I attempted Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10 FE, and it is shockingly good for $500

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10 FE is unquestionably a jack of all trades, however after utilizing it for roughly two weeks, I can confidently say that it is a grasp of none. Is {that a} dangerous factor, although? For a fan-edition machine, not essentially — I feel it truly performs to its benefit.

Initially anticipated in 2024, the brand new tab sequence is lastly out after a number of months’ delay, giving Samsung ample time to ship the mid-range pill with Android 15-based One UI 7 preinstalled.

The Tab S10 FE’s 10.9-inch show is nice sufficient for doodling, taking notes, studying, and lightweight work, and when paired with its iterative chip, RAM, and digital camera upgrades, the pill tries its greatest to supply a flexible expertise and fill the void left by the now gone base Tab S10.

Associated

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10 series goes all in on AI

This yr, the tech large is releasing two new tablets, the Tab S10+ and the Tab S10 Extremely, alongside its Galaxy S24 FE smartphone.

Worth, availability, and specs

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10 FE was introduced on April 2 and it subsequently went on sale on April 10. Starting at $500 for the 128GB Wi-Fi iteration, the pill’s value can go as excessive as $600 for the mobile model. It is out there to buy immediately through Samsung’s official web site or via main retailers and e-sellers like Finest Purchase and Amazon. Out there colours embody blue, grey, and silver. For this evaluation, I used a grey 128GB mobile Galaxy Tab S10 FE.

The brand new mannequin is accompanied by the Tab S10 FE Plus, which boasts an even bigger 13.1-inch display, a ten,090mAH Li-Po cell, and a heftier beginning price ticket of $650. Functionally, although, barring the 2 foremost variations talked about, the tablets are primarily the identical, and which one of many two you determine to purchase (if any) in the end is determined by whether or not you like a ten.9-inch or a 13.1-inch pill.

On the spec entrance, the brand new pill is, a minimum of on paper, an improve over its predecessor, the Tab S9 FE. For reference, a number of of the Galaxy Tab S10 FE’s strengths stem from its software program. Entry to One UI 7 instantly, paired with Google’s AI smarts does assist the machine cement its spot as a succesful mid-to-high-range pill, however its iterative chip improve is not something to scoff at both.

Its 4nm Exynos 1580 gives higher efficiency than its predecessor’s Exynos 1380, full with 4 cores at 1.95GHz, three cores at 2.60GHz, and one core at 2.91GHz that push a single-core rating of 1,377 and a multi-core rating of three,928 on Geekbench 6. This isn’t top-of-the-line efficiency by any means, however the 10.9-inch pill doesn’t wish to make the pretense of being a flagship contender.

In my expertise the Tab S10 FE by no means did not put up strong efficiency throughout on a regular basis duties like scrolling via social media, common looking, studying information, video calls/conferences, and typing through apps like Google Docs (a part of this evaluation was even written on the Tab S10 FE) — all concurrently. Switching between apps and multitasking was usually a easy expertise, with stutter-free animations on the pill’s 90Hz show (extra on that later).

What I favored concerning the Galaxy Tab S10 FE

Samsung goes all in on AI, as anticipated

Samsung touts the Galaxy Tab S10 FE as an AI-first machine, in order that’s how I went about testing it initially.

Accessing Google’s AI smarts, particularly Gemini and Circle to Search (CtS), is a seamless course of on the Tab S10 FE. Usually reserved for its S-series flagship smartphones, the pill unlocks energy button Gemini entry, which makes invoking Google’s AI assistant a breeze. If you happen to’re not a Gemini fan, the aspect button will be custom-made to set off Samsung’s Bixby or the ability off menu.

Equally, triggering CtS is so simple as long-tapping the house button, permitting you to question Google Search about on-screen parts. I solely use CtS in very area of interest instances, however Gemini (as an assistant) is a unique story. What began out as Bard somewhat over two years in the past has developed right into a full-fledged on-device AI assistant.

With Google Assistant on its means out, and Bixby…properly, being Bixby, Gemini feels just like the pure alternative, particularly whenever you take multi-extension prompts into consideration. Workspace apps, Cellphone, Messages, WhatsApp, Google Residence, and YouTube (Music) are simply a few of the apps Gemini is built-in with, permitting you to make use of the tab whereas controlling sensible residence units, discovering new songs on YouTube Music, sending messages with out switching apps, and extra — all through pure language instructions.

Nevertheless, Google’s AI isn’t the one one Samsung boasts with the Tab S10 FE. Its suite of Galaxy AI instruments shines via, too. One UI 7’s Now Bar feels at residence, providing at-a-glance stay data on the lock display and the standing bar. The shortage of an always-on show, paired with the bar not taking on your entire width of the show (till expanded) does make the expertise really feel sub-par when in comparison with smartphones. However that — the latter particularly — is fixable with a subsequent software program replace (the Tab S10 FE will get seven years of updates). The absence of always-on, then again, does not essentially break the characteristic.

That serves as the right segue to the Pill’s 10.9-inch LCD. Much like Samsung’s older-gen FE tablets, the Tab S10 FE doesn’t boast an AMOLED show, and that’s noticeable at first look if you have not touched an LCD panel machine shortly.

I’ve used Samsung’s Tab S9 Extremely (AMOLED) up to now, and I each day drive a (2021) 11-inch iPad Professional (IPS LCD), and the Galaxy Tab S10 FE’s show is clearly extra akin to the latter. It is a compromise that Samsung needed to make to have the ability to supply the Fan Version machine at a aggressive value level, however with me each day driving an IPS LCD pill, the inferior show high quality wasn’t essentially a trouble.

That is not to say that the inherent limitations of LCD know-how aren’t there. If you happen to decide up the Tab S10 FE after spending time with a higher-end pill or a brand new smartphone, its colours will not seem as vibrant, blacks will not be as deep, and you will discover the decrease distinction ratio.

This would not probably be a difficulty for on a regular basis duties like looking, scrolling via social media, studying articles on Pocket-Lint, or watching YouTube movies. If you happen to’re prioritizing colour accuracy for skilled picture enhancing or designing, or in search of deep blacks for HDR content material, you are probably not contemplating the S10 FE as a viable choice anyway.

Regardless of the power-hungry LCD, the Tab S10 FE’s battery fares exceptionally properly, simply lasting me roughly 5 to 6 days per cost, with occasional video streaming, DeX utilization, note-taking, and web-browsing. If you happen to plan to make use of the pill as a piece machine, anticipate to get somewhat over a day’s value of utilization

The battery dimension, 8,000mAh, is identical as 2023’s Tab S9 FE, however with the extra environment friendly Exynos 1580 because the brains of the operation, the pill does appear to final a bit longer. In case you do run out, the pill helps 45W charging, which constantly obtained me from 0 to 60 % in 35 minutes, and 0 to 100% in somewhat over one hour and ten minutes.

Only a heads-up — when it is time to plug in, charging is strictly BYOB — and by that, I imply carry your personal brick, not your go-to bubbly beverage.

Elsewhere, the pill’s 90Hz refresh price will get the job finished with out making animations look too uneven, although for the additional $50 Samsung is charging for the brand new pill (in comparison with the Tab S9 FE), a 144 or 120Hz refresh price would have made much more sense.

I additionally actually just like the pill’s fingerprint sensor. My expertise with Android pill fingerprint scanners has usually been unreliable. And whereas my iPad’s Face ID usually capabilities excellently, it isn’t at all times a great unlocking answer.

With the Tab S10 FE, the fingerprint scanner in itself is a giant win — and it being a responsive and correct one is a cherry on high. That, nevertheless, leads me to a significant gripe.

What I did not like concerning the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE

Face Unlock is dissapointingly lacklustre

Though fingerprint biometrics on the Tab S10 FE carried out significantly better than I had initially anticipated, Face Unlock was unusable for me. This isn’t a criticism of the characteristic being hit and miss — I wasn’t even capable of set it up.

For added context, my time with 2023’s Tab S9 FE was additionally marked by subpar face unlock efficiency. The pill would solely acknowledge me in probably the most ultimate lighting conditions. And it wasn’t only a ‘me’ challenge — again then, I had a few of my housemates register their faces, and the Tab S9 FE constantly did not authenticate them, too. This time round, I used to be outright unable to arrange face biometrics.

After I first started organising the Tab S10 FE, I went forward and tried to arrange Face Unlock to keep away from having to do it later. Sadly, the pill crashed as quickly because the characteristic started scanning. It did not make an important first impression, and I needed to arrange the pill yet again. “No biggie, although, that should not occur once more”‘ is what I believed. That wasn’t the case — the pill crashed once more.

I chalked it to the preliminary setup being buggy, and proceeded with a four-digit pin, hoping that I would be capable to arrange Face Unlock later through Settings. Oh boy, was I flawed! The pill crashed each time I attempted the biometric technique (two extra extremely compressed GIFs are coming your means). I gave up after a number of makes an attempt and grew to understand the useful fingerprint scanner much more.

I am certain that this is not a widespread challenge, in any other case it might have been throughout Samsung’s neighborhood discussion board and Reddit. Although it is not an remoted one both, and it positively left a nasty style in my mouth. I discovered similar reports about facial recognition inflicting Samsung tablets to crash, although these experiences have been from 2022, and the difficulty was subsequently fastened with a software program replace.

Going into this pill evaluation, I anticipated the Tab S10 FE’s cameras to be common at greatest. Tablets aren’t essentially my go-to for capturing reminiscences, and, in no significant means, did the Tab S10 FE handle to sway my desire. Taking pictures with it is not actually a sensible strategy. If it have been as much as me, I would eliminate the rear digital camera placement on all tablets. I would a lot quite see producers make the most of the vacant area to suit a entrance shooter that is actually on-par with a few of the greatest flagships, not simply on paper.

Despite the fact that the Tab S10 FE options a greater digital camera system than its predecessor (13-megapixel rear vs 8-megapixel rear), I discovered that the pictures it produces aren’t essentially any higher. They’re usually gentle, boring, and blurry, with movement being its greatest bane. Images shot throughout peak lighting situations are the one ones that you could depend on. You’ll be higher off relying in your telephone for core reminiscences, and the pill just for the occasional one.

The 12-megapixel selfie shooter, just like built-in laptop computer webcams, is first rate for video calls, however that is concerning the extent you’d wish to make use of its capabilities.

These gripes culminate with a $50 value hike. 2023’s Tab S9 FE launched for $450 — the Tab S10 FE begins at $500.

The brand new pill is not the identical as its predecessor, however aside from the chip bump and a RAM enhance (which you already must pay further for), it does not boast any significant upgrades both. It is primarily the identical dimension, options the identical IPS LCD 90Hz show, sports activities the identical battery dimension and charging velocity, and an equivalent look too.

One UI 7 bears the brunt of providing upgrades value contemplating, but when we begin paying a premium for software-side upgrades, we might all be broke very quickly. Oh, and Samsung’s older tablets, together with the Galaxy Tab S8 and S9 sequence, are poised to get One UI 7 in Could, adopted by the Tab S9 FE in June, begging the query of what worth the Tab S10 FE gives for its $50 larger beginning value, particularly contemplating that Samsung’s older tablets can ceaselessly be discovered on sale.

Must you purchase the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE

A strong choice for college kids

If you happen to’re available in the market for a pill that may proceed to be supported with software program updates for the higher a part of the following decade, however you don’t want to spend greater than what a brand new mid-range pill usually instructions, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE may simply be a match for you.

It will be a superb pill for college kids aiming to multitask on a display that is greater than their smartphone, or informal customers in search of a large-screen machine to jot notes or stream their favourite films and reveals on. Google and Samsung’s AI smarts are a bonus on high, able to aiding you with homework, brainstorming concepts, and even summarizing prolonged papers on the fly.

Visible purists, energy customers, photographers, and people in search of a extra highly effective general expertise may wish to discover alternate options with the next price ticket.

This machine was offered to Pocket-lint by Samsung.

Model

Samsung

Storage

128GB/256GB

Working System

One UI 7

Ports

USB Kind-C 2.0