The Galaxy Tab S7 FE (fan edition) is Samsung’s latest tablet release meant to offer fan favourite features of its Galaxy Tab S7 and Galaxy Tab S7 Plus models, including the S Pen.
You would be forgiven for confusing the Tab S7 FE with the Tab S7 Plus at first glance, as they have the same 12.4-inch display and aluminium unibody with flat sides.
Laid horizontally, the top of its long side also hosts the microSD card slot, physical lock, and volume buttons. But while its predecessors had 4 stereo speakers on either end of its short sides, the Tab S7 FE only has 2.
We got the Mystic Silver variant, but those who want a pop of colour can get the Mystic Green or Mystic Pink one, all of which have a metallic matte surface that adds to the tab’s premium and professional look.
Halving its specs, but still functional
Looks aside, the Tab S7 FE is thin yet hefty. In comparison to the Tab S7 Plus and S7 weighing in at 575g and 498g, the S7 FE is heavier at 608g. Holding it in one hand felt sturdy, though I found it tiring to hold up while watching Netflix.
The 8mm black bezels around the 12.4-inch screen made it comfortable to hold without accidentally triggering any commands. It’s also where the 5MP front camera sits atop the screen when in landscape mode.
Unlike the Tab S7 Plus which enabled my colleague to easily turn the tab into her work laptop, the Tab S7 FE doesn’t come with a magnetic keyboard straight out of its box.
Being a more affordable tablet, the display is no fancy AMOLED like the Tab S7 Plus either, but an LCD instead that’s closer to the Tab S7.
Yet its resolution is high enough with vibrant colours, so the sacrifice isn’t drastically noticeable when watching movies.
However, the Tab S7 FE’s refresh rate at 60Hz, compared to its predecessor’s 120Hz, would often lag when opening up apps and scrolling through social media.
Not your fancy S Pen, but more of a stylus
One notable change in the Tab S7 FE’s design compared to the Tab S7 and Tab S7 Plus is the lack of a magnetic strip on the tablet’s back to latch and charge the S Pen.
This is because the S Pen included with the Tab S7 FE is a standard stylus with no Bluetooth or air gesture functionality.
Instead, the pen can magnetically snap onto both the long sides of the tablet, though not very securely as a small nudge is enough for it to latch off.
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Samsung has clearly halved most of its specs with the launch of the Galaxy Tab S7 FE, apart from how the tab looks at first glance.
However, its 10,090 mAh battery with 45W charging hasn’t changed when compared to the Tab S7 Plus, and it’s still running on the latest One UI software which in turn enables DeX mode.
Adding on a keyboard would likely give the tab’s functionality a boost, but at the moment, it seems that the Samsung keyboard suited for it isn’t available online in Malaysia, only in-store.
At a more affordable price point, the base model for the Tab S7 FE comes at RM1,848 with 4GB RAM and 64GB ROM. The review unit we got had 6GB RAM and 128GB ROM, and retails for RM2,199.
We’ll be spending more time with the Galaxy Tab S7 FE for a more detailed review on its software and features, so stay tuned!
- You can purchase the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE here.
- You can read our review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus here.
