Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e is a $400 AMOLED tablet, the Tab A 10.1 goes for LCD

2021-04-10

The shortest way to describe the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e is this: 10.5” Super AMOLED screen, 5.5mm thickness, $400. If that’s too much, there’s the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2019), an affordable tablet with 1080p LCD.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e

You must have spotted the “e” in the name, it comes just days before the Galaxy S10e is unveiled. This isn’t a flagship device like the Tab S4 10.5 from last year, though you could probably tell that from the price.

Still, it’s hard to beat the Tab S5e in terms of portability. Its metal body is razor-thin at just 5.5mm (vs. 7.1mm for the S4) and it weighs 400g. There’s an optional Book cover keyboard that you can use with DeX mode for a laptop-like experience.

The 10.5” screen has 2,560 x 1,600px resolution – that’s a 16:10 aspect ratio and a pixel density that’s slightly higher than the iPad Pro 11. There’s no stylus support, though.

On the plus side, there are four AKG-tuned speakers (one in each corner) with Dolby Atmos and the 7,040mAh battery is good for over 14 hours of video watching. There’s fast charging over the USB-C port (note that there’s no 3.5mm jack, but you do get a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter in the box).

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e is powered by a Snapdragon 670 chipset, which isn’t flagship material but should still do decently. There are two memory options: 4/64GB and 6/128GB. The microSD slot can add up to 512GB more storage. Naturally, the tablet runs Android 9 Pie with One UI.

The Galaxy Tab S5e features face recognition and a fingerprint scanner (built into the Power key). There’s also an 8MP selfie camera and a 13MP rear cam.

There are far-field microphones so you Bixby can hear you better. Also, the Tab S5e syncs up with your Galaxy smartphone, so you can answer calls and reply to texts straight from the tablet.

Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e will start on March 14 at $400/€420, the tablets will ship on April 4. The LTE version costs €480 in Europe, US price is to be confirmed, but likely will be around $460. If you pre-order, you get a free pair of AKG Y500 headphones.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2019)

The Samsung Galaxy A 10.1 (2019) is a budget offering, priced at just €210. It switches to a 10.1” LCD with 1,920 x 1,200 pixels and two Dolby Atmos speakers. The body of the tablet is still metal, but it measures 7.5mm thick.

The chipset is an Exynos 7904, which is said to also power the upcoming Galaxy A30 phone. It’s paired with just 2GB of RAM and 32GB storage (storage is expandable, RAM isn’t).

This tablet also has pogo pins, so you can hook up a keyboard cover or use the charging dock. Otherwise, you charge the 6,150mAh battery over USB-C.

The Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2019) will have an LTE version, though at €270 you might consider tethering instead. This tablet is less “work” more “play”, Samsung even highlights the Kids mode in the press release.

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