Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE and S9 FE Plus Review: Affordable Tablets with Impressive High-End Features

Samsung has unveiled two new big-screened tablets: the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE and S9 FE Plus. As with other entries in the FE series – including the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE which was shown in the same announcement – the name of the game here is offering an affordable alternative to the high-end devices like the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.

Despite being the budget options, both tablets bring some impressive high-end features to the table. The most notable is the same IP68 weatherproofing rating as the non-FE S9 tablets, which certifies both devices as fully dust-proof and able to be submerged in 1.5m of water for up to 30 minutes. Not only is this kind of protection a rarity on tablets in this price range, it’s rare for tablets of any price, so it’s great to see it crop up on the S9 FE.

Design and Display

The standard S9 FE measures 166 x 254 x 6.5mm, and weighs 523g if you buy the Wi-Fi only model, or 524g if you opt for the 5G version. The S9 FE Plus is quite a bit bigger at 185 x 285mm, but maintains that same impressive thinness of 6.5mm. Once again, which version you pick determines the weight, with the Wi-Fi model coming in at 627g and the 5G model weighing 628g.

Both tablets are fitted with an LCD display that offers an automatic refresh rate of up to 90Hz, but as you probably guessed from the dimensions, one is bigger than the other. The Standard S9 FE has a 10.9in display like the standard Apple iPad, and the S9 FE Plus has a larger 12.4in panel.

Cameras

The 12MP ultrawide selfie camera that sits in the display is the same across both devices, but things are slightly different with the rear cameras. Both the S9 FE and S9 FE Plus get an 8MP main lens, but the latter squeezes in an extra sensor, also offering an 8MP ultrawide rear camera.

Performance and Battery Life

Samsung hasn’t revealed the processor that will be powering the S9 FE or S9 FE Plus, but it’s likely to be one of the company’s own Exynos chips. We also know that you’ll have your choice of RAM and storage pairings to go with it. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE comes with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM, backed up by 128GB or 256GB of onboard storage, respectively. The base model of the S9 FE Plus has 8GB of RAM paired with 128GB of storage, while the higher-specced version gets 12GB and 256GB. Both tablets have a microSD card slot, so whichever combination you choose, you can expand the storage by a further 1TB.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE is fitted with a hefty 8,000mAh battery, while the S9 FE Plus gets an even bigger 10,090mAh unit. Samsung claims that the S9 FE Plus will be able to manage around 20 hours of continuous video playback before tapping out.

S Pen Support

Both tablets come with an S Pen in the box, which can be used for taking notes, drawing, and annotating documents. There are also a number of compatible apps available, including Goodnotes, Clip Studio Paint, and LumaFusion.

Pricing and Availability

Pricing and availability for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE and S9 FE Plus have not yet been announced, but we expect them to go on sale in the coming weeks.

Overall

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE and S9 FE Plus are two impressive tablets that offer a great value for money. With their high-end features, including IP68 water resistance, S Pen support, and large batteries, they are sure to appeal to a wide range of users.