Samsung has released the new budget-focused Galaxy Tab S10 FE – but how does it compare to one of the most popular tablets around, the iPad 11?
While the Galaxy Tab S10 FE has the advantage with a higher price tag allowing for slightly more premium specs, it’s not a complete win for Samsung’s tablet.
Here are five key differences between the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE and iPad 11 to help you decide which is best for your needs.
Pricing and availability
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE, despite being a more budget-friendly alternative to Samsung’s flagship Galaxy Tab collection, still comes in at a rather premium £499 with 128GB of storage.
The iPad 11, on the other hand, is quite a bit cheaper at £329 with the same 128GB of storage.
Both tablets are available to buy right now from Samsung and Apple respectively, along with retailers like Amazon.
The Galaxy Tab S10 FE has better durability
If there’s one area where the Galaxy Tab S10 FE truly stands head and shoulders above not only Apple’s iPad 11 but the entire iPad collection, it’s in the durability department.
Borrowing the feature from the flagship Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE offers full IP68 dust and water resistance, meaning you can take the tablet to the beach or pool with little worry about incurring damage.
There’s no official IP rating for the iPad 11 by comparison, meaning you’ll have to invest in a rugged or waterproof case for added protection – and with that will come a fair bit of bulk.
The iPad 11 is lighter
With better durability comes extra added weight; well, that’s what it looks like anyway. The iPad 11 offers a slightly larger screen than the Galaxy Tab S10 FE, but despite this, it’s the lighter of the two.
The Wi-Fi-only iPad 11 weighs in at 477g, while Samsung’s equivalent tips the scales at 497g. Granted, 20g may not sound like much, but it’ll make all the difference when using the tablets over longer periods of time.
That said, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE is the thinner of the two by a fair margin, measuring in at 6mm thick compared to the iPad 11’s 7mm.
The Galaxy Tab S10 FE has a faster screen
The iPad 11 actually has the larger display of the two at 11 inches compared to the Galaxy Tab’s 10.9 inches, but that’s where the iPad’s screen dominance seemingly ends.
Both sport the same LCD tech in place of the OLED screen tech offered by more premium Apple and Samsung tablets, though the iPad is locked at 60Hz, where the Galaxy Tab S10 FE clocks in at 90Hz.
This should make all the difference, not only when scrolling through apps and websites but gaming in particular, with Samsung’s tablet offering a smoother experience with slicker animations than Apple’s alternative.
The iPad 11 has a more capable chipset
An area where the iPad easily beats the Galaxy Tab S10 FE is in the all-important power department, with Apple’s tablet packing the A16 Bionic chipset.
Though not the latest and greatest in Apple’s arsenal, the A16 Bionic was the chipset that powered Apple’s flagship iPhone 14 Pro range back in 2022.
That’s paired with 6GB of RAM, along with 128GB of storage, with 256- and 512GB variants available at additional cost.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE, on the other hand, sports the Exynos 1580 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM and either 128- or 256GB of storage, further expandable via microSD card.
While this Samsung-manufactured chipset is new to the 2025 market, it’s the chipset of choice of Samsung’s mid-range Galaxy A56 5G. And, as we’ve seen from benchmarking the Galaxy A56 5G, it’s fine, but not exceptional.
The Galaxy Tab S10 FE comes with an S Pen in the box
Both the iPad 11 and Galaxy Tab S10 FE are compatible with high-end styluses in the form of the Apple Pencil (USB-C) and S Pen respectively.
Both offer a great writing experience based on our experience of previous tablets with support for the styluses, but there’s a catch: you’ll have to pay £79/$79 for an Apple Pencil.
The Galaxy Tab S10 FE, on the other hand, comes with an S Pen in the box, ready for all your note-taking and doodling from day one. It’s definitely a plus for the Tab S10 FE given its more budget-focused price tag than the full-fat Tab S9.
Early thoughts
While the iPad 11 has its strengths, including a slightly larger screen, better processing power and a more lightweight design, there’s a lot to appreciate about the Galaxy Tab S10 FE.
It not only offers a rare IP68 dust and water resistance rating, but it also offers a faster 90Hz screen, faster charging, and comes with an S Pen in the box. That said, we’ll have our final thoughts until we’ve fully reviewed both tablets. In the meantime, check out our selection of the best tablets.
