Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra Review: The Biggest, Brightest Android Tablet Gets Better

Samsung announced the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra at the IFA trade show in Berlin on September 4, 2025, as the 14.6-inch flagship of its tablet range. It is no longer Samsung’s newest large tablet: the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra took over the top spot on September 30, 2026, with a MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chip, Android 17 and One UI 9. The S11 Ultra is still on sale, so the question for buyers now is whether the previous generation is worth it, particularly at a discount.

We have not tested the Tab S11 Ultra. This review summarizes Samsung’s specifications and the published reviews from GSMArena, Tom’s Guide and TechRadar: what they measured, where they agree and where they differ.

Key Specs

Spec	Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra
Display	14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 2,960 x 1,848, 120Hz, HDR10+
Chip	MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ (3 nm)
Memory and storage	12GB/256GB, 12GB/512GB or 16GB/1TB, plus a microSD slot
Battery and charging	11,600mAh, 45W wired (no charger in the box)
Cameras	13MP main and 8MP ultrawide (rear), 12MP ultrawide (front)
Body	326.3 x 208.5 x 5.1 mm, 692 g (Wi-Fi) or 695 g (5G), IP68
Software at launch	Android 16, One UI 8

Specifications are from GSMArena, which also lists a 128GB version for some markets.

Design and Build

Samsung kept the shape of the previous model and made it thinner and lighter. According to GSMArena, the S11 Ultra is 5.1mm thick and weighs 692g, against 5.4mm and 718g for the Tab S10 Ultra. The aluminum body is rated IP68 for dust and water resistance, which GSMArena notes is rarely seen on a tablet. There is an optical fingerprint reader under the display, a USB-C port and a dedicated microSD slot, but no headphone jack.

The size is the selling point and also the main complaint. Tom’s Guide calls the tablet “surprisingly thin and light” for its footprint, but its reviewer found it uncomfortable to hold for long periods, even with two hands, which makes it awkward for reading books or comics. GSMArena concluded that the large size makes a keyboard stand “a necessity.” TechRadar adds a warning for upgraders: because the chassis is thinner, cases and keyboards made for the Tab S10 Ultra and Tab S9 Ultra will not fit.

Samsung also dropped one of the Tab S10 Ultra’s two front cameras. The notch at the top edge of the screen is smaller as a result, but it is still there, and GSMArena lists it as a con.

Display: Bright on Paper, and Bright in the Lab

The panel has a resolution of 2,960 x 1,848 (239 pixels per inch), a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support. Samsung rates it at 1,000 nits typical and 1,600 nits peak brightness, and TechRadar notes that the Tab S10 Ultra was rated at 930 nits.

The two labs that measured the screen show why a peak rating is not the whole story:

GSMArena measured 452 nits at maximum manual brightness and 1,058 nits in auto mode with a white patch covering 75% of the screen, rising to about 1,600 nits when the white area shrank to 10%. It says those results confirm Samsung’s figures, and the S11 Ultra was the brightest tablet in its auto-mode comparison, just ahead of Huawei’s MatePad Pro 12.2 (1,045 nits).
Tom’s Guide measured 401 nits in SDR and 897 nits in HDR. That is below the iPad Pro M5 (561 and 965 nits), and the OnePlus Pad 3’s LCD reached 530 nits in SDR. Tom’s Guide also measured oversaturated color (157.3% of the sRGB gamut) with accurate reproduction (a Delta-E of 0.25).

The reviewers agree on image quality. Tom’s Guide calls the panel “a marvel to behold,” with “inky blacks,” although its reviewer still finds the 13-inch tandem OLED of the iPad Pro M5 more impressive; TechRadar points to the iPad Pro’s sharper 264 pixels per inch. TechRadar’s reviewer found it bright enough to watch a film from a bus window seat without drawing the curtains. GSMArena reports that the popular streaming services delivered HDR10 content, and that the adaptive refresh rate drops to 1Hz for static content and matches the frame rate of videos.

Performance

The S11 Ultra runs MediaTek’s 3 nm Dimensity 9400+, with one Cortex-X925 core at up to 3.63GHz, three Cortex-X4 cores, four Cortex-A720 cores and an Immortalis-G925 GPU. It replaced the Dimensity 9300+ of the Tab S10 Ultra, and TechRadar reports that Samsung claims a 15-20% CPU improvement.

Against other Android tablets it holds its own. In Tom’s Guide’s Geekbench 6 runs it scored 2,811 single-core and 9,126 multi-core, against 2,980 and 8,993 for the Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered OnePlus Pad 3, and it edged the Pad 3 in 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Unlimited (6,575 against 6,410). Against Apple it falls well short: the iPad Pro M5 scored 4,155 and 16,517 in Geekbench 6 and 9,934 in 3DMark, and Tom’s Guide says Apple’s tablet “demolished both Android tablets.”

TechRadar is the most critical. Its headline calls the S11 Ultra “hampered by mid-range specs,” and its Geekbench results put the tablet behind Samsung’s own Galaxy S25 Ultra phone in single-core (2,633 against 2,847) and multi-core (8,633 against 9,408) scores, ahead only in the OpenCL GPU test (20,468 against 17,871). Even so, TechRadar found that Asphalt Legends ran smoothly at maximum settings, and GSMArena lists “top-notch performance” among the tablet’s strengths.

Software, DeX and the S Pen

The tablet shipped with Android 16 and One UI 8. TechRadar describes the later One UI 8.5 update as adding a true dual-screen DeX mode for external monitors, along with gaming tools such as per-game CPU and GPU tuning. Samsung promises seven generations of Android upgrades and seven years of security updates, according to TechRadar, so the S11 Ultra is in line for the Android 17-based One UI 9 that launched on the Tab S12 series. Check Settings for the version your tablet is offered.

Multitasking is a strength: TechRadar ran up to three apps in split screen, with five pop-up windows layered on top. DeX, Samsung’s desktop-style mode, is more contested. Samsung redesigned it for this generation, and both GSMArena and Tom’s Guide note that parts of the full DeX experience now appear only on an external monitor. Tom’s Guide says the Windows-style taskbar is gone from the tablet’s own screen and calls DeX “not as functional as before.” TechRadar, reviewing later on One UI 8.5, liked DeX’s window snapping but found that some apps stretch awkwardly when maximized.

That matters if you hope to replace a laptop. Tom’s Guide’s review unit came with Samsung’s new Book Cover Keyboard, which its reviewer found sturdier and more comfortable to type on than earlier covers, but it has no touchpad, so you are left with touch controls or a separate mouse. Tom’s Guide’s verdict is that the S11 Ultra “can’t function as a laptop replacement.” Samsung sells its keyboard covers separately; our Android tablet keyboard cases guide covers the current options.

The S Pen is included but has changed. It now has an angular, pencil-like shape (octagonal according to GSMArena, hexagonal according to Tom’s Guide) and attaches magnetically to the long edges rather than to a strip on the back. It is a passive Wacom EMR pen with no battery or Bluetooth, so it never needs charging, but it can no longer act as a remote clicker for presentations. GSMArena calls that “not a huge loss” and still praises the low latency. Tom’s Guide dislikes the lighter, “plasticky” feel but says the pen is “as responsive as ever,” while TechRadar found the magnets weak enough that the pen came loose in a bag. Pen shortcuts include Drawing Assist, Screen Write and Create Note, which opens Samsung Notes (GSMArena).

Battery Life and Charging

Battery life is where the reviewers saw the clearest improvement. The 11,600mAh battery produced these results:

GSMArena: an Active Use Score of 13:25h, which it describes as among the best of the tablets it had reviewed.
Tom’s Guide: 12 hours and 13 minutes of continuous web surfing at 150 nits (its results table lists 12:03), almost three hours longer than the Tab S10 Ultra but behind the iPad Pro M5 (13:16) and the OnePlus Pad 3 (16:21).
TechRadar: 11 hours of 1080p video playback at full brightness, against 9 hours for the Tab S10 Ultra in a similar test.

Charging tops out at 45W, and there is no charger in the box. With Samsung’s 45W adapter, GSMArena recorded 21% after 15 minutes, 38% after 30 minutes and a full charge in 95 minutes; TechRadar reported 20%, 35% and 1 hour 45 minutes. For comparison, GSMArena charged the 80W OnePlus Pad 3 from empty in 1 hour 29 minutes.

Cameras and Speakers

The back has a 13MP main camera and an 8MP ultrawide; the front has a single 12MP ultrawide camera, mounted on the long edge so that video calls in landscape get a head-on view (TechRadar). GSMArena calls the image quality “fine,” notes 4K video at 30fps from the main and front cameras (the ultrawide is limited to 1080p), and adds that cameras are not a priority on a tablet this size.

The four speakers drew more praise. GSMArena lists “very nice speakers” among the pros, and TechRadar found them loud enough to fill a medium-sized room.

Price: Launch Versus Now

At launch, the S11 Ultra cost $1,199 for 12GB/256GB, $1,319 for 12GB/512GB and $1,619 for 16GB/1TB in the U.S., according to SamMobile. Samsung’s U.S. store listed it at about $1,300 ($1,299.99 for 12GB/256GB) when we checked on November 1, 2026, roughly $100 below the Tab S12 Ultra’s $1,399 launch price. Retailer discounts come and go, so compare current prices before you buy.

How It Compares

iPad Pro M5 (13-inch): Apple’s U.S. store listed it from about $1,499 on November 1, 2026. Both Tom’s Guide and TechRadar consider it the stronger choice for demanding work, thanks to the much faster M5 chip and professional apps such as Final Cut and Logic Pro, which TechRadar notes the Samsung cannot run. The S11 Ultra counters with a larger screen, an included pen (Apple sells the Pencil separately), IP68 water resistance and a microSD slot. Our Android tablet vs iPad guide covers the platform differences.

OnePlus Pad 3: it launched at $699 and, in Tom’s Guide’s results, matches the S11 Ultra closely on performance while lasting about four hours longer in the same battery test. The trade-offs are an LCD instead of OLED and a stylus sold separately (GSMArena). See our OnePlus Pad 3 review.

Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra: the same 14.6-inch size with a newer Dimensity 9500 chip and Android 17 out of the box, at $1,399 to start. If the price gap is small, the newer model is the safer long-term buy.

Who Should Buy It

The reviews suggest the S11 Ultra suits people who want the largest OLED canvas Samsung makes, for video, drawing or Android games, and who value the included S Pen, IP68 rating and long battery life. TechRadar recommends it for heavy Android gamers, people who want a work tablet that is easy to set up, and anyone who wants a big screen for drawing and play.

It is a weaker fit if you need a laptop replacement (Tom’s Guide and TechRadar both say a laptop or an iPad Pro does that job better), if you mostly read while holding the tablet, or if you want a compact gaming device; the 9.06-inch RedMagic Astra is built for that. Buyers on a tighter budget should start with our Android tablet buying guide and our best Android tablets of 2026.

The Verdict

The published reviews agree on the S11 Ultra’s strengths: a huge, bright AMOLED screen, a thin IP68 body, strong battery life and capable performance by Android standards. They disagree mainly on how much the redesigned DeX and the touchpad-free keyboard cover hold it back as a work machine, and Tom’s Guide and TechRadar both judge Apple’s iPad Pro M5 the more powerful tablet. With the Tab S12 Ultra now on sale, the S11 Ultra makes the most sense when it is discounted well below its successor; at close to the same price, the newer model is the better buy.

Sources

GSMArena — Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review: Introduction, specs, unboxing (October 11, 2025) — accessed November 1, 2026
GSMArena — Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review: Design, build quality, handling — accessed November 1, 2026
GSMArena — Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review: Lab tests – display, battery life, charging speed, speakers — accessed November 1, 2026
GSMArena — Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review: Software, performance — accessed November 1, 2026
GSMArena — Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review: Cameras, verdict, pros and cons — accessed November 1, 2026
GSMArena — Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra full specifications — accessed November 1, 2026
Tom’s Guide — Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review (Tony Polanco, November 1, 2025) — accessed November 1, 2026
TechRadar — Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review: a fantastic premium tablet that’s hampered by mid-range specs (Nico Arboleda, May 22, 2026) — accessed November 1, 2026
SamMobile — Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra price and release date (updated September 5, 2025) — accessed November 1, 2026
Samsung US — Buy Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra and Tab S11 — prices checked November 1, 2026
Apple — Buy iPad Pro — prices checked November 1, 2026
GSMArena — Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S12+ debut (September 30, 2026) — accessed November 1, 2026
GSMArena — OnePlus Pad 3 review: Lab tests — accessed November 1, 2026