The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 vs. OnePlus Pad 2. Both have very similar pricing and feature the Snapdragon chipset, making them evenly matched in terms of raw power. But the big question is: which one wins among these two?
In today’s article, we’ll be taking a deep dive into the features and performance of both tablets. We’ll also compare their styluses, so by the end of this article, you’ll know exactly which tablet deserves your attention.
Design + Build
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9: Samsung maintains its premium tablet reputation with a sleek aluminum build that feels super durable without compromising aesthetics. It features speaker grills on the top and bottom, power and volume controls on the right, and a microSD card slot for expandable storage. The back includes the iconic magnetic spot for the S Pen, adding to the tablet’s sturdy and premium feel.
OnePlus Pad 2: OnePlus impresses with a stunning unibody aluminum design. The unique camera placement adds sophistication, making it stand out from the competition. Speaker grills are on both the top and bottom, and the USB Type-C port supports fast data transfers with USB 3.2 Gen 1. While both tablets share a similar aesthetic, the distinct camera placement on the OnePlus Pad 2 adds a refreshing design touch.
Display + Media Experience
The Galaxy Tab S9 features an 11-inch HDR10+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 1600 x 2560 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate. The display is vibrant with deep blacks and bright enough for both indoor and outdoor usage. Whether streaming Netflix or editing photos, the colours pop, and the slim bezels make it immersive.
On the other hand, the OnePlus Pad 2 offers a larger 12.1-inch 3K display with a resolution of 2120 x 3000 pixels and an impressive 144Hz refresh rate. While the LCD display doesn’t deliver the same deep blacks as the AMOLED panel, it still provides vibrant colours and a smooth refresh rate noticeable during gaming. However, it lacks the rich contrast and deep blacks where the Galaxy Tab S9 excels, though you gain a smoother display experience thanks to the 144Hz refresh rate.
Both tablets provide a stellar media experience with subtle differences. The Galaxy Tab S9 comes with a quad-speaker setup tuned by AKG and Dolby Atmos support and offering rich, immersive sound with good bass ideal for both media consumption and gaming. The OnePlus Pad 2 also has a four-speaker setup with Dolby Atmos but introduces Holo Audio for 3D surround sound. While the Tab S9 offers more low-end punch for a fuller audio experience, the OnePlus Pad 2 is definitely louder—one of the loudest tablets around.
Overall, whether watching movies or TV shows on Netflix and YouTube, both provide excellent video and audio experiences.
Performance + Software
The business end of the two tablets. The performance is where things start to get interesting. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset with options for 8GB or 12GB of RAM. It absolutely flies through multitasking, gaming, and video editing. For storage, you get two variants, 128GB as well as 256GB. And don’t forget the expandable storage using a microSD card. You can increase the storage by 1 TB using that.
Meanwhile, the OnePlus Pad 2 features a newer chipset. As it released this year itself, it comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor paired with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM. The Galaxy Tab S9 runs on One UI, which is a skinned version of Android 14. And it also offers Samsung Dex. The Samsung Dex mode transforms your tablet into a desktop-like interface. Dex allows you to open multiple Windows, drag and drop apps, and also you can pair it up with an external keyboard and a mouse, making it a powerful tool for productivity. Samsung’s multitasking features, like split screen and pop-up views, are simply seamless. And the S Pen is an invaluable tool for both creative work as well as note-taking.
In comparison, the OnePlus Pad 2 runs on Oxygen OS, which is also based on Android 14, but with its own set of optimisations. OnePlus promises three years of OS updates and four years of security updates, thus helping you keep this device future-proof. However, it doesn’t offer a desktop mode like Samsung Dex. Here are the benchmark scores of both tablets on GeekBench 6. That’s something that you might have been interested in. As you can see, both tablets performed admirably.
Gaming + Multitasking
Really well in this aspect. Hence, you really won’t be facing any issues while gaming on either of the two devices. I tested out various games on this device: Asphalt, BGMI, and some more. I ran them on high graphics settings on both of them. Yet, I didn’t face any issues. Both the tablets will tackle demanding apps and games with ease. Same for video editing. You will be able to get edits done on both tablets. I tried editing 4K videos on both the devices, and I didn’t really face any major issues.
But while working with high-end graphics and transitions, I did face a minimal amount of lag on both the devices. But it’s quite normal, to be honest, for this to happen. However, one major drawback of the OnePlus Pad 2 is that it doesn’t come with external storage support. If you are looking to store some large files or media, then you should consider getting the 256GB variant, as you’re definitely going to need that extra storage space.
Camera
The Galaxy Tab S9 features a 13-megapixel back camera and a 12-megapixel selfie camera, whereas the OnePlus Pad 2 features a 13-megapixel back camera and an 8-megapixel selfie camera. So here’s a side-by-side camera comparison of both the tablets. This is a side-by-side front camera comparison of the two tablets. The one by Samsung is a lot wider, and the one by OnePlus kind of has this weird HDR kind of look that I’m not really a fan of, whereas the things here in the Samsung Tab S9 feel more natural and stuff like that. But anyways, you’ll be mostly using your camera for attending meetings and calls.
Battery Life
The OnePlus Pad 2 has a larger 9,510mAh battery compared to the Galaxy Tab S9’s 8,400mAh battery. The OnePlus Pad 2 offers outstanding battery performance, lasting more than a day with regular usage, and the 67W charger is included right inside the box, making the charging process incredibly fast. The Tab S9 offers fast charging at 45W, but Samsung does not include the charger inside the box. While both devices will last you a full day of moderate usage, the OnePlus Pad 2 has a slight edge in battery capacity and also the charging speeds. And also, like I previously pointed out, we don’t get a charger out of the box with the Galaxy Tab S9, but we do get the S Pen instead.
Stylus Experience
The stylus, of course, costs more than the power adapter. And that’s where things get interesting. The Galaxy Tab S9 includes the S Pen in the box, which is pressure sensitive and offers near-zero latency. This is perfect for note-taking and digital art. Also, apps like Samsung Notes allow for seamless handwriting-to-text conversion, and the S Pen is highly responsive, making it a great tool for students and professionals alike.
The OnePlus Pad 2, on the other hand, does not come with the stylus out of the box. And the official stylus by OnePlus, which is the OnePlus Stylo 2, isn’t really that great, to be honest. I previously created a dedicated video on the note-taking experience using the OnePlus Stylo 2. Over there, I pointed out that for the price we are having to pay for the OnePlus Stylo 2, it’s not the best stylus option we have out there. I’ll be leaving a link to that video in the description box below the like button, so please check it out if you’re interested in that.
Also, while getting started into note-taking, the default notes apps are often the best choice. Samsung Notes really delivers on this aspect, whereas the OnePlus Notes app really struggles. It’s just not optimized yet, but OnePlus can fix this with a software update, of course. But as of today, the OnePlus Notes app is really bad. For creative professionals or heavy note-takers, the Tab S9 stylus experience is simply way superior. I tested out various third-party note-taking apps as well, such as Notewise, Nebo, Bamboo Paper, and a few more. With the S Pen, I really had a great experience using all of them. But using the OnePlus Stylo 2, as you might have guessed, not so much. I guess Nebo was the only app where I had a comparatively better experience while using the OnePlus Stylo 2.
But if you’re looking for a tablet primarily for note-taking or digital art, then I must say the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 is definitely the superior choice among the two. I didn’t face any issues with latency as well as the palm rejection factor. Rather, in the palm rejection aspect, the OnePlus Pad 2 really struggled, whereas I didn’t face any issues with the Tab S9. However, there is another thing I need to point out regarding the design of the OnePlus Pad 2. Since we have this large camera bump here, it will often wobble while taking notes. So if you would like to take notes on your OnePlus Pad 2, I would recommend.
Pricing
Here’s the current pricing of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 on Amazon India as well as on Amazon US. And here’s the current pricing of the OnePlus Pad 2 on Amazon India and on Amazon US as well.
Best Buying Guide
Now, we need to answer the most important question: which one is the most ideal choice for you? If you’re looking for a more premium media and productivity experience, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 stands out with its AMOLED display and S Pen support. Samsung Dex also makes it ideal for tablet power users who need that versatile work setup on the go.
On the other hand, if performance and gaming are your top priorities, then the OnePlus Pad 2 offers incredible value with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, paired with a refresh rate of 144Hz and an excellent battery life. It’s slightly better in terms of raw performance, making it a compelling option for gamers and users looking for fast and responsive multitasking.
You’ll get a better video editing experience on the OnePlus Pad 2, but the Samsung Tab, of course, has a better colour accuracy. Ultimately, both tablets are powerhouses in their own right, but your choice will depend on whether you prioritize display quality or productivity. Whichever you choose, you can’t go wrong. But if you’re a student or a digital artist, then the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 has to be the one for you. You’re getting the S Pen right outside the box, thereby helping you save a few bucks as you don’t have to buy the stylus additionally. And the note-taking experience using the S Pen is simply way better.
