Samsung unveils first-ever 5G tablet—but there's a catch

(Image credit: Laptop Mag)

Samsung announced today the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 5G, the world's first tablet with 5G connectivity. The upcoming tablet is essentially a 5G variant of the excellent Galaxy Tab S6

Before you get too excited, the Galaxy Tab S6 G5 will be available only in South Korea on Jan 30 to start, and there is no word yet on whether it will release globally or in the US. 

Samsung will sell the Galaxy Tab S6 5G in a single configuration with a Snapdragon 855 SoC, 6GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD. The tablet also has a 10.5-inch OLED HDR display that supports an included stylus. 

There aren't many differences between this version and the one released last year apart from the addition of a Snapdragon X50 5G modem. This component will enable the Galaxy Tab S5 5G to receive superfast data transfer speeds when you're using it away from Wi-Fi. 

In our Galaxy Tab S6 review, we praised the tablet for its gorgeous display, zippy performance and useful (and included) accessories. To put it bluntly, the Galaxy Tab S6 is the only Android tablet worth buying today. 

We hope to see this 5G version come stateside in the near future. Until then, read our 5G primer to learn all about what we're missing out on (for now).  

Phillip Tracy

Phillip Tracy is the assistant managing editor at Laptop Mag where he reviews laptops, phones and other gadgets while covering the latest industry news. After graduating with a journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Phillip became a tech reporter at the Daily Dot. There, he wrote reviews for a range of gadgets and covered everything from social media trends to cybersecurity. Prior to that, he wrote for RCR Wireless News covering 5G and IoT. When he's not tinkering with devices, you can find Phillip playing video games, reading, traveling or watching soccer.