Update (11/5/19 @ 3:10 PM ET): The LG G Pad 5 10.1 has officially launched in Korea.

Google wants you to believe that Android tablets are thriving. In a recent blog post, the company said that there are over 175 million Android certified tablets. That number seems large, but I bet it mostly stems from budget and mid-range tablets since the flagship tablet market is basically on life support with Samsung being the only major player even bothering to compete with the Apple iPad. The Android tablet market is thus no stranger to new tablets being released with outdated hardware, so I'm not surprised to see that LG is looking to release a new tablet of its own with a years-old processor. The LG G Pad 5 is coming, and while its specifications are nothing to write home about, we hope its pricing will be.

I recently spotted a reference to a new G Pad tablet running Android 9 Pie with the code-name tf10. Over a week later, that same tablet got certified by Google to run the Play Store and other Play apps and services, and it also received Android Enterprise Recommended certification. The two listings reveal that the device is called the G Pad 5 with a model name of LM-T600L, that the device runs on the 3-year-old Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 mobile platform, that it has a 10.1" 1920x1200 (16:10) display, that it supports LTE, that it doesn't support NFC, and that the tablet has support for fingerprint hardware. One model has 4GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage, but there may be other models that we don't know about. The tablet runs Android 9 Pie with LG UX customizations on top.

While the listing came with a render, the render isn't very high quality and only shows off the front of the device. All we can really tell from this image is that the edges are curved (but the screen isn't), the bezels are large, and there's a single front-facing camera.

LG G Pad 5

I doubt this tablet will be marketed heavily given its modest specifications, but we may see it launch in a few countries sometime in the next few months. The LG G Pad 5 packs hardware that's inferior to the 2018 Galaxy Tab S4, but it's at least somewhat competitive with the Galaxy Tab S5e. You'll likely have a better experience using the new G Pad than you will using an off-brand Android tablet, but the fact that it won't provide an iPad-level experience just speaks to the sorry state of Android tablets.

Update: Launched in Korea

After being spotted back in September, the LG G Pad 5 10.1 is now official. LG is launching the tablet in Korea today. This is a pretty basic tablet as far as Android tablets are concerned. You're looking at a 10.1-inch FHD+ display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, 8 + 5MP cameras, and an 8200 mAh battery. The tablet has a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C port, microSD slot, and fingerprint scanner. Pricing starts at KRW 440,000 (~$380) but it may never come to other markets.

Source: LG