The Ultimate Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra Review: Unleashing the Power of Android

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Samsung has been one of the most consistent producers of Android tablets over the past years, staying true to the segment while other brands dropped out – and more recently, rejoined the fun.

It’s no surprise, then, that Galaxy Tab models are amongst the best-selling Android tablets, following behind Apple’s dominance with the iPad. To challenge Apple’s top tablet, the iPad Pro, Samsung went big, throwing everything it could into this device. In 2025, that’s resulted in the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra.

I’m going to put it out there: it’s very much an iterative update of the model that came before. If you were expecting a surprisingly new novelty here, you might be out of luck. The question surrounding the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is as much about whether you should buy this tablet as whether it makes any sense at all.

Design, Build & Accessories

• Grey or Silver colour options
• 5.1mm thick, 690g
• S Pen included

The physical footprint of the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra remains much the same as it was previously, the biggest notable difference being a slimming down to 5.1mm. Why 5.1mm? Probably because that’s what the 13-inch iPad Pro offers. Remember Apple’s ill-conceived “Crush!” advert destroying all manner of art, music and other creative menagerie? That’s why.

That also follows the trend in devices that we’re seeing again, where slim is in. Certainly, it lends a premium feel to things, and with an IP68 rating and luscious metal finish, there’s no questioning the Ultra quality here.

Chris Hall / Foundry

There’s also no avoiding the sheer size of this tablet. While the reduction in the waistline has led to a slight drop in weight, we’re no closer to practical handholdability here. The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is just too darn big to practically use without some sort of stand.

Sure, it’s usable in a rest-on-your-knees sort of way, but compared to a 10-inch tablet, it’s hard to use. That’s why the range of accessories is important. In the box comes the S Pen, which has lost the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) connection it once offered, so it’s now just a pointy stick.

Yes, the writing experience is great and the feel of the S Pen is great, lending itself to artists and creatives who value that input, but it’s slightly less useful than it was.

That shouldn’t come as a surprise: Samsung pulled the same move with the Galaxy S25 Ultra earlier in the year. Personally, I don’t find it any great loss, and before you ask, no, you can’t just use an old S Pen.

Chris Hall / Foundry

The Book Cover Keyboard Slim costs an extra £199/$199 but is almost essential for the Tab S11 Ultra to realise its potential. You might baulk at that price, but it’s a bargain compared to the £349/$349 Apple Magic Keyboard for iPad.

It’s a neat case offering lots of keyboard space, but there’s no trackpad, leaving you to use touch instead, though it’s easy enough to add a Bluetooth mouse if you want one. The keys have a nice action, while it is compact enough not to bulk the tablet too much, providing protection all the way around and keeping your tablet free from scratches on the rear.

It also holds the screen nicely at an angle for using it as a laptop replacement, and perhaps more importantly, so you can use it to watch movies. Is this what the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra boils down to, a giant mobile device for consuming media? Pretty much.

Screen & Speakers

• 14.6-inch 2.9k 120Hz AMOLED display
• 1600 nits peak brightness
• Quad speaker system with Dolby Atmos

That 14.6-inch display gets a peak brightness boost over the previous iteration, but sticks to the same sharp resolution. It’s a premium AMOLED display, something that Samsung does so well and ultimately, the display is the reason to buy the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. Premium OLED displays come at a high cost, and even more so in larger sizes.

The 120Hz refresh rate keeps things nice and smooth with scrolling, and as you’d predict, there’s no shortage of punch from this screen. Colours are great, blacks are dark, and it’s just delightful to look at.

I settled down to watch downloaded movies on a 12-hour flight using the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra and felt very smug with the first-class experience. Plenty of people use the iPad for exactly the same thing, but seriously, when you’re making up for the low quality and poor execution of an airline’s in-flight entertainment system, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is a spectacular performer.

Chris Hall / Foundry

There’s an anti-reflective coating on the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, which makes reflection take on a bit of a blue tinge, but it’s otherwise fairly effective in making sure that the worst of the reflections are kept under control.

There are four speakers around the chassis of the Tab S11 Ultra, aiming to give you immersive virtualised Dolby Atmos surround sound. The sound from the Tab S11 Ultra is pretty rich and full-bodied, making it ideal for video calls and ad hoc video watching. It’s great for watching Netflix while in a hotel room, or belting out some Spotify tracks at max volume, which ensures room-filling audio without the distortion.

You can connect a speaker or headphones, of course, but this is one of the few mobile devices where it’s really not necessary.

Specs & Performance

• MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ chipset
• 12GB RAM, 16GB on 1TB model
• 256/512GB/1TB storage + up to 2TB Micro-SD expansion

As Samsung’s flagship tablet, I’m glad to see that the Tab S11 Ultra has a chipset to match. This time, it’s MediaTek’s top-of-the-line Dimensity 9400+. It’s a clear upgrade compared to the Dimensity 9300+ in the Tab S10 Ultra, with a slightly higher clock speed and a move to 3nm architecture, so it’s notionally more power efficient as a result.

This MediaTek hardware has proved itself to be a dependable rival to the Snapdragon 8 Elite, making for a slick and fast tablet experience. Everything happens with effortless ease: opening apps, running multiple apps simultaneously, and rapidly switching between them. Again, it’s a pleasure to use, much as the previous device was.

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