The Galaxy Tab A 10.5

 The Galaxy Tab A 10.5  

Detailed Review 

The Galaxy Tab A from Samsung has grown and been given a good overhaul. While the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2016) had a 10.1-inch screen, its successor, the Galaxy Tab A 10.5, now measures 10.5 inches. The Galaxy Tab A 10.5 is Samsung's update of its mid-range Galaxy Tab A 10.1 tablet. The 10.5-inch Android device is supposed to set itself apart from its competition with its WUXGA display, Dolby Atmos sound, a family-friendly kids mode and long battery runtimes. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.5 has quite a lot of features including its predecessor's footsteps with a WUXGA resolution of 1920x1200 pixels, offers WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, an 8-MP camera, the current Android 8.1 Oreo and four speakers with Dolby Atmos. The tablet is available as Wi-Fi-only or as an LTE version. Both models are equipped with the Qualcomm SoC Snapdragon 450, the Adreno 506, 3 GB of RAM and either 32 or 64 GB of storage. Here we have discussed this Tab in detail.

Display 

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy Tab A 10.5 with a 10.5-inch IPS panel which has a WUXGA resolution of 1920x1200 pixels. This equates to a pixel density of 216 PPI. The display is very bright on an all-white background at around 514.3 cd/m². A more realistic, even distribution of bright and dark areas (APL50) increases the luminosity to 570 cd/m². With the ambient light sensor turned off, the brightness only reaches up to 489 cd/m². The predecessor, Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 (2016), had a brightness of 520.1 cd/m², which is comparable to this unit. However, its brightness distribution was slightly better at 91 instead of 87%.

Performance 

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.0 is equipped with the mid-range SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 which has eight ARM Cortex A53 processor cores that clock at up to 1.8 GHz. The processor is supported by 3 GB of RAM and the integrated GPU Qualcomm Adreno 506. Together, these components offer good system performance which can handle everyday tasks with ease. The preinstalled Chrome browser (test version Chrome 69.0.3497.100) loads websites quickly.  Depending on the configuration, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.5 has up to 64 GB of eMMC flash storage available. The microSD slot enables users to expand internal storage by up to 400 GB. The Samsung tablet offered good mid-range performance with transfer rates of up to 80.5 MB/s. 

Connectivity 

Samsung has equipped its tablet with the octa-core SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, 3 GB of RAM and the integrated graphics solution Qualcomm Adreno 506. This is a decent mid-range configuration. The device is available with either 32 or 64 GB of storage. The microSD slot supports cards with a capacity of up to 400 GB and it is possible to store apps on there as well. Apart from the standard ports such as a USB Type-C port with USB 2.0 speeds which supports OTG and a 3.5-mm audio jack, the Samsung tablet also includes a docking port with which the Galaxy Tab A 10.5 can be connected to the charging dock Pogo. This offers some nice features such as the display of favourite photos, the time or current weather forecast while charging. The sound system is another special feature: The Samsung Galaxy Tab A is equipped with four speakers, one in each corner and it supports Dolby Atmos.

Software 

The Galaxy Tab A 10.5 runs on the current Android 8.1 Oreo, which Samsung has supplemented with its own user interface, Experience, in the version 9.5. Although it offers numerous additional features and settings, the navigation is similar enough for Android users to quickly get used to the Samsung UI. The Samsung only offers quarterly updates for some of its mobile devices, including tablets. The tablet comes with the obligatory Google apps as well as a selection of Microsoft apps such as Word, Excel and Skype. The third app package consists of Samsung's own apps such as a file manager and the app store Galaxy Apps. The tablet is made family-friendly by introducing a kids mode, which turns the Galaxy Tab A 10.5 into a simple, child-friendly interface with special apps and games. If you swipe to the right on the home screen you get to Bixby Home, which offers a compilation of news, appointments, weather and activities.

Cameras 

The 8-MP main camera is equipped with a flash and auto focus can take pictures with a resolution of up to 3264x2448 pixels. If you want your photos to be in the 16:9 format, the image size will be reduced to 6 MP. Videos can be recorded in Full HD and with 30 images per second both with the main camera and with the 5-MP webcam. Both cameras offer several image modes. The main camera supports panorama pictures, HDR and Burst mode. The webcam is obviously directed at selfies and fun photos and includes a sticker mode with many options. Both cameras support Bixby Vision, an augmented reality app that does things like automatically translate texts, find places and read QR codes. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.5 takes decent photos, although they cannot be compared with those taken with good entry-level smartphones. The pictures always appear slightly washed-out, even in ideal lighting, and the tablet cannot display small details accurately. But overall, the image quality of both the main camera and the webcam are sufficient for occasional snapshots.

Communication 

The Galaxy Tab A 10.5 is available in two versions: with LTE and with Wi-Fi only. It can connect to both the 2.4 and the 5-GHz bands. The Galaxy Tab A 10.5 was very fast in our Wi-Fi test. There were no issues when it came to sending data (312 Mb/s). The Samsung tablet uses GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou for its location services. While it needed some time to locate indoors, the Galaxy Tab A 10.5 still managed to position within three meters, which is just as precise as it was outdoors. We tested the GPS module and the result shows that the Galaxy Tab A 10.5 fares very well while navigating. The Galaxy Tab A 10.5 passes on very precise location data to apps.

Accessories and Warranty 

Samsung ships the Galaxy Tab A 10.5 together with a modular quick-charge power supply (9V/1.67A or 5V/2A), a USB cable (Type-C to Type-A) and a SIM tool. There is also a quick-start guide and warranty information. Users can purchase the Book Cover ($60) in black or grey as well as the black charging dock Pogo (also $60) via the online store. The latter can also be used for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.5 has a 24-month warranty. Please read Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices & Handling 

The capacitive WUXGA touchscreen of the Galaxy Tab A 10.5 recognizes up to 10 simultaneous inputs. It is very responsive and precise even in the corners. The two physical buttons (power button and volume rocker) also respond very well. Both have a clear pressure point and sit tight, which gives an impression of high quality. So does the back cover, despite being made of plastic. The tablet does not have a fingerprint reader, but you can use face recognition to log on to the tablet, which works well. The tablet can easily be held without the risk of it slipping out of your hand and falling to the ground.

Battery Runtime

The Galaxy Tab A 10.5 proved to be very long-lasting. It managed a great battery runtime of 15:38 hours during realistic Wi-Fi test. That is two hours longer than its predecessor, which already had an impressive runtime at 13:46 hours. The tablet can play videos for over 16 hours. Overall, this device should easily manage one to several days without a power supply if used normally. The tablet recharges very fast, which is great. The included quick-charge power supply (9V/1.67A or 5V/2A) recharges in about 3:20 hours.

Games 

The Galaxy Tab A 10.5 improves the gaming experience with its impressive Dolby Atmos sound system. The four speakers are placed along the two narrow sides for the best possible sound when holding the tablet in landscape mode. The Galaxy Tab A 10.5 further supports games with its non-slip back and good gyroscope. However, the Samsung tablet can only be called a gaming machine to a certain extent. Because not every game can be played in every setting. Some current graphically undemanding games such as Shadow Fight 3 can be played at a smooth 50 fps even with maximum details. But then the Galaxy Tab A 10.5 reaches its limits quite quickly with other games that have more demanding system requirements such as PUBG Mobile. Even with the graphics settings turned to "balanced", the average of 26 fps is too low for smooth gaming.

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one colour to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times. As long as there are not too many reflections on the display, users should not have any difficulties using the Galaxy Tab A 10.5 in bright surroundings thanks to its great brightness levels. The IPS panel further increases readability with its good viewing angles. 

Outer Case

The outlook of Galaxy Tab A 10.5 have remained mostly unchanged compared to its predecessor - apart from the increase in size from 10.1 to 10.5 inches. The Samsung logo that was previously positioned along the top of the tablet has been removed, as has the physical home button, which is now part of the virtual Android buttons on the display. The practical, no-fuss design and the relatively narrow bezels with rounded corners have remained the same. The tablet has lost half mm in thickness (now 8 mm). The entire front of the tablet is protected by Gorilla Glass 4 while the back cover is made of plastic which still gives a very high-quality impression with its slightly flexible non-slip surface. The tablet is very stable and does not give way under pressure. 

Temperature

The Galaxy Tab A 10.5 remained unimpressed by high loads during tests. Even after running the stress test for one hour, the surface temperatures did not go above 35 °C. The average temperatures are below the 30 °C mark. We even measured an average of only 27.7 °C on both the front and back while idling. We used the battery test from GFXBench to find out whether the tablet has any heat issues on the inside. There is no throttling. Even during the demanding Manhattan scenario, in which the same game scene is repeated 30 times in a row, the performance remained constant the entire time.

Speakers

The most important multimedia feature of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.5 is hidden behind inconspicuous covers on either side in landscape mode: four speakers with Dolby Atmos support. The virtual sound improvement software can be turned on via the Android sound settings and includes an equalizer as well as predefined sound profiles for videos, voice or various styles of music. When switching between portrait and landscape mode, the tablet automatically adjusts the virtual surround sound. Dolby Atmos sounds good. While the speakers have very linear highs and mids, the bass is rather weak.

Power Consumption

Both while idling and under load, the Galaxy Tab A 10.5 is satisfied with a comparatively low amount of power. Like its predecessor, the Samsung device has a larger battery. All in all, these are ideal conditions for long battery runtimes.

 

Specifications

Processor                      Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 8 x 1.8 GHz, Cortex-A53

Graphics adapter          Qualcomm Adreno 506

Memory                       3 GB  

Display          10.50 inch 16:10, 1920 x 1200 pixel 216 PPI, capacitive, IPS, Gorilla Glass 4,                                glossy: yes

Storage                   32 GB eMMC Flash, 32 GB, 22.5 GB free

Weight             531 g ( = 18.73 oz / 1.17 pounds), Power Supply: 35 g

                        ( = 1.23 oz / 0.08 pounds)

Advantages

Android 8.1

precise GPS

USB-C port

very long battery runtimes

surround sound

child mode

rubbery, non-slip back

bright, well-balanced WUXGA display

remains cool during use

quick-charge power supply

Disadvantages

occasional lags during use

Android security patches not quite up to date

not all games run smoothly

average camera

no fingerprint reader

Conclusion

The Galaxy Tab A 10.5 is a very good mid-range tablet from Samsung. The Wi-Fi version is available online and offers a colour-accurate 10.5-inch display with a resolution of 1920x1200. It can be described as an enduring traveling companion which offers sufficient performance for everyday use. If you are often on the go, you may want to consider the LTE version of the Galaxy Tab A 10.5. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.5 is a good multimedia tablet that has a lot to offer considering its price range. The tablet can easily be used for gaming, as long as users can accept turning down the graphic details a little when necessary. The Dolby Atmos speakers make up for this weakness by offering great sound. The optional kids mode makes the Samsung tablet suitable to be used as a family tablet. The Galaxy Tab A 10.5 does not include a fingerprint reader but supports identification via face recognition.