After being released in select markets last month, the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 5 is now available in the United States. This little 8-inch tablet has a lot to offer with its ultra-rugged design and removable battery, but there are a few catches.
The all-new Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 5 differs from most tablets. It’s not as fancy looking as the neat Galaxy Tab S9, and that’s because it offers “military-grade durability” and even comes bundled with a case. Like many previous models, it’s more geared toward enterprise customers, retail spaces, or job sites, and many of its unique features have that in mind too. However, it’s also available for regular buyers too, and you can grab one from Samsung or Amazon.
Before we get into all the quirks and features of the Active 5, here’s the spec list. You’re getting an 8-inch 1920 x 1200 screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, Android 14, and Samsung’s Exynos 1380 Octa-core processor with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. As expected, there’s a microSD slot for storage expansion, a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C, dual-sim (optional), a 13MP rear camera, and a 5MP front selfie camera.
As for the interesting tidbits: the Galaxy Tab Active 5 has a removable and user-replaceable 5,050 mAh battery, along with a “no battery mode” where it’ll work without a battery when connected to USB-C power. You’ll also notice physical buttons on the front face, one of which is a fingerprint scanner.
It sports IP68 and MIL-STD-810H certifications for water resistance and military-grade durability, meaning it’ll handle tough jobs or the busy season at a retail store. More importantly, it’s only 433 grams, which is significantly lighter than the previous generation and other models in its segment.
The rugged design means it’s perfect for job sites, and the screen even works with gloves. However, it’ll likely see the most use with enterprise customers who can easily scan barcodes with the improved 13MP camera, accept payments over NFC, and more. The Wi-Fi only model is a bit expensive, coming in at $549, but this isn’t your average Android tablet.
Source: Samsung
