If you own the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e tablet, you must heed Steve Jobs' warning
You might remember that back in 2010, after the launch of the Apple iPhone 4, some users complained that when they held the phone a certain way, the device would lose connectivity and drop calls. This came after Apple redesigned the iPhone, and the whole affair became known as "Antennagate." The late Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO at the time, chided iPhone users for holding the device wrong and said that every phone will lose signal bars if held in a certain manner. Eventually, Apple sent out rubber bumpers to iPhone 4 owners that prevented the user's hand from interfering with the phone's connectivity. Apple changed the location of the antennas on future iPhone models.
What brings on this journey down memory lane is news about the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e. Yes, this is an Android tablet that Samsung unveiled in February, and at 5.5mm it is much slimmer than the Galaxy Tab S4. But it also seems to have an issue with connectivity when the lower left corner is covered with the user's hand; in this case, it is the tablet's Wi-Fi connection that is disrupted by human contact. According to SamMobile, it doesn't appear that a software update will be available to fix what is essentially a hardware issue. The user's hand blocks the Wi-Fi signal from reaching the slate's integrated receiver, which is most likely located inside the lower left corner of the device.
The good news is that there is a rather simple workaround. When holding the device in landscape, hold it with the front-facing camera on the right. That will place the receiver on the right side where it won't be blocked by your hand. Also, note that this problem does not come into play when the tablet is held in portrait orientation because the receiver will be too far up to be blocked by flesh and bones. Using the 'left-hand death grip' on the Galaxy Tab S5e doesn't always completely block Wi-Fi signals. SamMobile found that it lost 50% of its signal strength, which it noted is enough to negatively impact a streaming movie or a mobile game.
Galaxy Tab S5e holders will have to heed the words of the late Steve Jobs
You can find the Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e at several retail locations in the U.S. including Best Buy and B&H Photo. Both of those outlets have the 64GB version of the tablet priced at $399.99. If you want to save a little more than a buck, Walmart will sell it to you for $397.99. Samsung's website also has the 64GB model for $399.99, but will also sell you the 128GB variant for $479.99. An optional keyboard is available for $129.99.
The tablet is equipped with a 10.5-inch Super AMOLED display carrying a 1600 x 2560 resolution. The Snapdragon 670 Mobile Platform is under the hood along with 4GB of memory. A 13MP camera (with an aperture of f/2.0) is on the back and there is a front-facing 8MP camera. There is a 2D facial recognition system (not as secure as the 3D system used on the iPhone and on other devices) and the fingerprint scanner is found in the tablet's power button. Keeping the lights on is a 7040mAh battery, and Android 9 Pie is pre-installed. We should also point out that the tablet comes with Samsung's new OneUI, which places most of the important elements near the bottom of the screen to make it easier to tap. The device is available in Black, Gold, and Silver.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e has a connectivity issue
If you happen to have this issue with your Galaxy Tab S5e, don't even bother asking Samsung for a replacement. Those that did quickly discovered that their replacement unit suffered from the very same problem. So for now, all you can do is heed the words of the late Steve Jobs and learn to hold your tablet the right way.
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