Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra Review: Big screen, big letdowns
They don't come any bigger than this, and maybe they shouldn't.
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Intro
When it comes to large tablets, look no further than Samsung, which has released gargantuan flagship tablets for years now. The Tab S Ultra family was introduced nearly four years ago with the Tab S8 Ultra and has always pushed display size limits. With 14.6-inch screens on deck, Samsung's Ultra tablets are easily the largest and most extreme ones you can get.
That is correct of the latest Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra as well. It's yet another exceptionally extreme tablet that will easily turn heads if you use it outside. It's a proper behemoth that rivals the average laptop out there in terms of display size.
The benefits of having a large screen are clear: more real estate to view media, to draw with the S Pen, and pretty much everything else a large screen can be used for. The drawback of a large screen is… that it is too unwieldy and uncomfortable to use.
Additionally, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra introduces some minor letdowns that don't feel great. We get no Bluetooth on the S Pen (like on the Galaxy S25 Ultra), the wide camera at the front has been removed, and Samsung has also removed the vibrator motor. Definitely minor issues, but still not something you'd expect from a Ultra tablet.
Table of Contents:
Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra Specs
The best of the best, almost
Here is a quick overview of the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra specs:
| Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra |
|---|
| Size and Weight 326.39 x 208.53 x 5.08 mm 689.5 gr |
| Display 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 120Hz, HDR Anti-reflective coating |
| Processor MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ 3nm 12GB/256GB 12GB/512GB 12GB/1TB microSDXC up to 2TB |
| Software Android 16 |
| Cameras 13MP rear 8MP ultrawide 12MP front |
| Battery Size 11,600 mAh |
| Charging Speeds 45W |
| Prices Starting from $1,199 |
Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra Design and Display
The return of the slab
Comprising Samsung's signature Armor Aluminum and tempered glass, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra uses the same design language that has been utilized on its tablets for years. With flat edges, a traditional 16:10 aspect ratio, and pretty much no curves, it's definitely a device that fits today's landscape.
Size is definitely a concern here. Sure, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is immensely razor-thin at 5.5 mm, but the two other dimensions are a concern. It measures 32.6 by 20.8 mm, which is comparable to the display size of a MacBook Pro 14-inch. In comparison with a 13-inch iPad Pro, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is equally unwieldy.
If you're coming from another, smaller, and older Samsung tablet, please keep in mind the intimidating size of this behemoth. It's not a device that's easy to handle, so don't expect to lug it everywhere it you to read your e-books. It's best used at home, propped up on a desk akin to a laptop, because it's pretty much that (sans the mighty better functionality of a proper laptop).
The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is also quite heavy at nearly 700 grams. It surely isn't a lightweight device you'd be able to lug everywhere with you. I mean, you could, but the experience would probably be miserable.
There's still a notch on the display, which is a pity as it ruins the immersion for me, but I guess Samsung couldn't find a way to fit the selfie camera inside the thin bezel.
Colors-wise, we get the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra in two colors––Moonstone Gray and Platinum Silver, which are two very drab and conservative hues devoid of any life. It's probably what sells well, as most consumers usually go with safe colors.
Inside the box you'll find:
- Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra
- S Pen stylus
- USB-C charging cable
- Manuals
The highlight of the Galaxy S11 Ultra is its 14.6-inch screen, and as is traditional of Samsung, it's a high-quality Dynamic AMOLED one, with the usual features like HDR and a 120 Hz refresh rate part of the specs sheet.
As we mentioned, it's a 16:10 display, making it perfect for consuming media like TV shows and movies. That's unlike an iPad Pro, which has a boxier 3:2 aspect ratio and introduces lots of letterboxing.
There's an anti-reflective coating here, which helps reduce glare in certain lighting conditions. We are not sure if it's the same one that is available on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but it definitely helps with the undesirable reflections.
In real life, it's a joy to experience any type of content on such an expansive and high-quality screen. Everything simply pops at you and beckons you to use the screen even more. Come to think of it, this might be a problem for your digital wellbeing.
Display Measurements:
In our tests, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra achieves very high brightness, comparable with the large 13-inch iPad Pro. The minimum brightness is better on the iPad, though.
For biometrics, the Galaxy S11 Ultra uses an under-display fingerprint scanner. It functions perfectly well, enabling you to unlock the device quickly and effortlessly. A problem might be the actual handling of the device, but that is fixable by enabling face unlock as well.
Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra Keyboard and Stylus
There isn't a new keyboard accessory for the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. Instead, the one from last year's Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra can be used, as it's perfectly compatible with the new tablet.
Packed in the box with the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is Samsung's S Pen stylus, which attaches magnetically to the side of the tablet. Previously, the attachment point was at the rear of the tablet, but it's absolutely more convenient to have the accessory on the side.
Sadly, in line with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the included S Pen lacks Bluetooth, so no Air Actions are available here. Samsung is slowly making its stylus less feature-rich, probably in preparation of getting rid of it in the not-so-distant future.
Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra Performance & Benchmarks
MediaTek's finest
The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra comes with the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ chip, a 3nm powerhouse that's very comparable to the Snapdragon 8 Elite, though not quite.
It definitely performs well both in synthetic benchmarks and in real life, giving us tons of performance. More notably, there's a palpable improvement over the previous model, which bodes well for Samsung's intergenerational upgrades.
CPU Performance Benchmarks:
In the CPU-heavy Geekbench 6 benchmarks, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra performs well in both the single- and multi-core tests, beating its predecessor but unable to challenge the iPad Pro with the beastly M4 chip.
GPU Performance
There's a pretty major improvement in graphics performance as well. The gargantuan new tablet achieves a very decent peak performance and not-too-shabby sustained score thanks to the Immortalis GPU on deck, beating the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and also inching that much closer to the 13-inch iPad Pro. Certainly a great tablet for gaming, but please do consider pairing a controller.
The device comes with 12GB of RAM in the 256GB and 512GB versions, but the top-tier 1TB one comes with 16GB of RAM for exceptional multitasking. There's a microSDXC card slot allowing you to make use of up to 2TB microSD cards, which is great to see.
Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra Software
We have Android 16 and One UI 8 running on the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, with the full Galaxy AI feature set on board. One UI is a pleasure to use thanks to the multitude of customization options and features on board, and it wouldn't be an overstatement to crown it one of the best custom Android skins right now.
Samsung DeX has been substituted with Android 16's native desktop mode, which might be perceived as a downgrade by some, but what can you do. Thanks to the size, you can actually use this tablet as a pretty decent external OLED monitor for your PC.
Some Galaxy AI features that aim to improve your experience are Drawing Assist, which helps straighten up your sketches once it detects what you're trying to draw. There's, of course, the usual AI paraphernalia from Google, like Gemini and Circle to Search.
The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is getting seven years of OS updates.
Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra Audio Quality
There are quad speakers on the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, and the quality they deliver is pretty great, actually. Tuned by AKG, which has been the case with most Samsung flagship devices for the past few years.
The sound is rich and full, with great sound separation and a fairly wide soundstage, which makes listening to music and pretty much any other kind of media pretty enjoyable.
Another downgrade here is a small but notable lack of a haptic or even regular vibrator motor. That's right, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra doesn't provide vibration feedback. This isn't so critical on a tablet, but the downgrade is still noteworthy.
Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra Battery and Charging
The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra comes along with an 11,600 mAh battery, some 400 mAh more than the 11,200 mAh one found on the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. The extra space has probably been won over thanks to the removal of the vibration motor.
Has the removal of this essential hardware feature been beneficial to the battery life, considering the implied better efficiency of the Dimensity 9400+ mAh?
PhoneArena Battery Test Results:
Well, actually, it has! The combination of a slightly larger battery and a more efficient chip has boosted the battery life here, with the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra scoring higher in all three of our custom battery tests save for the gaming one, which greatly boosts its battery life estimate. Reminder that we set all the devices we test at 200 nits of brightness to ensure an even playing field.
Charging takes roughly an hour and 40 minutes, which is an improvement over both the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and the iPad Pro.
Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra Camera
No more wide camera up front
The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra drops the wide-angle front camera and only retains a 12MP ultrawide angle one, which isn't great news. Sure, an ultrawide is mighty useful, but the tighter perspective of a wide-angled camera can definitely be helpful in certain situations. Regardless, the ultrawide camera does deliver a pretty decent image quality.
Taken with Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra's front ultrawide camera
At the rear, the tablet still comes with the 8MP ultrawide and 13MP wide cameras. The quality is fine, given that we're dealing with a tablet here.
Should you buy it?
Well, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is a mixed bag.
On one hand, it's a big and fast tablet with a pretty lovely screen and very decent battery life. It also charges faster than I anticipated. Positioning the S Pen on the side and not at the back is a smart improvement. You also get seven years of support, which is excellent.
But on the other hand, it introduces lots of tiny but aggravating downgrades that add up. There's no more vibration feedback and we lose one front camera. The S Pen on deck has also lost Bluetooth capabilities. We also get the same design language, but after a couple of generations, this one is looking slightly stale.
Overall, I don't feel you should upgrade if you're coming from a Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra or a Tab S9 Ultra. Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra might consider upgrading if they feel their devices have run their course.
If you desire the best and largest Android tablet available in 2025, consider this one, but also casually check for deals on the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: it's basically the same, and you might save some cash.
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