Samsung announced the Galaxy Tab S5e, the followup to the Galaxy Tab S4, at its Galaxy Unpacked event earlier this year alongside the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+. Now, after some months, the cellular version is making its way to one carrier in particular: AT&T.
Galaxy Tab S5e Specs And Features
The Galaxy Tab S5e (there is no mentioned name behind the “e” in the nomenclature) features a 10.5-inch, Super AMOLED panel with a screen resolution of 2560 x 1600p. The screen resolution says that the device has Quad HD+ screen resolution (2560 x 1400 begins Quad HD resolution; 1600p is slightly over that). The 16:10 aspect ratio is near what you’d expect of most tablets, though smartphones are going towards the 18:9 or 19:9 aspect ratio these days.
The tablet is made of metal, which gives it that premium feel users never tire of.
Qualcomm’s octa-core Snapdragon 670 SoC is powering the device, along with 4GB/6GB of RAM. Users can choose their RAM and storage (64GB/128GB) depending on their power needs. There’s a 512GB-capable microSD card slot as well, so users should have plenty of storage to save data locally should they choose it. There’s always cloud storage for those who don’t want to spend additional money on an SD card.
Under the hood of the Galaxy Tab S5e is a 7,040mAh battery, considered to be a monster capacity in a tablet these days. Samsung has a past of placing large batteries in tablets. Its Galaxy Tab A 10.1 models often have large batteries, and the Tab S5e’s battery is reminiscent of Samsung’s 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab A (2016), which has a 7,000+mAh battery capacity.
The Tab S5e features two cameras, an 8MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture and a 13MP rear camera with an f/2.0 aperture. Most users won’t be taking photos with their tablet cameras, but they’re good to have if your phone dies.
The Galaxy Tab S5e has monster audio. It comes with four speakers powered by Samsung’s AKG audio, If you recall, the Galaxy Tab S4 comes with four AKG speakers as well. The quad-speaker arrangement was first introduced on the Galaxy Tab S4, so Tab S5e users are getting the latest in audio. Dolby Atmos comes along as well, another pass-down from the Galaxy Tab S4.
The Galaxy Tab S5e has Bluetooth 5.0, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, the latest (outside of the new ax Wi-Fi standard) and USB 3.1 port technology. There is also security in the new tablet, fingerprint recognition and face recognition for whatever security needs users prefer. Fingerprint recognition on the Galaxy Tab S5e is from the home key, which was once the only way to experience fingerprint authentication on Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones as well.
Of course, Samsung has since upgraded its smartphones in the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 series to have in-display fingerprint scanners where users place their finger on the display (no longer the home button) to validate their identity.
As for the operating system, the six-month-old Tab S5e is running Android 9.0 Pie. If you recall, Google didn’t release Android 10, the successor to Android 9.0 Pie, until earlier this month.
But there is good news, though: the Galaxy Tab S5e is Android 10-eligible. Samsung’s Android 10 eligibility list has surfaced, showing the Galaxy Tab S5e as one of the few tablets eligible for the update. The Galaxy Tab S4, along with the Galaxy Tab A 2018 and 2019 models will receive the update — only these few tablets.
AT&T Pricing And Availability
Since the Galaxy Tab S5e has now landed at AT&T, this means you can pick up the cellular version on either an installment plan or buy it outright. Those looking for an installment plan can expect to pay $16 per month for 30 months, or buy it outright for $479.99.
Interested buyers can start buying the Galaxy Tab S5e from AT&T starting this Friday, September 27th. The Tab S5e comes in Gold, Silver, and Black colors, though AT&T doesn’t specify which will be available. Of course, there’s a Black Tab S5e in the promo, so prepare for only Black but hope for the other color choices.