Samsung Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro
ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro is available starting at $659 for the 128GB version, with 5G models starting at $769.
- It’s an exceptionally rugged tablet with removable dual batteries and software updates for eight years.
- RAM is a bit limited at 6GB, and the included S Pen doesn’t support wireless Bluetooth functions.
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A couple of months ago I popped the SIM out of my Galaxy S25 Ultra and spent a few weeks with the rugged Galaxy XCover7. To go along with that durable phone, Samsung just released the Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro tablet, and I’ve been hiking, kayaking, and exploring with it for the past few weeks.
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The Tab Active5 Pro improves upon the Active4 Pro in a few areas requested by regular users, including stereo speakers, expanded RAM with an updated Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor, and significantly improved battery capacity with dual hot-swap capability.
As a trade-off, the rear camera resolution has been decreased from 13MP to 12MP, but it’s still perfectly capable of capturing documents and images while out in the field.
With 10,100 mAh of battery capacity contained in two user-replaceable cells, the Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro is built to serve its role continuously. You can even leave one battery in the device and keep it running while you swap the other out. If you don’t have any other charged batteries, the tablet will work in no-battery mode if it is connected to a power source, which is a great solution for in-vehicle use in the field.
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In order to test the Tab Active5 Pro in the field, I took it on a fishing trip to a high mountain lake in Washington State. It turns out there was no longer a trail to the lake, so I navigated through the overgrown forest down extremely steep terrain to the pristine lake.
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I did not intend to test the tablet’s rugged durability since those kinds of extreme tests are not allowed with loaners, but the conditions present during my trek resulted in some hard falls, water immersion, and real-life field testing of the tablet. It survived unscathed and was a joy to use.
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
As a professional naval architect, I survey ships and work in shipyards, with electronic drawings guiding me. The rugged Tab Active devices have worked well for my teams and me in the past in shipyards in Florida and Washington.
Over the past couple of weeks, the large spike S Pen has worked flawlessly for navigating around and marking up drawings. I especially appreciate the secure storage silo in the protective case. The larger diameter of the S Pen made it easy to use with gloves on, and the display can be manipulated in glove mode.
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
Three physical buttons on the bottom of the tablet, in landscape orientation, make it easy to unlock and navigate the user interface. A lime green button on the top, identified as the active button, can be customized with actions for press and press/hold actions.
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In addition, the side button above the volume buttons can be set up with double-press and long-press actions, so there are plenty of options for accessing your favorite apps and utilities through physical button actions, as anyone with experience working in the field will appreciate.
Matthew Miller/ZDNET
The display is not as vibrant as I am used to with AMOLED phones and watches, but it worked well for the outside conditions where I was using the tablet. The long battery life was more important for keeping me powered up while navigating the remote wilderness and if you are looking for a rugged tablet for field work then the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro is definitely a tablet to consider.
ZDNET’s buying advice
If you’re looking for a tablet to use outside the office or in conditions where it’ll be subjected to the elements, you should consider a rugged tablet made for those use cases. The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro is built to perform for years with very long battery life, several physical buttons to navigate the tablet, and eight years of updates. It’s reasonably priced and built to handle rough conditions.
