Due to all of the leaks, Samsung might not have any surprises left in store for next week, but it did surprise us Friday with the unveiling of a new midrange tablet dubbed the Galaxy Tab S5e. With less than a week to go before its Galaxy S10 event in San Francisco, Samsung took to its newsroom to announce the new tablet, which is both its thinnest and lightest to date. It will be available to purchase in the second quarter of 2019.
Starting at $399, the Tab S5e features a 10.5-inch Super AMOLED display with 2560 x 1600 resolution, Snapdragon 670 octa-core processor, up to 6GB of memory and 128GB of internal storage, 7,040mAh fast charging battery, 13-megapixel rear camera, 8-megapixel front camera, and runs on Android 9.0 out of the box.
Despite the odd naming convention, this is not the successor to the Galaxy Tab S4 (though the middling specs likely gave that away). Rather, this device slots between the $649 Galaxy Tab S4 and the $329 Galaxy Tab A. And yet, with its 5.5mm thick body, weight of 400g, and increased screen-to-body ratio, it might be the best-looking tablet Samsung has ever released. Pair that with its lower price point, and the Tab S5e has a lot going for it.
And despite its unexciting specifications, the Tab S5e also comes packed with many of Samsung’s latest software innovations, including the Bixby 2.0 virtual assistant, and Samsung DeX, which allows you to turn any monitor into a PC by plugging in your tablet. You’ll need a keyboard, but it’s a worthwhile addition to the feature set.
The Galaxy Tab S5e will launch in Q2 2019, with the 4GB/64GB model starting at $399. The S5e will be available in silver, black, and gold, and cellular variants will go on sale after the Wi-Fi variants later this year.
