Here is my review of the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE – the large “Fan Edition” tablet!
Find out why this 12.4-inch Samsung tablet is a great value buy!
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE : Large Fan Edition Tablet
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE is a “Fan Edition” version of the powerful but pricey Galaxy Tab S7+ tablet that I reviewed earlier.
It is a large 12.4-inch tablet, designed to offer the key features of the Galaxy Tab S7+, at a much more affordable price point.
To do that, it uses a standard LCD display, a mid-range mobile SoC with less memory and storage, as well as lower-resolution cameras.
Here is a quick comparison of the Tab S7 FE against its big brother, the Galaxy Tab S7+.
| Specifications | Galaxy Tab S7 FE | Galaxy Tab S7+ |
| Display Type | 12.4-inch TFT | 12.4-inch Super AMOLED |
| Display Resolution | 1600 x 2560 pixels | 1752 x 2800 pixels |
| Refresh Rate | 60 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Protection | None | Gorilla Glass Victurs |
| Platform | Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ |
| Memory + Storage Options |
4 GB + 64 GB 6 GB + 128 GB |
6 GB + 128 / 256 GB 8 GB + 512 GB |
| External Storage | Up to 1 TB MicroSD card | |
| Front Camera | 5 MP | 8 MP |
| Rear Camera | 8 MP | 12 MP + 5 MP |
| Connectivity | WiFi-6 Bluetooth 5.2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type C |
WiFi-6 Bluetooth 5.1 USB 2.0 Type C |
| S Pen | Standard S Pen | Low-Latency S Pen |
| Fingerprint Sensor | No | Yes |
| Speakers | Dual AKG Speakers | Quad AKG Speakers |
| Battery | 10,090 mAh battery | |
| Dimensions | 185.0 mm wide 284.8 mm tall 6.3 mm thick |
185.0 mm wide 285.0 mm tall 5.7 mm thick |
| Weight | 610 g | 575 g |
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE : Colour Options
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE comes in four colour options (from left to right) : Mystic Green, Mystic Pink, Mystic Silver and Mystic Black.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE : Price + Availability
Here in Malaysia, Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE will be available at these launch prices :
- 4 GB + 64 GB : RM1,899 (approx. US$454 / £337 / A$628 / S$617)
- 6 GB + 128 GB : RM2,199 (approx. US$525 / £390 / A$728 / S$714)
Here are some online purchase options :
- US : 4GB + 64GB
- UK : 4GB + 64GB
- AU : 6GB + 128GB
- SG : Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3
- MY : Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE : Unboxing + Contents!
The new Galaxy Tab S7 FE is Samsung’s tablet for the masses, offering a massive 12.4-inch display with a powerful mid-range processor and dual AKG speakers!
It comes in a white cardboard box, containing these items :
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE tablet
- Quick Start Guide + Warranty Card
- 15 Watt Samsung Travel Fast Charger
- USB Type A to Type C data and power cable
- SIM tray ejection pin
Fortunately, Samsung included a fast charger in-the-box, albeit a standard 15 watt charger and not a 45 watt charger.
Next Page > Galaxy Tab S7 FE Key Features
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE : Hands-On + Key Features!
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE is a more affordable Fan Edition of the excellent but pricey Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ that we reviewed earlier.
12.4-inch Display
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE boasts a 12.4-inch TFT display, which looks massive especially if you are upgrading from smaller tablets like the Apple iPad.
This is not an AMOLED display, but it is bright and looks sharp thanks to the high resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels.
Performance + Storage
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE is built around the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G mobile platform, which offers :
- a Kryo 670 Prime (A78-based) core running at 2.4 GHz,
- three Kryo 670 Gold (A78-based) cores running at 2.2 GHz,
- four Kryo 670 Silver (A55-based) cores running at 1.8 GHz
- Adreno 642L GPU running at 490 MHz
Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G is a new mid-range mobile SoC built on the 6 nm process, which should offer preppy performance without the higher power consumption of flagship mobile SoC.
RAM + Storage
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE comes with two memory and storage options :
- 4 GB of RAM + 64 GB of internal storage
- 6 GB of memory + 128 GB of internal storage
The good news is that it comes with a microSD card tray that supports up to 1 TB of additional storage.
Front + Rear Cameras
In the front, it has a 5 MP fixed focus camera, that is capable of taking photos with a 2576 x 1932 pixel resolution, and Full HD 1080p video at 30 fps.
This front camera is decent but unexceptional. Don’t expect to dazzle your clients on Zoom!
At the back, it has an 8 MP camera that is capable of taking photos with the resolution of 3264 x 2448 pixels.
Despite the higher resolution, it is only capable of recording 1080p video at 30 fps. It does, however, supports electronic image stabilisation (EIS).
You should note that this camera lacks an LED light. The hole you see in the camera bump conceals a microphone.
Buttons
There are only two buttons on the Galaxy Tab S7 FE – the Volume control buttons and the Power button.
They are located on the upper right side when held vertically, and left side of the top when held horizontally.
As with Samsung smartphones, double-pressing the Power button activates the Camera app, allowing you to quickly take photos or videos.
Only One Port
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE comes with a USB Type C port, which supports USB 3.2 Gen 1 connectivity.
It does not come with a 3.5 mm audio jack, or a USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter in the box.
Dual AKG Speakers
Like its premium brother – the Galaxy Tab S7+, the Galaxy Tab S7 FE has AKG-tuned speakers with Dolby Atmos support.
The only difference is the cheaper FE (Fan Edition) has just two speakers, while the Tab S7+ has four.
Battery + Charging
Powering all that is a massive 10,090 mAh lithium-ion polymer battery, which supports 45 watt fast wired charging.
When used with a 45 watt charger, Samsung says it will fully recharge in just 90 minutes!
This is a pretty small battery, and rather slow charging speeds. I’m currently testing its battery life and will share with you the results shortly.
Unfortunately, Samsung only provided a standard 15 watt fast charger in the box. In the next page, I will show you just how long it takes to fully recharge its battery on just 15 watts…
Next Page > Battery Life, Recharging Speed, Performance
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE : Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE has a massive 10,090 mAh battery, which promises to deliver up to 13 hours of video playback time.
To test its battery life, we turned off Automatic Brightness, and set its display brightness to 50%.
Why 50%? That is actually slightly higher than the average indoor brightness level of 40% during the day, and is what we usually use in all our mobile battery life tests.
It is important to fix the brightness level, to make sure the screen brightness does not change as the room brightness changed.
We then ran the PCMark Work 3.0 battery life test until its battery capacity dropped to 20%, repeating several times.
Will you look at that – 12.5 hours of battery life! A little shy of the rated 13 hours, but still much longer than the 8 hours we got with the Galaxy Tab S7+!
With such a long battery life, you can confidently take it on-the-go for a full day’s work without worrying about charging it.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE : Battery Recharging Speed
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE supports the phenomenally-fast 45 watt super fast charging. Unfortunately, Samsung only bundles an anaemic 15 watt fast charger in the box…
Take a look at how fast its bundled 15 watt fast charger topped up its massive 10,090 mAh battery…
Not bad. The bundled 15 watt charger took just 2 hours 36 minutes to fully recharge its battery from 20% to 100%.
That gives it a recharging speed of about 52 mAh per minute, which is as fast as some 25W or 27W fast chargers.
This gives it a battery life : recharging ratio of just 4.8:1. A general rule of thumb – for one of hour battery life, you will need to charge it for 12.5 minutes.
While that is TWICE as fast as the Galaxy Tab S7+, it cannot match the HUAWEI MatePad Pro, which has a battery life : recharging ratio of 8.5:1, and only needs 7 minutes of charging for each hour of battery life.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE : PCMark Results
| PCMark | Tab S7+ | Note20 Ultra |
Tab S7 FE | Xiaomi Mi 9 |
MatePad Pro |
| Mobile Platform | SD 865+ | Exynos 990 | SD 778G | SD 855 | Kirin 990 |
| Performance Score (Average) |
12348 | 10523 | 9747 | 9471 | 8575 |
| Web Browsing | 11864 | 8865 | 7355 | 7792 | 6723 |
| Video Editing | 7664 | 6232 | 6028 | 6038 | 5656 |
| Writing | 12659 | 11112 | 10512 | 10919 | 10969 |
| Photo Editing | 26230 | 30789 | 22188 | 20161 | 15991 |
| Data Manipulation | 9511 | 6825 | 8505 | 7356 | 6952 |
Will you look at that? The Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G is slightly faster than Snapdragon 855 – the last-generation flagship mobile SoC from Qualcomm!
- 21% slower than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
- 7.4% slower than the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
- 3% faster than the Xiaomi Mi 9
- 13.7% faster than the HUAWEI MatePad Pro
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE : 3DMark Results
| 3DMark | Tab S7+ | Note20 Ultra |
Xiaomi Mi 9 |
Tab S7 FE | MatePad Pro |
| Device | SD 865+ | Exynos 990 | SD 855 | SD 778G | Kirin 990 |
| Sling Shot Extreme (OpenGL) | 6958 | 6642 | 5487 | 5386 | 4865 |
| Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) | 6457 | 5722 | 4808 | 4266 | 4283 |
| Sling Shot Unlimited | 8793 | 8128 | 7241 | 6688 | 4323 |
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE has good gaming performance too, coming in just slightly slower as the Xiaomi Mi 9, which is powered by the flagship-class Snapdragon 855.
- 26.4% slower than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
- 20.3% slower than the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
- 6.8% slower than the Xiaomi Mi 9
- 21.3% faster than the HUAWEI MatePad Pro
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE : AnTuTu Results
| AnTuTu | Tab S7+ | Note20 Ultra |
Tab S7 FE |
MatePad Pro |
Xiaomi Mi 9 |
| Device | SD 865+ | Exynos 990 | SD 778G | Kirin 990 | SD 855 |
| AnTuTu Score | 577726 | 522735 | 508008 | 446098 | 371473 |
| CPU | 161243 | 146783 | 157465 | 135977 | 126011 |
| GPU | 230859 | 215205 | 155115 | 144098 | 156318 |
| Memory | 98269 | 89376 | 79972 | 100944 | 77763 |
| UX | 87355 | 71371 | 115456 | 65079 | 11381 |
The Samsung Galaxy S7 FE delivered very good performance in AnTuTu, coming in :
- 12.1% slower than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+
- 2.8% slower than the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
- 13.9% faster than the Xiaomi Mi 9
- 36.8% faster than the HUAWEI MatePad Pro
Next Page > Verdict + Award, Where To Buy?
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE : Verdict + Award
Samsung originally introduced the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ as a cheaper but powerful Android alternative to the 12.9-inch Apple iPad Pro. However, even its price tag put it out of reach of many users.
So Samsung came up with a Fan Edition of that tablet – the Galaxy Tab S7 FE, which sports the similarly large 12.4-inch display, at a much more affordable price point.
The large display really makes a lot of difference if you want a large workspace, or a more immersive gaming or movie experience. More so with its dual AKG speakers that off good bass and clarity.
Instead of the powerful but power-guzzling Snapdragon 865+, Samsung used the new Snapdragon 778G which is not only pretty darn fast, it is more power-efficient, giving it a much longer battery life.
It inevitably comes with less memory and storage, but even 4 GB of RAM is more than enough for most users. And if you run out of storage, you can always pop-in a microSD card for more storage.
Samsung also threw in a standard S Pen and a 15 watt charger in-the-box, but if you want faster charging – you will need to top up for a 45 watt fast charger.
Samsung sadly did not bundle the Galaxy Tab S7 FE with the Keyboard Cover, which is a critical accessory for this tablet.
I cannot emphasise the importance of the Keyboard Cover enough, as it not only protects the tablet and the stylus (in its own special compartment), it also gives you a keyboard and touchpad, turning your Tab S7 FE into a laptop!
If you do not need the keyboard, at least get the Book Cover. The Galaxy Tab S7 FE is a large and heavy tablet that you do NOT want to drop. Please remember that it lacks the Gorilla Glass Victus protection of its more expensive brother – the Galaxy Tab S7+.
Both the front 5 MP and rear 8 MP cameras can record 1080p videos at 30 fps, but the video quality from the front camera is rather poor. Fortunately, the rear 8 MP camera does a much better job.
Overall – the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE offers much more value for your money than the Galaxy Tab S7+. If you don’t need the frills, you can literally buy TWO FE tablets for the price of one Tab S7+!
That’s why we have no qualms giving it our Editor’s Choice Award! Nice job, Samsung!
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE : Colour Options
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE comes in four colour options (from left to right) : Mystic Green, Mystic Pink, Mystic Silver and Mystic Black.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE : Price + Availability
Here in Malaysia, Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE will be available at these launch prices :
- 4 GB + 64 GB : RM1,899 (approx. US$454 / £337 / A$628 / S$617)
- 6 GB + 128 GB : RM2,199 (approx. US$525 / £390 / A$728 / S$714)
Here are some online purchase options :
- US : 4GB + 64GB
- UK : 4GB + 64GB
- AU : 6GB + 128GB
- SG : Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3
- MY : Option 1 | Option 2 | Option 3
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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