/ The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra brings together a gorgeous AMOLED display, all-day battery life, and powerful productivity features.
Kandis Blake is a passionate product review writer. She had six years of testing and reviewing electronics experience before joining TheTweaks. Here At TheTweaks she joined as Review Writer where she tested and reviewed different gadgets. The interesting fact is that she did not rely on the spec sheet, Infact she gives her verdict on the basis of real world testing after spending almost 2 weeks with that product. Kandis is a brilliant writer but in her free time she loves to play badminton as well.
When you hold the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra for the first time, that’s the moment when you just pause. It’s not the size that gets you, you knew it was big. It’s the 14.6 inches screen that actually fits in your hand, the almost absurdly slim 5.1mm frame, and the fact that it doesn’t feel ridiculous to hold. I have spent three months with this device and learned sketching, streaming, writing, multitasking on DeX and had plenty of appreciation mixed with some quiet frustration.
This is all that’s necessary to know before you invest $1,299.99
| Feature | Specs |
|---|---|
| Display | 14.6 inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 2960×1848, 120Hz |
| RAM / Storage | 256GB, 512GB, 1TB / 12GB |
| Dimensions | 326.3 × 208.5 × 5.1 mm, 692g |
| Battery | 11,600 mAh |
| Battery Life | Up to 23 hours video playback |
| Camera | 13MP (Rear) 12MP (Front) |
| S Pen | Included in box (no Bluetooth) |
| OS | Android |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C 3.2 |
| Build | Armor Aluminum + Gorilla Glass, IP68 |
| Starting Price | $1,299.99 (Wi-Fi, 256GB) |
Samsung has taken an evolutionary, not revolutionary approach with the Galaxy tab S11 Ultra. Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra’s design is the same flat-edge Armor Aluminum design that has been part of this lineup for several generations. Clean, professional and of course, still looks pretty high quality compared to most Android tablets.
The thickness has changed, to 5.1mm, which makes this one of the thinnest large-screen tablets you can purchase. Being able to hold it during a long note taking session, that’s really appreciated. It will not go into your hand as deep as chunkier slabs go.
The S Pen is also now mounted in the side instead of the back, a minor but well thought-out change. No more smudged or damaged surfaces when the tablet is placed down. The tablet and S Pen are both IP68 rated and a coffee spill won’t ruin your day.
One thing to know, it’s a 692 grams device, it’s not a one handed device, best used flat on your desk or when you have the keyboard cover propped up. Consider it more like a portable workstation than a tablet that you’ll be tossing around.
The display remains one of the Galaxy S11 Ultra’s biggest strengths. The Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel is a remarkable 14.6 inches display. The display delivers vibrant and natural colors, deep contrast and a 120Hz refresh rate that makes everything feel smooth, if you are watching 4K content video or scrolling through a document.
Streaming services such as Netflix and Prime Video will look great on this screen with HDR10+ support. Crisp text at 240 PPI. It is not ideal in bright direct sunlight, which is an issue with any display with an anti-reflection coating but helps outdoors.
The S Pen usability on this screen is one of the best on the Android platform for artists and note takers. I sketched out a wireframe during a remote call and the near-zero latency still impresses me.
The Dimensity 9400+ is a powerful 3nm processor and performance is truly impressive on a day-to-day basis. I had Samsung DeX active, multiple browser tabs open and a Google Doc running with a few apps running in background simultaneously but no slowdown and the tablet stayed cool the entire time. For a large screen device doing productivity work, thermal management matters more than people give it a credit.
The S11 Ultra has decent Geekbench 6 values and has improved significantly from the S10 Ultra. It comes with a nook strap that is quite noticeably better than the OnePlus Pad 3’s Adreno graphics card in 3DMark graphics testing. The graphics performance is decent and there are no problems running more demanding games, such as Asphalt Legends, at max settings.
The elephant in the room: This chip won’t be Apple’s M4 or M5. If you’re more interested in the raw processing horsepower, video editing and heavy creative work, the iPad Pro still wins that battle by a long shot! It’s also interesting to note that this tablet’s performance in the CPU is worse than that of Samsung’s own Galaxy S25 Ultra, which is also running for $1,299.99.
It has an 11,600 mAh battery which is one of the largest amongst the tablet line. On my heaviest days, a mix of DeX multitasking, streaming, browsing and note taking, I still had enough charging by the end of the day. Samsung claims up to 23 hours of video playback but I’d say it is in the 9-12 hour range depending on what you’re doing.
This 45W charging speed is satisfactory. Empty to approximately 80% in about 1 hour will allow you to have a quick lunch break refill and easily cover a long afternoon. Not the quickest charging in its class but quick enough to not frustrate you.
Samsung has integrated Galaxy AI into One UI 7 and with the S11 Ultra it proves its worth. I fed it a 50-minute meeting recording and it had a clean summary in under 30 seconds. Live Translate had no problems with conversation-style exchanges of text. Capture and organize ideas faster than ever before on a Samsung device with Note Assist, which is available directly from the S Pen quick menu.
Circle to Search works, and it’s available. If you’re using the app for research tasks, you’ll probably appreciate the ability to search everything that’s on screen at any moment without leaving the app.
It’s worth noting that Galaxy AI features are currently available free, so make use of them while you can.
That’s where it gets a bit confusing. There were a few minor, but noticeable, regressions in this model, which is a flagship ultra ultra-class tablet at $1,299.99.
It has a wide-angle front camera, which has been replaced with a single 12MP camera in the S11 Ultra. With most people using large tablets in landscape mode, this means they lose some view of the screen when using video calls. The vibration motor has also been removed entirely. After years of subtle haptic feedback, this removal feel more shocking than expected. Notifications feel dead. There is nothing.
The S Pen has lost its Bluetooth functionality. The Galaxy S25 Ultra phones feature the S Pen equipped with BLE for remote control and air gestures functionality. This one is pen and paper, no remote shutter or slide control here! That’s a step back for a presentation and productivity tablet.
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Design & Build | 9.5/10 |
| Display | 10/10 |
| Performance | 9/10 |
| Battery Life | 9.5/10 |
| Charging | 8.5/10 |
| S Pen Experience | 9.5/10 |
| Productivity (DeX) | 9/10 |
| Cameras | 8/10 |
| Software & Updates | 9/10 |
| Overall | 8.5/10 |
This is the choice for every Samsung user who wants the most powerful Android tablet that’s available in 2025. The display is outstanding. Very good battery life. Though the Bluetooth feature was removed, these are some of the best S Pen workflows in the Android world. Real long term value comes with 7 years of software support.
People coming from S10 Ultra or S9 Ultra will see some performance gain, but not enough to warrant the full upgrade cost, particularly considering the regressions. Keep an eye out for S10 Ultra coupons that give a close-to-the-same experience for a discount.
The Dimensity 9400+ is very impressive for Android but a significant jump down from Apple silicon in raw compute power, if you’re a Windows or iPad power user looking to make the switch. The iPad Pro (M4/M5) is a more capable device when it comes to more demanding creative tasks.
The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra certainly deserves its flagship designation when it comes to the right buyer that seeks Android, wants big and the best, Samsung has to offer. Simply enter, understanding its weaknesses as well as its abilities.
You can also read our comparison on iPad Air M4 vs Samsung Galaxy S11 Ultra.
There are a ton of low-tech gift lists created around items which seem like they are “cool” in the photo but never get used. For…
Be respectful and constructive. Have a question or feedback? We’d love to hear from you. Contact us at contact@thetweaks.com