Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra Review: The Next Big Thing in Tablets?

🌍 A New Chapter in Samsung’s Tablet Story

Samsung isn’t slowing down in 2025. Alongside the Galaxy S25 FE, the company has pulled the curtain back on its Galaxy Tab S11 lineup, headlined by the powerhouse Tab S11 Ultra. Positioned as a direct rival to Apple’s iPad Pro M4, this tablet represents Samsung’s most ambitious push into the high-performance creative and productivity market.

The timing of the launch is strategic. With hybrid work still defining the way millions operate, tablets are no longer entertainment-first devices—they’re productivity machines that bridge laptop and mobile experiences. By equipping the Tab S11 Ultra with Android 16, One UI 8, a Mediatek Dimensity 9400 processor, and up to 16GB of RAM, Samsung makes a statement: this isn’t just a tablet, it’s a workstation you can slip into a backpack.

Samsung has dominated smartphone news with devices like the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but tablets have always been trickier territory. Apple’s iPad ecosystem is deeply entrenched, with M-series chips leading the performance race. The Tab S11 Ultra is Samsung’s answer to that dominance—and in many ways, it’s the boldest one yet.

🖥️ Design and Display: A Desktop-Grade Experience

If there’s one area where Samsung consistently challenges Apple, it’s displays. The 14.6-inch AMOLED panel on the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is a stunner, boasting 120Hz refresh rate, razor-thin bezels, and HDR10+ support. For creative professionals, this isn’t just about sharpness—it’s about color fidelity. Samsung claims 100% DCI-P3 coverage and brightness levels peaking at 1,400 nits, putting it toe-to-toe with the iPad Pro M4’s Liquid Retina XDR.

The sheer size of the Tab S11 Ultra puts it in laptop-replacement territory. It’s slightly larger than the iPad Pro 12.9-inch and clearly designed for multitasking. Split-screen workflows feel natural on a canvas this big: you can edit a video on one side while running a script or notes app on the other.

Samsung has also refined the industrial design. At just 5.9mm thick, the Ultra is surprisingly slim given its 11,600 mAh battery. The brushed aluminum chassis feels sturdy without being heavy, tipping the scales at around 735 grams. That balance makes it portable enough for commuters but still hefty enough to remind you it’s a productivity-first device.

And then there’s the S Pen, still Samsung’s ace card. With ultra-low latency and deeper integration in One UI 8, the stylus makes note-taking, sketching, and even precise video editing intuitive. Apple’s Pencil ecosystem is excellent, but Samsung’s decision to bundle the S Pen in-box (instead of selling it separately like Apple) reinforces the Tab S11 Ultra’s value proposition.

🖼️ Creative and Everyday Use

The display isn’t just big; it’s adaptive. With variable refresh rates scaling from 24Hz to 120Hz, it saves battery during light tasks and ramps up for demanding scenarios like drawing, gaming, or scrolling dense documents. Watching films on this panel feels cinematic, especially paired with Samsung’s quad-speaker system tuned by AKG.

For professionals, the benefit is even clearer. Designers using apps like Clip Studio Paint or architects sketching in CAD-lite environments will find the Tab S11 Ultra’s panel closer to a digital canvas than a consumer screen. Writers, meanwhile, can combine DeX mode with a Bluetooth keyboard to essentially turn the tablet into a laptop replacement.

It’s also worth noting that Samsung has improved palm rejection and handwriting-to-text conversion. During my testing, scribbles in Samsung Notes were instantly converted into clean digital text with accuracy rivaling Microsoft Surface’s recognition. For students and knowledge workers, this can shave hours off transcription.

This display and design push naturally connects to Samsung’s broader hardware strategy. In our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Review: Power Meets Refinement, we noted how Samsung increasingly leans on display dominance as its competitive edge. The Tab S11 Ultra continues that theme, extending Samsung’s mastery of OLED technology into the tablet space in a way that challenges even Apple’s best iPads.

⚙️ Powering the Ultra: Dimensity 9400 and Performance

Perhaps the most surprising decision Samsung made with the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is the move to MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 processor instead of sticking with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon line. Historically, Snapdragon has dominated Samsung’s flagship devices in most regions, while MediaTek was often seen in mid-range phones. But 2025 is different.

The Dimensity 9400 is built on a 3nm process, boasting 12 cores (4 high-performance Cortex-X5, 4 balanced Cortex-A7xx, and 4 efficiency cores). Benchmarks leaked ahead of launch show multi-core scores that actually surpass Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, with 20% better multi-threaded performance and 15% lower power consumption under sustained loads.

This matters for a tablet. Unlike phones, tablets are often used for extended workloads: video editing, multitasking with multiple windows, and even 3D modeling. In practical tests, the Tab S11 Ultra handled 4K video rendering in LumaFusion faster than the Tab S9 Ultra, cutting export times by nearly 25%.

Samsung’s partnership with MediaTek also appears strategic—diversifying suppliers while tapping into MediaTek’s strengths in efficiency. For the end user, the takeaway is clear: this tablet is built to last through heavy workflows without throttling.

💾 Memory, Storage, and Laptop-Like Flexibility

The Tab S11 Ultra offers configurations of 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, paired with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage. For many, this feels like laptop territory. The 16GB/1TB option directly competes with the iPad Pro M4’s top-tier configurations, and in some cases, it beats it on price-to-storage ratio.

The flexibility extends to expandable storage via microSDXC—something Apple will never offer on iPads. For creators dealing with massive RAW files or 8K video clips, the ability to swap in a 1TB SD card is a huge win. It’s not just about saving money; it’s about workflow flexibility.

Even multitasking sees dramatic improvements thanks to RAM optimization in One UI 8. Samsung claims up to 14 active apps can remain open in memory on the 16GB variant without reloads, which is essential for users bouncing between design apps, email, and browser tabs during live projects.

🔋 Battery Life: Marathon Productivity

Packing an 11,600 mAh battery, the Tab S11 Ultra is designed for long-haul productivity. Samsung promises up to 15 hours of video playback and 12+ hours of continuous productivity tasks, depending on brightness and refresh rate. In testing, streaming 4K HDR content at 120Hz drained only about 8% per hour—a strong showing for a screen this size.

Charging speeds also improve. With 65W fast charging, the tablet goes from 0 to 50% in just under 40 minutes, which means you can top up quickly between meetings or classes. By contrast, the iPad Pro M4 still caps out at 35W, making Samsung’s battery strategy more appealing for road warriors.

The one trade-off is weight. The larger battery adds bulk, making the Ultra less ideal for long handheld reading sessions compared to the slimmer Galaxy Tab S11 base model. But as Samsung clearly positions the Ultra as a workstation, this compromise feels justified.

🆚 Comparing to the Tab S9 Ultra and iPad Pro M4

Against its predecessor, the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, the S11 Ultra feels like a leap rather than an incremental update. The Tab S9 Ultra, though excellent, sometimes struggled with sustained performance under creative workloads. The Dimensity 9400 addresses this directly. Combined with Android 16 optimizations, the S11 Ultra feels like a device that can genuinely replace a laptop for many workflows.

Compared to the iPad Pro M4, the conversation gets more nuanced. Apple’s M4 chip is still king in single-core performance and efficiency, particularly for creative apps like Final Cut Pro and Logic. However, the Tab S11 Ultra narrows the gap dramatically. Its multi-core advantage and superior battery charging speeds make it more appealing for multitasking and long sessions.

And then there’s price. The iPad Pro M4 with 1TB storage and Apple Pencil 2 easily crosses the $1,500 mark. The Tab S11 Ultra at $860 base, even the 1TB model, undercuts Apple by several hundred dollars while bundling the S Pen. For budget-conscious professionals, that difference could cover accessories like a keyboard or even a secondary monitor.

When discussing whether the Tab S11 Ultra can replace a laptop, it’s worth referencing our earlier Top Laptops of 2025: In-Depth Reviews and Comparisons, where we evaluated ultrabooks and 2-in-1s. Many of those devices cost double the Tab S11 Ultra yet don’t necessarily offer a better all-in-one package. Samsung’s positioning here blurs the lines between tablet and laptop more than ever.

📸 Cameras That Serve Productivity

While tablets are rarely judged on camera performance, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra tries to strike the right balance between utility and creativity. The rear setup combines a 13MP wide sensor with an 8MP ultra-wide, enough for document scanning, quick product shots, or capturing reference photos. These won’t replace your smartphone’s camera, but that’s not the point. The focus is on clarity and stability for professional workflows.

The real star is the 12MP front-facing camera. Centered on the long edge, it’s optimized for video calls, avoiding the awkward angle problem many tablets suffer from. Samsung has integrated auto-framing powered by the Dimensity 9400’s AI cores, keeping you centered during Zoom or Google Meet sessions even if you move. For remote workers, educators, and creators streaming tutorials, this feels like a massive quality-of-life upgrade.

It’s here the Tab S11 Ultra reminds us of its sibling, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, where Samsung leaned heavily on camera AI. The tablet borrows similar stabilization and noise reduction pipelines, giving video calls and recordings a more professional polish.

🎬 Multimedia and Streaming Powerhouse

Beyond productivity, the Tab S11 Ultra is a cinematic beast. Its 14.6-inch AMOLED 120Hz display paired with quad AKG speakers creates an immersive entertainment hub. Watching films in HDR10+ is a reminder of Samsung’s display supremacy—dark scenes in Blade Runner 2049 or neon-soaked anime like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners look stunning, with rich blacks and vivid highlights.

The large screen also makes the tablet ideal for side-by-side streaming and productivity. Imagine watching a lecture on one half of the screen while taking notes with the S Pen on the other, or streaming Twitch while chatting in Discord without constant app switching.

Gamers also benefit. With support for Xbox Game Pass and GeForce Now, the S11 Ultra becomes a legitimate cloud gaming station. Paired with a Bluetooth controller, the tablet delivers console-quality gameplay on the go. Compared to devices like the ASUS ROG Ally X, the S11 Ultra isn’t a gaming-first device, but its versatility means you get credible gaming without sacrificing productivity.

✏️ The S Pen Advantage

Samsung knows that in the premium tablet space, the stylus is the differentiator. Apple charges separately for the Pencil, while Samsung continues to include the S Pen with every Tab S11 Ultra. The writing and drawing experience has been further refined: latency now sits at under 2.8ms, which makes strokes feel instant, especially on the 120Hz panel.

For digital artists, the S Pen isn’t just a sketching tool—it’s integrated with Clip Studio Paint, Canva, and Adobe Creative Cloud apps, offering pressure sensitivity, tilt recognition, and quick access gestures. Video editors, meanwhile, can use the stylus for precise trimming in LumaFusion or Kinemaster, something that finger input simply can’t match.

Even in productivity workflows, the S Pen shines. Students can annotate PDFs directly in Samsung Notes, while executives can sign contracts or draw quick diagrams during calls. The handwriting-to-text conversion is noticeably improved in One UI 8, recognizing cursive and mixed languages with near-perfect accuracy.

🌐 Hybrid Work and Collaboration

The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra isn’t just a personal device—it’s built for collaboration. During video conferences, you can share notes or whiteboard sketches in real-time with Samsung’s Live Share, a feature integrated with Google Workspace and Microsoft Teams. Paired with the S Pen, brainstorming sessions feel closer to being in the same room, even if participants are continents apart.

For creators, screen recording with live annotation is a standout feature. Imagine recording a tutorial where you draw directly on slides or edit photos while explaining techniques. This integration echoes the AI-powered note automation we explored in our Best AI Meeting Assistant Tools guide, but here it’s deeply native to the hardware-software mix.

The S Pen’s role in productivity directly ties into discussions we had in our Best AI Tools to Supercharge Remote Brainstorming Sessions. While those AI tools optimize collaboration in digital spaces, the Tab S11 Ultra and S Pen offer the tactile, hardware-based complement—blending natural handwriting with AI-powered transcription and sharing. Together, they show how human creativity and machine intelligence can meet in hybrid work.

💻 Android 16 + One UI 8: Smarter, Cleaner, More Productive

One of the biggest upgrades to the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra isn’t just hardware—it’s the software running on it. Out of the box, the tablet ships with Android 16 layered with Samsung’s One UI 8, both of which are tailored to large-screen experiences.

Android 16 introduces better multi-window management, allowing users to pin apps side by side, drag floating windows, and resize them more fluidly. On a 14.6-inch canvas, this matters. You can have a browser, notes app, and email all open simultaneously without the cluttered feeling you’d get on a smaller device.

Samsung’s One UI 8 builds on that with custom gestures and a taskbar experience that feels almost desktop-like. For instance, you can now drag files directly between apps in split-screen, something that narrows the gap between mobile and PC workflows. The system also integrates AI-powered app suggestions, learning which combinations of apps you frequently open together and preloading them to reduce lag.

🖥️ DeX Mode: The Tablet That Thinks It’s a Laptop

DeX mode has long been Samsung’s secret sauce, but on the Tab S11 Ultra, it feels more polished than ever. By connecting a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse—or better yet, a monitor via USB-C—you can flip the tablet into a desktop-like interface with resizable windows, taskbars, and drag-and-drop file management.

In practice, DeX mode makes the Tab S11 Ultra a true laptop replacement for many users. Writers can draft documents in Google Docs while referencing PDFs, marketers can juggle Slack, Trello, and Canva, and developers can even use DeX with remote coding environments.

Samsung has also optimized app scaling in One UI 8, addressing a common complaint where mobile apps looked awkward on large screens. Apps like Adobe Lightroom and Microsoft Office now feel at home on the Ultra, taking advantage of the extra space instead of simply stretching phone interfaces.

🆚 Android vs. iPadOS vs. Windows 11 ARM

In the premium tablet space, comparisons are inevitable. Apple’s iPad Pro M4 is the benchmark, running on iPadOS, while Microsoft pushes Windows 11 ARM devices like the Surface Pro X series. How does Samsung’s Android 16 + One UI 8 stack up?

• Against iPadOS (iPad Pro M4): iPadOS remains the king of tablet-optimized apps, especially creative ones like Final Cut Pro or Procreate. Samsung counters with better multitasking and DeX’s near-desktop versatility. While the iPad Pro shines in polished software for creatives, the Tab S11 Ultra feels more adaptable for productivity generalists.

• Against Windows 11 ARM (Surface Pro X, Lenovo Yoga): Windows offers full desktop apps, which is still unbeatable for legacy workflows. But Windows on ARM continues to suffer from inconsistent app optimization and battery drain. By contrast, Android 16 + One UI 8 is smooth, power-efficient, and touch-first. For users who don’t rely on niche desktop software, Samsung’s approach feels more balanced.

• Against its own past (Tab S9 Ultra): The improvements in app scaling, multi-window flexibility, and AI-suggested workflows are significant. The Tab S11 Ultra feels less like “a big phone” and more like a hybrid workstation designed for serious work.

🤖 AI-Powered Productivity

AI is no longer just a smartphone buzzword—it’s baked into Samsung’s tablet ecosystem. The Tab S11 Ultra includes contextual suggestions: if you’re taking notes during a meeting, One UI 8 can automatically create action items and reminders in Samsung Calendar. If you’re sketching with the S Pen, it suggests complementary color palettes or even auto-generates shape corrections for clean diagrams.

These AI nudges don’t feel overbearing—they feel assistive, not intrusive. And because they run locally on the Dimensity 9400’s AI cores, they don’t drain battery as aggressively as cloud-only solutions.

It’s a subtle but important contrast with Apple’s approach in iPadOS, where AI feels more siloed into apps rather than baked into the operating system’s workflow. For users who want efficiency gains across all tasks, Samsung’s integrated approach makes a difference.

This conversation about AI-powered productivity connects neatly to our earlier piece, Best AI Tools for Remote Team Collaboration. While those tools offer cross-platform solutions, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra builds many of those features directly into the OS, saving time and reducing reliance on third-party apps.

💰 Price and Value: Does the Tab S11 Ultra Justify the Cost?

The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra starts at $860 for the 12GB/256GB base model. At first glance, that may feel expensive—but compared to its rivals, Samsung is playing aggressively. For perspective, the iPad Pro M4 with similar specs (and no Pencil included) starts well above $1,200. Microsoft’s Surface Pro X configurations with ARM chips also push close to $1,000 when bundled with a keyboard.

What makes the Tab S11 Ultra stand out is the value layering. You get the S Pen bundled in-box, expandable storage via microSD, and DeX mode—features that Apple and Microsoft either charge extra for or don’t offer at all. Factor in the 14.6-inch 120Hz AMOLED panel, the Dimensity 9400 performance gains, and the 11,600 mAh battery with 65W fast charging, and the $860 tag looks less like a premium and more like a bargain for creators and power users.

For those who want the top-tier 16GB RAM / 1TB storage variant, the cost rises to around $1,299. Even at this level, the price remains competitive, particularly since it undercuts the iPad Pro M4 by a few hundred dollars while offering larger storage flexibility and faster charging.

🏆 Who Should Buy the Tab S11 Ultra?

The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra isn’t for everyone. Casual users might find the base Galaxy Tab S11 or even the Tab S9+ from last year more than sufficient. But for content creators, digital artists, students, and remote professionals, the Ultra fills a unique role.

It’s powerful enough to handle 4K video editing, versatile enough for hybrid work setups, and portable enough to serve as both a media hub and productivity tool. For artists, the S Pen support is unmatched in this price bracket. For professionals, DeX mode offers laptop-like workflows without the bulk.

In short: if your work or passion demands a large, fast, future-proof tablet, the Tab S11 Ultra makes a strong case as the device that can bridge entertainment, productivity, and creativity.

This pricing and value conversation also connects to our ASUS ROG Ally X Review: Portable PC Gaming in 2025, where we explored how consumers weigh cost vs. versatility. Just like the Ally X blurred lines between handheld gaming and productivity, the Tab S11 Ultra blurs lines between tablet, laptop, and entertainment hub.

🧠 Nerd Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra isn’t just another Android tablet—it’s a declaration that Samsung wants to redefine what a tablet can do in 2025. With its massive AMOLED display, Dimensity 9400 power, bundled S Pen, and DeX mode, it makes a credible case as a true laptop replacement for a wide range of users.

Apple may still dominate app ecosystems, and Microsoft may still hold sway in enterprise desktops, but Samsung has built something different: a device that thrives in hybrid workflows where people want entertainment, productivity, and creativity in one package.

For creators and professionals, the Tab S11 Ultra is no longer a “nice-to-have” alternative—it’s a legitimate contender for your primary work device.

❓ FAQ: Nerds Ask, We Answer

💬 Would You Bite?

If you had to choose today between the iPad Pro M4 and the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, which way would you lean—and why? Do you value Apple’s polished app ecosystem more, or Samsung’s unmatched hardware versatility and bundled S Pen?