More than an iPad Clone: Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Review
A super-bright 11-inch display, a chassis that measures a mere 5.5 mm thin, and a powerful SoC to boot. With the Galaxy Tab S11, Samsung also goes up against the iPad in 2025. In our review, we find out whether the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 tablet is good enough for everyday use!
Good
- Sharp and bright AMOLED display of up to 1,600 nits
- High-quality chassis measuring just 5.5 mm thin and is IP68-certified
- Battery-free stylus is included
- High performance capability
Bad
- Display is not color-stable when viewing angle changes
- No option for a matte display
- Only has Wi-Fi 6E instead of Wi-Fi 7 connectivity
- Rather obvious thermal throttling
Price & Availability
The all-new Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 retails from $799.99 a pop. At this price, you get the WiFi version with 128 GB of storage space and choose between the Gray and Silver color variants. We have included the pricing details of the storage configurations in the following table:
Galaxy Tab S11 configurations
| Memory | Wi-Fi model | Tab S11 Ultra model |
|---|---|---|
| 128 GB | $799.99 | - |
| 256 GB | $859.99 | $1,199.99 |
| 512 GB | $979.99 | $1,319.99 |
The US does not carry the 5G model of the Galaxy Tab S11, although it does offer a Wi-Fi-only Ultra model, which can also be configured with up to 1 TB of storage space. We also reviewed the 14.6-inch model.
Design & Build Quality
iPad Pro, Xiaomi Pad 7 (review), and Galaxy Tab S11—it's hard to tell the difference between the current tablets. With a 5.5 mm chassis, the 11-inch model of the Galaxy Tab S11 is not really noticeably thicker than the most recent iPad. In comparison, Apple's tablet is 5.3 mm thin, which in turn is undercut by the S11 Ultra, which measures a mere 5.1 mm thin.
The device's thickness becomes a marketing point once again, which is underlined by releases such as the iPhone Air and the Galaxy S25 Edge (review). Let's be honest: even in a direct comparison, you don't really notice a difference between the varying chassis thicknesses. What I find more relevant is how Samsung opted for a different screen aspect ratio. The display comes in a 16:10 aspect ratio that results in a narrower width, allowing the Galaxy Tab S11 to be comfortably held with one hand. As a reference, my hands measure just under 19 cm long, when measured from my wrist to the end of my middle finger.
The choice of material for tablets is also more important than the chassis thickness. Samsung relies on reinforced aluminum for the chassis and reinforced glass in front. As with its predecessors, all antennas are embedded in the chassis which should ensure better connectivity. In comparison, the Tab S11 appears more robust than the Tab S11 Ultra with its huge 14.6-inch display. I still recommend using protective covers or keyboard cases to keep it in pristine condition. Unfortunately, Samsung did not include any accessories for us for this review.
The overall result is a particularly high-quality and attractive Android tablet. However, owners of its predecessor will not experience any major surprises despite the minor changes introduced. The same applies to the display, which we will now take a closer look.
Display & Stylus
What measures an impressive 14.6-inch on the Tab S11 Ultra, we find the same on the Tab S11 in a much more manageable 11-inch format. In other words, we get the same high-quality Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a high pixel density of 274 ppi. This means the Tab S11 outperforms both the Ultra model (239 ppi) and the iPad Pro (264 ppi). However, I would like to mention once again that as long as we don't take a magnifying glass to look at the display, the difference is negligible here. Individual pixels are not visible to the naked eye on either display.
Once again, the Tab S11's maximum brightness of 1,600 nits is particularly bright. Although Samsung does not offer an option for a matte display here, which is a pity, the Tab S11 can be used in direct sunlight without any issues.
As with the Ultra model, however, slight color deviations occur when the viewing angle changes. This is rather unusual for OLED displays and only affects the white areas of the display.
Samsung also uses the same stylus that has a high level of precision in the S11. Unlike last year's model, it features a conical tip and is hexagonal in design. This results in a nice feeling when writing and drawing. The S-Pen also boasts an input button that can be operated using the index finger. There is no rotation detection, but the display shows the position of the input when hovering.
Overall, the display of the 11-inch version was impressive in the review. Although it lacks the certain "wow" effect of the large display in the Ultra model, the Tab S11's display proved to be very reliable in everyday use.
Software
The Galaxy Tab S11 comes with Android 16 and OneUI 8.0 out of the box. It is precisely this combination that could make the tablet interesting as a work tablet and also suitable for everyday use. Samsung integrated two AI assistants into its Android interface. The extended Dex mode now offers options that are otherwise only available on "actual" laptops. Let's begin with the AI features.
Samsung is currently pursuing a clear AI-first strategy, hence it is not surprising we are seeing Galaxy AI being integrated in a deeper level within the operating system. However, Samsung also offers Google's Gemini language model, which in turn, forms the basis for Galaxy AI. In reality, we can have Gemini evaluate screen content and thus receive more or less helpful support when working.
In addition, the drawing and writing assistant are two functions that remain exclusive to Samsung via Galaxy AI. We can mark text and ask a language model for support. We can also draw unfinished sketches with the S Pen and let the generative AI expand them into a supposedly better picture.
Apart from these more or less useful functions, there is a really very useful extension to the Dex mode. With this, we connect an external monitor to the tablet via USB-C and actually multitask on the tablet. The new feature activates the tablet's display, allowing us to work on two monitors simultaneously. This is useful in many situations when working on the move and is a very welcome feature!
Performance & Technology
Here is some good news: The significantly cheaper Galaxy Tab S11 has the same SoC as the Ultra model. We were thoroughly impressed by its performance in the review. First, with the formalities: It is the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+, which is manufactured using the 3 nm process. In the Galaxy Tab S11, this works exclusively with 12 GB of RAM. The Ultra model is also available with 16 GB RAM.
However, Samsung also uses the powerful Immortalis G952 GPU in the cheaper model. Nevertheless, let's take a look at the benchmark results to see how the models differ from each other as heat dissipation could be a little more problematic in the smaller model!
Benchmark table
| test | Galaxy Tab S11 | Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra 5G | Xiaomi Pad 7 | iPad Pro 2024 M4 | iPad Air 2024 M2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 CPU (Single / Multi) | 2,719 / 8,761 | 2,801 / 9,006 | 1,846 / 5,131 | 3,647 / 14,254 | 2,592 / 10,066 |
| Geekbench 6 GPU | 20,336 | 20,810 | 7,859 | 53,307 | 42,101 |
| 3D Mark Wild Life Extreme | 6,314 at 37.81 fps | 6,534 at 39.13 fps | not possible | 8,725 at 52.2 fps | 6,116 at 36.6 fps |
| 3D Mark Wild Life Extreme stress test | Best loop: 6,644 Worst loop: 4,451 Stability: 68.8% |
Best loop: 6,567 Worst loop: 5,158 Stability: 78.5 % |
not possible | Best loop: 8,411 Worst loop: 6,609 Stability: 78.6 % |
Best loop: 5,060 Worst loop: 4,326 Stability: 85.5 % |
In terms of performance, the Tab S11 is slightly less powerful than the Ultra model. However, experience has shown that slight deviations in the CPU benchmarks of Geekbench 6 and the 3D Mark Wirld Life Extreme are not really noticeable in everyday use. This is good news for all those who are looking for a powerful tablet and for whom the 14.6-inch model is too large or too expensive.
However, if you want this performance all the time, you are better off with the Ultra model. The stress test, which simulates a continuous 20-minute load, shows a significantly sharper drop in performance. This is even better than the thermal throttling in the iPad Pro with M4, as you can see in the table above.
However, I didn't notice any noticeable drawbacks in everyday use. There was no significant performance drop in demanding mobile games or when using it as a desktop replacement via Samsung Dex. The Galaxy Tab S11 delivered a very fast and satisfactory Android performance. Even image editing in Lightroom ran smoothly. I assumed the tablet can cope with all current Android apps, even when working for longer periods of time.
There is one small disappointment with the tablet's other technology. The smaller tablet comes with Wi-Fi 6E connectivity while the Ultra model already features Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. However, Bluetooth 5.4 is still onboard.
You get quad speakers which are particularly loud. The bass performance is, once again, inferior to that of the Ultra model. However, it's definitely good enough for YouTube videos and mobile games!
Cameras
Looking at the cameras will only that a short while, because who takes great photos with a tablet? At the back, we find a single camera with a 14 megapixel resolution and a focal length of 26 mm. It has autofocus and produces reasonably sharp images. Samsung relies on a fixed focus for the front camera, which, unlike the Ultra model, is not embedded within a notch.
This means the front camera cannot focus and only has a 12 MP resolution. What's nice is the pleasantly large 120° field of view. This allows you to enjoy video conferencing with up to two people without any issues. The only annoying thing is how Samsung does not offer face tracking, zoom included, like its competitor from Cupertino. Depending on the field of view, you may have to tidy up your home office more often.
Overall, the cameras on the Galaxy Tab S11 fulfill their purpose. The Ultra model offers a second camera behind and can do a little bit more. Unfortunately, Samsung artificially reduced the range of functions of the cheaper version—after all, additional ultra wide-angle lenses cannot be that expensive.
Battery & charging times
The battery in the Galaxy Tab S11 comes in a 8,400 mAh capacity. According to the company, this should allow the tablet to play videos for 18 hours straight. However, as with the Ultra model, this figure refers to locally stored content at 720p resolution. This means the laboratory values are, once again, hardly meaningful in reality.
Unfortunately, Samsung's new tablets also have problems when we want to test their endurance via benchmarks. The PC Mark battery benchmark, which measures continuous performance with a fixed screen brightness, does not work on the tablets. Although the app can be installed via APK, the benchmark stops after a while.
Since battery life depends heavily on the usage scenario, I played mobile games on the tablet for an hour. At maximum screen brightness, the charge level dropped by 30 percent. Based on my estimate and experience, you have to charge the Galaxy Tab S11 every day if you want to work with it daily. This translates to satisfactory battery life, since the tablet does not have excessively long charging times.
The tablet charges at a maximum speed of of 45 W. However, neither charging cables nor a charger are included. As Samsung only sent us a 25 W charger for our review, we tested the maximum charging power using a third-party charger with a maximum speed of 45 W. The results are as follows:
Charging times Galaxy Tab S11 (45 W fast charging)
| Duration | Battery level |
|---|---|
| 0 m | 10 % |
| 5 m 40 s | 20 % |
| 23 m 25 s | 50 % |
| 43 m 21 s | 75 % |
| 1h 23 m 09 s | 100 % |
The Galaxy Tab S11 was particularly impressive when it came to fast charging—the battery was half full again at just under 25 minutes, after which the charging speed was reduced. Overall, the Galaxy Tab S11 can be used independent of power outlets for a satisfactory amount of time. We will update this article as soon as we can carry out an objective benchmark test!
Conclusion
If you don't want to choose an Apple iPad as your tablet, the Galaxy Tab S11 is probably the best Android alternative. At the same time, the comprehensive and customizable OneUI operating system with its two AI integrations, battery-free S-Pen, and cheaper storage options are unique selling points that Apple cannot match. In our opinion, viewing the Tab S11 only as an iPad clone is too short-sighted and narrow minded.
The performance was very good by Android's standards, even if it is still inferior to the iPad models powered by desktop processors. The build quality was excellent, as were the resolution and brightness of the display. With the latter, however, we were surprised that color changes occured when the viewing angle was changed.
Apart from that, however, there were no really serious disadvantages to Samsung's tablets this year. We would have liked to have reviewed the 11-inch model with a keyboard case, as this would have made an exciting notebook replacement. Next year, options for matte displays would also be urgently required because these are already available on much cheaper tablets from Huawei! We ended up giving the Galaxy Tab S11 4.5 out of 5 stars!
