Review: The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition is cute for kids — if they don’t get frustrated easily

29 Nov 2024, 23:00 by Brian Barnes · Android Police

My kids’ first tablets were Samsung Galaxy Tabs a few years ago. While they got the job done, for the most part, we always had issues storing and playing downloaded movies and shows on the external storage cards, as the tablets only had 32GB. It was a constant struggle.

The Kids Edition of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ gave me no such issues. In fact, I truly appreciated that the tablet could be used as a regular grown-up tablet, and the kid’s space can be launched through the Samsung Kids app whenever needed. It locks down the tablet and offers games for younger kids. With more base storage (64GB this time), the inclusion of a bright and puffy case (protection AND visibility), and some fun crayon-shaped styluses, this tablet from the outside is something kids will love.

Under the hood, however, I found the tablet underpowered overall, despite the decent screen and build quality expected of Samsung products. Add this to the protective puffy case, with too-deep cutouts and bizarrely misaligned shaping, and it becomes a tablet I struggle to recommend.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition

6 / 10
$200 $270 Save $70

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition is a kids-focused version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ that comes with a big puffy case, three crayon-shaped styluses, and stickers. Unfortunately, while the build quality is excellent, what's under the hood won't satisfy your kids.

Pros

Samsung Kids works well to protect children while entertaining
Build quality on par with other Samsung products
Headphone jack
Case and styluses included

Cons

Struggles to keep up with more than one app
Only 4GB of RAM
Puffy case design not perfect, buttons hard to reach

$200 at Samsung $200 at Amazon

Price, availability, and specs

Bang for your buck in every way, except power

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition is bundled with some fun stuff: a colorful puffy case (mine is yellow, but it is also available in red and blue), three crayon-shaped styluses (basic, rubber-tipped pieces of plastic with no smart technology inside of them), and stickers. It would've been nice to also get a screen protector here, because kids, but, hey, we'll take what we can get.

The tablet offers 64GB of expandable internal storage, a nice 90Hz screen, and even a headphone jack. Unfortunately, there's only 4GB of RAM on board.

You can readily find these Kids Edition bundles on Amazon, Target, Walmart, and more, for $270. You'll get quite a bit (especially when it goes on sale), as long as you're OK with your child getting frustrated with the tablet’s performance.

Specifications

SoC
ARM Cortex A53
Display type
LCD
Display dimensions
11 Inches
Display resolution
1920 x 1200 pixels
RAM
4GB
Storage
64GB, microSD expandable 1 TB
Battery
7040 mAh
Charge options
USB-C
Operating System
Android 14
Front Camera
5MP
Rear Camera
8MP
Wi-Fi connectivity
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4G+5GHz, VHT80
Connectivity
3.5mm Stereo
Bluetooth
Bluetooth v5.1
Dimensions
168.7 x 257.1 x 6.9
Weight
1.06 lb
Colors
Yellow, Blue, Red
Stylus
Yes
Expand

What’s good about the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition?

It’s cute, that’s for sure

I mean, this thing is adorable, you know? Bright colors, fun games, and a kids-only space that adults can tweak to their heart’s content. That space locks away the rest of the tablet, including communications, social media, and browsers, behind a passcode that the parent can input at any time to make further changes. And it can be used as a full-blown adult tablet if need be.

I also appreciate Samsung’s dedication to build quality. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition definitely punches above its weight. It has a nice heft, squared-off edges, and aluminum construction. The screen even gets nice and bright, achieving up to 90Hz for a smooth experience (when it isn’t stuttering under workload). For a tablet, the onboard speakers are also decent.

The puffy case it comes with is easy to install, and doesn’t add much weight, but adds considerable bulk and protection for young and uncoordinated users. The kickstand also works well and clicks away when stored.

The crayon styluses are cute, and there are three included just in case one gets lost. Luckily, they’re not packed with expensive tech like an Apple Pencil and are just a simple and fun addition for coloring and drawing in very basic ways.

What’s bad about the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition?

Performance, plain and simple

Before we get to the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition's performance, I want to cover the puffy case. On the one hand, it works well — the kickstand, the bright color, and the protection. It's also endearing, like a big old marshmallow. On the other hand, the cutouts for the power/volume buttons are so deep that even my adult fingers had trouble finding them consistently.

The cutout alignment on the case's front is also truly bizarre, including the selfie camera and another area near the edge of the device which appears to have no reason to be there. So, I question who designed this thing from a functional and aesthetic standpoint. I’m sure there’s hidden tech on the tablet they’re trying not to cover with these areas, like ambient light sensors, but I say just to balance the cutout so it doesn’t look off-center and goofy.

Now, performance-wise, I had high hopes for the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition, but I found that it could only truly handle one app at a time. Switching a lot (something kids LOVE to do) starts to cripple the tablet under a workload that quite a few other devices in this price range could handle. For instance, the TCL Tab 10 NXTPAPER 5G tablet I reviewed recently isn’t far off in price, has a unique screen, and handles quite a bit of workload — plus you can get a service plan and your kids won't be missing Wi-Fi on the go.

The TCL Tab 10 NXTPAPER 5G lets you go off the grid while staying on it

A textured display takes this 5G tablet to the NXT level

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For a kid, especially one that hasn’t learned the art of patience (something I still struggle with as an adult), this leads to a frustrating experience that you’ll hear about.

Features-wise, however, your child will love everything else about this thing, so maybe consider what kind of child yours happens to be at the moment before you purchase it. Oh, and just because it happens to have them: the cameras aren't great and should never be the reason you buy a tablet.

Should you buy it?

Not gonna lie, the competition is stiff

If this thing cooked with speed, it'd be an easy recommendation. And look, I know that kids don't need a top-of-the-line device that can multitask like crazy. But what they do need is a tablet that doesn't frustrate them. It's for that reason that I cannot truly recommend the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition.

There are plenty of other options out there. Do they all come with cute puffy cases and styluses shaped like crayons? No. But you could buy those separately if you want. Even a used older generation iPad will outclass this tablet in the speed department. And if you ask a kid what's more important to them — not waiting around or a 90Hz screen – they're all going to say not waiting around.

Android-wise, I already mentioned the TCL Tab 10 NXTPAPER 5G tablet, but the Amazon Fire HD 10 Kids Pro (which is even cheaper) and the Xiaomi Redmi Pad SE (which we called the budget champion this year) are also available. You could also just buy the regular version of the Galaxy Tab A9+, as by opting for a model with more than 4GB of RAM you can avoid the sluggish performance problems.

I know that it sounds counterintuitive, but when it comes to the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition, you should go with substance over style for your kids to save yourself some sanity.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition

6 / 10
$200 $270 Save $70

$200 at Samsung $200 at Amazon

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