The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is a premium tablet designed with performance in mind. Providing the best of what Samsung has to offer, it boasts a thin and durable design, a large, vibrant display, and it handles everything from gaming to video editing, with ease.
With its large battery, an S Pen included in the box and a guarantee of seven years of OS updates, the Tab S11 Ultra is for anyone needing a powerful and flexible device that will keep up for years to come.
If you’re a professional or a creative looking for a tablet that can keep up with your demands, this is it.
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Price
The Samsung Tab S11 Ultra is positioned at the very top of the tablet market, and typically, that’s reflected in the price. The Wi-Fi model with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM costs $2,199, while the 5G compatible version with 256GB costs $2,436. You can upgrade the internal storage and it comes with a stylus in the box, which is a very nice touch.
Its closest competitor in terms of a premium, large screen tablet experience, is the 13-inch M4 iPad Pro. But that doesn’t come with an Apple Pencil in the box….
Design
The first thing you’ll notice here is the size. Like its predecessor, this is a big tablet with a 14.6-inch display. What’s more impressive though is how thin it is, only 5.1mm thick it’s 0.3mm slimmer than the S10 Ultra. On paper that doesn’t seem like a lot but considering the battery is bigger, and the performance is better, it’s an impressive feat.
It weighs a comfortable 692g, but if you’re looking to hold it one handed, you might struggle. It features a glass front, and an Armor Aluminium frame and backplate. It’s designed to be rigid, and it certainly feels that way.
It boasts an IP68 resistance rating, meaning it's resistant to dust and water, so you don’t have to worry about it too much when outdoors. And for biometrics, the S11 Ultra uses an under-display fingerprint scanner and the front display camera which can be used for face recognition. It works well.
Display
The display here is very impressive. As mentioned, it’s a 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel that’s able to produce rich, accurate colours and deep blacks.
It boasts a 2960 x 1848 pixels resolution, that’s sharp and clear, and paired with its 120 Hz refresh rate, everything from scrolling through apps to drawing with the S Pen feels smooth and responsive.
A big display can have issues with reflection, however Samsung has added a layer of what it calls “advanced anti-reflection coating,” which effectively reduces glare and reflections, when working outdoors or in a brightly lit office.
It features a 16:10 aspect ratio, which is great for movies, and videos but also well-suited for productivity. When using the tablet for multitasking or in DeX mode, the extra width provides valuable space. You can comfortably view two documents side-by-side or have open toolbars without cluttering your main workspace.
Performance
Powering the tablet is the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ chipset. Samsung claims this houses a 24% faster CPU, 27% faster GPU, and 33% faster NPU when compared to the S10 Ultra. And although it can be difficult to tell the difference in real world use, it doesn’t really matter, the S11 Ultra flies.
It will handle anything you throw at it, whether that’s resource intensive video editing, AI generations or gaming. It’s a beast.
Battery
Obviously this is a large tablet and therefore it requires a large battery. It has an 11,600 mAh cell, which is a slight bump up from the S10 Ultra. It’s big enough to easily get through a full day's use, but like anything, mileage will vary based on your use. Full brightness, heavy workloads and intense gaming will drain the battery quicker than more moderate use.
Samsung quotes a solid 23 hours of video playback, but in reality, it's closer to 20 hours, which is still plenty.
Unfortunately, the S11 Ultra still uses the same 45W wired charging as before, which means you’ll be waiting around for a while. It takes about two and a half hours for a full charge, which is slow and a bit of a let-down if you were hoping to give it a quick top-up before heading out the door. Not ideal.
Software/AI
The Tab S11 Ultra's software experience is built on Android 16 and Samsung's One UI 8. If you’ve either used a Samsung device or an Android device for that matter, you’ll be very familiar with how this works. It’s just as good as ever. Samsung has also guaranteed seven years of OS updates which ensures it will be supported for a long time, increasing its overall value and lifespan.
As you’d expect, the full Galaxy AI suite is here, and it runs very well thanks to that increase in NPU power. Features like Gemini Live, Drawing Assist, Writing Assist and Generative Edit are quick and responsive, and like always, they can be genuinely useful if you have the right use case for them.
A less-known upgrade, but one I find most helpful is the new “Extended Mode” for Samsung DeX, which was released with the S11 Ultra. This allows you to use the tablet in a dual-screen setup with an external monitor. You simply connect the tablet using a USB-C to HDMI adapter or compatible dock and you can perform true multi-window multitasking, like having a video call on the big screen while simultaneously taking notes on the tablet, and seamlessly dragging and dropping both app windows and files between the two displays. It’s brilliant.
In terms of connectivity, it supports Wi-Fi 7 and offers Nano-SIM and eSIM capabilities on cellular models.
S-Pen/Cameras
The S Pen is here, and it comes in the box which adds immediate value. The stylus is comfortable, responsive and easy to use and attaches magnetically to the side of the tablet, where it charges.
Like most tablets, the camera system, while functional, is obviously not a key focus. It’s a dual-camera setup on the rear featuring a 13MP main and an 8MP ultrawide and a single front-facing 12MP ultrawide. These are what I would call “work-oriented” cameras for document scanning and video conferencing, but they’re not going to replace your smartphone’s camera. Video recording is capped at 4K at 30fps.
Inside, there’s a quad-speaker system that provides a full and immersive audio experience, which is great for media consumption.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is an excellent tablet that combines a durable, ultra-thin design with a market-leading display and a highly versatile software experience via Samsung’s AI tools and DeX. Although it is quite expensive, if you’re looking for one of the best Android tablets on the market, if not the best, this is it. And you get the S Pen in the box and the guarantee of seven years of software updates.
While the slow charging speed is a drawback, the tablet’s performance is very good and it will handle anything you throw at it.
This tablet is a top choice for anyone who needs a powerful and flexible device. Its impressive feature set, from the brilliant display to the genuinely useful DeX Extended Mode, justifies its premium price and makes it an excellent option for the professional or creator.
