Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra vs Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra: Do not upgrade!
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Intro
The Galaxy Tab S11 family is official, but unlike last year, when Samsung gave us the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S10 Plus, this year we got a Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra and a regular Galaxy Tab S11. No Plus model anywhere to be found.
The larger tablet is definitely the more exciting one thanks to its large 14.6-inch display, which is great to experience content and draw, but also comes off as comically large when you try lugging it around.
How does the new Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra compare to the older Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra?
We ran the two through the paces of our in-house display, performance, and battery life tests, and also spent a healthy amount of time with each to give out a verdict on whether you should consider upgrading or not.
Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra vs Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra differences explained:
| Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra | Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Same 14.6-inch display with the same resolution | 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with 2960 x 1848 resolution |
| MediaTek Dimensitty 9400 chipset, 3nm | MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ chip, 4nm |
| A bit larger at 326.7 x 208.3 x 5.5 mm | Slightly more compact, 326.4 x 208.6 x 5.4 mm |
| Lighter at 692 gr | A bit heavier at 723 gr |
| A bit larger 11,600 mAh battery | Smaller 11,200 mAh battery |
| No haptic feedback | Haptic feedback |
| Bluetooth-less S Pen | Bluetooth-enabled S Pen |
Design and Display
Marginal changes
Image by PhoneArena
Samsung hasn't changed the design of the Galaxy Tab S Ultra substantially, which was expected. There's little leeway in terms of possible changes, and by the way, how many ways are there to design a tablet slab?
Anyway, we have the same large all-aluminum device with that signature and enormous 14.6-inch display up front. The notch is still there but it's smaller due to the S11 Ultra having just one front-facing camera.
There's another difference and it concerns the S Pen position. The new Tab S11 Ultra drops the magnetic strip on the back and now the S Pen attaches to the side of the slate. Another minor difference is the design of the cameras on the back, the new tablet has bigger camera rings compared to its predecessor.
Image by PhoneArena
The Galaxy S10 Ultra is similar, with the only suggested design difference between the two being ever so slightly different dimensions. The new tablet measures 326.7 × 208.3 × 5.5 mm, while the older one is 326.4 x 208.6 x 5.4 mm. Yet, the margins are so little that you probably won't be able to tell the difference.
Weight-wise, the new tablet weighs 692 grams, while the older one tipped the scales at 723 gr, so a bit heavier, but not that much. In the hand both devices feel quite heavy as the weight is spread over a large surface, creating a leverage effect when you hold the tablet.
Image by PhoneArena
Colors-wise, the new tablet comes in Gray and Silver, just like the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. We also have the same IP68 water- and dust-resistance rating carried over from the previous generation.
The display remains largely unchanged: both tablets feature 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED screens. Both share the same 2960 x 1848-pixel resolution and can refresh up to 120 Hz. Absolutely stunning in real life and perfect for artistic purposes or media consumption.
Keyboard and Stylus
Despite recent developments, the S Pen remains a constant and is included inside the box of the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. The accessory is a boon on large tablets like Samsung's flagship ones, greatly aiding the overall utility and functionality of the slate.
However, there are multiple changes. First up, we don't get Bluetooth anymore, and the shape of the stylus has been changed from a semi-circular to a hexagonal one. Holding and using it is comfortable, but the older S Pen is more comfortable to hold, that's for sure.
The keyboard situation is identical; there's no new Book Cover Keyboard model, and the Tab S11 Ultra is compatible with the old keyboard. That's pretty good.
Performance & Benchmarks
Welcome, 3nm
Equipped with a 3nm MediaTek chipset, the Dimensity 9400+, which absolutely elevates the performance proposition of this Samsung tablet. This one is a pretty good upgrade over the Dimensity 9300+ chipset that powered the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra.
In our benchmark tests, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra performs significantly better than its predecessor, chipping away at a moderate pace in both the single- and multi-core Geekbench 6 tests. However, this doesn't mean the older device feels slow or anything, no. It's just that the newer one is so much faster, but either one will do just fine in pretty much any scenario you might think of.
GPU Performance
In terms of graphics, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra once again delivers rather promising performance. It does a mighty fine job in both peak and sustained graphics performance, which is great to hear, especially if you're an avid mobile gamer. Sure, gaming on this tablet is wonderful, but definitely consider a gamepad, otherwise it might be a mission impossible to handle this slab.
In terms of storage and memory, there are no changes: the new tablet comes with 12GB of RAM in both its 256GB and 512GB versions, while a 1TB variant with 16GB RAM is also available.
Both the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra and the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra support storage expansion via a microSD card slot.
Software
The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra launches with OneUI 8 out of the box, so it's one of the first devices from the Galaxy family (along with the S25 FE) to get Samsung's newest UI. It's a continuation of the major One UI 7 upgrade, which brought new visuals, lots of new customization features, and Galaxy AI improvements.
The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra enjoys the same seven-year support cycle, just like the Tab S10 Ultra.
Battery and Charging
Samsung has increased the battery size of the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra to 11,600 mAh, a small but notable increase over the 11,200 mAh battery inside the older Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra.
Combining this battery increase with the more efficient chip inside, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra delivers better battery life in all of our battery tests but one. With the screen manually set at 200 nits of brightness, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra performs better in our custom web browsing and video streaming tests. It's only the gaming test in which the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra takes one back.
One thing that remains unchanged is the 45W wired charging, which will be a common property of both tablets. However, the newer device seems to be charging much faster: we measured 97 minutes from 0-100% on the new and 137 minutes on the older tablet, which is a pretty distinct difference.
Camera
Samsung has decided to remove the second 12MP wide front-facing camera, so the Tab S11 Ultra now features just a single 12MP ultrawide selfie snapper. The older model has two 12MP front cameras and subsequently a larger and more prominent notch.
Tablets aren't something you buy for the cameras, but having a pair is still indispensable.
Aside from the slight differences in color, both main cameras of these two tablets are rather comparable.
The rear ultrawide is a bit narrower on the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra fits a lot more "scene" in the frame.
By zooming in, the ultrawide on the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra emulates the wide-angle snapper of the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, but the quality isn't on par. The older device definitely delivers better sharpness and preserves more detail.
The ultrawide shots are similar, but the Galaxy S11 Ultra gives off a slightly more pleasing image quality.
Audio and haptics
In terms of audio quality, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra sounds similar to its predecessor. It's pretty challenging to notice any significant difference: both deliver deep and rich sound through their quad speakers, with a wide soundstage and enough warmth to make listening to music enjoyable.
A major difference between the two is the lack of haptics on the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. Yes, you no longer get a vibration motor inside the new tablet, so don't expect it to provide any feedback when you navigate through the interface.
To be perfectly honest, the haptics on the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra are terribly muddy and laggy, so while we bemoan the loss, it was secretly a long-time coming.
Which one should you buy?
The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is, all things considered, a minor upgrade that will hardly make any Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra users upgrade.
In fact, seeing the direction Samsung is moving should make you cling to that older Samsung tablet even harder. We're losing features these days, and there's no way of saying what functionality would be next on the chopping block.
It simply doesn't feel right to recommend the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra over the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra. Sure, you get slightly more performance and a bit better battery life, but the older device isn't too far behind.
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