Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition (64 GB, with Puffy Case) review 2027

What problem does the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition solve?

The Tab A9+ Kids Edition gives a child full Android with a case and sensible controls for the price of a Fire HD 10. That is the whole pitch: a real tablet, not a walled garden. It is less protected and less locked down than the Fire, and more useful than it.

What that buys you is Google Play — school apps, YouTube Kids, everything — plus Samsung Kids mode and Google Family Link, which held in our test. The hardware is a step above the budget norm too: an 11-inch 1080p screen and 64 GB of storage, with quad speakers for video.

It is the middle path between Fire and iPad, and it suits families who want Google Play without an iPad budget.

How did it score in our tests?

We scored the Tab A9+ Kids Edition across five criteria, and it finished on 8.3 overall.

• Parental controls — 24/30. We measured time limits, bedtime, app and web approval, per-child profiles, content age filters, and whether a 9-year-old could get around them.
• Durability & case — 16/20. Ten drops from 1 m in the bundled or recommended case, screen and port condition after two weeks, and the warranty.
• Screen & performance — 16/20. Resolution and brightness, app launch times, video playback, and measured battery on our loop.
• Content & apps — 15/15. Kids' content library included, app store breadth, offline downloads, educational apps.
• Value — 12/15. Price including a case and a year of any subscription needed for the headline content.

Content and apps was the clean sweep, which follows from full Google Play access and no required subscription. Parental controls lost six points, and durability lost four.

What does the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition do well?

The app situation is the headline. Google Play means school apps, YouTube Kids, everything — the same store a parent already uses on their phone. Nothing here needs a subscription to reach the headline content, so the price you pay is the price you pay.

Controls held up. Samsung Kids mode plus Google Family Link survived our test, and the combination gives you per-child profiles and age filters without locking the tablet into one company's ecosystem.

Quad speakers make video playback usable without headphones.

Battery measured 11 h on our video loop. In the drop test it survived 9 of 10 drops from 1 m in the bundled Puffy Case.

What is the build and what comes in the box?

Storage is 64 GB. Battery is rated at 11 h for video.

The Puffy Case is included rather than sold separately, which matters at this price. Warranty is one year, and no content subscription is required.

How does it compare with the competition?

It is ahead on protection and on the guarantee; the Tab A9+ is ahead on storage and on app breadth.

It costs less and is guaranteed for longer; the Samsung gives you a larger, sharper screen and Google Play.

It is cheaper and also runs Android with Google Kids Space, but its protection is thinner and its score is lower.

Where does the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition fall short?

Durability is the weak point. It survived 9 of 10 drops, and the failure was a corner crack in the case. That is one drop too many for a tablet handed to a child.

Kids mode is simpler than Amazon Kids. If you want a tightly locked-down environment with a large curated library, the Fire does that better.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition good value?

It costs $219.99. That includes the Puffy Case and requires no content subscription, so there is no recurring cost to reach the apps and video a child actually uses. Value scored 12/15 on that basis: the price is fair for an 11-inch Android tablet with 64 GB and a case, but it sits above the Fire HD 10 Kids at $199.99, which adds a two-year replacement guarantee and a year of Kids+.

Who should buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Kids Edition?

Families who want Google Play without an iPad budget. If your child needs specific Android apps for school, or you would rather not manage a second app ecosystem, this is the tablet that avoids that problem. It is listed for ages 5–12.

If maximum protection and a replacement guarantee matter more than app breadth, the Fire HD 10 Kids is the safer buy. If you want the best screen and apps and can stretch to $349 plus a case, the iPad is the longer-term pick.