TCL Nxtpaper 14 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Which tablet is better?

TCL announced its newest premium tablet at CES 2024, but how does the TCL Nxtpaper 14 Pro stand up against Samsung’s own top-of-the-line Tab S9 Ultra? 

Keep reading to learn how these two 14-inch tablets compare when it comes to processing power, displays, accessories and battery life. 

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is powered by a custom version of Qualcomm’s 2022 flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, with higher CPU clock speeds and an extra GPU core compared to the usual Gen 2. The octa-core processor is paired with either 12 or 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. 

We found the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra to be incredibly responsive during everyday use. The tablet can handle mobile games like Call of Duty Mobile with top-end graphics enabled, split-screen multitasking with multiple floating windows and Samsung’s DeX mode without a hint of stuttering. 

The tablet scored very well in our benchmark tests, outperforming any Android tablet we’ve tested to date, though still sitting behind the iPad Pro M2. 

The TCL Nxtpaper 14 Pro is powered by the high-performance MediaTek Dimensity 8020. The chipset is paired with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, with TCL calling it a “productivity powerhouse” that is designed to support both work and entertainment. 

However, we’ll need to test the tablet ourselves to verify those claims. 

The TCL Nxtpaper 14 Pro features TCL’s NXTPAPER display tech 

A key feature on TCL’s Nxtpaper tablets is the company’s NXTPAPER display technology and the Nxtpaper 14 Pro is the first device to take full advantage of the 2024 update: NXTPAPER 3.0. 

NXTPAPER 3.0 is a display technology that essentially optimises the screen to make it more comfortable for human eyes. This includes filtering up to 61% of blue light and using CPL technology to simulate the emission-reflection-refraction path of natural light. 

Other key features available through NXTPAPER 3.0 include higher refresh rates, DC dimming for flicker-free viewing and an RGB sensor that automatically adjusts the colour temperature based on the time and ambient light. 

There’s even a new NXTPAPER UI that includes three viewing modes – normal, Colour Paper for flicking through comics and Ink Paper for perusing e-books. 

Samsung’s own 14-inch display features its Dynamic AMOLED 2X technology, offering crisp details, vibrant colours and inky blacks. The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra’s screen also has an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and can reach a whopping 1750 nits of peak brightness. We found the tablet offered an unparalleled movie-watching and gaming experience. 

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra comes with a stylus 

Another major perk to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra’s display is the stylus that comes packaged with the tablet. 

The S9 Ultra comes with Samsung’s S Pen in the box, meaning you can start taking notes and doodling right away. The stylus has a super fast 2.8ms response time and even boasts the same IP68 dust and water-resistance rating as the tablet. 

The TCL Nxtpaper 14 Pro packs a bigger battery 

When it comes to battery life, it’s tricky to compare the two tablets as we haven’t gotten our hands on the TCL Nxtpaper 14 Pro just yet. However, on paper, the 14 Pro is the winner with its huge 12000 mAh battery and 33W fast charging. 

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra also packs a large battery at 11200 mAh and was able to last a week with light use thanks to its impressive standby time. The Samsung tablet also supports up to 45W charging, though it doesn’t come with a charger in the box. We found it took a full two hours and 23 minutes to reach 100% charge using a UGreen 100W USB-C PD charger, so we’d definitely recommend investing in the Samsung charger if you want to see the best speeds possible.