Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ 10.5" x210 Gray 2023

A killer media tablet with a smooth screen and great speakers that's held back by stingy RAM. At under $200, it's an easy yes for streaming; just don't try to do real work on it.

What surprised us most is how well that Snapdragon 695 holds up for casual use. It sits in the 85th percentile for CPUs in our database, which is frankly overkill for scrolling TikTok and reading comics. The 90Hz screen makes every swipe feel responsive, hiding the budget nature of the LCD panel. But that 4GB of RAM is a real bottleneck, landing in the bottom third of tablets we've tested. You'll notice apps reloading if you try to juggle more than a few at once, and Samsung's Multi-Active Windows feature is more of a party trick than a productivity tool on this hardware.

The Tab A9+ lives in the shadow of the Apple iPad Air M3, but that's like comparing a reliable commuter car to a luxury sedan. The iPad destroys it in screen quality, raw power, and productivity, but it also costs three to four times as much. A more direct fight is with the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro. The Lenovo often packs a better screen and more RAM for a similar price, making it the smarter buy if you plan to do any work. The Xiaomi Pad 6 is another strong alternative that usually offers a sharper display and faster charging, though Samsung's software support and speaker quality keep the A9+ in the conversation.

The value here is a moving target. We've seen this tablet listed everywhere from a reasonable $180 to an absolutely absurd $5,450 from some third-party sellers. Ignore the scalpers. At the $180-$220 range, this is a steal for a secondary media device. The sweet spot is grabbing a renewed model from Amazon, which often drops the price even lower. If you're paying more than $250, you've officially entered iPad 9th Gen territory, and you should probably just go there instead.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ is the budget tablet that doesn't feel like a punishment. For a device that often dips well below $200, you're getting a shockingly smooth 90Hz display and a Snapdragon chip that handles daily life without constant stuttering. The one thing to know? This is a media consumption beast on a shoestring budget, as long as you don't ask it to replace your laptop. The quad speakers with Dolby Atmos are genuinely loud and clear, making it a perfect kitchen companion for Netflix or a dedicated screen for sheet music. Just don't expect it to fly through heavy multitasking with only 4GB of RAM holding things back.

If you're looking for a productivity machine or a primary computer, this isn't it. Go get a base model iPad or a Lenovo Idea Tab Pro instead. The 4GB of RAM here will have you pulling your hair out the first time you try to run a Zoom call and take notes at the same time.

Buy this if you want a dedicated entertainment tablet and refuse to overspend. It's perfect for kids, kitchen duty, or as a dedicated reading and streaming device on the nightstand. The combination of that 90Hz screen and shockingly good speakers makes it a joy for consuming content. Just don't fool yourself into thinking the 'Multi-Active Windows' marketing means it can handle spreadsheets and email side-by-side. For pure, lean-back entertainment, it's a winner. For anything else, you'll feel that 4GB of RAM pinching you daily.