Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S5e may have made a splash, but there are still improvements we’d like in the true Tab S5.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S5 leaks and rumors are already starting to circulate, and we may be several months away from the announcement of the new tablet. Before that day comes, we want to keep track of all the bits of information we’ve heard and all of the hopes and expectations we have for the future Galaxy Tab S5.
It’s been less than a year since Samsung launched the Galaxy Tab S4, so it may still be early to start wishing for a Galaxy Tab S5. To hold us over, Samsung did launch a more budget-focused Galaxy Tab S5e back in February, though the new tablet has taken more than two months to actually release in stores.
It’s also worth noting that the Galaxy Tab S5e isn’t the full Galaxy Tab S5we’re expecting. It offers a slimmer, lighter design and can come configured with up to 6GB of RAM, but it has no S Pen and uses a mid-tier chipset. That may be why the Galaxy Tab S4 still costs over 50% more than the Galaxy Tab S5e.
So, with the Galaxy Tab S5e not serving as a true successor to the Tab S4, here’s what we want to see from the real heir to the Tab S family throne.
We’ve only got a little to go on in this department, but history can be a decent indicator. The Galaxy Tab S4 launched alongside the Galaxy Note 9 in August 2018. So, the new tablet will presumably launch alongside a new phone once again.
We anticipate an August launch for the Galaxy Note 10, and therefore expect the Galaxy Tab S5 in August as well. In terms of price, the Tab S5 will likely launch in the ballpark of $650 (£599) at a minimum. This was the launch price of the Galaxy Tab S4. But, if Samsung includes some of the upgrades we hope to see in the Galaxy Tab S5, the price could go up a considerable amount.
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S4 did upgrade the display from the Tab S3, but the Tab S5 could stand to go even further.
The Tab S4 has a 10.5-inch Super AMOLED displays with 2560×1600 resolutions. For the front of the Galaxy Tab S5e, Samsung managed to stuff that same 10.5-inch display from the Galaxy Tab S4 into a frame that it smaller in every dimension. That makes them plenty sharp, and in that regard, the Galaxy Tab S5 doesn’t really need to make any improvements to still offer excellent visual clarity.
But, even with the newly reduced bezels on the Galaxy Tab S5e, there’s still a considerable amount more needless black border on the 2018 tablet than on Samsung’s new, premium smartphones.
With the Galaxy Tab S5, it would be exciting to see a bit more screen filling the space.
