Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE Review: The Pen Is in the Box
Fan Edition kept the S Pen, the IP68 rating and the battery, and gave up the OLED screen. For handwritten notes that is the right trade — at the right discount.
Almost every tablet review makes the same mistake, which is treating the tablet as the product. It is not. The product is the tablet plus the thing you do with it, and the honest truth about most tablets is that people buy them imagining one use and end up with a device for watching things in bed.
The Galaxy Tab S9 FE is unusual in that its main feature addresses this directly: the S Pen comes in the box. Not as a $130 accessory you might buy later, not as a charging stylus you have to remember to keep topped up — included, working, ready. That single decision changes who this tablet is for, and it is most of the reason to consider it. This review is also about its age, which by 2026 is a real part of the calculation.
What “FE” actually means
Fan Edition is Samsung’s term for a device that keeps the parts people use and removes the parts that cost the most. Understanding which is which tells you whether the compromise suits you.
Kept: the S Pen and its low-latency handwriting, the IP68 water and dust rating, the metal build, Samsung’s long software support policy, DeX for a desktop-style mode, and a large battery.
Removed: the AMOLED screen, in favour of LCD. The flagship processor, in favour of a mid-range Exynos. Some camera and speaker quality.
The screen is the compromise you will notice. LCD versus AMOLED means less contrast, less convincing black, and a difference that is obvious watching film in a dark room and almost invisible taking notes in a lecture theatre. Which of those you do more is the whole decision.
The compromise that is not a compromise: the S Pen here works exactly as it does on the expensive models. It needs no battery, no charging and no pairing to write and draw. If handwriting is why you want a tablet, the FE gives you the flagship experience of the only feature you care about.
Why the included stylus matters more than the spec sheet
Digital handwriting has a threshold quality. Below it, the lag between the nib and the ink is perceptible and the experience is subtly unpleasant in a way that makes you stop using it. Above it, your brain accepts that the ink is coming out of the pen and you forget the technology entirely.
Samsung’s S Pen has been comfortably above that threshold for years, and it is above it here. That matters because a great many people buy a tablet intending to take handwritten notes, discover the stylus experience is mediocre or costs extra, and never do it.
The no-charging part is not a small detail either. A stylus that needs power is a stylus that is flat when you need it, and the number of expensive styluses sitting dead in drawers is not small.
Performance, honestly
The Exynos 1380 with 8 GB of memory is a mid-range combination and behaves like one. Notes, documents, browsing, video, split-screen multitasking and DeX all run without complaint. Heavy photo editing, demanding games at high settings and long video exports are where it slows, and you will feel it.
For the intended audience — students, note-takers, readers, people who want a second screen — this is genuinely sufficient. For anyone hoping to replace a laptop for creative work, it is not, and no amount of DeX changes that.
Battery is the quiet strength. The large cell in a device that is not driving a power-hungry OLED screen or a flagship chip translates into the kind of endurance where you stop thinking about charging. Multi-day standby and all-day active use are realistic.
The age question, which is now unavoidable
This is a 2023 device being considered in 2026, and that cuts both ways.
In its favour: it is heavily discounted, it has had three years of software maturity, and Samsung’s support commitment means it continues receiving updates for a while yet rather than being abandoned. The features that matter — the pen, the build, the battery — have not aged.
Against it: the support window is finite and closing rather than opening. Buying it today means fewer years of updates ahead than someone who bought it at launch, and the processor was mid-range when new. If you intend to keep a tablet for five years, this is the wrong end of the cycle to be joining.
The honest framing: this is a value purchase, and the value is entirely dependent on the discount. At a steep reduction it is one of the best-value tablets available. At close to launch price it is not, and a newer FE or a mid-range alternative deserves a look first.
What it does well
- S Pen included, no charging, flagship-quality handwriting
- IP68 rating is rare and genuinely useful on a tablet
- Excellent battery life from a modest chip and LCD screen
- Solid metal build that does not feel like a budget device
- DeX gives a usable desktop-style mode for light work
What to think about first
- LCD rather than OLED — obvious watching film in the dark
- Mid-range processor struggles with demanding creative work
- A 2023 device, so the update window is closing not opening
- Android tablet apps still lag iPad equivalents
- Value depends almost entirely on the current discount
How it compares
| Option | Strongest at | Weakest at | Choose it if |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy Tab S9 FE | Included S Pen, durability, battery, price | Screen, performance, age | Handwritten notes are the main use |
| iPad Pro M4 | Screen, performance, app quality | Price, and the pencil costs extra | Budget is not the constraint |
| Base iPad | App ecosystem, price, longevity | Stylus sold separately, no water resistance | You want apps more than a pen |
| An e-reader | Battery measured in weeks, eyes | Does one thing | You genuinely only want to read |
The Android tablet app gap is worth stating plainly rather than glossing over. Samsung’s own apps are good and the core experiences are fine, but tablet-optimised third-party apps remain noticeably better on iPad. If specific apps matter to your work, check them before choosing platform.
Who it is for
Students. The strongest case by a distance. Handwritten notes, PDFs, textbooks, split-screen reading and writing, a battery that survives a full day of lectures, and a build that tolerates being thrown into a bag.
Anyone who annotates documents, which is a surprisingly large group — contracts, drawings, proofs, plans. The included pen and IP68 rating suit site work and field use particularly well.
People who want a second screen for reference material, video calls or media while working, where the processor never becomes the limit.
It is the wrong tablet if you edit photo or video seriously, if screen quality for film matters to you, or if you plan to keep it for many years — in which case buy something at the start of its support window rather than near the end.
Check the current price
This model’s value case rests entirely on the discount, and it varies a great deal between storage and connectivity options. Check the current price before deciding.
See the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. This costs you nothing.
Frequently asked questions
Is the S Pen really included?
Is the LCD screen a problem?
Can it replace a laptop?
Is it still worth buying in 2026?
How long will it get software updates?
Does the IP68 rating actually matter on a tablet?
The verdict
The best note-taking tablet for the money, provided the money is genuinely reduced. Including the S Pen and keeping the IP68 rating were the right choices, and the LCD screen is the compromise you notice least if you are writing rather than watching. Students and anyone annotating documents should buy it at a discount. Anyone wanting a long-lived device or serious creative performance should look at something newer.
Sources and method
Specifications are Samsung’s published figures. Assessments of performance, screen and battery reflect consistent findings across independent reviews. Software support windows have been extended by Samsung more than once, so we have described the commitment in general terms and recommend checking the current policy rather than relying on a figure here. We have not tested this tablet ourselves and do not claim to have.