iPad Air (M2, 2024) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE

• iPad Air (M2, 2024)

  Editor’s choice

  $570 $599 Save $29

  Loaded with Apple’s M2 chipset, the 2024 iPad Air gives even the iPad Pro a run for its money. It offers excellent performance for productivity and entertainment and is available in two different sizes. However, battery life could be better, and unlike the Galaxy tablet, it doesn’t include a stylus.

  Pros

  • Much more powerful SoC
  • Two size options
  • Superior rear camera
  • Comfortable 3:2 touchscreen

  Cons

  • More expensive
  • Sub-par battery life

• 

  Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE

  $400 $450 Save $50

  This more affordable version of the regular Tab S9 cuts corners to hit a lower price point, including an LCD 90Hz-refresh-rate display instead of OLED and a less powerful Exynos 1380 chipset. But you get just about everything else you’d want with a Samsung tablet.

  Pros

  • Attractive price
  • IP68 water and dust resistance
  • Generous battery and fast charging
  • Includes S Pen

  Cons

  • Considerably weaker CPU
  • Less RAM

Apple and Samsung sit atop our list of the best tablets, and although the iPad still commands the lion’s share of the market, the Android-based Galaxy devices are holding their own. One of the main selling points of Galaxy tablets is their price, but with the 2024 iPad Air sporting the M2 chip, Apple’s mid-range tablet is a very attractive value proposition. The Galaxy Tab S9 FE is Samsung’s entry-level S-series tablet, but how does it stack up against the 2024 iPad Air M2? Let’s see how they compare.

Price, availability, and specs

The M2 iPad Air is new for 2024, while Samsung released the Galaxy Tab S9 series in October of last year. The Galaxy Tab S9 FE is Samsung’s more budget-friendly alternative to the flagship Tab S9, with a starting price of $450. It has a 10.9-inch display and is available from Samsung and third-party retailers, including Amazon and Best Buy.

The sixth-gen iPad Air M2 is available in two sizes: 11 and 13 inches. It packs an M2 chip, making it the second iPad Air with Apple silicon after the 2022 iPad Air M1. The iPad Air M2 prices start at $599 for the 11-inch model and $799 for the 13-inch model. It’s currently being sold by Apple and major third-party outlets.

• 	iPad Air (M2, 2024)	Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE
  Storage	128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB	128GB, 256GB
  CPU	Apple M2	Samsung Exynos 1380
  Memory	8GB LPDDR5	6GB, 8GB
  Operating System	iPadOS 17.5	Android 13
  Battery	11-inch: 28.93Wh, 13-inch: 36.59Wh	Li-ion 8,000mAh
  Ports	USB-C	USB Type-C Version 2.0, microSD (up to 1TB)
  Camera (Rear, Front)	Rear: 12MP Wide, AF, f/1.8; Front: 12MP Ultra-wide, f/2.4	Front: 12MP UW, Rear: 8MP
  Display type	11-inch: LCD, 60Hz, 2360 x 1640 resolution; 13-inch: LCD, 60Hz, 2732 x 2040 resolution	10.9-inch, WUXGA+ (2304 x 1440), LCD
  Price	11-inch: $599, 13-inch: $799	$450
  Size	11-inch: 247.6 x 178.5 x 6.1mm, 13-inch: 280.4 x 214.9 x 6.1mm	10.01 x 6.53 x 0.26 inches
  Weight	11-inch WiFi only: 462g, 11-inch WiFi + cellular: 462g, 13-inch WiFi only: 617g, 13-inch WiFi + cellular: 618g	1.15 pounds
  IP rating	Not rated	IP68
  Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, optional 5G cellular	Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3
  Colors	Space Gray, Starlight, purple, blue	Gray, Silver, Mint, Lavender
  Charging speed	Up to 30W	Up to 45W

Related

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Related

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE vs Tab S9: Which is right for you?

Is there still room for feature-lite tablets like the Tab S9 FE in Samsung’s lineup, or is the Tab S9 the easy pick?

Design

Samsung isn’t cutting corners here

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE is available in one size, 10.9 inches, and weighs 1.15 pounds while the 11-inch iPad Air M2 weighs 1.02 pounds. The iPad Air M2 is ever so slightly thinner, at just under a quarter of an inch, but users aren’t likely to notice that difference. Both tablets feature a USB-C port, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity. The 13-inch iPad Air is naturally a bit heftier at 1.36 pounds.

Despite its cheaper base selling price, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE offers notable advantages over the iPad Air M2. It has an IP68 resistance rating to water and dust, whereas the iPad has no rating. It also offers a microSD card slot. The biggest bonus for the Tab S9 FE is that the S Pen stylus is included. You’ll have to pay extra if you want a stylus for your iPad, such as the Apple Pencil.

Winner: Galaxy S9 FE

Display

Is Retina lagging behind?

The 11-inch iPad Air M2 and Galaxy Tab S9 FE sport similar displays. One of the more immediately noticeable differences is the aspect ratio. The Tab’s 10.9-inch LCD touchscreen has a 2304 x 1440 16:10 resolution, whereas the 11-inch iPad Air display offers a 3:2 resolution of 2360 x 1640. The iPad’s aspect ratio and pixel density are superior, but the brightness is not: The 11-inch Air caps out at 500 nits (600 nits for the 13-inch), but the Galaxy Tab S9 FE delivers up to 750 nits of brightness. Considering the iPad Pro now sports a bright and vibrant OLED display, it’s starting to feel like the iPad Air’s Retina panel lags behind the competition.

Another advantage of Samsung’s offering is its refresh rate. Both the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air M2 displays have a bog-standard 60Hz refresh rate, but the Galaxy Tab S9 FE has a smoother 90Hz refresh rate. The iPad Air 6 screen isn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination, but users are right to expect more from a flagship-tier tablet in 2024. However, we prefer the iPad’s 3:2 aspect ratio, which is better for tablet use. Samsung should consider reserving the 16:10 panels for its laptops.

Winner: Tie

Software

A good experience either way

Whether you prefer the Apple or Galaxy software, the iPad Air M2 and Galaxy Tab S9 FE offer a slick experience. Which one is better is largely subjective and will likely boil down to what other devices you own. If you use an Android smartphone, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE (loaded with Android 13) will offer commonality with many of your apps. Likewise, iPadOS 17 will sync up nicely with iCloud and other Apple services for iPhone users. You can also expect good support and regular OS updates from both brands, so no worries either way. However, unless you’re already heavily invested in one ecosystem, this shouldn’t be the ultimate deciding factor between these tablets.

Winner: Tie

Performance

Apple silicon is a workhorse

But there is a wider gulf between the iPad Air M2 and Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE under the hood. The beating heart of the 2024 iPad Air is Apple’s own M2 system on chip (SoC), which outpaces Samsung’s Exynos 1380 chip by a wide margin. Both have 8 CPU cores, but the Apple M2 clocks at 3490 MHz, whereas the Exynos 1380 achieves a max clock speed of 2400 MHz. If you know anything about Apple silicon, it shouldn’t be surprising that the M2 CPU delivers hugely better single-core and multi-core performance than the Exynos 1380.

Related

The new M2 iPad Air finally makes me want to ditch my iPad 9

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Furthermore, the iPad Air M2 comes standard with 8GB of RAM, but the Galaxy Tab S9 FE has 6GB in its base configuration. You can upgrade to 8GB with the 256GB model, but that knocks the price up to $520, making the Galaxy tablet less of a value proposition.

If you’re looking for a tablet for productivity, the iPad Air M2 is far more suited for the job than the Galaxy Tab S9 FE. Even tasks like streaming videos, surfing the web, playing mobile games, and regular every day app-juggling will be smoother on the iPad. If you weigh your tablet’s horsepower heavily, go with the M2.

Winner: iPad Air M2

Battery life

The iPad Air disappoints

Considering the general energy efficiency of Apple silicon SoCs, we were somewhat surprised to find the battery life of the iPad Air disappointing (with the 11-inch model, at least). Apple claims up to 10 hours of use without a charge, but our experience was closer to five or six hours under average use conditions. In contrast, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE reliably lasts eight hours or more.

On top of that, Samsung’s tablet offers 45W charging speeds, which are 50% faster than the iPad Air’s max 30W charging speeds (and for that, you’ll need to buy a better charger to replace the 20W unit that comes with the tablet). Not only does the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE last longer than the iPad Air M2, but it also charges faster. That’s not a deal-breaker for the iPad Air M2, which is excellent in almost all other respects – just keep your charger handy.

Winner: Galaxy Tab S9 FE

Camera

The choice is clear for tablet photographers

The iPad Air M2 and Galaxy Tab S9 FE offer 12MP ultrawide front cameras for video chats and selfies. However, the iPad Air’s front shooter can record 1080p video at 60fps, while the Galaxy Tab S9 FE’s selfie cam can only do 1080p at 30fps. The gap widens when we move around to the back: Apple’s tablet features a 12MP main camera that can record 4K video at up to 60fps. The 8MP rear camera on the Galaxy Tab S9 is, again, only capable of recording video at 30fps (even if you knock the resolution down to 1080p). People who take a lot of photos and videos with their tablets may be a minority, but if you’re among that number, the winner is obvious.

Winner: iPad Air M2

Which is right for you?

The 11-inch iPad Air M2 costs $150 more than the Galaxy Tab SE 9, but you’re getting your money’s worth considering its superior chipset and considerably stronger performance. It’s objectively the better tablet of the two thanks to that M2 SoC alone. You’re also less likely to be invested in a tablet operating system than you are with a computer, so there’s no reason to let iPadOS be an obstacle. We’d like to see battery life and display quality improved on future 11-inch models, but the 13-inch iPad Air largely solves these shortcomings.

iPad Air (M2, 2024)

Editor’s choice

$570 $599 Save $29

The 2024 iPad Air features the Apple M2 processor and a new design that’s available in two sizes for the first time, adding a 13-inch model on top of an improved 11-inch version.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE nonetheless offers a very good Android tablet experience on a budget, though. If you really can’t stretch your budget for the iPad Air M2, the Tab S9 FE is worth considering. It may be a worthy iPad Air alternative if you have a Galaxy phone and want to stay in that software ecosystem.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE

Value alternative

$400 $450 Save $50

This more affordable version of the regular Tab S9 cuts corners to hit a lower price point, including an LCD 90Hz-refresh-rate display instead of OLED and a less powerful Exynos 1380 chipset. But you get just about everything else you’d want with a Samsung tablet.