Home Tablet comparison Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025) and Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus) - Which is better?

Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus)

88 out 100
Apple iPad Air 13
VS
64 out 100
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus)
Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025)
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus)

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025) Manufactured in March, 2025, with display 13 with chipsetApple M3 (iPad), vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus), Manufactured in October, 2023with chipsetSamsung Exynos 1380. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025)
  • Larger display: 13in
  • Higher pixel density: 264ppi
  • Lighter design: 616g vs 627g
  • Higher battery capacity: 10340mAh vs 10090mAh
  • Supports newer USB: 3.1 vs 2
  • Supports DisplayPort
  • Includes charger
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus)
  • Higher refresh rate: 90Hz

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB
- 8/512 GB
- 8/1024 GB		 - 6/128 GB
- 8/128 GB
- 12/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025) and Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus)
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Performance
App & system performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
Connectivity
Connectivity features
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison
Tablets:
iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025)
vs
Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus)

Display

Display quality comparison
Type IPS LCD TFT LCD
Size 13 in 12.4 in
Resolution 2048x2732 pixels 1600x2560 pixels
Aspect ratio 4:3 16:10
Pixel density 264 ppi 243 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 90 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 600 nits 800 nits
HDR support No Yes HDR10
Screen-to-body ratio 86.8 % 84.2 %
Features DCI-P3 DCI-P3
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025)
573 nits
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus)
759 nits
sRGB gamut99.9 %97.6 %
PWM (Flicker)n/a61100 Hz
Response time36 ms28 ms
Contrast1214:11096:1
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025)], [Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus)]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 280.6 mm (11.05 in) 285.4 mm (11.24 in)
Width 214.9 mm (8.46 in) 185.4 mm (7.3 in)
Thickness 6.1 mm (0.24 in) 6.5 mm (0.26 in)
Weight 616 g (21.73 oz) 627 g (22.12 oz)
Area 603 cm² (93.47 in²) 529 cm² (82 in²)
Water resistance No IP68
Back panel Metal Metal
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Gold
- Gray
- Blue
- Purple		 - Silver
- Gray
- Green
- Purple
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Button Yes In-Button
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025)
86.8 %
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus)
84.2 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025) and Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus) In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple M3 (iPad) Samsung Exynos 1380
Max Frequency 4050 MHz 2400 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (4 + 4) 8 (4 + 4)
Architecture - 4/4.05 (Everest)
- 4/2.75 (Sawtooth)		 - 4/2 (Cortex-A55)
- 4/2.4 (Cortex-A78)
Process TSMC Samsung
Transistor Size 3 nm 5 nm
Neural Processor Apple Neural Engine Yes
Graphics Apple GPU Mali-G68 MP5
GPU Cores 10 160
GPU Frequency n/a 949 MHz
FLOPS n/a 303.7 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025)
3044
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus)
1019
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025)
11749
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus)
2969
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)30441019
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)117492969
Geekbench Compute (GPU)455453075
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025)], [Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus)]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025)
2416667
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus)
575224
CPU638921191138
GPU1000610137035
Memory371902101182
UX405234145869
NanoReview Score2416667575224

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 8 GB 6 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 6400 MHz 2133 MHz
Channels 4 2
Storage
Storage Capacity128 GB128 GB
Storage Typen/aUFS 2.2
Memory Cardn/aMicroSD

Software

OS iPadOS 18.3 Android 13 (Upgradeable to Android 14)
OS Size 23 GB 29 GB
UI Skin n/a One UI 6.1

Battery

Volume 10340 mAh 10090 mAh
Max Charging Power 20 W 45 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging No No
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (50% in 70 min) Yes (50% in 40 min)
Full Charge Time 2:30 h 1:50 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025)
33:55
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus)
31:20
Web Browsing11:41 h10:19 h
Video Playback16:48 h16:16 h
Games08:19 h09:43 h
Standby Mode197 h178 h

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 8 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels n/a
Flash No No
Stabilization Digital Digital
8K Recording n/a No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) n/a
Lenses count Standard: 12 MP Standard: 8 MP
Ultra-wide: 8 MP
Features Bokeh effect
Main lens
Matrix12 MP8 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/2.0
Pixel size1.22 μmn/a
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Ultra-wide lens
Matrixn/a8 MP
Aperturen/af/2.2
Stabilizationn/aDigital

Front camera

Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
Matrix 4032x3024 pixels 4000x3000 pixels
Aperture f/2.4 n/a
Sensor CMOS CMOS
Autofocus No No
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 1080p (Full HD) at 60 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5.3 5.3
Bluetooth features LE LE
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.1 2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
DisplayPort Yes No
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS		 - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS
NFC* No No
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*11
SIM TypeeSIMNano
SIM ModeActiven/a
eSIM Support *YesYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G Bandsn/aGSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)UMTS B1 (2100), B2 (1900), B4 (AWS), B5 (850), B8 (900)
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B11/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B21/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B32/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B48/B66/B71)LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B20/B26/B28/B32/B38/B40/B41/B66)
5G SupportYesYes

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025)
77.7 dB
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (Plus)
85.9 dB

Other

Class Flagship Mid-range
Announced March, 2025 yr October, 2023 yr
Release Date March, 2025 yr October, 2023 yr
Launch Price ($) 799 599
Sensors - Barometer
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Fingerprint sensor		 - Hall Sensor
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included Yes 20 W No
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Apple iPad Air 13" (2th Gen, 2025) the clear winner in this comparison.

Survey

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2 (100%)
Total Votes: 2

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