Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra smokes Galaxy S23 in leaked benchmarks

Nobody in their right mind would call the recently released Galaxy S23 Ultra slow, but it looks like one of Samsung’s upcoming devices is going to get more out of the same chip.

The leaker @Tech_Reve (opens in new tab) spotted a listing (opens in new tab) for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra (SM-X916B) on the benchmarking site Geekbench, sporting a single-core score of 2,054 and a multi-core total of 5,426. At the time of writing there are ten more listings for SM-X916B (opens in new tab), all with scores of over 2,000 for single core and 5,300 for multi core.

Intriguingly, although the devices all use the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy processor found in the Samsung Galaxy S23 family (listed by its codename “Kalama”), they offer significantly better scores. The Geekbench page averaging performance (opens in new tab) for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, for example, lists single-core performance at 1,870 and multi-core at 4,938.

Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Why so much faster?

So why the discrepancy? @Tech_Reve puts it down to the form factor (opens in new tab). Because tablets have a larger footprint, it’s easier to disperse heat, which means that the chipset can run to its full potential for longer.

It’s worth noting that even with this possible boost, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra would still be miles behind Apple’s best iPad in terms of performance. Because it uses the same M2 chipset as found in the company’s latest MacBooks, the iPad Pro 2022 achieved a multi-core score of 8,500 in our benchmarks. 

All the same, the upshot of this is that the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra could theoretically offer better gaming performance than Samsung’s flagship phone. Though in practical terms you’re unlikely to notice a difference given app makers tend to design games for a wide spectrum of handsets, and the S23 is right at the top performance wise.

Of course, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra may not be the most comfortable way to play games designed for smaller touchscreens given its enormous display. The reliable leaker Ice Universe recently revealed the specs for the tablet, and it will reportedly maintain the 14.6-inch screen debuted on last year’s Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, while adding IP68 dust and water resistance to the mix.

The purported dimensions (208.6 x 326.4 x 5.5mm) are identical to the predecessor, though it will apparently be 11 grams heavier, tipping the scales at 737g.

The battery will apparently be the same capacity at 11,200mAh, so what could cause the extra weight? While Ice Universe doesn’t mention photography at all, it may be worth keeping an eye out for leaked camera specs, given recent renders of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus appear to show an upgraded array. 

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