The Galaxy Tab S10 FE isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel — it’s trying to make that wheel smarter, cheaper, and a little more helpful.
Samsung is clearly betting big on AI this year, and the new Galaxy Tab S10 FE and S10 FE+ are its latest attempt to pull advanced features down into a more accessible price tier. The formula? Take a solid, middleweight tablet with a big screen and battery, throw in some of the AI tricks from Samsung’s flagship devices, and wrap it all up in a clean, polished package.
It mostly works.
Feels like a Galaxy Tab, behaves like an assistant
The biggest upgrade here isn’t the screen (though the 13.1-inch FE+ display is notably larger and brighter). It’s the software layer. Samsung’s betting that smart features like Circle to Search, handwriting help in Samsung Notes, and the new Object Eraser will actually matter to people outside of tech circles. And surprisingly, they might.
That means this is the first FE tablet that genuinely feels like part of Samsung’s new AI-powered Galaxy experience. And yes, that includes the Book Cover Keyboard with a dedicated Galaxy AI key that launches a virtual assistant you can tweak to your liking.
If that sounds like overkill for a tablet, consider this: Samsung wants the Tab S10 FE series to be your study buddy, sketchbook, second screen, and casual content creation tool — not just something to stream Netflix on.
AI that isn’t annoying (mostly)
What’s impressive is how most of these tools stay out of your way until you need them. Solve Math turns your handwritten algebra into clean answers. Best Face fixes awkward group shots by picking the best expressions. Auto Trim takes the chaos out of your video clips and spits out a highlight reel. You’ll find a few gimmicks, sure, but mostly the AI here feels practical.
This isn’t generative AI overload. It’s a smart layer that feels like it was actually designed for tablet use cases. In other words, Samsung didn’t just copy-paste what works on phones.
Specs that won’t embarrass you
Samsung isn’t chasing flagship performance here. But with a respectable Exynos 1380 chip, up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (plus microSD up to 2TB), the S10 FE series holds its own for multitasking, sketching, or running apps like LumaFusion or Goodnotes. You also get IP68 water resistance, which is rare at this price.
Yes, it ships with Android 15. Yes, there’s S Pen support out of the box. And yes, you still need to buy the 45W charger separately.
Pricing and bundles
Samsung is offering some decent launch bundles in South Africa through June 2025. Grab a Tab S10 FE and you can get Galaxy Buds3 or the Smart Book Cover for a discount. Pricing starts at R11,999 for the base WiFi model and tops out at R15,999 for the FE+ with 5G.
It comes in grey, silver and blue. All safe choices, because of course they are. Why rock the boat when these colours will sell.
The bottom line
The Galaxy Tab S10 FE series doesn’t pretend to be the iPad Pro killer. But for students, creatives, or anyone looking to do more with their tablet than just doomscroll, it’s a very solid step up.
And if you’ve been curious about Samsung’s new AI direction but didn’t want to drop R20k to experience it — this might be your on-ramp.