Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE review: Is a stylus enough?

You gained’t discover a better-specced premium Android pill than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Extremely, however it’s merely an excessive amount of of all the things for most individuals. Happily, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE ought to show greater than sufficient.

It packs a good 10.9-inch show, a high-quality flat metallic design, and sufficient efficiency to do the on a regular basis stuff nicely. Samsung even bundles in an S Pen stylus with each unit, making it an important alternative for creativity.

After all, I may have written that precise final paragraph about final 12 months’s Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE. The truth is, I’ve simply checked my evaluation, and I just about did.

So what does Samsung have to point out us that’s really new? You’d hope that there’s been some kind of progress, given the £50/$50 worth bump to £499/$499 for the most recent Fan Version slate.

We’re largely speaking nips and tucks right here, and whereas the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE is one other good mid-range pill choice, you need to actually go searching earlier than deciding. Right here’s why…

Design & Construct

• Acquainted flat metallic design
• IP68 certification
• S Pen bundled in

What does the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE feel and appear like? That’s a simple one: it seems and feels precisely just like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE.

Earlier than you accuse me of lazy journalism, simply click on on that hyperlink above and evaluate the photographs of the 2 pill generations. I’ve even been certain to seize many of the similar angles for straightforward comparability. Suffice to say, Samsung actually is leaning into its iterative strategy right here.

Enhancements have been made, however they’re nearly imperceptible. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE has precisely the identical 254.3 x 165.8mm footprint, however it’s half-a-millimetre thinner at 6mm.

With a weight of 497g, it’s an entire 26g lighter. It nonetheless looks like a premium little bit of package, nevertheless. The type of creak-free all-metal construct goes an extended solution to making this really feel dearer than it’s.

So too does the supply of IP68 certification. Even the £999 iPad Professional M4 doesn’t offer you that stage of water resistance, making it a much better guess for tub time and poolside use.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Right here’s one other factor the much-vaunted iPad Professional doesn’t offer you: a bundled stylus. Each Galaxy Tab S10 FE, alternatively comes with an S Pen within the field. When not in use, it attaches to the again of the pill utilizing good sturdy magnets.

Samsung’s stylus implementation is one of the best within the enterprise. You may ignore the S Pen is there proper up till you wish to use it, at which level scrawling a fast word is just a button maintain and double display faucet away.

Press and drag to spotlight textual content, or soar into Samsung’s highly effective Notes app and scribble away with a variety of pen sorts. The writing expertise is fluid and warranted, and Samsung’s handwriting recognition and auto-justification are as improbable as ever.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

As soon as once more, there’s a fingerprint sensor stashed behind the ability button on the highest edge. This works nicely while you discover it, however I typically discover such pill provisions a bit tough to find within the first place. Apple’s safe Face ID system actually ought to be extra broadly used throughout the pill house.

The color choices are predictably drab. Samsung solely offers you Silver, Grey, and Blue – and the latter color largely applies to the antenna and brand accents, with solely a vaguely blueish tint to the physique. Would you even guess that the gadget examined right here was the Blue mannequin if I didn’t let you know? Precisely.

I perceive that the pill type issue is now mature, and there’s solely a lot you are able to do with an enormous slab of metallic and glass, however as soon as factor you’ll be able to certainly do is supply some pronounced and interesting colors. Possibly subsequent time.

Display & Audio system

• 10.9-inch IPS LCD
• 90Hz refresh price
• Stereo audio system
• First rate, however falling behind the opposition on all counts

I’m a bit stunned that Samsung despatched this specific mannequin of the Galaxy Tab S10 FE via for evaluation, as a result of by far probably the most fascinating addition to the FE roster for 2025 is the choice of a bigger 13.9-inch Plus mannequin.

As issues stand, there’s little to say about this smaller mannequin’s display that hasn’t already been mentioned. It’s one other 10.9-inch IPS LCD with a 1440 x 2304 decision and a 90Hz refresh price. Can you actually count on extra for £500/$500?

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Sure, I believe which you could. The OnePlus Pad 2 additionally offers you an LCD panel slightly than an AMOLED, however it’s a bigger 12.1-inch variant with a significantly extra fluid 144Hz refresh price and a sharper 2120 x 3000 decision. The Honor Pad V9 provides an 11.5-inch 2.8K 144Hz panel for simply £399.

With all that mentioned, I’ve no complaints in regards to the Galaxy Tab S10 FE display’s high quality. It’s vibrant sufficient, sharp sufficient, and outputs good pure colors when you activate the default ‘Vivid’ display mode within the Settings menu.

Once more, although, the dearth of Dolby Imaginative and prescient and HDR10+ assist isn’t a very good look when the OnePlus Pad 2 has been providing such issues since 2024.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Samsung’s tablets (like most Android tablets) are a lot wider than any iPad, with a 16:10 facet ratio. This can be a double-edged sword, which means that the Galaxy Tab S10 FE feels far more snug when consuming content material in panorama orientation than in portrait.

Sound output isn’t fairly as spectacular as a few of its mid-priced rivals both. You continue to get a strong pair of strong stereo audio system with good separation, however the OnePlus Pad 2 offers you a extra immersive six-speaker set-up, whereas the Honor Pad V9 offers you a whopping eight.

Specs & Efficiency

• Exynos 1580
• 8 or 12GB RAM
• 5G choice

Maybe probably the most significant enchancment with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE (after that Plus choice) pertains to its efficiency.

In supplying its newest mid-range pill with an Exynos 1580 chip, it primarily enjoys a two-generational soar over the Galaxy Tab S9 FE.

It’s not that this can be a notably spectacular processor – it’s the identical chip that powers the Samsung Galaxy A56 telephone – however it’s quick sufficient to supply fluid navigation and little in the way in which of stutter.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

It likely helps that Samsung has nudged the reminiscence provision up a bit, with both 8- or 12GB of RAM. I all the time really feel that Android begins to purr when you hit that 8GB mark.

For all that progress has been made, the OnePlus Pad 2 fingers out one other chastening with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. That’s an ageing flagship, however a flagship chip nonetheless, and it handily trounces the Galaxy Tab S10 FE throughout the standard benchmark assessments.

We haven’t completed placing the Honor Magic V9 via its paces, however its MediaTek Dimensity 8350 additionally seems to be a way more succesful chip on paper. And the Xiaomi Pad 7 (evaluation additionally coming very quickly) has a good Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3.

It’s one other case of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE being good in isolation, however slipping behind the usual set by its extra bold mid-priced rivals.

At this level, I ought to subject a shout-out to Samsung and its Apple-like market saturation, which suggests which you could specify your Galaxy Tab S10 FE with or with out 5G connectivity. That’s an choice neither of these aforementioned rivals can supply.

Cameras

• 13Mp rear digital camera captures barely sufficient pictures
• Ditto the 12Mp ultra-wide selfie cam
• Helps 4K video at 30fps

Samsung has swapped the solitary 8Mp fundamental digital camera of the Galaxy Tab S9 FE out for a 13Mp different.

It’s a nominal improve, however we’re nonetheless speaking about a particularly restricted digital camera that you just’d solely wish to seize photos with as a final resort. Just about any midway first rate smartphone digital camera will do a greater job.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Samsung’s professional picture processing, along with these further pixels, will guarantee a primary stage of competence in ideally suited lighting. However everyone knows by now that you just shouldn’t depend on your pill for pictures.

That applies doubly so to the 12Mp ultra-wide entrance digital camera, which ought to actually solely be employed for video calls. It’ll take selfies, however there’s a normal lack of readability and depth to those pictures.

On the video recording entrance, 4K/30fps assist is welcome, however once more, you wouldn’t wish to depend on the Galaxy Tab S10 FE as something however a final resort. The dearth of OIS (optical picture stabilisation), for one factor, guidelines out regular footage, and there’s no 60fps assist at 1080p.

Battery Life & Charging

• 8000mAh battery
• 45W charging assist
• No charger within the field

At first look, Samsung hasn’t introduced something new to the desk in the case of stamina. Nevertheless, the features made by the a lot newer and extra environment friendly Exynos 1580 are fairly noteworthy.

Whereas the Galaxy Tab S9 FE’s 8000mAh battery makes a return alongside the identical 10.9-inch show, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE lasted for much longer.

Samsung’s new pill managed to attain 13 hours 28 minutes in our normal PC Mark Work 3.0 battery take a look at, which simulates a combined workload. That’s a startling three hours longer than its predecessor, and about the identical size of time because the OnePlus Pad 2 with its considerably bigger battery.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

In the event you’re utilizing the Galaxy Tab S10 FE as supposed, for mild internet looking, word taking, and media consumption duties, you’ll be able to count on it to final via a number of days on a single cost. It must also final you a full working day of sunshine productiveness duties with room to spare.

The charging provision is similar as earlier than, with assist for Samsung’s 45W charging (very similar to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely). You don’t get this charger within the field, however I had one at hand.

Utilizing this official charger, I used to be capable of cost the S10 FE from empty to 27% in quarter-hour, and to 49% in half-hour. A full cost took precisely 1 hour half-hour.

Software program & Apps

• Android 15
• One UI 7
• Seven years of software program updates

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE runs on the corporate’s present One UI 7 interface, with Android 15 operating beneath. Samsung’s software program in 2025 is a comparatively simple on the attention, extraordinarily highly effective and customisable, but in addition just a bit bit congested and even annoying for somebody who likes their Android to be as near the Google ideally suited as potential.

The positives are pretty overwhelming, nevertheless. Samsung’s icons, widgets, and menus have by no means appeared as crisp and interesting as they do in One UI 7.0. It’s no nice departure from earlier variations, however it’s a pleasant tackle the corporate’s acquainted home fashion.

One UI can also be extraordinarily versatile and totally featured. Samsung DeX optimises the UI for keyboard and mouse use, turning the Galaxy Tab S10 FE into a light-weight laptop computer of types. The multitasking/app switching menu makes good use of the additional display house, and break up display app use is a doddle to make use of right here.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

I’ve already talked about S Pen implementation, however it actually is one of the best within the enterprise. Navigating with Samsung’s stylus is all the time a pleasure, with a sub-UI all the time there simply behind the scenes that can assist you however you by no means really feel strong-armed into utilizing it.

The Air Command menu provides you the power to rapidly write on the display, create a word, or enter AI choose. The latter permits you to flip movies into GIFs or extract textual content from no matter’s on display with a easy circle.

I discussed the highly effective Samsung Notes app, however you additionally get PenUP for serving to to discover your creative facet with colouring-in initiatives, in addition to works shared by different customers.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Samsung-flavoured irritations embrace the way in which you must fiddle round to get Google Password Supervisor working in contrast to each different Android gadget the place it simply works out of the field. There’s additionally a normal sense of litter, with quite a lot of Samsung’s personal apps and a Settings menu that sends me to the Search operate greater than every other.

I’m not an enormous fan of Samsung’s determination to hitch the development for splitting the notification and shortcut toggles menus, however it appears to make extra sense right here on the massive display than it does on smartphones just like the Samsung Galaxy S25.

Samsung has promised six years of OS and safety updates, which is likely one of the greatest you’ll discover in any pill, no matter worth.

Worth & Availability

The Samsung Galaxy S10 FE is in the stores now in most territories, together with the UK and US. You should buy straight from the Samsung web site, in addition to from Amazon and an entire host of shops each main and minor.

Pricing begins from £499/$499.99 for the 8GB/128GB entry mannequin. That represents an unlucky £50/$50 worth hike over the Galaxy Tab S9 FE. I do know that costs have risen throughout the board, however the lack of significant developments nonetheless makes such a hike stick within the craw considerably.

Step as much as 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage and also you’ll be paying £599/$569.99. That’s a a lot larger £100 worth hike for the UK in comparison with $70 for the US. Final 12 months’s step up mannequin got here with a £70/$70 premium, by means of comparability.

Naturally, you’ll pay extra for 5G connectivity, ranging from £599/$599.99 for the 128GB variant.

Try our checklist of one of the best tablets for extra choices.

Do you have to purchase the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE?

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE is yet one more achieved mid-range pill from the corporate, with a superb (and now barely lighter) design and one of the best bundled stylus within the sport.

Efficiency has taken an considerable step ahead, whereas the brand new Exynos 1580 chip additionally seems to have nudged battery life in the precise course.

All of those tweaks and modifications really feel a bit like fiddling on the margins, nevertheless. That is nonetheless, to all intents and functions, the identical gadget because the 2023 Galaxy Tab S9 FE.

Iteration is anticipated, to some extent, particularly within the pill market. Nevertheless, with an accompanying worth bump and a few very sturdy competitors, this lack of development sees Samsung’s Tab FE vary slipping again within the pecking order.

Specs

• Android 15
• 10.9in, 1440 x 2304, IPS LCD, 90Hz
• Facet-mounted fingerprint sensor
• Qualcomm Exynos 1580
• 8GB/12GB LPDDR5 RAM
• 128GB/256GB storage
• 13Mp, f/2.0 fundamental digital camera
• As much as 4K @ 30fps rear video
• 12Mp front-facing digital camera
• Stereo audio system
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e
• Bluetooth 5.3
• 8000mAh battery
• 45W charging
• 254.3 x 165.8 x 6mm
• 497g
• Launch colors: Silver, Grey, Blue