Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 5
The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 5 is a business-focused tablet that feels most comfortable in harsh environments, such as the retail floor, on a construction site, or even in a restaurant. It’s not a perfect device, but it’s a solid option if you need a reliable tablet to get work done in tough situations.
Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro
Even though it’s been out for a few years, the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro is still a capable device. It does more than enough to hold its own, even against its younger sibling, the Active 5. Its amazing battery life and solid performance really make this rugged tablet a competent road warrior.
Whether used at home or for business, thebest Android tabletsserve various use cases. While your standard tablet may cut it for your personal or office life, some people need something more rugged, something capable of taking on whatever comes its way. For that, Samsung has a couple of up-to-the-task selections.
TheSamsung Galaxy Tab Active 5and theGalaxy Tab Active 4 Prowere designed to be used in the field, and do it without breaking a sweat. There are several reasons why these tablets are an excellent choice for large businesses that routinely operate in rough environments. Let’s break down what separates these tablets from your regular run-of-the-mill tablet.
Best Samsung tablets in 2025
The very best Android tablets from Samsung
Price, availability, and specs
Starting with the newest addition to the Active lineup, Samsung released the Galaxy Tab Active 5 on June 20, 2025. It comes in a 128GB Wi-Fi model that retails for $549, or an unlocked 5G model that sells for $659 and is available in one color, green. You can pick one up directly from Samsung or Amazon.
The Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro was launched on August 04, 2025, and comes in several configurations. The 64GB Wi-Fi model retails for $649 and the 128GB Wi-Fi model sells for $709. There is an unlocked 5G version for both storage capacities that raises the price by $110. It also comes in only one color: black.
Portrait or landscape?
Whether in the field or on the retail floor, the Galaxy Tab Active series has you covered with its durable and rugged designs. Both the Active 5 and Active 4 Pro feature physical buttons on the front and an aluminum back that is IP68-rated and MIL-STD-810H compliant.
However, the physical buttons' locations are different, making the orientation in which you use these tablets completely unique. The Active 5 begs to be used in portrait mode, which places the navigation buttons below the display. The Active 4 Pro has its navigation buttons below the screen in landscape mode.
As you may imagine, physical buttons on the front of the device will increase the bezel size and that is true here. The tablets have sizable bezels, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing for its intended use case. Chunkier bezels increase grip, offering more of the device to grab without inadvertently touching the display.
At 213.8 x 126.8 x 10.1mm and weighing 433g, the Active 5 is much smaller and lighter than the Active 4 Pro. The Active 4 Pro clocks in at 242.9 x 170.2 x 10.2mm and weighs a much heavier 674g.
The Active 5 and Active 4 Pro both come with a built-in S Pen, making it easier to sign documents and edit images. It also feels more professional to hand over a pen with your tablet when having clients sign receipts or contracts, as opposed to having them use a finger.
It’s the size that counts
One of the key reasons why the Active 5 is so much smaller than the Active 4 Pro is the difference in their respective display sizes. The Active 5 has a 16:10, 8-inch LCD panel with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 and a 120Hz refresh rate. The Active 4 Pro ships with a much larger 16:10, 10.1-inch, 60Hz LCD panel. With a 1920 x 1200 resolution, the Active 4 Pro has a lower pixel density of 224ppi compared to 283ppi for the Active 5.
It’s disappointing for any Samsung product to lack its superior AMOLED displays, but the LCD panel should be pleasing to the eye for its intended use case. The Galaxy Tab Active 5 has the upper hand in this comparison though, thanks to its 120Hz display. The bump in refresh rate will make a world of difference in fluidity and display animations.
Future-proofing
The Galaxy Tab Active 5 and the Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro will look and feel almost the same from a software perspective. The Active 5 ships with Android 14 and One UI 6. And the Active 4 Pro originally came with Android 12 but has since been upgraded to Android 14 and One UI 6. This puts both devices on a level playing field for day-to-day use.
Both devices are well integrated with the built-in S Pen, feature mPOS to assist with directly processing transactions, and can transform into a desktop replacement thanks to DeX. The Active 5 and Active 4 Pro can also be easily integrated into a corporate environment with Samsung’s Knox software.
The Active 5 has an edge with their respective update policies. It is slated to get four major Android updates and a fifth year of security updates, and so will eventually run Android 18 in 2027. The Active 4 Pro, on the other hand, gets three OS updates and five years of security updates, but has already had two years' worth. It only has one more major update, topping out with Android 15 in late 2024.
Performance
A level playing field
The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 5 has an Exynos 1380 processor, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. And the Active 4 Pro ships with a Snapdragon 778G processor and with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, or 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
Despite the age difference in these tablets, the performance is going to be very similar. The Exynos processor used in the Active 5 has roughly the same power as the Snapdragon used in the Active 4 Pro. Even the RAM and storage options will perform almost identically. The 4GB model will feel a little less snappy compared to the 6GB models. The storage of both devices can also be expanded up to 1TB thanks to the inclusion of a microSD card reader.
Performance will be good enough, but nothing stellar. These devices will gladly chug along, giving you minimal problems, and should largely be stutter-free. Gaming isn’t the priority for these tablets, so including the most powerful internals isn’t entirely necessary.
Battery life
Bigger tablet, bigger battery
The battery life on these tablets will easily get you through a day and potentially indefinitely. The Galaxy Tab Active 5 comes with a user-replaceable 4,900mAh battery. It can be charged via USB-C or a POGO charging dock, allowing for easy and quick docking.
The Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro will give you a bit better battery life compared to the Active 5. It ships with a much larger user-replaceable 7,400mAh battery that can also be charged via USB-C or a POGO charging dock.
Having user-replaceable batteries makes these tablets real endurance champions. If you happen to find your tablet running low on juice, it’s as easy as ripping the dead battery out and swapping it with a fully charged one. The devices can also operate in no battery mode, letting you run these tablets without a battery as long as it’s connected to a compatible USB-C power source.
Best for the basics (and barcodes)
Cameras on a tablet are normally unnecessary, but thanks to some clever software, these cameras can double as barcode scanners. Luckily, you don’t need a top-of-the-line camera to enable this function. Both the Active 5 and the Active 4 Pro come with a single 13MP f/1.9 main camera capable of recording up to 4K at 30fps. It’s nothing to write home about, but the camera should be effective in well-lit environments and progressively get worse as it begins to get darker.
The Active 5 has a 5MP f/2.2 front-facing camera that can record 1080p video at up to 30fps. And the Active 4 Pro has an 8MP f/2.0 front-facing camera that has the same recording capabilities as the one on the Active 5.
Which is right for you?
These are notcheap Android tabletsand depending on how many tablets your business may need, it can be a sizable investment. When breaking down all the factors and comparing these two Galaxy Tab Active tablets, it’s clear that the Active 5 is the overall winner in this competition.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 5 has similar performance, better software support, the same camera, and depending on your needs, a smaller 8-inch display that makes the tablet easier to toss in a bag. What pushed this device to the top is that the Active 5 either matches or exceeds the Active 4 Pro for about $100 less, and will last for longer. That significant cost saving can quickly add up if you need a whole tablet fleet.
Durable and depandable
The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 5 is a rugged tablet that’s designed for business use. Its display, performance, and camera setup are roughly on par with the Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro. It won this competition thanks to its lower price and longer software support. It’s the clear winner if you are looking to buy new today.
On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 4 has a couple of wins under its belt. It has a larger display and a much larger battery, making it an endurance champion. It still has another Android OS update and a few years left of security updates, but that may be a deal-breaker for anyone looking to invest in these tablets today. If you already own the Active 4 Pro, then you’re able to safely skip the Active 5 series.
Great second choice, especially if you already have one
The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro is still a viable tablet years after its initial launch. With a larger screen than the Active 5 and a much larger battery, this device is still capable of delivering on your business needs. Its biggest knocks are its upfront price and its limited number of future updates.
