Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE vs Galaxy Tab S9 FE: Everything that’s changed

Samsung is preparing to refresh its affordable tablet lineup with two new additions to the Fan Edition series. The Galaxy Tab S10 FE and Tab S10 FE Plus are expected to land on April 7, and today we’re going to explore all the upgrades and differences in the vanilla model compared to its predecessor.We also have a comparison with the Plus model, so be sure to check that one out as well if you like Plus-sized devices. But the focus now is on the Galaxy Tab S10 FE and what new hardware and features it brings compared to the Galaxy Tab S9 FE.

This comparison is a bit preliminary because the Galaxy Tab S10 FE is still not official, but we have all the information thanks to extensive leaks. We will populate the article with all the tests, benchmarks, and samples once we get our hands on the new FE tablet.

*rumored specs

Galaxy Tab S10 FE vs Galaxy Tab S9 FE Design and Display

Wait, which is which?

To say that the design is similar between these two devices will be an understatement. They are almost identical, or at least that’s what the latest leaked renders of the Galaxy Tab S10 FE are showing.

We expect the Tab S10 FE to feature the same size and weight as its predecessor, or to be precise, dimensions coming in at 165.8 x 254.3 x 6.5 mm and the slate weighing in at 524 grams. We have the same aluminum back and frame, similarly sized bezels, and the placement of the rear camera is the same; you get the picture. These two look like the same device, at least from a distance.

When it comes to the display, there aren’t any differences listed, at least as far as leaked specs for the Galaxy Tab S10 FE. Both feature a 10.9-inch (which Samsung rounds up to 11-inch in press materials) IPS LCD display, and both have the same 2304 x 1440 resolution, resulting in around 249 PPI. 

The refresh rate is 90Hz on both tablets, and there might be some brightness gains on the new model, but we have to test this, so stay tuned for some hard numbers and a comparison chart here soon.

There’s good news and bad news, as stories often go. The good news is that both of these devices come with an included stylus in the retail box. The bad news, however, is that neither comes with a keyboard.

However, there’s a new case called Book Cover Keyboard that you can get for the Galaxy Tab S10 FE (we assume you can use the same case on the Tab S9 FE but don’t quote us on this one yet). This case will set you back an additional $200, so there’s that.

There are some third-party accessories, and Samsung also sells the Smart Book Cover case for the Tab S9 FE, but this one doesn’t have a keyboard, just a slot for a stylus.

Galaxy Tab S10 FE vs Galaxy Tab S9 FE Performance

Faster but still Exynos?

The Galaxy Tab S9 FE launched with the Exynos 1380 chipset onboard, which is a midrange silicon found on many low-midrange phones, including the new Galaxy A26. This 8-core chipset is perfectly fine for daily tasks and casual gaming but won’t break any performance records.

The new model, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE, upgrades the chipset to the Exynos 1580, which is again an 8-core silicon but uses a different design. It features one Cortex A-720 core that’s clocked at 2.9 GHz, alongside the three slightly slower A-720 cores (2.6 GHz) and the four Cortex A-520 efficiency cores. This is different from the 4x Cortex-A78 at 2.4 GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 at 2.0 GHz configuration of the Tab S9 FE.

The Exynos 1580 can also be found on the new upper midrange smartphone offerings from Samsung—the Galaxy A56 and Galaxy A36. We have to test the Tab S10 FE ourselves, but judging from the info we have, we’re looking at decent performance gains between the Exynos 1380 and the Exynos 1580. Stay tuned for performance benchmarks.

In terms of software, these two are again very similar. The Galaxy Tab S9 FE launched with Android 14 out of the box with OneUI 6 on top but received an update and now runs Android 15 with OneUI 7.

As far as features are concerned, we will include a breakdown of the new features on the Galaxy Tab S10 FE as soon as we lay our hands on the new tablet. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE will receive four generations of OS upgrades and five years of security updates, and we expect the same for the new model, as well.

Galaxy Tab S10 FE vs Galaxy Tab S9 FE Battery and Charging

Galaxy Tab S10 FE vs Galaxy Tab S9 FE Camera

The basics

Samsung reserves dual camera systems for its flagship tablets—the Tab S series. Even though people rarely buy tablets to go out on a shooting spree (and we mean photography taking!), it’s nice to have some options and flexibility.

The older Galaxy Tab S9 FE comes with a pretty modest 8MP camera on its back and a 12MP selfie camera. This is kind of logical, as you often would use a tablet for conference meetings, video chats, etc.

The Galaxy Tab S10 FE is expected with an upgrade in the camera system, but don’t hold your breath. There’s a new 13MP camera on the back, nothing groundbreaking, and still a single shooter. The selfie camera is identical to the one found on the previous mode.

We will snap some side-by-side samples and see whether or not the upgrade results in some real-life differences. Stay tuned.

Normally, this section poses a hard dilemma, sometimes bordering on a philosophical question. Well, not this time. Should you upgrade if you already have the Galaxy Tab S9 FE? No. There’s no reason; the upgrades are so incremental that you won’t feel any difference in day-to-day experience.

If you’re looking to get a good midrange Android tablet for the first time, however, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE is the better choice here. It features a faster chipset, a slightly better camera, and will be supported for longer. We will give you a final verdict once we finish the review of the Galaxy Tab S10 FE.