Samsung Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro

The Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro is Samsung's ruggedised tablet for frontline work. Samsung announced it in April 2025 together with the Galaxy XCover7 Pro smartphone, describing both as enterprise-ready devices built for high-intensity work environments, and set the UK recommended price of the tablet at 769 pounds, with sales from April 2025. This page uses Samsung's UK press release and its specification table. Because it is a business product, many of its features are sold as enterprise options, and Samsung's own footnotes carry important limits, which we repeat where they matter.

Built to be dropped

Samsung says the Tab Active5 Pro has undergone rigorous durability testing and improves on the Tab Active4 Pro, with added tests for resistance to workplace sanitisers. It is rated IP68, which the footnote defines as protection from dust and immersion in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for up to 30 minutes, and Samsung asks users to rinse residue and dry the device after it gets wet. The design is certified to MIL-STD-810H, the US military test standard covering altitude, humidity, immersion, salt fog, dust, vibration and drops. The display uses Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ for extra scratch and impact protection. The image Samsung supplied carries the note that the tablet can take drops from 1.5 metres with its case on.

The bundled S Pen is unusual for a rugged tablet. It is IP68 rated as well, and Samsung says it keeps working in certain wet conditions, which matters for people who annotate documents, sign forms or enter data outdoors. The touch layer has increased sensitivity for use with compatible gloves, and Samsung's footnote specifies leather gloves 2 mm thick or less, based on internal lab tests; the tablet can be used in wet environments but not fully underwater, and underwater touch is not available.

Display and sound

The screen is a 10.1-inch WUXGA TFT LCD in 16:10 with a refresh rate up to 120 Hz. Vision Booster is meant to improve legibility outdoors, and Samsung raises peak brightness to up to 600 nits from 480 nits in the previous model. The company says the changes bring better contrast, improved tone mapping and better visibility against strong light. Sound comes from two stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos. For teams that use walkie-talkie applications, the speakers use anti-feedback technology to reduce audio loops when several devices share a channel in close range, with higher volume and clearer output than the Tab Active4 Pro. Samsung adds that the tuning boosts volume and filters background noise, and its footnote says walkie-talkie functions need a separate third-party solution.

Power that keeps working

The tablet has a 10,100 mAh typical battery, up from 7,600 mAh in the previous model. It is user replaceable, and Samsung's Dual Hot-Swap function lets a worker replace the battery without turning the device off, one battery at a time. The footnote adds that if a battery is removed while the tablet is on, the screen goes off and certain features are limited until the replacement is in. Extra batteries and the POGO charging dock are sold separately, and only Samsung-certified batteries are supported. POGO pins let workplaces that use docks charge several devices at once. For vehicle mounts, kiosks and desks, No Battery Mode lets the tablet run while connected to a dedicated power source; it needs a USB Type-C accessory that supplies 9 V and 2.3 A or more with PD 2.0 or better, and it limits CPU performance, maximum volume and display brightness. A charger is included only in select regions, including North America, Europe and Latin America.

Processor, memory and connectivity

The processor is the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, a 4 nm octa-core platform, paired with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, or 8 GB and 256 GB, and a microSD card up to 2 TB. The tablet supports 5G (Sub-6), LTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4 and NFC, and Samsung mentions network slicing to prioritise device traffic on busy networks. It supports dual SIM with a physical SIM and an eSIM, though eSIM availability varies by market. NFC is front-facing, which Samsung presents as enabling authentication, asset tracking and mobile payments, with the tablet usable as a mobile point-of-sale terminal; the footnote says Knox Platform for POS requires separate integration and may need a licence. Ports are USB 3.2 Type-C, POGO pins and a 3.5 mm audio jack, and the sensors include accelerometer, gyro, geomagnetic, Hall, RGB light, proximity and fingerprint. Cameras are a 12MP rear camera with flash and an 8MP front camera. At 680 grams for Wi-Fi and 683 grams for 5G, it is heavy for a 10-inch tablet, which is the price of the rugged build.

Software and security

The tablet runs Android 15. Samsung lists Circle to Search with Google, Object Eraser, AI Select and Read Aloud, Samsung DeX for a desktop-like experience on a monitor or PC, and a programmable Active Key that can start functions such as barcode scanning, push-to-talk with Microsoft Teams or emergency alerts, though Samsung says key mapping varies by app and some functions may need extra licences. Security rests on Samsung Knox with Knox Vault, Real-time Kernel Protection and DEFEX, and a Warranty Bit that detects tampering and restricts access to sensitive apps such as Work Profile. Face recognition and a fingerprint sensor handle biometrics.

Market context from the release

Samsung justifies the category with a forecast it attributes to an outside data set from May 2024: the ruggedised smartphone market is expected to reach 4.46 million units and the ruggedised tablet market 1.89 million units by 2028, in sectors such as retail, government, logistics, healthcare and manufacturing. Jerry Park, who heads Samsung's global mobile B2B team, said that the devices combine ruggedised durability, enterprise-grade security, seamless connectivity and AI-driven features so that businesses can operate efficiently in harsh conditions with minimal downtime. The tablet's smartphone sibling, the XCover7 Pro, has a 6.6-inch display and a 4,350 mAh user-replaceable battery, and costs 559 pounds.

What is not said

The release gives no battery life in hours, no software update period, no charging wattage and no details of the LCD panel beyond size, resolution and peak brightness. Samsung also states no price for other regions.

Who should look at it

The Active5 Pro is for construction, logistics, retail, healthcare and field work, or anyone who needs a tablet that survives daily abuse. Buyers who want a lighter consumer tablet with a bundled S Pen can compare the Galaxy Tab S10 FE or the simpler Galaxy Tab A9. Those who want a premium screen should look at the Galaxy Tab S10+, and iPad users can check the iPad (A16). The page Tab Active5 Pro versus Tab S10 FE lines up a rugged and a mainstream option, and everything else is under tablets.