Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e Review

                                            

The iPad has become synonymous with tablet computers in general, and a lot of people mistakenly call any tablet an iPad. While Apple's iPads are definitely the most popular tablets around, it isn't the only company making them — a handful of manufacturers still produce Android tablets. The company that started it all was Samsung, which introduced the big-screen hand-held device concept to the Android platform in 2010. Samsung recently introduced its latest tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e.
Priced at Rs. 35,999 onwards, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e is all about the big screen, offering an iPad Pro-like approach to design at a much lower price. The highlight of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e is its 10.5-inch QHD-resolution AMOLED screen, promising to make this the best portable entertainment device available for under Rs. 40,000. Does this Samsung tablet live up to expectations? We find out in our review.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e design and specifications
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e is the successor to last year's Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 (Review), but is positioned differently. While the Galaxy Tab S4 was priced at Rs. 57,900 at launch, the Tab S5e has a much more affordable price tag of Rs. 35,999 for the Wi-Fi-only variant (on review here), while the LTE variant is priced at Rs. 39,999. An explanation for this reduction in price comes through the ‘e' at the end of the model name; it's a similar approach to that of the Samsung Galaxy S10e₹ 48,840 (Review), which offers most of what its more expensive S10-series siblings do, but at a lower price.
In the case of the Galaxy Tab S5e, Samsung has retained the high-resolution screen and premium design of the Galaxy Tab S4, but has gone with a less powerful mid-range processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 670. Furthermore, just one configuration is available, with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The only option buyers have is between the Wi-Fi and LTE variants. Specification buffs might find the downgrade from a Snapdragon 835 to a Snapdragon 670 disappointing, and we'll find out a bit later in our review how much of an impact that has made in terms of real world performance.
Processor aside, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e looks good, is built well, and has a good set of specifications for a tablet. The front features slim borders around the 10.5-inch QHD-resolution AMOLED screen, with just the front camera breaking the stark, featureless look. The tablet has a metal unibody and is just 5.5mm thick.
Despite its size, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e weighs just 400g, making it lighter and slimmer than the Apple iPad Air (2019), with a screen of the same size and roughly the same resolution.
The back of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e also tries to be minimalist in design, although its antenna lines do break the starkness of the metal back. Just like on iPads, the Samsung logo is reflective, and the single rear camera is in the top-left corner, although the sensor sits in a larger housing and sticks out slightly. Charging is through a USB Type-C port at the bottom, while the power and volume buttons are on the right side.

The power button doubles up as a fingerprint sensor, and the tablet also has face recognition for biometric authentication. Both of these work well. The fingerprint sensor is extremely quick and works with even the slightest touch. However, having the fingerprint sensor on the power button makes it a bit hard to reach, and the power button itself is a bit hard to press because of its shape. We usually found it easier to use a double-tap to wake the tablet, and then let face recognition unlock it.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e has a total of four speakers. Two are placed at the bottom and two are at the top, putting one near each of the four corners of the screen. The sound has been tuned by AKG — part of Samsung subsidiary Harman International — and there's also Dolby Atmos support for better sound when watching movies or TV shows on the Galaxy Tab S5e.

                 

The Galaxy Tab S5e has a 7,040mAh battery and comes with a 15W charger, which took around three hours to fully charge the tablet. There are also pogo points on the left side to allow charging through a dock or to use Samsung's Book Cover Keyboard, which you can purchase separately. With regular use, we were able to go for three to four days between charges. In our HD video battery loop test, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e lasted 13 hours and 10 minutes.
You get a 13-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel front camera on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e. The rear camera has autofocus but no flash, and video recording at up to 4K resolution is possible. These cameras are quite basic and aren't suited to anything more than the occasional picture when you don't have easy or quick access to a smartphone, and video calls.
Interestingly, this tablet also has Call and Message Continuity, a feature that lets you accept calls and reply to messages received on a compatible Samsung Smartphone, on the tablet itself, when both are set up to do that.