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Tablet comparison

Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G

Compare screen, performance, battery and accessories.

Compared products
01Selected
Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026

Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026

  • About 11 inch screen.
  • Apple M4 processor.
  • 12 GB RAM in this version.
  • 7,606 mAh battery capacity.
  • 28.93 Wh of stored energy.
KSh 100,000In Stock
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02
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G

  • 498 g.
  • About 120 Hz display refresh rate.
  • About 11 inch screen.
  • Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) processor.
  • Storage: UFS.
KSh 87,000In Stock
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2 spaces available

Apple iPad Air 5 (M1)KSh 82,000
Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 PlusKSh 100,000
Xiaomi Pad 8 ProKSh 87,000
Apple iPad Mini 7 2024KSh 87,000
Alexa Tablet 12 Pro (2026)KSh 75,900
Xiaomi Pad 8KSh 60,000
Lenovo Tab P11KSh 54,000
2 of 4 products

Our quick verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G runs Android and has a bigger battery (8,400 mAh), an OLED screen with deeper blacks, quad speakers and stereo speakers, while the Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026 runs iPadOS, is lighter (464 g) and offers video output to a monitor over USB-C and newer Wi-Fi 7.

Display

Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026
1640 x 2360 pixels (~264 ppi density)
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
1600 x 2560 pixels, 16:10 ratio (~274 ppi density)

Performance

Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026
Apple M4 processor
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm) processor

Capacity

Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026
7,606 mAh battery capacity
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
8,400 mAh battery capacity

Connections

Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026
Wi-Fi 7 support
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
Wi-Fi 6E support

Memory

Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026
12 GB RAM
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
Up to 12 GB RAM

Key differences

The main differences to help you choose.

Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026

  • Newer Wi-Fi 7 (vs Wi-Fi 6E).
  • Newer Bluetooth 6.0 (vs 5.3).
  • Lighter: 464 g (vs 498 g).
  • Newer model: released in 2026 (vs 2023).
  • Video output to an external display over USB-C.
  • Video output to a monitor over USB-C (DisplayPort).

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G

  • Bigger battery: 8,400 mAh (vs 7,606 mAh).
  • OLED display (vs LCD).
  • Quad speakers.
  • Stereo speakers.
  • 120 Hz display.

What matters most to you?

Choose any priorities

How each product answers the questions buyers ask most. Tick a topic to add it, untick one to hide it.

6 priorities selected.
How each product answers the selected priorities
PriorityApple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
Display11-inch LCD display, 264 ppi11-inch OLED display, 120 Hz, 274 ppi
PerformanceApple M4 processorQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor
Memory12 GB RAMUp to 12 GB RAM
Battery life7,606 mAh battery8,400 mAh battery
Weight464 g498 g
SoftwareiPadOS 26.3Android 13, 4 OS upgrades promised

Detailed comparison

Explore the full specifications, section by section.

General

General specifications comparison
SpecificationApple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
BrandAppleSamsung
ModelApple iPad Air 11 (2026)Samsung Galaxy Tab S9
Announced2026, March 022023, July 26
ConnectivityCellular+Wi-Fi, Wi-FiMobile network: GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G; Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct; Bluetooth: 5.3, A2DP, LE; USB: USB Type-C 3.2, magnetic connector
CamerasRear: 12 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/3.0", 1.22μm, dual pixel PDAF Front: 12 MP, f/2.0, 122˚ (ultrawide)Rear: 13 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, AF; Front: 12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚ (ultrawide)
Status—Available. Released 2023, August 11
Models—SM-X710, SM-X716B
SAR EU—0.66 W/kg (body)

Design

Design specifications comparison
SpecificationApple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
Dimensions247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1 mm (9.75 x 7.03 x 0.24 in)254.3 x 165.8 x 5.9 mm (10.01 x 6.53 x 0.23 in)
Weight464 g (Wi-Fi) / 465 g (5G) (1.02 lb)498 g (1.10 lb)
Build materials—Glass front, aluminum frame, aluminum back

Display

Display specifications comparison
SpecificationApple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
Display11.0 inches, 357.6 cm2 (~80.9% screen-to-body ratio); Liquid Retina IPS LCD, 500 nits (typ)11.0 inches, 350.9 cm2 (~83.2% screen-to-body ratio); Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+
Screen resolution1640 x 2360 pixels (~264 ppi density)1600 x 2560 pixels, 16:10 ratio (~274 ppi density)
Display protectionScratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating, Mohs level 4Corning Gorilla Glass
Display featuresAnti-reflective coating120Hz, HDR10+

Performance

Performance specifications comparison
SpecificationApple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
ProcessorApple M4Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm)
CPUOcta-core (4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores)Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510)
GPUApple GPU (9-core graphics)Adreno 740

Memory & Storage

Memory & Storage specifications comparison
SpecificationApple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
RAM12GB8GB, 12GB
Storage128GB, 256GB128GB, 256GB
Storage technology—UFS
Expandable storage—microSDXC (dedicated slot)
Internal—128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM

Cameras

Cameras specifications comparison
SpecificationApple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
Rear camera featuresHDRLED flash, HDR, panorama
Front camera featuresHDRHDR
Rear camera—13 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, AF
Front camera—12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚ (ultrawide)
Rear camera video—4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps
Front camera video—4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps

Battery & Charging

Battery & Charging specifications comparison
SpecificationApple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
BatteryLi-Po 7606 mAh (28.93 Wh)Li-Po 8400 mAh
Charging—45W wired

Software

Software specifications comparison
SpecificationApple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
Operating systemiPadOS 26.3, upgradable to iPadOS 26.6Android 13, up to 4 major OS updates, One UI 6

Network

Network specifications comparison
SpecificationApple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
SIMeSIM (cellular model only); no SIM on Wi-Fi-only modelsNano-SIM + eSIM (cellular model only)
Network—GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
2G bands—GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G bands—HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
4G bands—1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 40, 41, 66
5G bands—1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6
Speed—HSPA, LTE, 5G - cellular model only

Connectivity

Connectivity specifications comparison
SpecificationApple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
NFCNoNo
Bluetooth6.0, A2DP, LE5.3, A2DP, LE
Wi-FiWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7 dual-band, hotspotWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct
PositioningGPS, GLONASS (5G model only)GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS, QZSS
RadioNoNo
USBUSB Type-C 3.1 Gen2, DisplayPort, magnetic connectorUSB Type-C 3.2, magnetic connector

Durability

Durability specifications comparison
SpecificationApple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
Water resistance—IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min)

Features

Features specifications comparison
SpecificationApple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
SensorsFingerprint (top-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, compass, barometerFingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
ConstructionGlass front, aluminum back, aluminum frame—
Memory card slotNo—
Rear video4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps; gyro-EIS—
Front video1080p@25/30/60fps; gyro-EIS—
Mobile networkWi-Fi models: no cellular network; cellular models: GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G—
SpeakersYes, with stereo speakers—
Stylus supportYes2.8ms latency (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro)
Colors—Beige, Graphite
Additional features—Wireless Samsung DeX (desktop experience support)

Audio

Audio specifications comparison
SpecificationApple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G
3.5 mm headphone jackNoNo
Loudspeakers—Yes, with stereo speakers (4 speakers)

Similarities

  • Both have 12 GB RAM.
  • Both charge over USB-C.
  • Both support eSIM.
  • Both offer up to 256 GB of storage.
  • Both connect over Bluetooth.
  • Both record 4K video.

In summary

For most buyers the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5G is the better buy; the Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026 makes sense if you want iPadOS.

Back to compared products ↑

In-stock alternatives

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 PlusFor Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 PlusView product ↗Apple iPad Mini 7 2024For Apple iPad Air 11-inch M4 2026Apple iPad Mini 7 2024View product ↗Xiaomi Pad 8 ProFor Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 5GXiaomi Pad 8 ProView product ↗

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