128GB 10.9" Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Wi-Fi Tablet w/ S Pen (Various) Expired

I got this last week. It feels cheap and heavy. Slow. Unfortunately, Apple has the lock on the tablet market. The iPad feels far more polished and functional.

I traded in an S7 FE for an S9+ for myself, and I bought the 256GB model of the S9 FE with this Amazon deal for my girlfriend. I have been comparing them side by side now and frankly I don't see much validity in a lot of the critical comments here.

Note that my reference is the 256GB model with 8GB RAM, so YMMV with a 6GB RAM model.

Also note that if anyone has a worthwhile trade-in device with the enhanced trade-in values, I would definitely recommend the flagship S9 over this tablet, because it can be had for about the same price when trading in something like an S7 FE (which I did). But for buying out of pocket with no trade-in, this is an attractive price. In the future you will likely get a very good trade-in value on this device, compared to garbage or even non-existent trade-in values of competing devices in this price range.

This is a good deal on a decent tablet for people who don't do intense games, who don't want to deal with obsolete tablets (no more software updates), or who don't want to gamble on used/refurbished previous gen flagship-tier tablets. As someone who despises Apple's OS and interfaces and business practices, I think this is a very good alternative to Apple's "budget minded" tablets (which cost more on par with a full S9 anyways).

S9 FE 8GB is certainly way above anything budget end like a Fire tablet. It is much better than the A9+. Despite comparable CPU with the S7 FE it is absolutely much more responsive. The extra RAM over older tablets alone makes a big difference in performance compared to obsolete tablets that only have 4GB.

The screen on this is actually very nice even compared side by side to the S9 120hz OLED. It is a good implementation of IPS screen. 90hz refresh rate compared to 120hz is not really noticeable in regular use and will only make any real difference in fast paced games. Maybe not the best in very bright direct sunlight, but any indoor use is very good display.

I have not noticed any legitimate slowness with loading or switching apps. I did disable RAM Plus on first setup because I have seen it cause issues on previous Samsung devices. Multiple apps running with several browser tabs open and nothing stands out as being slow or choppy. It does seem to get a little warm when running something like Minecraft or Civ VI for extended periods, but that also isn't anything out of the ordinary for most phones and tablets either. This isn't a gaming powerhouse, but it appears capable of playing most games out there without issue. I have started playing with emulation and so far it is holding up with Xbox and PS2 tier games and some older PC games without any issues.

9FE or Pixel Tablet @ 399 any thoughts.

Thanks for this, I really want to give it a try, but not sure if it's worth the headache of trying it and seeing, especially being in the Apple ecosystem?

My goal is to just use a new tablet for reading, watching media, and occasionally web browsing. Nothing crazy, but also want to consider my options before dropping $350 on a device.

The processor being the same as an A54 smartphone has me second guessing and thinking about just going for the iPad 9th or 10th gen. The 9th gen is solid pricing wise, but the lack of USB-C and the older design has be on the fence too.

Regarding comparisons to the A54, I personally believe there is a difference in performance due to ability to handle heat. My brother had an A54 and returned it because it quickly got hot under mild use and then had issues. I suspect the size of form factor makes a big difference. The S9 FE got warm after extended continual use with some games, but I believe the larger surface area allows it to go longer without hitting thermal issues compared to A54. I also suspect the A54 120hz screen exacerbated issues with performance, and that's partly why the S9 FE screen is only 90hz. The A54 was relieved of a lot of issues when set to lower refresh rate, so I think that is at play here.

For your described use case, I would recommend focusing on whatever device gets you the best screen/audio for the price, battery life second, everything else is less important. The Tab S9 FE has a good IPS LCD display, but it is no AMOLED. It has ok but not great battery life. You could potentially do better than this for the price for your use - IF you're willing to take the route of used or refurbished older flagship AND willing to accept fewer or no more updates. That can be a valid route to a great device for cheap. Or you could roll the dice on one of the many hyped China models like Lenovo. Personally I thought their AMOLED screen was poor, especially now that I have an S9+. So I wouldn't really recommend that route.

As for if you should get an iPad....I won't ever recommend any iPad because I can't stand the Apple ecosystem, their UI and OS, or how they cripple their end use through arbitrary restrictions and limitations. Just my own subjective personal stance on that. If they already have you hooked in, only you can answer whether you want to break away from it or if you just go with it.

What do you mean by
... I wish Android tablets were compatible with Android phones without brand affiliation...but that not reality. ... ?


Also where do you see the cloud storage offering for fi?

9FE

Pixel Tablet has issues

I have this tablet. Battery life is not that great, but screen is surprisingly good for LCD. It's also kinda heavy. I'm waiting for this tablet to be eligible for trade in.

For general use, it's fine. Nothing to brag about.

I traded in an S7 FE for an S9+ for myself, and I bought the 256GB model of the S9 FE with this Amazon deal for my girlfriend. I have been comparing them side by side now and frankly I don't see much validity in a lot of the critical comments here.

Note that my reference is the 256GB model with 8GB RAM, so YMMV with a 6GB RAM model.

Also note that if anyone has a worthwhile trade-in device with the enhanced trade-in values, I would definitely recommend the flagship S9 over this tablet, because it can be had for about the same price when trading in something like an S7 FE (which I did). But for buying out of pocket with no trade-in, this is an attractive price. In the future you will likely get a very good trade-in value on this device, compared to garbage or even non-existent trade-in values of competing devices in this price range.

This is a good deal on a decent tablet for people who don't do intense games, who don't want to deal with obsolete tablets (no more software updates), or who don't want to gamble on used/refurbished previous gen flagship-tier tablets. As someone who despises Apple's OS and interfaces and business practices, I think this is a very good alternative to Apple's "budget minded" tablets (which cost more on par with a full S9 anyways).

S9 FE 8GB is certainly way above anything budget end like a Fire tablet. It is much better than the A9+. Despite comparable CPU with the S7 FE it is absolutely much more responsive. The extra RAM over older tablets alone makes a big difference in performance compared to obsolete tablets that only have 4GB.

The screen on this is actually very nice even compared side by side to the S9 120hz OLED. It is a good implementation of IPS screen. 90hz refresh rate compared to 120hz is not really noticeable in regular use and will only make any real difference in fast paced games. Maybe not the best in very bright direct sunlight, but any indoor use is very good display.

I have not noticed any legitimate slowness with loading or switching apps. I did disable RAM Plus on first setup because I have seen it cause issues on previous Samsung devices. Multiple apps running with several browser tabs open and nothing stands out as being slow or choppy. It does seem to get a little warm when running something like Minecraft or Civ VI for extended periods, but that also isn't anything out of the ordinary for most phones and tablets either. This isn't a gaming powerhouse, but it appears capable of playing most games out there without issue. I have started playing with emulation and so far it is holding up with Xbox and PS2 tier games and some older PC games without any issues.

You're going to return and go with an iPad? The 9th and 10th gen feel smooth, even without the higher refresh rates.

Yeah, I'm gonna wait for the new iPads to drop and look at an iPad Air and maybe go all in on the keyboard and pen. Figure it as a long term investment. It's really, really smooth. I tried it in the store. And the app store is so much better.

What issues?