This tablet is aimed mainly at construction workers and frontline staff in medical scenarios. It's not meant for the average consumer. Although I bought one today from Samsung Canada.
Agreed. However, this is the best spec-d 8 inch samsung tablet and the third best 8 inch tablet besides the iPad Mini and the 2023 Lenovo Legion Y700. The regular Tab A9 is good but has only entry-level specs.
I received mine today and I'm really impressed. I was worried the 6gb of RAM might not have been enough but I was wrong. It's fine. The single side firing speaker takes a little getting used to. But it sounds good. The display is really great. The 120hz refresh rate makes a big difference. The colors are vibrant and white backgrounds aren't harsh. I'm still getting acquainted with the Active5 but I like it a lot so far. And it leaves my Tab A7 Lite in the dust. Having a 5G connection to avoid hotspotting my phone and draining its battery is sweet too!
@JedEckert Definitely, glad you enjoy your Active 5! I've been thinking of going the other way because of how light the A7 Lite is, but it will have a pretty shitty screen but also double firing speakers. It might be for me, but otherwise I love the tab active 5. Can you give me the link to the Canadian listing? I've posted all the links for the Tab Active 5 available in every country in my edited comments list Edit: just saw Fishbee's comparison of the Tab A9 and Tab Active 5. I saw the A9 and it had a washed out screen, and the pne on the A7 lite is the same. So I'm gonna pass on the A9/A7 lite tablets
IMPORTANT UPDATE: looks like Samsung US sells only the SM-X308U cellular model, which it turns out is not compatible with phone calls. X306B is the one compatible. So if you're in the US the cellular version cannot make phone calls :( Shame on Samsung.
I'm looking at these for my shop. I run an auto shop and currently use my phone (S20+) to sign in customers when they drop off their vehicles but the screen is a bit smol for the task so I often just take a pic and go back to my desk to sign them in. Our shop management system is web based, it wont be used for gaming, but I can see myself maybe showing a video to a customer. Screen brightness is relatively important since the drop off area isn't covered. In your opinion is the 5 worth the additional cost for this use?
I think it depends on your budget. I can't say for professional use since I am just a student but I think it has enough features like NFC, rugged build, glove use, etc. to justify getting one of these active tabs, like the Active 4 or active 5. If you can afford the MSRP, yes it it totally worth it because it will last for four years of OS updates and five years of security updates so it will last a long time. If you cannot, I can recommend taking a look at the Tab Active 3 as it is more affordable. Keep in mind though that OS software support has ended but should get two mire years of security updates. For rugged use, I'd also suggest asking this guy from this biker forumn. He was one of the first ones globally to receive this tab active 5: www.advrider.com/f/threads/samsung-galaxy-active-5.1699281/
The primary need is for it to be small, I tried an s9 and I'm not carrying that billboard around all day lol. Currently Samsung only shows the bigger active 4, the 3, and the new 5. I think the price is similar enough between the 3 and 5 that the updates will be worth the difference because I also have an OG Tab A in perfect condition that barely operates itself since its no longer supported lol. Thanks for your insight and I'll check out that link.@@SammyTabGuy
Just a quick update, when I got back to my dorm after filming this video I took off the case and tested the speaker again and it sounded much better. So it wasn't the hardware in this case, but the stupid case that was making the sound distorted. I will keep posting edits here when I find them! Edit: the refresh rate is definitely something else. I never got to enjoy it until after I finished the review, and holy crap it does feel amazing and it matches the refresh rate of my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and Tab S8+ now which is very nice to see. You also get your usual Samsung ecosystem stuff so you won't be missing out except on Samsung DeX. QOL thing but TH-cam picture in picture is now rounded compared to boxy on the Tab Active 3 Edit 2: brightness tests and glove tests are out! Here's the link: th-cam.com/video/aTH3SN0yHmE/w-d-xo.html Edit 3: The links in the description are broken so here they are: - GSMArena specs: m.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_tab_active5-12785.php - Samsung UK Tab Active 5: www.samsung.com/uk/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-green-128gb-sm-x306bzgaeea/ - Samsung Business US Tab Active 5: www.samsung.com/us/business/mobile/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-128gb-unlocked-sm-x308uzgan14/ Edit 3a: Samsung released them for more countries. Please refer to the links below if you want to buy from Samsung directly: (Poland and Switzerland ISWTG you lucky fucking bastards have 256GB *grabs mic* YOU BETTER IMPORT YOUR STOCK TO US WITHOUT IT) - Australia: www.samsung.com/au/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgasts/ - Indonesia: www.samsung.com/id/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgas08/ - Singapore: www.samsung.com/sg/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgas02/ - Malaysia: www.samsung.com/my/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgas09/ - Vietnam: www.samsung.com/vn/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgas10/ - Philippines: www.samsung.com/ph/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgashl/ - UAE: www.samsung.com/ae/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-128gb-sm-x306bzgamda/ - Spain: www.samsung.com/es/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-sm-x300nzgaeeb/ - France: www.samsung.com/fr/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-green-128gb-enterprise-edition-sm-x300nzgaeeb-sm-x300nzgaeeb/ - Switzerland: www.samsung.com/ch/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgaeee/ (HAS 256GB VERSION) - Germany: www.samsung.com/de/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-sm-x300nzgaeeb/ - Denmark: www.samsung.com/dk/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgaeeb/ - Austria: www.samsung.com/at/business/tablets/all-tablets/galaxy-tab-active5-sm-x300nzgaeee/ - Poland: www.samsung.com/pl/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgeeee/ (HAS 256GB VERSION) - Slovakia: www.samsung.com/sk/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgaeee/ - Greece: www.samsung.com/gr/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-enterprise-edition-128gb-sm-x306bzgaeee/ Edit 4: I just did a comparison between the iPad Mini 6 and Tab Active 5, give it a watch here: th-cam.com/video/istm-Jjrl5A/w-d-xo.html Edit 5: I made some quick notes owning the Tab Active 5 which I will post below. It is also posted on the GalaxyTab subreddit as well. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Battery seems to drain faster than on my tab active 3 I had. It feels like it would last 8 hours from 100-0 which should be enough. I think this is mainly due to the 120hz screen it has which socks a lot of power compared to a 60hz. I think the trade off was worth it though as I was reading my textbook at the library and on the bus and it was a very crisp reading experience. However I'm having weight issues as this tablet is borderline too heavy for a small tablet. It's rugged but it's too heavy. I wish samsjng would just make a flagship 8 inch AMOLED tablet though. . Battery drain did seem a bit bad off the charger. I lost about 20-30% with 1-2 days of no charge Also price recommendations, I think there's only a few scenarios where it's worth it since this thing is $550 USD MSRP: rugged use (obviously lol) -you got a tab active 3 you're willing to sell on ebay to recoup the cost. That's what I'm doing you absolutely want a 8 inch tablet from samsung only and you don't want to import a Lenovo Y700 tablet or plan to keep this around for 4 years + you're OK with the exynos 1380 chip and don't want the size of the Tab S9FE Otherwise I don't think it's worth it for the average consumer. It's too niche of a product to recommend to the masses, but it works in my use case as now I have 4+ years of OS updates which I will keep it around for a while. I still cannot comment on the battery life long term as I have owned this tablet for only 1 week and I just came back from spring break (when I received the tablet the next day I went on spring break so I didn't get much use out of it) ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Edit 6: Notebookcheckadditionalcontent filmed a general UI Browsing video which showcases the Tab Active 5 in One UI 6.0, give it a watch its a pretty good video! th-cam.com/video/g07WCUaXEJw/w-d-xo.html Edit 7: the Tab Active 5 was recently announced to be getting 8 years of OS and security updates! That changes my price recommendations once again! If you will be buying the tablet and keeping it for many years, then the MSRP will be worth it! Edit 8: I just drew for the first time on my Tab Active 5. I have drawn before using Infinite Painter on my Tab S8+ though. My thoughts are available on my reddit page, but I will post it here so that everyone can see below ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Recently I started drawing again on Infinite Painter, and this time I used my Tab Active 5 to draw it. Tldr: Overall, I would say that the Tab Active 5 is not a very suitable drawing device, mostly due to it's size. The Good: When I was drawing with infinite painter, I used about 10-12 layers, with about 3-4 heavily used I'd say. I think the tab active 5 handled it very well with its 6GB RAM, but also the drawing wasn't too big in pixel size so I think it might have a part to do with it. The S-Pen technology is also on par with what Samsung has to offer on their other Galaxy Tabs, so it felt pretty nice. I think the biggest benefit to drawing on here is the 120hz screen, and it felt like the strokes were always following me without missing any nuances to my curves that I drew in with my strokes. On the Tab Active 3, even in samsung notes it was missing tiny curves I made when writing, so there is a huge difference on the screen tech between the Active 5 and 3. The Bad: I felt like the tablet screen's size limited me in how much I could draw, as I always felt cramped while drawing; I wanted to gravitate towards my Tab S8+ due to it's size for that. This was very noticeable when I was shading; I felt like I covered the whole screen trying to shade when zoomed in and I felt very cramped. I also felt like the given s-pen for the Active 5 was just too short for me to hold it comfortably. It was very light, but I felt like I needed more length in order to draw comfortably. I drew mostly with that s-pen, but eventually I gave up and switched to my Wacom One pen lying around after my hand was cramping from drawing strokes. I also literally had to expand on the artwork to get suitable strokes in, and at times I had to hold the tablet because I felt like it was gonna slide off when I was drawing long strokes using my elbow to help draw it. I think in conclusion, just get a Tab S9FE, S8 or regular S9 at minimum to be able to draw with similar screen technology on the Active 5. Don't even think of getting a small tablet to draw on for full fledged drawings, it isn't worth it. I think it would do for quick sketches or exercises, but for a full-fledged drawing it fucking sucks because of the size. I wish it wasn't that way, because I really enjoy using this niche tablet overall (I still wish it was lighter, had dual speakers, and had an AMOLED screen like the Tab S 8.4 or Tab S2) If you're planning to still draw on a small tablet like this, consider getting a Wacom One stylus or borrow a spare *full sized* Galaxy Tab S-Pen laying around. It'll make drawing a lot more comfortable. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Edit 9: FishBee Productions made a good video about how to use the Tab Active 5 from a noob's perspective. He's a really good tablet reviewer on TH-cam so I'd suggest giving him a watch :D th-cam.com/video/YCkcqJTwgSM/w-d-xo.html Edit 10: Here's my final thoughts about the Tab Active 5's battery and some cons after using the Active 5 for two months. I posted it on Reddit, so here you go:
Edit 10: Here's my final thoughts about the Tab Active 5's battery and some cons after using the Active 5 for two months. I posted it on Reddit, so here you go: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Hey everyone! My finals are done and I think I have used the Tab Active 5 enough to where I can do a final judgement on the battery side of things. Also I just have some final thoughts about my Tab Active 5 as well. So about the battery: I think it should last 8 hours for a medium workload. My workload is pretty light since I use my Tab Active 5 primarily to read and watch videos, and in both cases I use my Active 5 for 2.5 hours of reading per week and the occasional 1 hour of video watching, since I watch a lot of videos on my S22 Ultra (and just realized that). For battery drain for reading, I have more than enough to last me since I don't use it enough, but I believe by the end of my reading I lose about 10-15% battery which is really good for light tasks. For video watching, I think I lose 10-15% of battery per hour. At the end of the day, I think it should last an entire day reading, watching videos, taking notes, etc, but if you throw more things at it I think the battery drain would more or less equal the expected battery life of 8 hours of productivity, losing about 12-15% per hour I believe. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but I believe that the Active 5 should last til the end of the day when it needs a recharge. So, about the cons: - Weight: I should've been aware of this, but this tablet isn't suited for reading for one reason: the weight. I am thinking of downgrading to the Tab A9 because it would weigh less for reading. Reading my textbook for 2-2.5 hours at a time will become fatiguing if you hold the tablet with only one hand. The weight is expected and honestly my fault bc the tablet is made for heavy enterprise use. For gaming, watching videos, etc. the weight shouldn't affect things though, only for reading tbh. - Price: For a midrange processor and 128GB/6GB RAM config, the $550 price tag doesn't cut it for the average user. Nowadays I find the Tab S9FE at $350 on Amazon and Best Buy with the same config, so if you're just looking at it for pure specs besides screen size I'd suggest you get the S9FE instead. - Build Quality of S-Pen: compared to the Tab Active 3 s-pen, the s-pen here is quite a bit cheaply made, and it feels like such a huge downgrade because the s-pen here feels hollow. It still does feel well-built but just something to be said here. - USB 2.0 and DeX: I was very disappointed here. I don't use DeX normally except on my Tab S8+ so this doesn't affect me, but using wireless DeX with wireless monitors provided by my university, I see intense input lag, and overall it isn't a fun experience using DeX on the Tab Active 5. Obviously no HDMI input either so that's why I had to resort to wireless DeX, but be prepared for intense disappointment for heavy productivity here. - Mono speaker: The speaker on the Active 5 is good, but I feel like the sound is lacking in its fullness compared to my S22 Ultra and Tab S8+. I wish it had two speakers at least. Long term, using my Tab Active 5 was fun, but I am starting to notice these glaring cons of the Tab Active 5. As a result I'm thinking of downgrading to the Tab A9 or my Active 3 which I still have but is listed on eBay to help pay the cost of the Active 5 at full MSRP. Overall, I would say the following people are suited for the Tab Active 5: - People like amazon delivery guys or doing heavy enterprise work like Samsung advertises - People who would take short notes on the Tab Active 5, keep it for a long while, and use the tablet as a notebook. - The second point, while gaming and watching videos, **BUT** has a samsung ecosystem and is reluctant to use a different brand of tablet that is better for the money because of the OP samsung ecosystem features. - People who would use this as a navigation system for their car - People who have money to burn Otherwise, this tablet isn't for you. The Active 5 is indeed a very niche tablet, and the third best 8 inch tablet at that, but it is so niche I believe the vast majority of people would enjoy the Lenovo Y700, iPad Mini 6/7, or the Tab A9. \Hey everyone! My finals are done and I think I have used the Tab Active 5 enough to where I can do a final judgement on the battery side of things. Also I just have some final thoughts about my Tab Active 5 as well. So about the battery: I think it should last 8 hours for a medium workload. My workload is pretty light since I use my Tab Active 5 primarily to read and watch videos, and in both cases I use my Active 5 for 2.5 hours of reading per week and the occasional 1 hour of video watching, since I watch a lot of videos on my S22 Ultra (and just realized that). For battery drain for reading, I have more than enough to last me since I don't use it enough, but I believe by the end of my reading I lose about 10-15% battery which is really good for light tasks. For video watching, I think I lose 10-15% of battery per hour. At the end of the day, I think it should last an entire day reading, watching videos, taking notes, etc, but if you throw more things at it I think the battery drain would more or less equal the expected battery life of 8 hours of productivity, losing about 12-15% per hour I believe. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but I believe that the Active 5 should last til the end of the day when it needs a recharge. So, about the cons: - Weight: I should've been aware of this, but this tablet isn't suited for reading for one reason: the weight. I am thinking of downgrading to the Tab A9 because it would weigh less for reading. Reading my textbook for 2-2.5 hours at a time will become fatiguing if you hold the tablet with only one hand. The weight is expected and honestly my fault bc the tablet is made for heavy enterprise use. For gaming, watching videos, etc. the weight shouldn't affect things though, only for reading tbh. - Price: For a midrange processor and 128GB/6GB RAM config, the $550 price tag doesn't cut it for the average user. Nowadays I find the Tab S9FE at $350 on Amazon and Best Buy with the same config, so if you're just looking at it for pure specs besides screen size I'd suggest you get the S9FE instead. - Build Quality of S-Pen: compared to the Tab Active 3 s-pen, the s-pen here is quite a bit cheaply made, and it feels like such a huge downgrade because the s-pen here feels hollow. It still does feel well-built but just something to be said here. - USB 2.0 and DeX: I was very disappointed here. I don't use DeX normally except on my Tab S8+ so this doesn't affect me, but using wireless DeX with wireless monitors provided by my university, I see intense input lag, and overall it isn't a fun experience using DeX on the Tab Active 5. Obviously no HDMI input either so that's why I had to resort to wireless DeX, but be prepared for intense disappointment for heavy productivity here. - Mono speaker: The speaker on the Active 5 is good, but I feel like the sound is lacking in its fullness compared to my S22 Ultra and Tab S8+. I wish it had two speakers at least. Long term, using my Tab Active 5 was fun, but I am starting to notice these glaring cons of the Tab Active 5. As a result I'm thinking of downgrading to the Tab A9 or my Active 3 which I still have but is listed on eBay to help pay the cost of the Active 5 at full MSRP. Overall, I would say the following people are suited for the Tab Active 5: - People like amazon delivery guys or doing heavy enterprise work like Samsung advertises - People who would take short notes on the Tab Active 5, keep it for a long while, and use the tablet as a notebook. - The second point, while gaming and watching videos, **BUT** has a samsung ecosystem and is reluctant to use a different brand of tablet that is better for the money because of the OP samsung ecosystem features. - People who would use this as a navigation system for their car - People who have money to burn Otherwise, this tablet isn't for you. The Active 5 is indeed a very niche tablet, and the third best 8 inch tablet at that, but it is so niche I believe the vast majority of people would enjoy the Lenovo Y700, iPad Mini 6/7, or the Tab A9.
Update: disregard this comment, check the below comment I made a few minutes ago. Thanks! Hi, just an update if you're still here. MyNextTablet reviewed the Active5 as a phone and here are his thoughts. Start at time mark 7:05 to see his thoughts: th-cam.com/video/UsTiwlgqmqo/w-d-xo.html Hope this helps!
IMPORTANT UPDATE: looks like Samsung US sells only the SM-X308U cellular model, which it turns out is not compatible with phone calls. X306B is the one compatible. So if you're in the US the cellular version cannot make phone calls :( Shame on Samsung.
I just wish Samsung would use a better processor. This is so far behind the A15 in the iPad mini, but I wonder if the 120hz makes this tablet feel any snappier than the iPad mini?
It does feel snappier than the iPad mini in terms of screen quality. My mom and dad each have an iPad mini so I may do a comparison in the future between theirs and my tab active5 Edit: it looks like the iPad mini6 runs circles around the Tab Active 5 with 2x geekbecnh scores but it does beat the iPad mini now in terms of speed
Should i buy tab active3 or this one? Currently using galaxy s9+ as my phone. I knew somehow that tab active3 has the same processor to galaxy s9+ phone. And it has usb 3. Is the processor of tab active5 a downgraded version too compared to tab active3?
It depends, but I would say using the Tab Active 3 is pretty good. It's under $200 on eBay and is definitely worth it. However for long term usage if you will use your tablet for 5+ years I would recommend the Tab Active 5 as it will get 8 years of OS updates which is on par with how much OS updates even the iPad Pro line and the Tab S10 line gets
Tab Active 5's Processor is not a downgraded version. It's more powerful than for Tab Active 3. Active 3 has a slightly faster graphics power but the Active 5's processor is still more powerful in other areas.
@hopydaddy this is the correct answer as well. Tab Active 5 is using a 2023 processor for midrange A series and FE phones and tablets respectively, while Active3 is using the phone S9's exynos processor from 2018 which is very outdated.
@@seanvan6377 The original purpose of the Tab Active 5 is for field work, such as police using the tablet to fill out PDFs for police reports, warehouse staff signing documents, Amazon delivery drivers doing the same, etc. It's an amazing device for what it could do, but not one I can recommend due to poor price:performance ratio for regular consumer usage (like other Galaxy Tabs or iPad regular usage)
@@SammyTabGuy Thanks..I'm looking at this enterprise edition with the cell phone functionality (306b ) , I'm working alot in a shop & need online access as well. Its next to impossible to purchase from Canada Though...I have tried a few places in uk But no luck yet getting someone to ship it to me.
In the video, I did showcase the case that came in the box itself. So yes, it does come with a case. However, it will not fit the tab active 3 because the camera cutouts are different between the two. It's a rectangle on the 3 but a circle on the 5.
Update: check the tablet model code. SM-X306B can, X308U cannot. Only 308 is sold in the US and maybe Canada. This is a shame. I think it should be available on LTE models. I haven't tried it yet but I am assuming yes!
@@Rosalie-Miara I've been thinking of doing the same move too, just because of DeX. Thankfully I only use the Tab Active 5 as a e-reader, **mobile** flight sim gaming machine, and a TH-cam consumption device; I already have a Tab S8+ which I can use DeX. But as a primary tablet for DeX tasks, I'd consider this a no-go. eBay has the Tab Active 3 in pretty good condition for $250 USD or less which I recommend checking out!
Interesting that you won't answer the repeated question... Can it make phone calls or not? I watched a review where the person was absolutely amazed by the whole thing until I spent 5 hours on a combined phone call with Samsung and his provider (AT&T) and they've determined that he CAN NOT MAKE PHONE CALLS WITH IT! His bottom line.... IT'S A TOTAL ABSOLUTE LIE and he was sending it back! So once again...... Can it be used as a phone as it claims?
Heyo, just found out that in the US Samsung sells only the SM-X308U cellular model, which it turns out is not compatible with phone calls. X306B is the one that can make it. So if you're in the US the cellular version cannot make phone calls. MyNextTablet got the X306B version since he lives in Europe, and Make and Believe got the X308U model which is the cellular variant sold in the US, so that's why he had issues. This was mentioned in Make and Believer's comment section in his video and that was such an important piece of info I missed at the time of replying to questions similar to yours but made earlier prior to Make and Believe's video. Earlier in the year I did not pay attention to the model codes used in different countries, and since this is a niche tablet I assumed it would work like on the Tab Active 3. Turns out, this is not the case and this is why MyNextTablet was able to make phone calls while Make and Believe could not. Shame on Samsung. Couldn't even imagine Samsung for pulling this BS. I will also say that I have no intention of dodging the question. Earlier in the year I assumed it could as this was done on previous Galaxy Tabs, and I also have pointed out in one of the comments that I cannot test this myself since I bought the WiFi version.
Fit for work environment , wish they sell it in my country.
Which country are you in? I believe samsung has it in most countries now
This tablet is aimed mainly at construction workers and frontline staff in medical scenarios. It's not meant for the average consumer. Although I bought one today from Samsung Canada.
Agreed. However, this is the best spec-d 8 inch samsung tablet and the third best 8 inch tablet besides the iPad Mini and the 2023 Lenovo Legion Y700. The regular Tab A9 is good but has only entry-level specs.
I received mine today and I'm really impressed. I was worried the 6gb of RAM might not have been enough but I was wrong. It's fine.
The single side firing speaker takes a little getting used to. But it sounds good.
The display is really great. The 120hz refresh rate makes a big difference. The colors are vibrant and white backgrounds aren't harsh.
I'm still getting acquainted with the Active5 but I like it a lot so far. And it leaves my Tab A7 Lite in the dust.
Having a 5G connection to avoid hotspotting my phone and draining its battery is sweet too!
@JedEckert Definitely, glad you enjoy your Active 5! I've been thinking of going the other way because of how light the A7 Lite is, but it will have a pretty shitty screen but also double firing speakers. It might be for me, but otherwise I love the tab active 5.
Can you give me the link to the Canadian listing? I've posted all the links for the Tab Active 5 available in every country in my edited comments list
Edit: just saw Fishbee's comparison of the Tab A9 and Tab Active 5. I saw the A9 and it had a washed out screen, and the pne on the A7 lite is the same. So I'm gonna pass on the A9/A7 lite tablets
Excellent video review. Thanks!
No problem! Glad you liked it!
Great video thanks! Very happy that i discovered this hidden model, which is small and powerful.
Thanks for the video mate
No problem 👍
Great video. One question: can you make phone calls like a regular mobile with the LTE version?
I'm not sure about that since I have the wifi only model, sorry :(
Update: check below comments from today.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: looks like Samsung US sells only the SM-X308U cellular model, which it turns out is not compatible with phone calls. X306B is the one compatible. So if you're in the US the cellular version cannot make phone calls :(
Shame on Samsung.
I'm looking at these for my shop. I run an auto shop and currently use my phone (S20+) to sign in customers when they drop off their vehicles but the screen is a bit smol for the task so I often just take a pic and go back to my desk to sign them in. Our shop management system is web based, it wont be used for gaming, but I can see myself maybe showing a video to a customer. Screen brightness is relatively important since the drop off area isn't covered. In your opinion is the 5 worth the additional cost for this use?
I think it depends on your budget. I can't say for professional use since I am just a student but I think it has enough features like NFC, rugged build, glove use, etc. to justify getting one of these active tabs, like the Active 4 or active 5.
If you can afford the MSRP, yes it it totally worth it because it will last for four years of OS updates and five years of security updates so it will last a long time. If you cannot, I can recommend taking a look at the Tab Active 3 as it is more affordable. Keep in mind though that OS software support has ended but should get two mire years of security updates.
For rugged use, I'd also suggest asking this guy from this biker forumn. He was one of the first ones globally to receive this tab active 5: www.advrider.com/f/threads/samsung-galaxy-active-5.1699281/
The primary need is for it to be small, I tried an s9 and I'm not carrying that billboard around all day lol. Currently Samsung only shows the bigger active 4, the 3, and the new 5. I think the price is similar enough between the 3 and 5 that the updates will be worth the difference because I also have an OG Tab A in perfect condition that barely operates itself since its no longer supported lol. Thanks for your insight and I'll check out that link.@@SammyTabGuy
The quick answer is YES, YES, YES !!!
Thank you for the quick review !!!
No problem! Glad you liked it!
Just a quick update, when I got back to my dorm after filming this video I took off the case and tested the speaker again and it sounded much better. So it wasn't the hardware in this case, but the stupid case that was making the sound distorted.
I will keep posting edits here when I find them!
Edit: the refresh rate is definitely something else. I never got to enjoy it until after I finished the review, and holy crap it does feel amazing and it matches the refresh rate of my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and Tab S8+ now which is very nice to see. You also get your usual Samsung ecosystem stuff so you won't be missing out except on Samsung DeX. QOL thing but TH-cam picture in picture is now rounded compared to boxy on the Tab Active 3
Edit 2: brightness tests and glove tests are out! Here's the link: th-cam.com/video/aTH3SN0yHmE/w-d-xo.html
Edit 3: The links in the description are broken so here they are:
- GSMArena specs: m.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_tab_active5-12785.php
- Samsung UK Tab Active 5: www.samsung.com/uk/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-green-128gb-sm-x306bzgaeea/
- Samsung Business US Tab Active 5: www.samsung.com/us/business/mobile/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-128gb-unlocked-sm-x308uzgan14/
Edit 3a: Samsung released them for more countries. Please refer to the links below if you want to buy from Samsung directly: (Poland and Switzerland ISWTG you lucky fucking bastards have 256GB *grabs mic* YOU BETTER IMPORT YOUR STOCK TO US WITHOUT IT)
- Australia: www.samsung.com/au/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgasts/
- Indonesia: www.samsung.com/id/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgas08/
- Singapore: www.samsung.com/sg/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgas02/
- Malaysia: www.samsung.com/my/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgas09/
- Vietnam: www.samsung.com/vn/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgas10/
- Philippines: www.samsung.com/ph/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgashl/
- UAE: www.samsung.com/ae/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-128gb-sm-x306bzgamda/
- Spain: www.samsung.com/es/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-sm-x300nzgaeeb/
- France: www.samsung.com/fr/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-green-128gb-enterprise-edition-sm-x300nzgaeeb-sm-x300nzgaeeb/
- Switzerland: www.samsung.com/ch/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgaeee/ (HAS 256GB VERSION)
- Germany: www.samsung.com/de/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-sm-x300nzgaeeb/
- Denmark: www.samsung.com/dk/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgaeeb/
- Austria: www.samsung.com/at/business/tablets/all-tablets/galaxy-tab-active5-sm-x300nzgaeee/
- Poland: www.samsung.com/pl/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgeeee/ (HAS 256GB VERSION)
- Slovakia: www.samsung.com/sk/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-sm-x306bzgaeee/
- Greece: www.samsung.com/gr/business/tablets/galaxy-tab-active/galaxy-tab-active5-5g-enterprise-edition-128gb-sm-x306bzgaeee/
Edit 4: I just did a comparison between the iPad Mini 6 and Tab Active 5, give it a watch here: th-cam.com/video/istm-Jjrl5A/w-d-xo.html
Edit 5: I made some quick notes owning the Tab Active 5 which I will post below. It is also posted on the GalaxyTab subreddit as well.
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Battery seems to drain faster than on my tab active 3 I had. It feels like it would last 8 hours from 100-0 which should be enough.
I think this is mainly due to the 120hz screen it has which socks a lot of power compared to a 60hz. I think the trade off was worth it though as I was reading my textbook at the library and on the bus and it was a very crisp reading experience.
However I'm having weight issues as this tablet is borderline too heavy for a small tablet. It's rugged but it's too heavy. I wish samsjng would just make a flagship 8 inch AMOLED tablet though. .
Battery drain did seem a bit bad off the charger. I lost about 20-30% with 1-2 days of no charge
Also price recommendations, I think there's only a few scenarios where it's worth it since this thing is $550 USD MSRP:
rugged use (obviously lol) -you got a tab active 3 you're willing to sell on ebay to recoup the cost. That's what I'm doing
you absolutely want a 8 inch tablet from samsung only and you don't want to import a Lenovo Y700 tablet or plan to keep this around for 4 years +
you're OK with the exynos 1380 chip and don't want the size of the Tab S9FE
Otherwise I don't think it's worth it for the average consumer. It's too niche of a product to recommend to the masses, but it works in my use case as now I have 4+ years of OS updates which I will keep it around for a while.
I still cannot comment on the battery life long term as I have owned this tablet for only 1 week and I just came back from spring break (when I received the tablet the next day I went on spring break so I didn't get much use out of it)
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Edit 6: Notebookcheckadditionalcontent filmed a general UI Browsing video which showcases the Tab Active 5 in One UI 6.0, give it a watch its a pretty good video! th-cam.com/video/g07WCUaXEJw/w-d-xo.html
Edit 7: the Tab Active 5 was recently announced to be getting 8 years of OS and security updates! That changes my price recommendations once again! If you will be buying the tablet and keeping it for many years, then the MSRP will be worth it!
Edit 8: I just drew for the first time on my Tab Active 5. I have drawn before using Infinite Painter on my Tab S8+ though. My thoughts are available on my reddit page, but I will post it here so that everyone can see below
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Recently I started drawing again on Infinite Painter, and this time I used my Tab Active 5 to draw it.
Tldr: Overall, I would say that the Tab Active 5 is not a very suitable drawing device, mostly due to it's size.
The Good: When I was drawing with infinite painter, I used about 10-12 layers, with about 3-4 heavily used I'd say. I think the tab active 5 handled it very well with its 6GB RAM, but also the drawing wasn't too big in pixel size so I think it might have a part to do with it. The S-Pen technology is also on par with what Samsung has to offer on their other Galaxy Tabs, so it felt pretty nice. I think the biggest benefit to drawing on here is the 120hz screen, and it felt like the strokes were always following me without missing any nuances to my curves that I drew in with my strokes. On the Tab Active 3, even in samsung notes it was missing tiny curves I made when writing, so there is a huge difference on the screen tech between the Active 5 and 3.
The Bad: I felt like the tablet screen's size limited me in how much I could draw, as I always felt cramped while drawing; I wanted to gravitate towards my Tab S8+ due to it's size for that. This was very noticeable when I was shading; I felt like I covered the whole screen trying to shade when zoomed in and I felt very cramped. I also felt like the given s-pen for the Active 5 was just too short for me to hold it comfortably. It was very light, but I felt like I needed more length in order to draw comfortably. I drew mostly with that s-pen, but eventually I gave up and switched to my Wacom One pen lying around after my hand was cramping from drawing strokes. I also literally had to expand on the artwork to get suitable strokes in, and at times I had to hold the tablet because I felt like it was gonna slide off when I was drawing long strokes using my elbow to help draw it.
I think in conclusion, just get a Tab S9FE, S8 or regular S9 at minimum to be able to draw with similar screen technology on the Active 5. Don't even think of getting a small tablet to draw on for full fledged drawings, it isn't worth it. I think it would do for quick sketches or exercises, but for a full-fledged drawing it fucking sucks because of the size. I wish it wasn't that way, because I really enjoy using this niche tablet overall (I still wish it was lighter, had dual speakers, and had an AMOLED screen like the Tab S 8.4 or Tab S2)
If you're planning to still draw on a small tablet like this, consider getting a Wacom One stylus or borrow a spare *full sized* Galaxy Tab S-Pen laying around. It'll make drawing a lot more comfortable.
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Edit 9: FishBee Productions made a good video about how to use the Tab Active 5 from a noob's perspective. He's a really good tablet reviewer on TH-cam so I'd suggest giving him a watch :D th-cam.com/video/YCkcqJTwgSM/w-d-xo.html
Edit 10: Here's my final thoughts about the Tab Active 5's battery and some cons after using the Active 5 for two months. I posted it on Reddit, so here you go:
Edit 10: Here's my final thoughts about the Tab Active 5's battery and some cons after using the Active 5 for two months. I posted it on Reddit, so here you go:
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Hey everyone! My finals are done and I think I have used the Tab Active 5 enough to where I can do a final judgement on the battery side of things. Also I just have some final thoughts about my Tab Active 5 as well.
So about the battery: I think it should last 8 hours for a medium workload. My workload is pretty light since I use my Tab Active 5 primarily to read and watch videos, and in both cases I use my Active 5 for 2.5 hours of reading per week and the occasional 1 hour of video watching, since I watch a lot of videos on my S22 Ultra (and just realized that). For battery drain for reading, I have more than enough to last me since I don't use it enough, but I believe by the end of my reading I lose about 10-15% battery which is really good for light tasks. For video watching, I think I lose 10-15% of battery per hour. At the end of the day, I think it should last an entire day reading, watching videos, taking notes, etc, but if you throw more things at it I think the battery drain would more or less equal the expected battery life of 8 hours of productivity, losing about 12-15% per hour I believe.
I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but I believe that the Active 5 should last til the end of the day when it needs a recharge.
So, about the cons:
- Weight: I should've been aware of this, but this tablet isn't suited for reading for one reason: the weight. I am thinking of downgrading to the Tab A9 because it would weigh less for reading.
Reading my textbook for 2-2.5 hours at a time will become fatiguing if you hold the tablet with only one hand. The weight is expected and honestly my fault bc the tablet is made for heavy
enterprise use. For gaming, watching videos, etc. the weight shouldn't affect things though, only for reading tbh.
- Price: For a midrange processor and 128GB/6GB RAM config, the $550 price tag doesn't cut it for the average user. Nowadays I find the Tab S9FE at $350 on Amazon and Best Buy with the
same config, so if you're just looking at it for pure specs besides screen size I'd suggest you get the S9FE instead.
- Build Quality of S-Pen: compared to the Tab Active 3 s-pen, the s-pen here is quite a bit cheaply made, and it feels like such a huge downgrade because the s-pen here feels hollow. It still does
feel well-built but just something to be said here.
- USB 2.0 and DeX: I was very disappointed here. I don't use DeX normally except on my Tab S8+ so this doesn't affect me, but using wireless DeX with wireless monitors provided by my
university, I see intense input lag, and overall it isn't a fun experience using DeX on the Tab Active 5. Obviously no HDMI input either so that's why I had to resort to wireless DeX, but be prepared
for intense disappointment for heavy productivity here.
- Mono speaker: The speaker on the Active 5 is good, but I feel like the sound is lacking in its fullness compared to my S22 Ultra and Tab S8+. I wish it had two speakers at least.
Long term, using my Tab Active 5 was fun, but I am starting to notice these glaring cons of the Tab Active 5. As a result I'm thinking of downgrading to the Tab A9 or my Active 3 which I still have but is listed on eBay to help pay the cost of the Active 5 at full MSRP.
Overall, I would say the following people are suited for the Tab Active 5:
- People like amazon delivery guys or doing heavy enterprise work like Samsung advertises
- People who would take short notes on the Tab Active 5, keep it for a long while, and use the tablet as a notebook.
- The second point, while gaming and watching videos, **BUT** has a samsung ecosystem and is reluctant to use a different brand of tablet that is better for the money because of the OP
samsung ecosystem features.
- People who would use this as a navigation system for their car
- People who have money to burn
Otherwise, this tablet isn't for you. The Active 5 is indeed a very niche tablet, and the third best 8 inch tablet at that, but it is so niche I believe the vast majority of people would enjoy the Lenovo Y700, iPad Mini 6/7, or the Tab A9.
\Hey everyone! My finals are done and I think I have used the Tab Active 5 enough to where I can do a final judgement on the battery side of things. Also I just have some final thoughts about my Tab Active 5 as well.
So about the battery: I think it should last 8 hours for a medium workload. My workload is pretty light since I use my Tab Active 5 primarily to read and watch videos, and in both cases I use my Active 5 for 2.5 hours of reading per week and the occasional 1 hour of video watching, since I watch a lot of videos on my S22 Ultra (and just realized that). For battery drain for reading, I have more than enough to last me since I don't use it enough, but I believe by the end of my reading I lose about 10-15% battery which is really good for light tasks. For video watching, I think I lose 10-15% of battery per hour. At the end of the day, I think it should last an entire day reading, watching videos, taking notes, etc, but if you throw more things at it I think the battery drain would more or less equal the expected battery life of 8 hours of productivity, losing about 12-15% per hour I believe.
I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but I believe that the Active 5 should last til the end of the day when it needs a recharge.
So, about the cons:
- Weight: I should've been aware of this, but this tablet isn't suited for reading for one reason: the weight. I am thinking of downgrading to the Tab A9 because it would weigh less for reading.
Reading my textbook for 2-2.5 hours at a time will become fatiguing if you hold the tablet with only one hand. The weight is expected and honestly my fault bc the tablet is made for heavy
enterprise use. For gaming, watching videos, etc. the weight shouldn't affect things though, only for reading tbh.
- Price: For a midrange processor and 128GB/6GB RAM config, the $550 price tag doesn't cut it for the average user. Nowadays I find the Tab S9FE at $350 on Amazon and Best Buy with the
same config, so if you're just looking at it for pure specs besides screen size I'd suggest you get the S9FE instead.
- Build Quality of S-Pen: compared to the Tab Active 3 s-pen, the s-pen here is quite a bit cheaply made, and it feels like such a huge downgrade because the s-pen here feels hollow. It still does
feel well-built but just something to be said here.
- USB 2.0 and DeX: I was very disappointed here. I don't use DeX normally except on my Tab S8+ so this doesn't affect me, but using wireless DeX with wireless monitors provided by my
university, I see intense input lag, and overall it isn't a fun experience using DeX on the Tab Active 5. Obviously no HDMI input either so that's why I had to resort to wireless DeX, but be prepared
for intense disappointment for heavy productivity here.
- Mono speaker: The speaker on the Active 5 is good, but I feel like the sound is lacking in its fullness compared to my S22 Ultra and Tab S8+. I wish it had two speakers at least.
Long term, using my Tab Active 5 was fun, but I am starting to notice these glaring cons of the Tab Active 5. As a result I'm thinking of downgrading to the Tab A9 or my Active 3 which I still have but is listed on eBay to help pay the cost of the Active 5 at full MSRP.
Overall, I would say the following people are suited for the Tab Active 5:
- People like amazon delivery guys or doing heavy enterprise work like Samsung advertises
- People who would take short notes on the Tab Active 5, keep it for a long while, and use the tablet as a notebook.
- The second point, while gaming and watching videos, **BUT** has a samsung ecosystem and is reluctant to use a different brand of tablet that is better for the money because of the OP
samsung ecosystem features.
- People who would use this as a navigation system for their car
- People who have money to burn
Otherwise, this tablet isn't for you. The Active 5 is indeed a very niche tablet, and the third best 8 inch tablet at that, but it is so niche I believe the vast majority of people would enjoy the Lenovo Y700, iPad Mini 6/7, or the Tab A9.
@@SammyTabGuy a9 is shit tablet active 5 way better than a9 dont even think to buy a9
Do you know if the 5G version can function as a phone too?
probably
Update: check the tablet model code. SM-X306B can, X308U cannot. Only 308 is sold in the US and maybe Canada. This is a shame.
Update: disregard this comment, check the below comment I made a few minutes ago. Thanks!
Hi, just an update if you're still here. MyNextTablet reviewed the Active5 as a phone and here are his thoughts. Start at time mark 7:05 to see his thoughts: th-cam.com/video/UsTiwlgqmqo/w-d-xo.html
Hope this helps!
IMPORTANT UPDATE: looks like Samsung US sells only the SM-X308U cellular model, which it turns out is not compatible with phone calls. X306B is the one compatible. So if you're in the US the cellular version cannot make phone calls :(
Shame on Samsung.
I just wish Samsung would use a better processor. This is so far behind the A15 in the iPad mini, but I wonder if the 120hz makes this tablet feel any snappier than the iPad mini?
It does feel snappier than the iPad mini in terms of screen quality. My mom and dad each have an iPad mini so I may do a comparison in the future between theirs and my tab active5
Edit: it looks like the iPad mini6 runs circles around the Tab Active 5 with 2x geekbecnh scores but it does beat the iPad mini now in terms of speed
@@SammyTabGuy Thanks, yes sometimes Geekbench doesn't tell the whole story and it always seems to favor Apple silicon a bit too much IMO.
@@Toyeboy89good to know, thanks!
@Toyeboy89 hey just an update I made the iPad mini video here's the link th-cam.com/video/istm-Jjrl5A/w-d-xo.html
@@SammyTabGuy thank you for the update! I wish the active 5 was slightly cheaper I know it’s rugged though
Should i buy tab active3 or this one? Currently using galaxy s9+ as my phone. I knew somehow that tab active3 has the same processor to galaxy s9+ phone. And it has usb 3. Is the processor of tab active5 a downgraded version too compared to tab active3?
It depends, but I would say using the Tab Active 3 is pretty good. It's under $200 on eBay and is definitely worth it. However for long term usage if you will use your tablet for 5+ years I would recommend the Tab Active 5 as it will get 8 years of OS updates which is on par with how much OS updates even the iPad Pro line and the Tab S10 line gets
Tab Active 5's Processor is not a downgraded version. It's more powerful than for Tab Active 3. Active 3 has a slightly faster graphics power but the Active 5's processor is still more powerful in other areas.
@hopydaddy this is the correct answer as well. Tab Active 5 is using a 2023 processor for midrange A series and FE phones and tablets respectively, while Active3 is using the phone S9's exynos processor from 2018 which is very outdated.
what is the purpose of drawing on the screen at the end ? is it for kids to doodle ?
@@seanvan6377 The original purpose of the Tab Active 5 is for field work, such as police using the tablet to fill out PDFs for police reports, warehouse staff signing documents, Amazon delivery drivers doing the same, etc.
It's an amazing device for what it could do, but not one I can recommend due to poor price:performance ratio for regular consumer usage (like other Galaxy Tabs or iPad regular usage)
@@SammyTabGuy Thanks..I'm looking at this enterprise edition with the cell phone functionality (306b ) , I'm working alot in a shop & need online access as well. Its next to impossible to purchase from Canada Though...I have tried a few places in uk But no luck yet getting someone to ship it to me.
Do they have a case for it and if so does the tab 3 active case work with it since it’s 8 inch
In the video, I did showcase the case that came in the box itself. So yes, it does come with a case.
However, it will not fit the tab active 3 because the camera cutouts are different between the two. It's a rectangle on the 3 but a circle on the 5.
Question.. does it have calling function? and earpiece that can ve used asa phone?
Update: check the tablet model code. SM-X306B can, X308U cannot. Only 308 is sold in the US and maybe Canada. This is a shame.
I think it should be available on LTE models. I haven't tried it yet but I am assuming yes!
Hello. from Japan.
Is it possible to select Japanese on this tablet?
Yes it is!
Is Samsung Dex via USB-C working? (At Tab Active 3 it is.)
Sadly not, which is what I hate most about this tablet. Currently debating whether to sell the Active 5 and keep the Active 3 I have
Yeah... then I stay with my Active 3. Graphic-Power in this is still pretty nice.
@@Rosalie-Miara I've been thinking of doing the same move too, just because of DeX. Thankfully I only use the Tab Active 5 as a e-reader, **mobile** flight sim gaming machine, and a TH-cam consumption device; I already have a Tab S8+ which I can use DeX. But as a primary tablet for DeX tasks, I'd consider this a no-go. eBay has the Tab Active 3 in pretty good condition for $250 USD or less which I recommend checking out!
Interesting that you won't answer the repeated question... Can it make phone calls or not? I watched a review where the person was absolutely amazed by the whole thing until I spent 5 hours on a combined phone call with Samsung and his provider (AT&T) and they've determined that he CAN NOT MAKE PHONE CALLS WITH IT! His bottom line.... IT'S A TOTAL ABSOLUTE LIE and he was sending it back! So once again...... Can it be used as a phone as it claims?
Heyo, just found out that in the US Samsung sells only the SM-X308U cellular model, which it turns out is not compatible with phone calls. X306B is the one that can make it. So if you're in the US the cellular version cannot make phone calls. MyNextTablet got the X306B version since he lives in Europe, and Make and Believe got the X308U model which is the cellular variant sold in the US, so that's why he had issues. This was mentioned in Make and Believer's comment section in his video and that was such an important piece of info I missed at the time of replying to questions similar to yours but made earlier prior to Make and Believe's video.
Earlier in the year I did not pay attention to the model codes used in different countries, and since this is a niche tablet I assumed it would work like on the Tab Active 3. Turns out, this is not the case and this is why MyNextTablet was able to make phone calls while Make and Believe could not.
Shame on Samsung. Couldn't even imagine Samsung for pulling this BS.
I will also say that I have no intention of dodging the question. Earlier in the year I assumed it could as this was done on previous Galaxy Tabs, and I also have pointed out in one of the comments that I cannot test this myself since I bought the WiFi version.
the sim card slot has 2 spots for 2 sim cards?
I cannot answer that unfortunately as I don't have the cellular model, just wifi only
Your camera's autofocus is giving me a headache
โฟกัสซิดีโอไม่ได้เรื่อง
Are active3 and active5 films compatible?
Should be