mAh vs 10340mAh
Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 3.1

Versions

Available versions and configurations

Memory Options

- 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB
- 8/512 GB
- 8/1024 GB

- 12/256 GB
- 12/512 GB
- 12/1024 GB
- 16/1024 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple IPad Air 13" (2024) and Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

Display

Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

68

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

85

Camera

Main & front camera tests

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

85

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

62

Performance

App & system performance

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

92

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

77

Games

3D gaming performance

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

98

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

80

Battery

Battery life, charging speed & type

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

96

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

96

Connectivity

Connectivity features

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

78

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

75

NanoReview Score

Overall score by NanoReview

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

85

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

80

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Function

Importance (Weight)

Display:

Camera:

Performance:

Gaming:

Battery:

Connectivity:

Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Display

Display quality comparison

Type	IPS LCD	Dynamic AMOLED
Size	13 in	14.6 in
Resolution	2048x2732 pixels	1848x2960 pixels
Aspect ratio	4:3	16:10
Pixel density	264 ppi	239 ppi
Refresh rate	60 Hz	120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate	No	Yes (30-120 Hz)
Max brightness	600 nits	930 nits
HDR support	No	Yes HDR10+
Screen-to-body ratio	86.8 %	90.8 %
Features	DCI-P3	DCI-P3

Peak brightness (auto)

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

591 nits

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

639 nits

sRGB gamut	99.7 %	98.2 %
PWM (Flicker)	n/a	240 Hz
Response time	45 ms	3 ms
Contrast	1018:1	∞ Infinite

Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)], [Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison

Height	280.6 mm (11.05 in)	326.4 mm (12.85 in)
Width	214.9 mm (8.46 in)	208.6 mm (8.21 in)
Thickness	6.1 mm (0.24 in)	5.5 mm (0.22 in)
Weight	617 g (21.76 oz)	732 g (25.82 oz)
Area	603 cm² (93.47 in²)	681 cm² (105.56 in²)
Water resistance	No	IP68
Back panel	Metal	Metal
Frame	Metal	Metal
Colors	- Gold - Gray - Blue - Purple	- Gray - Yellow
Fingerprint sensor	Yes In-Button	Yes In-Display

Screen-to-body ratio

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

86.8 %

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

90.8 %

Performance

Testing Apple IPad Air 13" (2024) and Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra In benchmarks

Chipset	Apple M2 (iPad)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Max Frequency	3490 MHz	3360 MHz
CPU Cores	8 (4 + 4)	8 (1 + 2 + 2 + 3)
Architecture	- 4/2.42 (Blizzard) - 4/3.49 (Avalanche)	- 3/2 (Cortex-A510) - 2/2.8 (Cortex-A710) - 2/2.8 (Cortex-A715) - 1/3.2 (Cortex-X3)
Process	TSMC	TSMC
Transistor Size	5 nm	4 nm
Neural Processor	Apple Neural Engine	Hexagon
Graphics	Apple M2 GPU	Adreno 740
GPU Cores	1024	1536
GPU Frequency	1398 MHz	680 MHz
FLOPS	2918 GFLOPS	2089 GFLOPS

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

2585

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

2127

Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

10090

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

5667

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)	2585	2127
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)	10090	5667
Geekbench Compute (GPU)	n/a	9753

Sources: Geekbench v6 [Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)], [Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra]

AnTuTu 10

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

2162189

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

1532777

CPU	541821	365333
GPU	900244	591145
Memory	360102	309311
UX	360022	266988
NanoReview Score	2162189	1532777

3DMark Wild Life

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

n/a

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

13720

Sources: 3DMark [Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra]

Memory

RAM Size	8 GB	12 GB
Memory Type	LPDDR5	LPDDR5X
Memory Frequency	6400 MHz	4200 MHz
Channels	4	4

Storage Capacity	128 GB	256 GB
Storage Type	NVMe	UFS 4.0
Memory Card	No	MicroSD

Software

OS	iPadOS 17.5 (Upgradeable to iPadOS 18.5)	Android 13 (Upgradeable to Android 14)
OS Size	13 GB	40 GB
UI Skin	n/a	One UI 6.1

Battery

Volume	10340 mAh	11200 mAh
Max Charging Power	30 W	45 W
Battery Type	Li-ion	Li-ion
Removable	No	No
Wireless Charging	No	No
Reverse Charging	No	No
Fast Charging	Yes	Yes (32% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time	2:30 h	2:08 h

Battery Life

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

32:34

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

30:33

Web Browsing	12:05 h	11:35 h
Video Playback	16:48 h	16:56 h
Games	08:10 h	08:20 h
Standby Mode	179 h	158 h

Main camera

Matrix	12 MP	13 MP
Photo resolution	4032x3024 pixels	4128x3096 pixels
Zoom	Digital	n/a
Flash	No	LED
Stabilization	Digital	Digital
8K Recording	No	No
4K Recording	Yes (Up to 60 fps)	Yes (Up to 30 fps)
1080p Recording	Yes (Up to 60 fps)	Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion	240 fps (1080p)	n/a
Lenses count	Standard: 12 MP	Standard: 13 MP Ultra-wide: 8 MP
Features	Bokeh effect

Matrix	12 MP	13 MP
Aperture	f/1.8	f/2.0
Focal length	n/a	26 mm
Pixel size	1.22 μm	n/a
Autofocus	Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)	Phase autofocus
Stabilization	Digital	Digital

Matrix	n/a	8 MP
Aperture	n/a	f/2.2
Stabilization	n/a	Digital

Front camera

Matrix	12 MP	12 MP
Matrix	4032x3024 pixels	4000x3000 pixels
Aperture	f/2.4	f/2.4
Focal length	n/a	26 mm
Sensor	CMOS	n/a
Autofocus	No	No
Stabilization	Digital	Digital
Video resolution	1080p (Full HD) at 60 fps	2160p (4K) at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor	No	No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)	Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display	- Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version	5.3	5.3
Bluetooth features	LE	LE
USB type	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
USB version	3.1	3.2
USB features	- Charging - USB Storage Mode - OTG	- Charging - USB Storage Mode - OTG
DisplayPort	Yes	Yes
GPS	- GPS - GLONASS	- GPS - GLONASS - Beidou - Galileo - QZSS
NFC*	No	No
Infrared Port	No	No

SIM Count*	n/a	1
SIM Type	eSIM	Nano
eSIM Support *	Yes	No
Hybrid Slot	No	No
2G Bands	n/a	GSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
3G Bands	UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz	UMTS B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900)
LTE Bands*	LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B11/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B21/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B32/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B48/B66/B71)	LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B20/B25/B26/B28/B32/B38/B40/B41/B66)
5G Support	Yes	Yes

Sound

Speakers	n/a	4.0
3.5 mm Jack	No	No
FM Radio	No	No
Dolby Atmos	Yes	Yes

Max Volume

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

80.1 dB

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

87.7 dB

Other

Class	Flagship	Flagship
Announced	May, 2024 yr	July, 2023 yr
Release Date	May, 2024 yr	August, 2023 yr
Launch Price ($)	n/a	1199
Sensors	- Barometer - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient Light Sensor - Fingerprint sensor	- Hall Sensor - Proximity Sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient Light Sensor - Compass - Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included	Yes 20 W	No

Results

No clear favorite identified yet; updates may follow as new data arrives.

Survey

Which tablet would you pick?

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024)

0 (0%)

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

0 (0%)

Total Votes: 0

Apple IPad Air 13" (2024) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra

Key Differences

Versions

Review

Tests & specs

Display

Design & Build

Performance

Memory

Software

Battery

Main camera

Front camera

Connectivity

Sound

Other

Results

Survey

User comments