Yes, Samsung still makes tablets, and they just launched a new one. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e officially announced through a news article on the Samsung Newsroom on Feb 15, 2019. The tablet is priced at $399 for the base model and will climb up the pricing ladder should you need more storage or connectivity option. It also supports a full-sized keyboard, but that will cost an extra $129. Let’s start off with the specs:
Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e Specifications |
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| DISPLAY | 10.5” WQXGA Super AMOLED |
| CHIPSET | Snapdragon 670 SoC, 64bit Octa-core processor (2×2.0 GHz & 6×1.7 GHz) |
| MEMORY / STORAGE | 4GB + 64GB or 6GB + 128GB, microSD up to 512GB |
| CAMERA | Rear: 13MP Front: 8MP |
| PORT | USB3.1 (Type C), POGO Type-C headset connector Provided |
| SENSORS | Accelerometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, RGB Light Sensor |
| WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4G + 5GHz, VHT80 MU- MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v5.0 |
| GPS | GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo |
| DIMENSION, WEIGHT | 245.0 x 160.0 x 5.5mm 400g |
| BATTERY | 7,040 mAh, Fast Charging |
| OS | Android 9.0 |
| ACCESSORIES | Book cover Keyboard, POGO Charging Dock, Slim cover, Book cover (not included) |
| VIDEO | Recording: UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) @ 30fps Playback: UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) @ 60fps |
| AUDIO | 4 speakers sound by AKG, Dolby Atmos® |
Going by the specs, this seems to be a capable device. It gets a decent processor, ample memory options, good connectivity, and all of the bells and whistles one would expect. Furthermore, the 5.5mm of thickness, a SuperAMOLED display, and Android 9.0 out-of-the-box just sweetens the deal even more. So, this seems like a good deal. But can it beat the $329 iPad?
Apple iPad 2018 vs Galaxy tab S5e
Both tablets sport attachable keyboards, but only one of them supports a stylus, or in this case, the Apple Pencil. Why did Samsung skim out on S-Pen stylus support? We will never know. In a twist of events, the Tab S5e looks more like an iPad pro than the iPad 2018 itself. But that’s a story for another day. Moving on to the display, Samsung’s AMOLED display is definitely better than that LCD IPS panel on the iPad.
But the SD670 is just no match for the A10 Fusion. Plus with added optimization goodness of iOS, well, you get the point. So, keeping connectivity and cameras aside, isn’t iPad a better device overall?
Most users who own an iPhone will go for the iPad. Majority of Samsung owners either don’t care much about tablets and even if they do, there is a very less chance of them buying a Galaxy Tablet. Plus, we see news every month about tablet sales falling down. As for if it could work as a laptop replacement, the Microsoft Surface Go, which is an actual laptop does a better job.
The tablet should go on sale soon (Q2 2019) as pre-orders will begin in March 2019. Pricing starts at $399 for the 4/64GB model while the 6/128GB configuration is priced at $479. Both are Wi-Fi only variants with an LTE version launching soon. Alongside the Tab S5e, Samsung also introduced us to the 2019 Galaxy Tab A 10.1, a budget segment tablet with the Exynos 7904 SoC and pricing of around $240.
Also Watch: Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.5 2018 Review!
