Samsung’s $450 Galaxy Tab S9 FE tablet promises all the essentials for less — here’s our first look

Samsung just cleaned up its midrange tablet lineup with the brand-new 10.9-inch Galaxy Tab S9 FE and 12.4-inch Tab S9 FE+. These slates replace the Galaxy Tab S7 FE and Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, respectively, and finally bring Samsung’s budget tablet lineup to Android 13. We got our hands on both ahead of their Oct. 10 release date, and they’re available for preorder now starting at $450.

Both the Tab S9 FE and Tab S9 FE+ felt sturdy and well-made during our time with them at a private preview, with quality aluminum frames that we saw in both gray and silver shades. Samsung is also selling them in Lavender purple and Mint green, two colors that we wish we had seen.

The slates pack similar specs, with a Samsung Exynos 1380 processor, Arm Mali G68 GPU and USB-C ports. Both of their LCD panels sit somewhere between 1080p and 4K resolution, and are slightly less sharp than the 10.4-inch Galaxy Tab S9 and 12.4-inch Tab S9+.

As I switched between apps on the Tab S9 FE and Tab S9 FE+, both seemed speedy enough for their price and mid-range classification. With their included S Pens (which attach magnetically on the back surface) for note-taking, these tablets offer a casual productivity experience, but don’t go near the more ambitious Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra with DeX mode that aims to be a laptop replacement.

As for those S Pens, writing with them in the included apps was smooth but not lag-free. The faster I sped up the writing, the more I saw the gap between the tip and the digital ink.

But to the heart of the matter, the Tab S9 FE and Tab S9 FE+ both look like solid tablets for watching video. From crisp 4K footage of Idris Elba’s photorealistic character in Cyberpunk 2077’s latest expansion to the bright pinks of the Barbie trailer, all the colors and details appeared correct. Even YouTube footage of our colleague Mike Andronico looked similar to the in-the-flesh version testing the new Galaxy S23 FE phones in that same room. We didn’t get to test the audio of these tablets, but they feature AKG branding to offer finer tuning, and support Dolby Atmos for a fuller, more immersive sound.

The tablets kept up as we split the screen between YouTube and Chrome, so we could watch footage of Dwayne Johnson’s return to the WWE as we browsed CNN.com. Samsung isn’t making any battery life claims, but the smaller Tab S9 FE has a predictably smaller 8,000mAh battery to the Tab S9 FE+’s 10,090mAh battery. Both support fast charging with a 45W charger, which is sold separately.

Due to some server-side glitch, we weren’t able to test out the Asphalt 9 racing game, but the Tab S9 FE+ ran Street Fighter Duel smoothly. I’ll be curious to see how the slates perform when we get them in for review.

If you’re one of those folks who loves tablets for taking photos — we joke, but the bigger screen does mean a bigger viewfinder — note that the larger Tab S9 FE+ has an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera that its smaller sibling lacks. Both slates offer 8-megapixel main cameras and 12-megapixel ultrawide front cameras. The Galaxy Tab S9 packs a 13-megapixel rear camera and 12-megapixel front camera, while the Tab S9+ features a dual camera setup with a 12-megapixel main camera and 8-megapixel ultrawide camera, with 12-megapixel front camera.

Other noteworthy details include fingerprint security via the power button, and an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. That means they can be submerged in either substance, as far as 1 meter deep for 30 minutes.

Yes, there’s a 5G model

For those who believe that portability demands a cellular connection, there’s a single option just for you. The Tab S9 FE 5G (Samsung is testing the limits of its naming conventions) is only made in gray, has the same CPU and GPU as its siblings, and is 0.01 pounds heavier.

We look forward to testing the S9 FE tablets in the near future, so stay tuned for our full reviews.