When the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e released a few months ago, I was extremely excited. There aren’t many Android tablets, and good Android tablets always start around $650. The Galaxy Tab S6 is around the corner, but once again, it costs $600. A $600 tablet isn’t the best option for many people.
Then the Galaxy Tab S5e came into the world, and it was glorious! The Tab S5e released and it released with some great specifications.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e specs and benefits:
- Fantastic 10.5″ OLED display with 2560 x 1600 resolution, great for all entertainment, reading, and presentations
- Snapdragon 670 processor
- 4 GB of RAM, a model with 6 GB of RAM is available
- Extremely lightweight, easy to carry, with very small bezels
With these great specs and benefits, I was so excited when I receive the tablet, and I was very blown away when I tried it out.
That was until I heard about the wifi defect.
Several tech news outlets reported on this issue shortly after the Tab S5e released
SamMobile first reported on this wifi defect, and other news outlets like The Verge started to report on the defect. Essentially, when you hold the tablet in landscape mode, covering the bottom left corner of the tablet, the tablet loses anywhere from 20% to 50% of wifi signal.
I experienced this issue not only on my Tab S5e, but also on 3 Best Buy models.
Many of us were hoping Samsung would either recall this tablet, compensate people who bought the tablet, or find a way to fix it through their service centers. Unfortunately, Samsung didn’t comment or give any information to any tech website and Samsung has blatantly ignored this issue.
As much as I loved this tablet, I couldn’t get over this wifi defect. I returned it two weeks after the tablet released.
Recently, I saw the news that Samsung released a software update to address this issue, so I purchased this tablet again at Best Buy to see if things have changed.
Unfortunately, the wifi defect is still alive as ever.
That’s what prompted me to make a video on this issue. There is a lot of false information going around about this tablet. Many sites that originally reported this wifi defect completely ignored the issue in their reviews. Is this because those sites make money when you purchase items through their affiliate links? I am not sure why, regardless, I am a little sad that so many tech sites are ignoring this issue in their reviews.
If I have had this issue with 5 units in a row, it is clearly a large defect that affects all models. Most people simply don’t notice losing 15% of wifi signal, so in many cases, there are a lot of users who aren’t noticing the difference.
Maybe you are one of those users. Maybe this issue won’t be a big deal to you. In most situations, I only lost about 15% or 20% of wifi signal when I held this tablet in landscape mode. Considering the fact that I have 95% wifi strength throughout my house, I’m considering keeping this tablet.
This tablet is fast, has good software, and good battery life. The battery in the Tab S5e is over 1,000 mAh more than the Tab S3, and this tablet is considerably lighter than the Tab S4. You get 90% of the performance of the Tab S4, so honestly, this may be your best bet for $400. And with other tablets not having this issue (no matter where I place my hand) perhaps a software update might somewhat stabilize this, so lets cross our fingers!
Either way, I hope this can be informative, and help you make a decision that helps you decide what tablet you want.
I haven’t made a video review on the Galaxy Tab S5e yet, but you can find my complete review of the tablet by clicking here.
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