It’s one of very few budget Android tablets offered with 5G in addition to the $219 Wi-Fi-only version.
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Samsung has quietly put its budget Galaxy Tab A9 Plus on sale following its launch in October last year. It starts at $219 for a Wi-Fi-only version, but unlike most other Android tablets around that price, you can pick up a version with 5G. The A9 Plus with a cellular connection costs $269, and you can take your pick from T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and US Cellular versions on Samsung.com. 9to5Google first spotted that the tablet had gone on sale.
The A9 Plus offers an 11-inch screen with a smooth 90Hz refresh rate — a rare feature at this price and definitely something you won’t find on an entry-level iPad. It has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, an 8-megapixel rear camera, and comes with a 7,040mAh battery. The Wi-Fi version comes with either 4GB RAM / 64GB storage or 8GB RAM / 128GB of storage; the 5G version is just offered in the 4GB / 64GB configuration.
For well under $300, that’s an attractive deal on paper, but the A-series tablet misses out on a couple of notable features: S Pen stylus compatibility and an IP rating for water and dust resistance. You’ll have to step up to the Tab S9 series, which starts at $449, if you want either of those things.
There’s one more thing the A-series is missing, too: color. The A9 Plus is available in a very straight-laced navy, graphite, or silver. If you’re looking for mint or lavender, well, you’ll have to pay up.
