iPad Pro M4 vs Galaxy Tab S9 FE: Is the Screen the Product?
These are not competitors, and that is the point. One question decides it, and a lot of people about to buy the expensive one would be happier with the cheap one.
These two tablets are not competitors. One costs several times the other and they are engineered for different people. That is exactly why the comparison is worth making — because plenty of people about to spend the larger amount would be happier with the smaller one.
This is a research-based comparison. We have not tested either tablet ourselves and do not claim to have. Our review standards. Full write-ups: iPad Pro M4 and Galaxy Tab S9 FE.
The short answer
Answer one question: is the screen the product, or the surface?
If you draw, edit photographs, grade video or watch films on it, the screen is the product and the iPad Pro’s tandem OLED is the reason to buy it. If the tablet is a surface you write on, read on and take notes on, the screen is a means to an end — and the Tab S9 FE comes with the stylus in the box and survives being dropped in a puddle.
Where they actually differ
| iPad Pro M4 | Galaxy Tab S9 FE | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Tandem OLED | LCD |
| Processor | Apple M4 | Mid-range Exynos |
| Stylus | Sold separately | S Pen included |
| Water resistance | None | IP68 |
| Operating system | iPadOS | Android |
| Tablet app quality | Substantially better | Patchy |
| Price class | Flagship | Mid-range |
The screen is the whole argument for the iPad
Tandem OLED stacks two OLED panels to get brightness that a single OLED layer cannot reach while keeping per-pixel black. It is the most significant thing about the iPad Pro M4 and the hardest to appreciate from a specification list.
It matters if your work is visual: illustration, photo editing, colour work, anything where you are judging what you see. It matters much less if you are reading a PDF or writing notes in a lecture.
The S Pen in the box is worth more than it sounds
Apple sells its stylus separately and it is not cheap. Samsung includes the S Pen with the Tab S9 FE.
The gap is not only money. An included stylus is one you actually have, with nothing to decide and nothing to order later. For the single most common serious tablet use — handwritten notes — that is the difference between a tablet you write on and a tablet you meant to buy a pen for.
Apple’s stylus is the better instrument, with lower latency and finer pressure behaviour that matters for drawing. For handwriting, both are good enough that the difference is hard to care about.
IP68 is a real feature nobody markets properly
The Tab S9 FE is rated IP68. The iPad Pro has no ingress rating at all.
If the tablet goes to a kitchen, a workshop, a building site, a poolside or anywhere with children, that is a meaningful difference in what the device can survive. It is the kind of specification that is worth nothing until the day it is worth everything.
Performance, and the thing everyone eventually admits
The M4 is a genuinely powerful processor — desktop-class by any reasonable measure. The Exynos in the Tab S9 FE is mid-range and behaves like it under load.
But the honest question is what you will ask of it. Note-taking, reading, browsing, video and light document work do not stress either chip. The gap shows up in multi-layer illustration, video editing and heavy multitasking, which is a smaller share of tablet use than the marketing implies.
There is a second point that applies to the expensive tablet specifically: iPadOS remains the constraint on the M4, not the silicon. The chip can do more than the operating system will let it.
App quality is the iPad’s underrated advantage
This is where Android tablets have lost ground for a decade. iPad apps are routinely built for the larger screen; a large share of Android tablet apps are phone apps stretched.
It is the least glamorous item on the list and possibly the one you will feel most often. If you have specific applications in mind, check how they behave on an Android tablet before you decide — not on a phone.
Which should you buy?
iPad Pro M4
- You draw, design or edit visually
- Colour accuracy affects your work
- You already own a Mac and an iPhone
- Specific iPad-only apps matter to you
- You watch a lot of video on it
Galaxy Tab S9 FE
- Handwritten notes are the main use
- You want the stylus included
- It will live somewhere it could get wet
- You are already on Android
- You would rather spend the difference elsewhere
The third answer
If your honest use case includes anything iPadOS cannot do — a real file system, arbitrary software, a proper keyboard as standard — a laptop is the answer and neither tablet is. That is the conclusion a surprising number of people reach after buying a flagship tablet and a keyboard case that together cost more than a laptop.
What this comparison cannot tell you
We have not tested either device, run benchmarks, measured display output, or compared stylus latency. All specifications are the manufacturers’ published figures. The app-ecosystem and use-case guidance reflects the general state of tablet software rather than measurements of these two units.
Frequently asked questions
Is the iPad Pro M4 worth the difference for note-taking?
For handwriting alone, no. Both handle notes well, and the Tab S9 FE includes the stylus. The iPad earns its price on visual work, not on writing.
Does the Galaxy Tab S9 FE come with the S Pen?
Yes, it is included. Apple sells its stylus separately, which is a real cost difference on top of an already large price gap.
Is the Tab S9 FE fast enough?
For reading, notes, browsing, video and light documents, comfortably. It shows its mid-range processor in heavy illustration, video editing and aggressive multitasking.
Which is better for drawing?
The iPad Pro, clearly — the display, the stylus behaviour and the drawing apps are all stronger. This is the use case the price gap is for.
Can either replace a laptop?
Neither, for most people. If your work involves arbitrary software or a real file system, buy a laptop. A flagship tablet plus a keyboard case often costs more than one.
Does IP68 really matter on a tablet?
Only if the tablet goes somewhere it could get wet — a kitchen, a workshop, outdoors, a house with young children. The iPad Pro has no ingress rating at all.
- iPad Pro M4 review
- Galaxy Tab S9 FE review
- Docks — if a laptop is the real answer
Sources. Display technology, processors, stylus inclusion, ingress ratings and operating systems are Apple’s and Samsung’s published specifications. We have not tested either tablet ourselves. Primary source: Apple’s iPad Pro page.