A good tablet can be a great portable streaming option. A tablet with a keyboard folio can be a surprisingly efficient workhorse. And a tablet with a stylus offers an outlet to channelise creativity. Oh, for Android phone users, it helps if the tablet offered the same operating system. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE offers all that, plus more.

Attaching the alphabet ‘S’ to any Samsung device makes it an entrant to an exclusive club because of the range of features. This is the “fan edition”, which means a limited drinks menu at a jazz bar. The sleekness of the best Android tablet at the moment — Galaxy S7+ — remains on the new model, minus a few trimmings, which we will get to down the road.

Integration factor

The important question you need to ask yourself is how important is the element of integration. Having an Android phone makes it easier to have an Android tablet, which Samsung takes it further with DeX that makes it convenient to attach a Samsung keyboard folio (need to be bought separately) for a laptop-ish feel. With a keyboard, the S7 FE enjoys extra value at the hands of a college student as much as that of an office-goer on the move (yes, we’re hopeful about days in the sun!).

Unlike an iPad, a stylus or what’s called the S Pen, is inside the box, free of cost to take full advantage of plenty of apps, especially those that help jot down notes or draw. After enjoying the tablet for a few days, I have come to appreciate the S Pen more than ever while working on three apps simultaneously — like Excel, Powerpoint and Word — in three different windows.

Android is not the best of options when it comes to tablets but Samsung gets full credit for building its layers on top of Android 11 to keep things smooth. The problem with Android (and not hardware manufacturers) is that Google doesn’t seem to care about tablets, so what you may get — from time to time — is unoptimised apps that look weird on the screen.

Also winning a point for the tablet is the quality of the S Pen, which is a simple one with no Bluetooth capabilities but it lines up very well with whatever you are drawing or writing. In case of notes, it converts writing into text easily (unless you have a doctor’s penmanship), which works even when you writing in the search bar or the title bar.

While playing a game like Stardew Valley, there were no issues. The tab didn’t stutter even while zooming out on the map. All the games we threw at it were tackled well.

Personal preference

And streaming? The stage is set for the debate. Galaxy S7+ has the best screen on any tablet, including most iPads. To keep the cost under check, the S7 FE comes with a 12.4-inch TFT display (2,560 x 1,600 WQXGA). The camp is clearly divided between AMOLED and TFT. The former offers colours that pop while on the latter the screen doesn’t get as bright as AMOLED. But, colour balance remains more or less remain unchanged on a TFT. Frankly, it comes down to personal preference. Unless you are used to having an OLED display before you all day long, there’s simply no point comparing display types. Also, this is a 60Hz display, which didn’t bother me much because I don’t use tablets to scroll through any news feed, like on Facebook or Instagram.

Apart from that Samsung has retained the front-facing camera on the middle of the landscape bezel, which is helpful during videoconferencing. And the bezel has just the right thickness because you will need to hold the tablet on both sides. Let’s not get into the camera system since tablets are not meant for photography.

Should you buy it?

Tablet users don’t upgrade every two years. My father has been using his device for four years now, without grumbling. If you are in need of an upgrade or want another screen around the house for WFH or schooling, it’s a perfectly capable option. Instead of eyeing the most expensive model, like the S7+, mull over what the usage pattern would be like. Though there is micro SD support, our suggestion is to go for the 6GB+128GB version. This too is a premium device but a more affordable brother of Tab S7+. Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE offers a constellation of starry features without costing the earth.

More about the tablet

The S Pen comes in the box and doesn’t cost extra

Device: Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE

Price: Upwards of 46,999 (4GB+64GB)

High notes

• Durable build

• Stereo speakers

• S Pen comes in the box

• Excellent battery life

• Good camera quality

Muffled notes

• DeX support can improve

• The S Pen can easily be knocked off from its magnetic attachment