- I'm so excited at what
Samsung did this year. After they didn't release
an FE version of the Tab S8, they released not one but two FE versions of the newer Tab S9 lineup. So let's talk about how they compare, the interesting differences
in battery life, whether either one of these
is actually worth getting. And thank you to Best Buy for sponsoring a portion of this video. So overall, these are
two very similar tablets, and one of the most important
differences is size. The Tab S9 FE is smaller
with a 10.9 inch display, the FE+ comes with a
larger 12.4 inch display, so naturally, it's larger and heavier, but it's not any thicker. The two tablets have a similar design with a full aluminum frame and back, and I love that Samsung was
able to bring IP68 rating down to the FE version, giving both tablets protection
from water and dust. Now this is great if you take
your tablet with you to work or when you travel, but it's
also a super nice feature if you're using it around the house and you have a dog that likes
to throw toys up in the air and also has a super aggressive tail. Now both tablets offer face recognition for biometric authentication, and a more secure fingerprint sensor, which is integrated into the power button. Now the fingerprint
sensor on the FE models has worked great for me, but it's just a little less convenient than the under-display sensor
on the flagship models. Both tablets also have
a microSD card slot, so we can upgrade the internal storage by up to one terabyte, and we can use that storage
for photos, for videos, for files, and for most apps. Now continuing to look around the edges, we're getting two AKG-tuned
speakers on both tablets. And while the flagship models
come with four speakers and sound fuller, the FE models are not too shabby if you're someone who
actually uses the speakers on their tablet. Now going back to the display, both tablets have an IPS LCD display, which offers a 90 hertz
adaptive refresh rate. The FE model has a low resolution but a slightly higher pixel density. And realistically, you
aren't really going to notice that difference in terms of sharpness. Now I like the higher resolution and the larger display on the FE+ because I'm able to see more
without having to scroll and it's better for multitasking. But of course, you're
giving up on portability and there are also some
implications in terms of gaming, which we'll talk about later on. Now both tablets have an
aspect ratio of 16:10, so they're excellent for watching content. And in terms of image quality, both are very good for LCD displays. And if you're looking for
an even better display, you can check out the Tab
S8+ or the Tab S8 Ultra with their dynamic AMOLED display, or jump to the current
flagship Tab S9 models with their dynamic AMOLED 2X displays. Now when it comes to gaming, it's important to consider the fact that these are not flagship models. So part of what you're
giving up is performance. I was able to play my usual
games like "Genshin," "Asphalt," "PUBG," and then, of course,
some less demanding games, but there's an obvious difference in both processing power
and GPU performance when compared with the flagship models, and it did have an impact on
more resource-intensive games. The two FE models
performed about the same, and we'll quickly go over benchmarks in the Performance section, but there's no question that Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip in the flagship models is more capable than the
Exynos 1380 in the FE versions. Using "PUBG" as an example, with the FE model, I was
limited to high frame rate whether Graphics were set
to Smooth, Balanced, or HD, and that was as good as it got. So I definitely couldn't get to 90 FPS. With the flagship models, gameplay was smoother and more responsive, 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 to Extreme, or ultra HD for Graphics
and Ultra for Frame Rate. While playing "Genshin Impact," I had a very similar experience where it was playable on the FE models, but it was much more fluid and less laggy on the flagship models. Again, because of the
more capable processor and the additional RAM. Now the FE+ model does
come with either two or four more gigs of
RAM than the FE model. Depending on which storage
option we're comparing in, we'll cover that in the
Configuration section. Either way, if more demanding
games are a priority for you, then keep in mind that
we know game developers are always going to push to 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, I'm always going to opt for the tablet that has better CPU and GPU performance than I need right now. And that way, I know that it'll
continue to perform better in the future. Something else to consider
is the size of the display. The FE+ is bigger, so
it's easier to see someone sniping at you from a distance, but the FE model is smaller and lighter so it's more comfortable to hold and play for longer periods of time. If you wanna stream and play Xbox games with the Xbox Game Pass app, you can pair an Xbox
controller with both tablets and have extremely smooth gameplay as long as you have a
reliable internet connection. I would give the edge to the FE+ model because of the larger display. And both tablets started
with 120 gigabytes of storage and have a 256 gigabyte model. So there's no advantage in
terms of space for games. And remember that you can use the microSD for additional inexpensive
storage, which is a great deal. And speaking of that, if you're looking for
great deals on new tech, check out today's sponsor, Best Buy, where you can get a 512
gigabyte Samsung Pro Plus microSD card for 40 bucks. And when you use the app, you get a first look at Best Buy Drops, which means you're getting better savings on hot or limited inventory products. Best Buy has great prices
and a Price Match Guarantee. And my Best Buy members
get exclusive offers on thousands of products. Like check out this 65 inch 4K TV, it's originally 1,299, but my
Best Buy members get $200 off. Or you can take $70 off the
Book Cover Keyboard Slim for the Tab S9 FE+. On top of that, if you shop in store, you can just have a blue shirt scan your digital member ID from the app, and all your in-store purchases are attached to your My Best Buy account. So if you wanna save some money on a gift or something for yourself, make sure to download the Best
Buy app now for great deals, and think you to Best Buy for sponsoring this portion of the video. Now back to the tablets, another factor to consider is the ability to expand the
functionality of each tablet by adding a keyboard case and a stylus. Now both tablets are compatible with two versions of the Book
Cover Keyboard from Samsung. In that context, I prefer the FE+ because it's larger and
more comfortable to type on. And of course, you can always use an external Bluetooth keyboard instead. Now both tablets also
come with a free S Pen, which can be stored on the side or on the back of the tablet, but these are not Bluetooth-enabled S Pens like the ones that come
with the flagship models. In terms of the actual writing experience, it's going to be the
same with both tablets. And the only practical difference here is the larger canvas on the FE+ model. Looking at the camera systems, both have an eight
megapixel rear-facing camera and a 12 megapixel selfie camera. So here's a quick sample. Here's a camera and microphone
test of the Tab S9 FE 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 from both tablets. We talked about performance
in the Gaming section, so let's quickly look at the single and multi-core performance of the Snapdragon 8 Gen
2 and the Exynos 138 so you can see the differences between the FE and the flagship models. We also see a significant
difference in GPU performance, which helps explain
some of the differences we saw when gaming. This is not to say that the FE
models are not a good value. If you're surfing the web, watching video, or going on social media, you'll definitely be able
to use these tablets. And even for like gaming or
for and other typical tasks, these will work great. Of course, for more demanding things like photo and video editing
or for more demanding games, the flagship models are more capable, but I always encourage you to keep in mind what you plan on doing and not buy products based
on somebody else's needs. Both tablets run the
latest Android and One UI, so you're getting all the latest features like three tiled apps, pop-up windows, and then of course DeX, which is awesome. So essentially, it reboots the tablet and gives you an operating system that is 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 to
more of a laptop replacement. You can also connect an
external keyboard and mouse for a better user experience, but you can't connect an external display and run a dual display setup
with either the FE or the FE+. That's only available
on the flagship models. You can, however, use
both of these tablets as an additional display
for your laptop or desktop with Samsung's Second Screen. This is a super handy
feature when you travel. As far as OS and security updates, Samsung promises four years of OS updates and five years of security updates, which I think is great. In terms of battery life, the FE model has a smaller
8,000 milliamp per hour battery versus 10,090 on the FE+, and I was super curious to
know how that would play out considering the differences
in the display sizes. In my test, I found that the larger
battery on the FE+ lasts longer even though it has to
power the bigger display. And if you want more information, check out this detailed battery drain test of the entire Tab S9 lineup. Now both tablets offer
45 watt fast charging, but neither ships with an adapter, so that's something that you're gonna need to purchase separately. Now when we look at configuration options, both start out with 120
gigabytes of internal storage. The Tab S9 FE comes with six gigs of RAM, and the FE+ comes with eight gigs of RAM. If we upgrade to 256
gigabytes on both models, then we're getting eight
gigs of RAM on the Tab S9 FE, and then 12 on the FE+. Now, I didn't notice a major
difference in performance between the two of them, but of course, all other
things being equal, having more RAM is better, especially if you're multitasking. So ultimately, the choice
comes down to the smaller, less expensive, and
more portable Tab S9 FE versus the FE+, which
has a larger display, is better for multitasking, has more RAM, and better battery life. Now you should check out
the battery drain test. Hopefully, this comparison was helpful. Click on my face to subscribe. You know what I always say,
"Buy it nice or buy it twice." Good luck and see you soon.
