Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e 10.5" T720 2019, Qualcomm, 6GB, 128GB, Black

The Galaxy Tab S5e is a five-year-old tablet that still punches above its weight thanks to a stunning 10.5-inch Super AMOLED display in the 89th percentile and a featherweight 399g aluminum build. At $114 refurbished, it's one of the best media consumption values on the market, with battery life that easily lasts a full day of streaming. Just don't expect it to handle productivity work, and be aware of the WiFi signal issue when holding it in horizontal orientation. For pure entertainment, this is a steal.

The 8-core Qualcomm chip inside the Tab S5e sits at the 72nd percentile for CPU performance in our database. That's solid, middle-of-the-road territory. For everyday stuff like web browsing, YouTube, and light gaming, it's perfectly fine. Apps open quickly, scrolling is smooth, and the 6GB of RAM means you can keep a handful of tabs and apps running without constant reloads. But push it with demanding games or split-screen multitasking and you'll feel the age. This chip was mid-range when it launched in 2019, and it hasn't gotten any younger.

The GPU lands at the 70th percentile, which tells a similar story. Casual games like Stardew Valley or Hearthstone run great. Anything with heavy 3D graphics will chug. The 128GB of storage is decent for a media tablet, though it's only at the 66th percentile, and there's no microSD slot on this model to expand it. Battery life is a genuine strength. The 7040mAh cell sits at the 72nd percentile, and Samsung claims up to 15 hours of video playback. Real-world users back that up, with multiple owners reporting all-day usage without reaching for the charger.

Against the iPad 10th Generation, the S5e wins on display quality and portability. The AMOLED panel is simply better for watching content, with deeper blacks and more vibrant colors than Apple's LCD. But the iPad crushes it on performance, app ecosystem, and software support. If you need a tablet for work, school, or creative apps, the iPad is the obvious choice. If you just want to watch Netflix and read comics, the S5e gets you there for way less money.

The Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus and Xiaomi Pad 7 are both newer devices with faster processors and better connectivity. The Xiaomi Pad 7 especially offers a more modern Android experience with longer update support. But neither matches the S5e's combination of AMOLED display quality and sub-400-gram weight at this price point. The UMIDIGI Active T1 and Vekfulpc T60 Pro are budget Android tablets that undercut the S5e on price but fall way behind on display quality and build. If you care about the screen, the S5e is the pick. If you care about longevity and performance, look at the Xiaomi or Lenovo.

At $114 for a refurbished unit, the Tab S5e is an absurd value. You're getting a tablet with a display that outperforms most current mid-range options, a build quality that feels flagship-tier, and battery life that still holds up. The 4.4-star average across 259 reviews tells you people are happy with what they got, and the recurring theme in user feedback is that this feels like a premium device at a budget price.

Compare that to the iPad 10th Generation, which starts around $349 new, or the Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus, which runs significantly more. The S5e doesn't match those on raw performance, but for pure media consumption, you're getting 80% of the experience for a third of the price. The trade-off is longevity. This is a 2019 device running an older version of Android, and Samsung's update support for it has long since ended. You're buying a great media tablet for today, not a device that'll grow with you.

The Galaxy Tab S5e is one of those devices that makes you wonder why Samsung ever stopped making tablets this thin and light. At 399 grams, it's lighter than a paperback novel, and the aluminum body feels way more premium than the $114 refurbished price tag suggests. This is a 2019 tablet that still turns heads in 2024, mostly because nobody else has figured out how to make a 10.5-inch AMOLED slate this portable without charging iPad money for it.

Who's this for? People who want a dedicated media machine. The 10.5-inch Super AMOLED panel at 1600x2560 is the star here, and our database puts it in the 89th percentile for screens among all tablets. That means it beats most current mid-range tablets on display quality, which is wild for a five-year-old device. If you spend your evenings streaming shows, reading comics, or doomscrolling in bed, this thing was basically built for you.

But it's not a productivity workhorse. Our scoring puts business use at 47.6 out of 100, which is the weakest area by a wide margin. The Snapdragon 670-era 8-core CPU and 6GB of RAM handle everyday tasks fine, but don't expect to edit 4K video or run heavy multitasking sessions. This is a consumption device first, and that's okay. Just know what you're getting into.

If you need a tablet for work, school, or any kind of productivity, skip this. The business score of 47.6/100 is the weakest area by far, and the aging processor will frustrate you when you try to multitask or run demanding apps. The lack of ongoing software updates also means you won't get security patches or new Android features. For productivity, look at the iPad 10th Generation or the Xiaomi Pad 7 instead. Both cost more but offer dramatically better performance and long-term support.

Also skip this if you're sensitive to connectivity issues. The WiFi signal problem when holding the tablet in horizontal orientation is a real design flaw that multiple owners have reported. If you plan to use this primarily in horizontal orientation for streaming or gaming, you might find yourself fighting dropped connections. And if you need expandable storage, the lack of a microSD slot on this 128GB model could be a dealbreaker for anyone with a large media library.

For a pure media consumption device, the Tab S5e is hard to beat at $114. The AMOLED display is genuinely stunning, the build quality feels premium, and the battery life means you can binge an entire season without hunting for a charger. If your tablet use is mostly streaming, reading, and casual browsing, this is one of the best values in refurbished tech right now. The 89th percentile user sentiment score backs that up. People who buy this for entertainment love it.

But if you need a tablet for work, school, or anything beyond consumption, look elsewhere. The business score of 47.6/100 isn't a fluke. The aging processor, lack of ongoing software updates, and that weird WiFi-blocking issue when held in horizontal orientation all add up to a device that's great at one thing and mediocre at everything else. Know what you're buying, and you'll be thrilled. Expect it to be an iPad replacement for productivity, and you'll be disappointed.