Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+
The Samsung Galaxy S9 FE+ is a solid midrange tablet, especially if you don’t need it for video editing. This tablet is well-built, has great battery life, and covers most users' needs. The processor may not be as strong as the competition, but it is more than enough for browsing.
Apple iPad Air (5th Generation)
Like it or not, Apple is the tablet leader that all other manufacturers are trying to catch. The iPad Air is capable of doing just about everything well. The M1 processor can handle anything you might need. Too bad Apple went with such an anemic amount of base storage.
Tablets are versatile devices that cover a wide range of use cases. They are perfect for consuming content or quickly scrolling through the web while lounging on the couch. When working in the field, their larger screens allow for increased productivity compared to using a cell phone, and their overall profile makes taking it on the go a breeze. Samsung and Apple are two of the top manufacturers in the tablet space, and for good reason. Samsung makes some of thebest Android tablets, and, like it or not, Apple’s tablets are still the benchmark in the industry.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ and theApple iPad Airmark two of the premier midrange tablets on the market. These tablets aim to find that sweet spot of price, performance, and design to deliver a remarkable tablet experience. While your final decision may come down to your platform of choice, both tablets are quite capable and ready to serve you.
Price, availability, and specs
Samsung released the Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ on June 26, 2025. It can be found directly from Samsung or an authorized retailer like Amazon or Best Buy. The Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ has a starting retail price of $600 for the 128GB version and $700 for the 256GB version. It comes in gray, silver, mint, and lavender colorways.
Apple released the iPad Air back in March 2022 with a retail price of $600 for the 64GB version and $750 for the 256GB version. The iPad also has cellular connectivity, adding $150 to each Wi-Fi variant. It can be found at many cellular carriers, Apple, or pretty much anywhere tablets are sold. It can be found in Space Gray, blue, pink, purple, and starlight colorways.
Both the Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ and the iPad Air are made from aluminum and feature well-built and clean designs. The Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ has a larger display, which results in a much larger tablet and slightly more cumbersome to carry around. The S9 FE+ measures 285.4 x 185.4 x 6.5mm and weighs 627g. The iPad measures 247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1mm and weighs a much lighter 461g. The Galaxy Tab has an IP68 rating, making it a bit more capable of standing up to water and dust ingress.
When holding these tablets horizontally, the Tab S9 FE+ places its volume and power buttons at the top left side of the device. The power button has a fingerprint sensor built-in, but its large size can make it a bit tough to get to. The AKG-tuned dual stereo speakers are at the top of the left and right sides. The USB-C port is also located on the right side. The iPad Air has a button with Touch ID at the top of the left side and its volume buttons on the left side of the top edge. The iPad ups the speaker count to four, with two on each side of the device. The iPad also has a USB-C port on the right side.
Besides the operating systems, one of the biggest differentiators between these two tablets is that the Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ ships with the S Pen. The S Pen opens up a lot of possibilities, including taking notes, drawing, and marking up documents. The iPad supports the Apple Pencil 2, but it will cost you an additional $129 to get it.
The Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ has a 12.4-inch 2560 x 1600 IPS LCD display and a 90Hz refresh rate. The display lacks the deep blacks of Samsung’s AMOLED displays but is still gorgeous and offers punchy colors. A 120Hz display would have been nice at this price point, but the 90Hz display keeps everything feeling buttery smooth.
The Apple iPad Air has a 10.9-inch 2360 x 1640 IPS LCD display. The iPad’s display is crystal clear and pleasing to use. The display is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and also lacks the deep blacks of an AMOLED.
With all things considered, both displays are more than capable of providing a great day-to-day experience. They are going to be clear, vibrant, and quite enjoyable. The big difference here is size. If you want a larger screen, then the Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ wins out, but the iPad offers a great balance of size and portability.
The biggest obvious difference between these two devices is the operating systems on these tablets. The Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ ships with Android 13 and One UI 5.1, while the iPad Air ships with iPadOS 15.4. Samsung offers four years of Android OS upgrades and is usually timely about providing those updates. Apple typically offers five years of day-one OS updates.
The OS on both devices offers a similar experience to what you will find on smartphones, but with extra features to take advantage of the bigger displays. These features include running apps side-by-side for enhanced productivity. Apps can also take advantage of the larger displays by providing more information. For example, the email apps will show your entire inbox as well as individual emails at the same time.
Android 13 and Samsung’s One UI also allow for floating windows, letting you rearrange and open multiple apps simultaneously. It is also very customizable, allowing you to configure the overall feel of the operating system. Apple takes a more walled-garden approach with iPadOS, only allowing you to do what Apple intended it to do. This means no sideloading apps or utilizing alternative app stores. This may not matter to you, but it is something to note.
App support is great on both tablets, but the iPad will have a slight advantage here and benefit from being the tablet market leader. Most major apps support both devices, but there may be edge cases that offer better support for one platform over the other. The iPad also gets iMessage and FaceTime, which is great if those around you also have Apple products.
Performance
The Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ comes with an Exynos 1380 processor and either 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage or 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Storage can be expanded up to 1TB with a microSD card. The iPad Air has an Apple M1 processor, 8GB of RAM, and either 64GB or 256GB of storage.
The Exynos 1380 processor that Samsung went with pales in comparison to the M1 chip used in the iPad. It is suitable for daily activities and some light gaming, but is going to struggle a bit with more complex tasks. This includes tasks like video or photo editing or graphically intensive games with high settings. The iPad’s M1 processor allows it to fly through anything that you would want it to and makes the iPad much more versatile for getting real work done.
On the flip side, Apple’s base storage option is far too little for 2023. 64GB of base storage just isn’t enough, and it charges too much for the jump to 256GB. Samsung’s 128GB of base storage is much more palatable, and the expandable storage allows for additional space if needed.
Battery life
Samsung equipped the Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ with a 10,090mAh battery that should give you a solid 17+ hours of use. It doesn’t support wireless charging and can only be charged via the USB-C port at 45W.
Apple doesn’t list the iPad’s battery capacity, but has a 28.6-watt-hour battery. It’ll give you up to 10 hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi or 9 hours on cellular. The iPad can’t be charged wirelessly and can only be charged via USB-C. Both tablets can get you through a typical workday, but the Galaxy Tab is going to do so with a lot more time to spare.
The Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ comes with a dual-camera setup. It has an 8MP main lens, an 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 12MP front-facing camera. The iPad comes with a single 12MP rear camera and a 12MP front-facing camera. If the lighting is good, both primary lenses can get adequate shots, but don’t expect flagship smartphone image quality. This is especially true once the lighting begins to dim. Both tablets are more than suitable for taking video calls.
Which is right for you?
Both of these tablets put up an excellent fight and trade blows where it matters. The best tablet for you is going to come down to your use case and what type of smartphone you have.
If you have an Android device, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ is going to be your best bet. It has a vibrant and large display, excellent build quality, and great battery life. Even though it has great build quality, you may want to protect it with agreat caseto prevent any accidental damage. It will also play nicely with any Android device. The only thing holding this tablet back is the Exynos 1380 processor. It’s fine for day-to-day use but may struggle depending on how you use it.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ does a lot right and is more than capable for most shoppers. It has fantastic build quality, a great display, amazing battery life, and good software support. The processing power leaves a bit to be desired but is capable of handling routine day-to-day activities.
If you are rocking an iPhone, then grabbing the iPad Air becomes a no-brainer. The iPad syncs beautifully within Apple’s ecosystem, has excellent performance, and has great all-around specs. The 64GB of base storage is embarrassingly low, making it tough to recommend at this price. It would have been a little easier if Apple included its Apple Pencil 2 with the tablet, but even that costs a bit more. If you can handle the low storage and already find yourself in the Apple camp, the iPad Air would be a fantastic addition.
If you are already in the Apple camp, then the iPad Air is the tablet you should target. This powerhouse does just about everything right and has excellent performance from the M1 processor. The 64GB of base storage is pathetic, and the jump to 256GB is too costly. If you are locked into the Apple ecosystem and want a tablet, you can’t do much better than this.
