- When Samsung released
the Tab S9 FE and FE+, they made things really interesting. But at the same time,
choosing which tablet to get might be more confusing, so let's break it down. To make things a little bit easier, let's put these tablets
up into two categories: the fan edition models
and the flagship models. And this makes sense because essentially the
features are the same for every tablet in each category with a few exceptions. And here's a quick look
at the starting prices. So starting out with the displays, both categories have an
aspect ratio of 16:10, which makes them great
for watching content. But in terms of specs, that's pretty much where
the similarities end. The FE models have IPS/LCD displays, which offer a slower 90
hertz adaptive refresh rate with a good resolution and pixel density. All three flagship models have
Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays, which offer a faster 120
hertz adaptive refresh rate, a higher resolution when
comparing the same display sizes so you can see more content
without having to scroll, and we're also getting
a higher pixel density when comparing the same display sizes, which gives us a sharper image. And in terms of image quality, the FE displays are actually quite good, and I'm super happy with the image quality for watching video and for playing games. I also love that we're getting
90 hertz versus the 60 hertz we got on the Tab S7 FE, which was the last fan edition model. But there's no question that
the dynamic AMOLED display on the flagship models
is the better display. Colors seem to just pop
right off the screen. We're getting outstanding
blacks, better contrast, and the UI animations look smoother. Overall, the advantage
in terms of image quality clearly goes to the flagship models. But keep in mind the cost because the flagship displays are not twice as good
as the fan edition ones. Now all five tablets have a similar design with a full aluminum frame and back, but when comparing the
tablets of the same size, the flagship models are thinner. Now, I love that Samsung was
able to bring IP68 rating down to the FE version. This gives all the tablets
protection from water and dust. Now, this is really nice if
you take your tablet with you when you travel or if you take it to school with you every day. But it's also a super nice feature when you're using it around the house and you have a dog with a
somewhat aggressive tail. Now, all five tablets
offer face recognition for biometric authentication and a more secure fingerprint sensor. Now with the flagship models, we're getting an under display sensor, and with the FE models, it's integrated into the power button. Now, both sensors have
worked really great for me, and they're super responsive and accurate. But I prefer the under display version because it's more natural
to how I hold the tablet. All five tablets also
have a micro SD card slot, so you can upgrade the internal storage by up to one terabyte. And you can use that storage for photos, for videos, for files, and for most apps. Now, continuing to look around the edges, we're getting four AKG-tuned speakers on the flagship models
versus two on the FE. And the flagship models
absolutely have a more full sound. The audio seems warmer, it
has more presence to it, which actually makes them a better choice if you want to use the
speakers on your tablet. Now, another factor to
consider is the ability to expand the functionality of each tablet by adding a keyboard case and a stylus. Now since the form factor of the flagship and the FE models is so similar, the Tab S9 and FE are compatible
with the same two versions of the book cover keyboards from Samsung. And the same is true for
the FE+ and the Tab S9+. And then, of course, you can always use an external Bluetooth keyboard
with all of these tablets. All five tablets also
come with a free S pen, which can be stored on the side or on the back of the tablet. But only the flagship models come with a Bluetooth enabled S pen, which offers some wireless functionality for things like camera
control and media playback. Now in terms of the
actual writing experience, it's virtually identical and no charges required in
order to write and draw. It's only needed for the
Bluetooth functionality with the flagship models. Now, one of the areas where Samsung had to create some differentiation is with processing power, and there are several
critical implications here. So the flagship models come with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and the FE models come
with the Exynos 1380, so let's quickly look at the single and multi-core performance. And here we can see
that the Snapdragon chip definitely pulls ahead. We also see it's scored
considerably higher in GPU performance. Now, of course, these are
just benchmark scores. So what kind of impact is this gonna have during typical real life use? Well, if you're just surfing the web, watching video, or going on social media, you're definitely gonna be able to do that with any of these tablets. But the flagship models definitely feel snappier and more responsive. And even if you're just
navigating around the UI and opening and closing apps, you're going to notice the difference. And I would expect the flagship models to continue and perform better for longer because of the additional
headroom in terms of performance. Now, of course, for more demanding things, like photo and video editing, the flagship models are
a more capable option, but always keep in mind what
you actually plan on doing because you are paying quite a bit more. Now, another area where
I definitely noticed a meaningful difference is with gaming. I play a lot on my tablets, and I was really curious to see how these processors would match up. So I was able to play my usual games like PUBG, Genshin Impact, Asphalt, and then, of course, some
less demanding games. But there was a very obvious difference in both processing power
and GPU performance, which did have an impact
on my overall experience with more resource intensive games. Now using PUBG as an example, gameplay was smoother and more responsive on the flagship models, and I could play with
graphics set to smooth and frame rate set to 90 FPS. I could also set graphics
anywhere from balanced to HDR and frame rate set to extreme
or Ultra HD for graphics and Ultra for frame rate. With the FE models, I was
limited to high frame rate, weather graphics were set
to smooth, balanced, or HD, and that was as good as it got. So I definitely didn't
get to use the 90 FPS. Now playing Genshin Impact, I had a very similar experience where it's playable on all five tablets, but it performed better
on the flagship models, again, because of the
more capable processor and the additional RAM, which I'll discuss in a minute. So if gaming is a priority for you now, then looking ahead, we
know that game developers are always going to push the CPU and GPU, and games are going to evolve and start to demand
more and more resources. When I look to keep a device for at least four to five
years or even longer, I'm always going to opt for the tablet that has better CPU and GPU performance than what I need right now. And that way it will continue to perform better in the future. Now if you want to stream
and play Xbox games with the Xbox Game Pass app, you can pair an Xbox controller
with all five tablets and then have extremely smooth gameplay as long as you have a
reliable internet connection. In terms of storage, the
Tab S9 FE, the Tab S9, and the Tab S9 FE+ start
out with 128 gigabytes. Then, the Tab S9+ and the Tab
S9 Ultra start out with 256. So that's something that
you want to keep in mind if you play a lot of games
and you need more storage. Now looking at the camera systems, we're getting different
setups and features depending on which model
and category you go with. But in terms of the front facing camera, all three flagships have the same setup, and then the two FE models
have the same setup. And here's a quick sample. This is a camera and
microphone test of the Tab S9 and the Tab S9 FE. This should give you a pretty good idea of the type of image quality
that you're going to get and the type of audio quality that you should expect for video calls. Here's a camera and microphone test of the Tab S9+ and the Tab S9 FE+. This should give you a pretty good idea of the type of image quality
that you're going to get and the type of audio quality
that you should expect. Now, the Tab S9+ looks a
little overexposed to me. All I did was press record, I didn't change any of the settings. The color is also definitely
different on the FE+. It seems like a much warmer image and probably a better exposure, which is really interesting. Now, all five tablets run the
latest Android and One UI, so you're getting all
of the latest features, like three tiled apps, pop-up windows, and then, of course,
decks, which is awesome. So essentially, it reboots the tablet and gives you an operating system that's very similar to a desktop OS. You're getting a task
bar, a desktop with icons, multiple windows, you can snap windows, and you can use a keyboard case to transform your tablet into
more of a laptop replacement. Now if you use decks, you can connect a keyboard
and mouse to all five tablets. But one massive difference is that you can only
connect an external display and run a dual display setup
with the flagship models. The FE models don't have this ability. You can, however, use
each of the five tablets as an additional display
for your laptop or desktop with Samsung's Second Screen. And this is a super handy feature for me both in the office and when I travel. Now as far as OS and security updates, Samsung promised four years of OS updates and five years of security
updates, which is nice. And again, keep in mind the
difference in performance if you plan on keeping
your tablet for a while. Now, in terms of battery life, we're getting larger battery sizes as we go up in tablet size. And you can check out this video if you wanna see a detailed
battery drain test. Now, all five tablets offer
45 watts, super fast charging, but none of them ship
with a charging adapter. So that's something you'll
need to get separately. Now when we look at the
configuration options, it's important that we look both at the RAM and storage options in the base and upgraded models. And remember that while
only the Tab S9 Ultra is offered with one terabyte, you can expand the internal storage on all five tablets with a micro SD card. And there's no question that the flagship models are more capable. They have better display, a much more powerful chip with better CPU and GPU performance, better speakers, a better camera system, and a more capable S pen. But if you're on a budget
and you don't need the best, the FE models are an outstanding value, and you're still getting
a very good display, IP68 rating, a free S pen, and a lot of the same features for significantly less money. Now, you should check out
the battery drain test. You know what I always say. Buy it nice or buy it twice. Good luck and see you soon.
