Samsung is now bringing the Galaxy Tab Active 5 to more markets. The rugged tablet went on sale in the USA this week, replacing the aging Galaxy Tab Active 3.
Indeed, even though the Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro went on sale in 2022, the new Galaxy Tab Active 5 is considered a direct sequel to the last non-Pro model, i.e., the Tab Active 3.
The latter was released almost four years ago, in September 2020. The question then is, how much has the Tab Active series changed over the past three years and a half? Is the Tab Active 5 all that different from the Active 3? Well, yes and no, but Samsung might be playing it safe for business customers.
Similar rugged features and slight improvements
Some aspects that define the Tab Active series have remained the same, and they'll probably never change. Which is for the best.
For instance, the new Galaxy Tab Active 5 has a user-removable battery, which you rarely or never see in 2024. This tablet is meant for enterprise customers first and foremost, and a battery that's easy to swap is a required feature in most fields of work.
The Galaxy Tab Active 5, like the Active 3, has an IP68 dust and water resistance rating and a MIL-STD-810H-compliant construction. It also boasts the usual PTT (Push To Talk) and Active Key capabilities, along with a rugged S Pen.
However, on top of these usual characteristics, the new Tab Active 5 does bring improved Gorilla Glass 5 screen protection, which should help against scratches. And Samsung says the tablet can resist drops on concrete from around 8 feet.
It's a shame the Galaxy Tab Active 5 doesn't have AI
In several hardware areas, the Galaxy Tab Active 5 seems like it hasn't changed at all. It has a 5,050 mAh battery, just like the Active 3, and both tablets appear to share the same cameras.
However, the Galaxy Tab Active 5 sports a 120Hz TFT LCD instead of a 60Hz PLS LCD, and the new tablet is powered by the 5nm Exynos 1380 chip instead of the old 10nm Exynos 9810 SoC.
Furthermore, the Galaxy Tab Active 5 has more memory as standard, boasting 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The newer model also has Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity instead of 5.0 and tops out at 5G instead of LTE.
Perhaps more importantly, the Galaxy Tab Active 5 ships with Android 14 and One UI 6.0, whereas the Galaxy Tab Active 3 was left behind and tops out at Android 12 and One UI 4.1.
Even better, Samsung says it will support the new Galaxy Tab Active 5 with four major Android OS upgrades and five years of security patches, making it much easier for businesses to get more value out of their Active 5 device fleets long-term.
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Overall, although some characteristics haven't changed and the 8-inch display hasn't made the leap to AMOLED — nor has the battery or cameras improved much or at all — the new Galaxy Tab Active 5 brings some noteworthy upgrades in a few key areas.
It has a 120Hz panel, more memory, a powerful chip, and superior firmware support, which will make a real difference for business customers.
We have to keep in mind that the Galaxy Tab Active 5 was likely designed as a feasible replacement for Tab Active 3 enterprise customers who don't want to break the bank on upgrading an entire fleet of tablets. The Tab Active 5 may seem a bit boring and conservative in that regard, but in practice, it probably embodies the best compromise.
Still, Samsung's new enterprise rugged tablet could have used some Galaxy AI features, as they have the potential to make a real change. AI could have added a whole lot more value for enterprise customers, but for now, Galaxy AI remains exclusive to the Galaxy S24 series. Maybe the Galaxy Tab Active 5 will get Galaxy AI tools with a future firmware update. But for the time being, all it gets is newer firmware out-of-the-box and prolonged support.
