Apple iPad 9th Gen 2021 vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE: Which one to buy?

Along with the iPhone 13 series, Apple also introduced the iPad 9th Gen (2021) model. Essentially, it is an old iPad with refreshed internals, making it one of the best and most affordable iPads out there. While there are some cons to the device, people with a tight budget can definitely choose it over other products in the market. However, how does the Apple iPad 9th Gen (2021) stand against the popular Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE? 

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE was launched in September 2021. In the Indian market, it is one of the few tablets that offer decent specifications at a mid-premium price tag. The Tab S7 FE comes with a modern design with equal bezels on all the sides and ships with the S-Pen. Both the Apple iPad 9th Gen (2021) and Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE offer similar use cases with Apple Pencil and Samsung S-Pen respectively. With that basic information in mind, read along the detailed Apple iPad 9th Gen (2021) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE comparison. 

Apple iPad 9th Gen (2021) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE

Screen

Tablets are hybrid devices that are used for multimedia consumption and productivity tasks. Hence, having a good display is one of the most important qualities of a tablet. Beginning with the comparison, the Apple iPad 9th Gen (2021) comes with a 10.2-inch Retina IPS display along with support for True Tone calibration. It is built on a 4:3 aspect ratio and has 1620 x 2160 pixels, which result in a pixel density of 265 pixels per inch. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE has a 12.4" TFT panel, built on a 16:10 aspect ratio. The screen has 1600 x 2560 pixels along with a density of 243 pixels per inch.

The iPad has a sharper display and will produce slightly better colours. On the flip side, the Tab S7 FE display is fairly larger and has equal bezels on all sides. Someone who wants to interact with multiple applications at once can go with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE without a doubt. However, if someone wants a brighter display with relatively accurate colours, the iPad 9th Gen (2021) will be the right product. 

Performance

Yet another interesting aspect of the comparison between the Apple iPad 9th Gen (2021) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE, there is a huge performance gap between the two tablets. The Apple iPad 9th Gen (2021) comes with an A13 Bionic chipset that runs on 7nm technology. It is a Hexa-core processor with two performance cores and six efficiency cores, along with the quad-core Apple GPU. With the given hardware, the iPad manages to score 1,334 points on the single-core and 3,272 points on the multi-core Geekbench test. 

Switching focus to the Tab S7 FE, it comes with multiple processors depending upon the variant available in a region. In India, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE Wi-Fi only model comes with a Snapdragon 778G processor which works on a 6nm technology. It is an octa-core processor with four high-performance cores and four efficiency cores, accompanied by Adreno 642L graphics. With these specifications, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE managed to score 655 points in the single-core and 1,953 points in the multi-core test. The benchmark scores suggest that the iPad 9th Gen offers better performance. 

Other features

• The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE offers a quad-speaker system with Boldy-Atmos as opposed to two speakers on the iPad. 
• Galaxy Tab S7 FE has a Type-C port whereas the iPad has a Lightning Port.  
• Galaxy Tab S7 FE has a 10,090 mAh battery and the iPad has an 8,557 mAh battery. 
• The front camera on the Apple iPad 9th Gen is a 12MP ultra-wide sensor as opposed to the 5MP shooter on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE. 
• The Apple iPad 9th Gen has a 3.5mm audio jack, whereas the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE does not. 

Storage and price

Apple iPad 9th Gen (2021) is available in two colours - Space Grey and Silver. 

• Apple iPad 9th Gen 64GB (Wi-Fi) - Rs. 30,900
• Apple iPad 9th Gen 64GB (Wi-Fi + Cellular) - Rs. 42,900
• Apple iPad 9th Gen 256GB (Wi-Fi) - Rs. 44,900
• Apple iPad 9th Gen 256GB (Wi-Fi + Cellular) - Rs. Rs. 56,900

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE is available in four colours - Mystic Black, Mystic Silver, Mystic Green and Mystic Pink

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 4/64GB (Wi-Fi) - Rs. 39,999 at Reliance Digital 
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 4/64GB (Wi-Fi + 4G) - Rs. Rs. 49,999 at Amazon
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE 6/128GB (Wi-Fi + 4G) - Rs. 48,999 at Reliance Digital