Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S7 FE is a stripped-down version of the Galaxy Tab S7 tablet, meaning it’s a mid-range device that’s meant to be both appealing and affordable. It attempts to balance the form-function equation in a way that few other tablets in this price segment can, making it a potentially ideal purchase for those who need to work as much as they need to play.
At first glance, the Galaxy Tab S7 FE could be mistaken for the Tab S7+ because the two tablets are similar in many ways. The front is taken up by the huge 12.4-inch display, and the sides and back of the tablet are made of metal, which gives the device a high-quality character. With such a large screen, you will naturally need two hands to use the device comfortably, although it is not as heavy as you would expect.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]An important design change compared to the Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7+ is the lack of a magnetic strip on the back of the tablet for the S Pen to latch onto for charging. The S Pen included with the Tab S7 FE is a standard stylus without Bluetooth or gesture functionality, so charging is not required. The Tab S7 FE also does not have a fingerprint sensor, so facial recognition and the traditional PIN and pattern are the only methods to secure the device.
One would at least expect an AMOLED display from a Galaxy device that is made “for fans”. However, Samsung does not think that is necessary and has equipped the Tab S7 FE with an LCD panel that does not have a high refresh rate. As expected, the viewing experience is significantly worse as a result.
The display is not bad: From watching movies to playing games, you can enjoy everything on it, especially because of the 12.4-inch screen surface. The screen is quite sharp thanks to the QHD resolution, the colors are quite vibrant for an LCD panel, and it is sufficiently bright. If you have never seen Samsung’s tablet AMOLED displays in action, you will probably have no complaints.
The Galaxy Tab S7 FE has two speakers instead of four, but they are excellent and will not disappoint you. They get really loud and easily fill a medium-sized room. The low frequencies have enough pressure, although the higher frequencies can sometimes distort depending on the audio source. Dolby Atmos is supported, as it is on every other phone or tablet Samsung has launched in recent years, and it improves stereo separation and increases overall volume.
The software experience on the Galaxy Tab S7 FE is perhaps the only thing that is completely unchanged from the flagship Tab S7 and Tab S7+. Everything from Multi-Active Window to DeX mode on the tablet is present. The Tab S7 FE runs Android 11 and One UI 3.1 out of the box and will likely receive three major OS updates.