iPad A16 vs Galaxy Tab S10 FE

[djdelarosa25]

I'm looking to replace my iPad (9th generation) as 3 GB of RAM simply isn't cutting it anymore for me. I mainly use my tablet to annotate, consume media, and the occasional gaming. In my country, the iPad together with the USB-C Apple Pencil is roughly the same price (~$450) as a Galaxy Tab S10 FE with discounts. Here are the pros and cons of each that I've managed to list:

 

iPad A16

(+) Significantly more powerful chipset 

(+) More refined software (Apple screwing up updates is rare, unlike Samsung; also iPadOS just plain works)

(+) Aspect ratio

(-) Display (60 Hz, non-laminated, dimmer)

(-) Apple Pencil (separate purchase and the USB-C one doesn't support pressure sensitivity)

 

Galaxy Tab S10 FE

(+) Better integrated with my phone (Galaxy S23)

(+) Software has more features and is more customizable

(+) Display (90 Hz, laminated, brighter)

(+) S Pen (I much prefer the S Pen over the Apple Pencil experience)

(-) Significantly weaker chipset

(-) Aspect ratio (too rectangular)

 

What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance!

[OddOod]

23 minutes ago, djdelarosa25 said:

occasional gaming

As long as the games aren't too demanding (or iPad only), you should be fine with the Galaxy tab for your usecase. I'd say you should get the Tab because you prefer the S Pen experience. 
That being said, even as an apple hater, the iPad is a *vastly* superior device.

[djdelarosa25]

6 hours ago, OddOod said:

That being said, even as an apple hater, the iPad is a *vastly* superior device.

Thanks for your reply! Why do you say this?

[OddOod]

20 hours ago, djdelarosa25 said:

Thanks for your reply! Why do you say this?

Computing power, power efficiency, durability, and app ecosystem. Take your pick

[Commodus]

On 4/24/2025 at 12:08 PM, djdelarosa25 said:

I'm looking to replace my iPad (9th generation) as 3 GB of RAM simply isn't cutting it anymore for me. I mainly use my tablet to annotate, consume media, and the occasional gaming. In my country, the iPad together with the USB-C Apple Pencil is roughly the same price (~$450) as a Galaxy Tab S10 FE with discounts. Here are the pros and cons of each that I've managed to list:

 

iPad A16

(+) Significantly more powerful chipset 

(+) More refined software (Apple screwing up updates is rare, unlike Samsung; also iPadOS just plain works)

(+) Aspect ratio

(-) Display (60 Hz, non-laminated, dimmer)

(-) Apple Pencil (separate purchase and the USB-C one doesn't support pressure sensitivity)

 

Galaxy Tab S10 FE

(+) Better integrated with my phone (Galaxy S23)

(+) Software has more features and is more customizable

(+) Display (90 Hz, laminated, brighter)

(+) S Pen (I much prefer the S Pen over the Apple Pencil experience)

(-) Significantly weaker chipset

(-) Aspect ratio (too rectangular)

 

What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance!

It's a tough call, but I'd lean iPad if your annotations work well across platforms, and Tab S10 FE if it would be more elegant that way.

 

On top of what you've mentioned, iPad apps still tend to be more substantial and polished than their Android counterparts. While the situation has gotten better, it's still true that many Android tablet apps are just the phone apps with a few lines of code to scale them to a larger screen. Not that lazy ports never happen on the iPad, they're just considerably less commonplace.

 

What kind of games do you play? If it's nothing demanding, then the Tab S10 FE will be fine for what you do. But I'd go to an iPad if I was playing anything reasonably performance-intensive, like first-person shooters.