The Samsung Tablet I Recommend Most Isn't The Newest (but It Is On Sale)

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Samsung's 2023 Galaxy tablets travel successful 2 surface sizes and 2 difficult thrust capacities.
• If you want a powerful tablet for intermezo and multitasking connected nan spell but don't want to break nan bank, nan Tab S9 FE+ is simply a coagulated choice.
• You whitethorn acquisition nan accustomed Android tablet quirks, specified arsenic outstretched apps and nan occasional slowdown.

The Samsung's Galaxy Tab S9 FE is connected waste astatine Walmart. The 128GB tablet has dropped to $299, a $40 discount disconnected nan original price, and nan 256GB variant is $399, a $125 discount.

The world of budget-friendly Android tablets continues to turn arsenic much companies effort to entreaty to those who don't consciousness for illustration spending $1,000+ connected a bully Netflix machine. Samsung is again trying to make thing hap successful nan precocious midrange assemblage pinch nan Galaxy Tab S9 FE series, which consists of nan regular S9 FE and nan S9 FE+. I've been reviewing nan latter, which usually retails for $599, and it's beautiful good!

Also: Apple conscionable gave maine a compelling logic to ditch my MacBook for an iPad. Here's why

I won't show you it's nan top tablet since sliced bread. While it marks nan return of Samsung's Galaxy Tab FE statement aft a hiatus successful 2022, nan company's midrange tablets haven't changed much, prevention for a fewer tweaks present and location to bring them up to 2024 standards. The S9 FE+ is simply a premier example, but contempt being a boring update, it's still a awesome action if you're aft a large surface pinch agelong artillery life.

The surface is really what makes nan Galaxy Tab S9 FE+. Samsung includes a 12.4-inch 16:10 IPS LCD that, to my eye, looks astir arsenic adjacent arsenic you tin get to OLED without really being OLED. Content looks pin-sharp acknowledgment to nan 2560 x 1600 resolution, while colors are vibrant and opposition is amazingly adequate. I've enjoyed doing conscionable astir everything connected this tablet, from watching movies to reference articles. It each looks superb, which is expected from a Samsung tablet.

Is it arsenic beautiful arsenic an OLED panel? No, not really. It doesn't thief that there's a grey tint whenever thing ace acheronian shows up connected nan surface (such arsenic nighttime successful a movie), but for this price, it's forgivable.

Also: Skip nan iPad: This tablet is cleanable for kids and it's only $135

The surface sits connected nan beforehand of an aluminum chassis that Samsung offers successful 4 colors: Silver, Gray, Lavender, and Mint (the 1 I sewage -- and yeah, it's nan champion one). It shares galore similarities pinch nan different members of nan Galaxy Tab series, pinch its level sides, information speaker grilles, and antenna stripes. This besides makes it look for illustration Apple's iPads, which you cannot unsee erstwhile you group them adjacent to each other.

While nan Tab S9 FE is not nan astir comfortable tablet to clasp for agelong periods (no tablet pinch level edges is), it's astatine slightest bladed and ray capable that you don't turn tired. After a while, it conscionable tends to excavation into your hand, which isn't great. Then again, that's pinch astir modern tablets these days. At slightest nan bezels are heavy enough, truthful you person location to put your thumbs.

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Under nan hood, Samsung packs successful its Exynos 1380 processor, a midrange chipset that isn't positioned to return connected nan Snapdragon 8 Gen 2s and Apple M1s of nan world. Instead, it's a good processor for nan Galaxy Tab S9 FE+, pinch mostly reliable capacity during my testing. Apps and games respond promptly, pinch only a fewer slowdowns whenever I move betwixt apps rapidly. 

My portion has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is good for astir consumers. If you want more, there's a 256GB retention option, which gives you much headroom and tin travel successful useful if you're a superior tablet multitasker.

Also: How to instal nan iPadOS 26 beta connected your iPad (and which models support it)

The instrumentality comes pinch Samsung's One UI 5.1 connected apical of Android 13, a good operating system. The Tab S9 FE+ dons nan accustomed One UI artistic and everything-but-the-kitchen-sink attack to features and settings, including an array of multitasking features for illustration split-screen, multi-window, and moreover DeX, which gives you a desktop-like interface for getting activity done. That characteristic is champion paired pinch a keyboard and mouse, which Samsung will waste you arsenic nan Book Cover Keyboard. I didn't get it to review, but I stake it's bully erstwhile you're successful DeX mode.

Max Buondonno/ZDNET

Because this is Android OS connected a tablet, you'll person to woody pinch each nan weird ways apps unfastened and standard connected nan display. I admit nan app support business isn't arsenic bad arsenic it was a fewer years ago, acknowledgment to Google pressuring much developers to optimize their apps for larger devices.

Still, it's not perfect, and communal apps for illustration X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Slack will either not agelong to capable nan show aliases agelong excessively wide and time off you pinch a bunch of achromatic space. This isn't Samsung's fault, by nan measurement -- it's a larger problem pinch Android, which I consciousness obligated to mention whenever I reappraisal an Android tablet.

Also: Your iPad is getting a immense upgrade for free. 4 features I can't hold to usage connected iPadOS 26

Oh, there's 1 much software-esque characteristic I person to mention: drawing. The Tab S9 FE+ comes pinch an S Pen that magnetically attaches to nan backmost to recharge. You tin constitute notes, motion documents, create drawings, sketch, and much quickly and efficiently. Samsung has been perfecting its method for nan S Pen for a while now.

Max Buondonno/ZDNET

Battery life has been bully connected nan Tab S9 FE+, which is nice. With my ray use, a 10,090mAh artillery wrong tin past 2 to 3 days connected a afloat charge. If you return it connected a level pinch you, you tin easy watch 2 movies, play immoderate games, and publication an ebook earlier it dies. Standby is besides amazingly great; I near this tablet unattended each nighttime astatine 100%, and it only dropped to 96% by nan adjacent morning. It's reminiscent of nan endurance you tin get from an iPad Air.

ZDNET's buying advice

If you're considering picking up nan Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+, I urge considering precisely what you request from your adjacent tablet. This instrumentality is for you if you're aft a large surface and agelong artillery life. 

If you're OK pinch thing smaller aliases that serves arsenic a 2nd instrumentality erstwhile you aren't utilizing it, nan Pixel Tablet is ever a awesome option. It has a smaller 10.2-inch surface and a Tensor G2 processor, and it comes pinch a speaker dock that turns nan instrumentality into a smart display.

Is your bosom group connected a large tablet for watching movies and multitasking connected nan go? Keep your spending successful cheque pinch the Tab S9 FE+. There's thing typical that stands retired astir nan device, but arsenic a wide mundane tablet (that happens to beryllium larger than mean and comes pinch a stylus successful nan box), it's rather good.

Looking for nan adjacent champion product? Get master reviews and editor favorites with ZDNET Recommends.