When the Samsung Galaxy S5e Tablet first landed on my desk for review, my initial impression was that it lived up to (the first part) of its tag line – it is indeed lighter than a cup of coffee – but if it was ‘equally as refreshing’ was something I needed to investigate. I spent the weekend using the device, fiddling with all its settings and features, to get a comprehensive idea of what that tab has to offer, and be able to provide an accurate and well-informed review of for you all.
Firstly, let’s talk about the design. At, just 5.5mm in thickness and weighing only 400 grams, the S5e has the thinnest and lightest metal unibody of any Galaxy Tab. Of course, this makes it sleek, portable and able to easily fit into almost any sized handbag or carry-on.
The tablet boasts a 10.5-inch touchscreen display – a happy medium between not being too bulky but still enabling users to watch video content and work on documents comfortably. With a resolution of 1600×2560 and AMOLED display (meaning the blacks are completely black and the whites are completely white), the colours are vibrant and intense. The device’s 16×10 cm ratio also allows for more content to fit on the screen during video playback. Additionally, the tablet allows you to connect from USB type C to HTMI, allowing movies and videos to projected onto a big screen.
However, being a tablet, this clarity does not translate to its camera. There’s a 13 mp front camera along with an 8mp selfie cam, meaning the device is not able to capture the most Instagram-worthy pics – at best you might be able to get some decent images if the lighting is good – but it works well for video calls, which is what tablets are most commonly used for.
Another stand-out feature is the sound. The tablet has four stereo speakers tuned by AKG Acoustics which is a world-class sound engineering and manufacturing company. The audio playback is loud, crisp and clear. However, due to the tablet’s slim design, it does not feature a headphone jack (to combat this, an adapter is provided in the box, allowing you to plug in your wired headphones).
I’m not into gaming but this is another drawcard of the S5e. With a 670 chipset and 4 GB of RAM, the tablet supports video games such as Fortnite and the fast-paced Team Deathmatch. Although Fortnite will have to be played at 30 fps and not 60, the game is still fully playable and runs smoothly as long you have a good WiFi connection.
Overall, the user experience of the Galaxy s5e tablet is smooth and efficient. The tablet’s touch responsiveness is fast and spot on, and with the device’s Samsung DeX feature, the tablet’s interface transforms into a desktop experience whenever a mouse or keybard plugs in. This is a feature I found particularly useful as I am constantly typing up documents and browsing the web.
The verdict? Samsung’s Galaxy s5e is indeed equally as refreshing as a much-needed cup of coffee. For it’s a size and price point, the tablet packs incredible value for money. Suitable for both and play – it strikes a balance between a multimedia beast and essential productivity tool. Its three essential feature – great video and audio, bright and colourful display, and its impressively lightweight design put it a cut above other tablets it its class category.
