Hey, let’s be real, finding a modern device with a microSD card slot these days is like finding a needle in a haystack. Most phone and tablet manufacturers have ditched the whole expandable storage thing, which is why Samsung really threw us a curveball by including it in the Galaxy Tab S9 series.
Now, check this out: the Galaxy Tab S9 and S9 Plus come with up to 256GB of built-in storage right out of the gate. Think that’s cool? The Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra kicks it up a notch with a whopping 1TB option. But the real kicker? You can slap in a microSD card with up to 1TB of space. Yeah, you heard that right—1TB! That’s more room than you’ll ever need for all your favorite movies, games, tunes, and whatever else you’re into.
Insert microSD Card to Samsung Galaxy Tab S9
Firstly, it’s crucial to identify the correct location for inserting the microSD card into your Galaxy Tab S9. Regardless of the model you have, the expandable storage tray is located on the top frame when the tablet is in landscape orientation. If you’re using the tablet in portrait orientation, you will find the tray on the right-hand side of the device.
Attention to detail is essential at this point, especially for users of the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, which features two pin-holes on the same side. One is for the microphone, and the other is the ejector hole for the microSD card tray. It’s imperative to discern between the two to avoid any mishaps.
To proceed, use the SIM card tray removal tool provided with your device. Insert the tool into the correct pin-hole and apply a slight amount of pressure until the tray protrudes enough for you to grasp it. Carefully pull the tray out of the frame. Place the microSD card into the tray, ensuring that the gold contact pins are facing downward. Finally, slide the tray back into the slot and push gently until it aligns flush with the frame of the tablet. This will ensure the card is properly installed and ready for use.
Remove microSD Card from Samsung Galaxy Tab S9
It may be tempting to simply pull the microSD card out of the Galaxy Tab S8; however, doing so risks permanent loss of any sensitive data stored on the card. To mitigate this risk, it’s advised to safely unmount the microSD card before removing it from the device.
- Make sure that the microSD card is inserted in the Galaxy Tab S9.
- Unlock your tablet and open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and select Battery and device care.
- Tap Storage.
- Swipe to the left to reveal the microSD card.
- Tap the More icon with three vertical dots.
- Tap Unmount.
Once the microSD card has been safely unmounted, you can proceed with its removal without causing any damage to the data or the hardware. Locate the microSD card tray slot on the top or right-side frame of the tablet. Utilize the tray removal tool that comes with the device, inserting it into the pinhole to eject the tray. Carefully remove the microSD card from the tray. Subsequently, reinsert the empty tray back into the slot, ensuring it aligns flush with the frame of your Galaxy Tab S9.
Format microSD Card
Whether you’ve discovered an old microSD card in a drawer or recently purchased a new one online, the initial action you should undertake is formatting the card. This step is essential for ensuring that you begin with a pristine storage environment, free from any existing data or potential corruption. Below are the guidelines for formatting the microSD card specifically for use with the Galaxy Tab S8:
- Make sure that the microSD card is inserted in the Galaxy Tab S9.
- Unlock your tablet and open the Settings app.
- Scroll down and select Battery and device care.
- Tap Storage.
- Swipe to the left to reveal the microSD card.
- Tap the More icon with three vertical dots.
- Tap Format.
- Select Format again to confirm.
The formatting procedure will require a short duration to complete. Upon successful formatting, a notification message will appear on the screen, confirming that the microSD card has been correctly formatted. At this juncture, you can commence utilizing the microSD card as an extension of your device’s storage capacity, assured of its compatibility and functionality with your Galaxy Tab S9.
Best microSD Cards For Galaxy Tab S9
Considering that finding a flagship Android phone with a microSD card slot is pretty rate, chances are that you might be wondering what the best microSD card is for the Galaxy Tab S9. There are quite a few different options out there, but here are a few of our favorites.
- SanDisk Extreme 1TB microSDXC: Up to 160MB/s read speeds to save time transferring high-resolution images and 4K UHD videos. Rated A2 for faster loading and in-app performance. Built for and tested in harsh conditions: Temperature Proof, Water Proof, shockproof, and X-Ray proof.
- Samsung PRO Ultimate microSD Memory Card + Adapter: The PRO Ultimate MicroSD makes it easy to complete each task; Spend more time creating and less time saving with read & write speeds up to 200/130 MB/s—bringing you faster loading and 4K UHD video capture.
- Silicon Power 1TB Superior Gaming Micro SDXCLexar Professional 1000x: The Superior Gaming Series memory cards feature the UHS-1 A2 specifications that enable fast transfer speeds to save you more time when moving data from your card to other devices. Also, it supports Full-HD/ 4K video recording so that you can capture HD videos without annoying lags and dropouts.
No matter what you decide on, being able to expand your storage beyond what the manufacturer includes is always a win-win situation. Just make sure you get a big enough microSD card to store everything you want.
Conclusion
By now, you should be a bona fide expert on inserting and removing a microSD card from your Samsung Galaxy Tab S9. Whether you were looking to expand your storage or swap out cards, we hope this guide served you well. It’s all about the little things, right?
Like making sure you turn off the device first or using that ejection tool carefully. We’ve broken it down so you can navigate this process like a pro, no sweat. So go ahead, and load up that new card with all your favorite movies, games, or whatever floats your boat.
I am very confused about the maximum capacity of micro-sd card accepted by the Galaxy Tab S8+ . Searching the web again for “Tab S8+ specification” brings up ambiguous results of “up to 1TB” which also afflicts the Samsung website, where it appears to refer to the whole S8, S8+ and S8 Ultra range.
But my previous searches for “Tab S8+ specification” / “Tab SD card maximum capacity” had brought up a number of apparently authoritative assertions that the Tab S8 and S8+ accept 256GB maximum capacity SD cards.
On this basis I had just bought a 256GB SDXC card when I came across the assertion today in comments on a YouTube video, re how to insert & format the card, that the maximum capacity was 1TB — having just inserted a 256GB card.
And then more web searches turned up the 1TB answer too.
This is maddening.
Which is right? Tehnipages falls into the 1TB camp. How do you know this for sure?
Can’t get key to open microSD slot