Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE review: Samsung's Tab S7 FE is the company's newest large-screen tablet.

If you, like me, have been remaining indoors and working from home, you understand how vital technology has been in keeping us productive, entertained, and sane. Smartphones, laptops, and entertainment gadgets have all taken on greater tasks, and tablets have also witnessed a return. However, when it comes to tablets, there are still a limited number of possibilities.

Many people prefer Apple's iPads, but on the Android side, Samsung and, to a lesser extent, Lenovo have been the torchbearers for tablets. In fact, Samsung has just released another intriguing choice in the form of the Galaxy Tab S7 FE, a gadget that aims to strike a balance between work and pleasure.

Apart from its huge screen, which provides plenty of room for content consumption, the Galaxy Tab S7 FE's optional keyboard cover transforms it into a work machine. Let's see how it performs in everyday situations.

SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB S7 FE FULL SPECIFICATIONS

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE review: Design and Display

The Galaxy Tab S7 FE is a smaller version of the Galaxy Tab S7+ (review) Samsung released its phones late last year, and the two siblings are identical in design and a few other ways. The Tab S7+, on the other hand, is a fully loaded, super-premium alternative, and the Tab S7 FE is more affordable and has more modest features.

The Tab S7 FE is significantly thicker and heavier than its more capable sibling, but it retains the same design language and is built out of solid metal. The two gadgets have a 12.4-inch screen and a 10,090mAh battery capacity in common. The fact that the new Galaxy Tab FE has an LCD display with a traditional 60Hz refresh rate, as opposed to the 120Hz Super AMOLED panel on the Tab S7+, is one of the primary differences between the two.

The CPU is another important area where the Tab S7 FE falls short, since it uses the mid-range Snapdragon 750G chipset, but its older relative has the premium Snapdragon 865+. There are some other similarities and changes between the two (dual speakers instead of four, and lower-resolution cameras in the newer model, for example), but the aforementioned are the most important. You get a basic 8MP camera on the back, as well as a 5MP sensor on the front that works well for video calls.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE review: What’s good

• The tablet's metal design is elegant, robust, and quality, and you can take it with you almost everywhere. The tablet isn't too big to hold even with the optional keyboard cover on. However, because the slate is over 600g, your hands may become fatigued after a while if you use it handheld for extended periods of time.
• The Galaxy Tab S7 FE's 12.4-inch 2,560 x 1,600 display provides a vast canvas on which to watch material. It may be an LCD rather than an AMOLED display like its more expensive sibling, but the colours and viewing angles are still rather impressive.
• The tablet comes with a S Pen that magnetically attaches to the rear of the tablet. This S Pen, unlike the one that comes with the Tab S7+, isn't powered and doesn't support Bluetooth or gestures. It doesn't have the same low latency, either. However, it's still handy for things like doodling, scribbling down notes, annotating documents, and so on. You may hold a different viewpoint, but I would still consider it a plus.
• The Galaxy Tab S7 FE's overall software experience is quite excellent, thanks to Android 11 and One UI v3.1, as well as access to Samsung's ecosystem of apps and services. DeX mode is also available, and you can use it if you require an interface that looks like a laptop. When you add the keyboard accessory, you've got yourself a reasonably capable work tool.
• The audio quality is good thanks to the two speakers. If you're in a quiet environment, the speakers may go quite loud, so you won't need headphones to engage in video calls or other activities.
• When utilising regular productivity or entertainment apps, the Snapdragon 750G CPU delivers a decent performance with minimal lag or jitter. However, because the processor is mid-range, it becomes a little taxed when running many apps at the same time, especially in DeX mode. At this pricing, I believe Samsung should have incorporated a better chipset.
• On a single charge, the 10,090mAh battery lasts a long time. With intensive use, it can easily last a day, and if you only use it for a few hours each day, you can stretch it out for longer. The standby times are very excellent.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE review: What’s not so good

• You can get a keyboard cover to go with your Tab S7 FE slate, which comes in useful when you need to type long emails or edit documents. The keyboard cover, on the other hand, is devoid of a touchpad, which I severely missed when attempting to utilise the Tab S7 FE as a replacement for my work laptop. Samsung included a trackpad in the keyboard that came with the Tab S7+, and it was part of a two-piece arrangement that allowed you to detach the keyboard while still keeping the tablet's rear cover. The new keyboard cover, on the other hand, is a one-piece affair. Because I didn't have the trackpad, I had to continuously hopping from the keyboard to the screen while using the Tab S7 FE, which hampered my experience. However, it appears that the previous keyboard cover with the trackpad is also compatible with the Tab S7 FE, so you may choose that over the new one.
• A 3.5mm headset jack is another feature that the Galaxy Tab S7 FE lacks. In terms of smartphones, we've grown accustomed to this, but I believe that large tablets, such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE, should still include headphone jacks. When you need to go on a Google Meets or Zoom chat at a moment's notice, or catch an episode of Family Man 2 late at night when your Bluetooth earphones are out of energy, nothing beats a pair of corded earphones.
• The battery of the Galaxy Tab S7 FE supports 45W fast charging, yet Samsung only includes a 15W charger in the box. This means that juicing the tablet takes a long time... in fact, almost three hours.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE review: Verdict

As things stand now, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE is primarily competing with the Apple iPad and, on the Android side of the fence, its own siblings. There aren't many choices, especially when it comes to large-screen tablets. I'd probably classify the Lenovo Tab P11 Pro as a competitor as well, and we'll have a review up soon. Overall, the Tab S7 FE appears to be a costly device, especially considering the chipset it has, with a starting price of Rs 46,999 (for the 4GB / 64GB variant). The 6GB/128GB option will set you back Rs 50,999.

The new keyboard cover will set you back Rs 14,999, but Samsung is offering a Rs 10,000 discount if you buy it with a Galaxy Tab S7 FE for a limited time. After all is said and done, the Tab S7 FE checks a lot of boxes, and its large, competent screen, combined with Samsung's software environment, DeX mode, integrated S Pen, and long battery life, make it a tablet worth looking at closely.