Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024), and you will be able to buy it in select markets starting tomorrow, March 28. Official pricing details are unknown, but previous leaks say the lowest price will be €429 for the 4GB + 64GB Wi-Fi model. Is it worth it? We'll have to wait and see, but let's take a look at how the tablet compares to what might be its closest rival, i.e., the Galaxy Tab S9 FE.
Right off the bat, it's obvious that the Galaxy Tab S9 FE is a superior tablet with a higher price of €499 and up. However, even if it is more expensive, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE has at least 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Plus, it has a whole lot more going for it than the Tab S6 Lite refresh.
Galaxy Tab S9 FE has better features and superior build quality
At the moment, there is some confusion regarding the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite's chip. Samsung hints (but hasn't outright confirmed) at an Exynos 1380 chip — same as the Tab S9 FE — but previous benchmarks show that the 2024 Lite refresh is powered by the less powerful Exynos 1280 SoC.
Raw performance aside, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE also beats the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024) in the display department. It ships with a slightly larger 10.9-inch panel instead of a 10.4-inch one and has a resolution of 1440 x 2304 instead of 1200 x 2000.
Furthermore, the Tab S9 FE's panel is an IPS LCD with a 90Hz refresh rate rather than a TFT LCD that tops out at 60Hz. In turn, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE should offer a superior S Pen experience and a smoother UI.
And, that's not all. The Galaxy Tab S9 FE has a bigger 8,000mAh battery that charges at 45W, while the Tab S6 Lite (2024) has a 7,040mAh 15W unit.
Might the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024) be overpriced?
In addition, the Fan Edition tablet is equipped with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, while the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024) lacks fingerprint-based authentication altogether. And if you care about cameras on your tablet, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE offers 4K recording with its main camera, up from 1080p@30fps, and a 12MP selfie sensor, up from 5MP.
Last but not least, even though both tablets have aluminum backs and frames, the Galaxy Tab S9 FE has an IP68 dust and water resistance rating, which will give you some peace of mind when you leave your tablet lying on the table. The Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024) is as vulnerable to dust and liquid ingress as the 2020 model was, i.e., it doesn't have an IP rating worth mentioning by Samsung.
Assuming that the price difference between the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2024) and the Galaxy Tab S9 FE will indeed be €70, you could say that the Fan Edition model offers a lot more value for not that big of a price difference. However, we'll have to see what the 2024 refresh costs before we draw any definitive conclusions.
For now, we can all agree that the Tab S9 FE is a superior tablet in many ways that count. The only thing that could save the Tab S6 Lite (2024) would be a low price — one much closer to the €249 Galaxy Tab A9+ than the Tab S9 FE.
