As far as Android tablets are concerned, Samsung’s line of Galaxy Tab S9 models are some of the best you can get right now, thanks to a solid combination of high-end hardware specs, and Samsung’s productivity-focused software features and apps. With that said though, they are pretty expensive and most people looking to shell out a considerable amount of money might opt for a smartphone instead.
This is something that the company seeks to address with the launch of its newest tablets, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE series. As part of Samsung’s “Fan Edition” line, the Tab S9 FE range is designed to be more wallet-friendly, without sacrificing too much in terms of hardware and software. On the other hand, with the lower £450 price tag comes a few compromises.
Design and Display Sizes
The Galaxy Tab S9 FE comes in two different sizes, with a base model that packs a 10.9-inch display, and a slightly larger S9 FE+ variant that has a 12.4-inch display. As they are more affordable compared to the mainline Tab S9 models, both S9 FE devices come with IPS LCD screens, so users looking to score an AMOLED display at this price point are out of luck.
On the other hand, the tablets do feature a decent FHD+ resolution, so content, games, and apps will mostly look decent. There’s also a 90Hz refresh rate, a safe choice on Samsung’s behalf – not too high-end, but just enough to keep costs low. The tablets are made with an aluminium design, which come in silver, grey, lavender, and mint colour variants, and are equipped with an IP68 rating for dust and water protection.
Both Tab S9 FE models also ship with an S-Pen, which is a really handy tool for users looking to use their tablet for productivity, art, and such.
Internals and Optics
Remember when we mentioned that Samsung had to make some cuts to keep costs down? The same rings true for the S9 FE models’ internal specs, which take a hit in terms of overall power and performance. Inside both variants is Samsung’s Exynos 1380 chipset, the same SoC found in the Samsung Galaxy A54. It’s not a terribly slow chip, but pales in comparison to the Snapdragon silicon found in its premium brethren.
There are some differences in terms of memory and storage configurations, as the regular S9 FE will get you 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage for the base model; the S9 FE+ meanwhile comes with a slightly larger memory capacity at 12GB of RAM, albeit with the same storage options. Fortunately, both models do come with support for expandable storage, so users can slap their micro SD cards for additional room for their media.
Other Hardware Details
For cameras, both models come with a 12MP front-facing camera, and an 8MP main camera at the back. In the case of the larger model, there’s an additional 8MP ultrawide sensor alongside the main lens.
Another difference is the batter capacity on both models – there’s a pretty large 8,000 mAh capacity cell inside the regular S9 FE, while the larger FE+ tablet gets a 10,000 mAh battery. Fortunately, both come with decent 45W charging speed support, so charging the tablets hopefully doesn’t take long.
