Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e 10.5-inch Tablet: The mid-range tablet
The mid-range Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e with 10.5-inch display is not only available with WiFi or WiFi and LTE connectivity but two memory and storage configurations. It doesn’t stop there, with all the hall marks of a flagship device, it is ultra light, ultra thin but above all, it come with a 10.5-inch Super AMOLED display.
How Does It Compare with the iPad Pro and iPad Air
Like the iPad Pro, the display on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e has a smaller frame or bezel and comes with rounded corners. This not only reduces the bulk of the device but increases the screen to body ratio giving more focus to the display. At 10.5-inch it sits along side the iPad Air 2019 but with so much more to offer.
The Galaxy Tab S5e is also slimmer at 5.5mm and lighter at around 400grams compared to the iPad Air. Samsung achieves this with strong metal unibody design metal and reduced bezel. But the biggest pull for going with the Galaxy Tab S5e has to be the 10.5-inch super AMOLED display. It displays everything in vivid colour, optimal brightness, super sharp and plenty of details. The Air only has an LED display.
With the huge capacity 7040mAh battery, Samsung claims that it will offer up to 14.5 hours of use per charge. In practise, it is somewhere around 10 hours. Other notable features include the quad firing speakers tune by AKG, the 8MP front facing camera for web chat and selfie, the 13MP rear facing camera and reversible USB type-C connector for fast data transfer and charging.
How Does It Compare With the Galaxy Tab S6
To keep the cost down, Samsung used a standard capacitive touch display. This means no digitiser for stylus or S Pen input. This is reserved for the flagship Samsung Galaxy Tab S6. Although, all things considered, the S5e has most of the features of its bigger sibling.
On the same vein, in keeping the cost down, the Tab S5e does not have an in-display fingerprint scanner like on the Tab S6. So without the home button with finger print sensor built in and no visible fingerprint scanner on the back, where might this be? The Tab S5e has this side-mounted. A simple swipe will unlock the device.
In addition to that, as a mid-range device, the Tab S5e uses the slower Snapdragon 670 chip as oppose to the flagship Snapdragon 855 chip. It comes only with 4GB or 6GB memory and 64GB or 128GB storage. Unlike the Tab S6, the flagship device comes with 6GB or 8GB memory and 128GB or 256GB storage.
Finally, there is no dual rear camera in the Tab S5e. That feature is reserved for the flagship Tab S6 with a 13MP and 5MP pair, wide and ultra wide respectively. On the other hand the Tab S5e only has the single wide 13MP main rear camera. Both tablets come with 8MP front facing camera.
What Are the Features that the Tab S5e and Tab S6 Shares
Both Galaxy Tab S6 and Tab S5e shares the same design and display. That same minimalist and elegant all metal body with narrow bezels and ultra slim design oozes class whichever angle you choose to look at it. Each of the tablets offer three different colour choices. For the Tab S6, Mountain Gray, Cloud Blue and Rose Blush. While with the Tab S5e, there is the more standard black, silver and gold.
Dimension wise, both tablets are no far off. In fact, the Tab S6 is only marginally smaller in both width and height but is slightly thicker and heavier. It also weighs 20 grams heavier at 420 grams. This may be due to the digitiser screen to support S Pen input, in-display fingerprint scanner and extra rear facing camera. This leaves the cheaper Tab S5e lighter and slimmer.
Other similarities are that both devices have the same 8MP front camera, quad firing speakers and same high capacity battery at 7040mAh.
PRO
- Updated design with slimmer bezel and display with rounded corner
- Memory and storage options: 4GB RAM memory with 64GB storage option or the 6GB RAM memory with 128GB storage option. This is enough for most application. Look to Tab S6 for more storage and memory.
- Excellent speakers on all four corners of the device with Dolby Atmos and AKG support
- Brilliant Display as you would expect from Samsung with SuperAMOLED
- Face recognition and Fingerprint sensor on the power key for single action
- Choice of memory and storage options
- Ultra slim 5.5mm and ultra light 400 grams
- LTE option available
CONS
- No S Pen support so no stylus input
- Optional keyboard cover does not come with track pad
- No in-display fingerprint scanner
- No rear dual camera setup
- Mid-range Snapdragon 670 processor
- Side mounted fingerprint scanner can be tricky at times
- Optional keyboard cover does not come with trackpad
