Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 reviewed: a touch ordinary

One of the more premium Android offerings in the tablet world, the Galaxy Tab S11 delivers a high-end device that just needs something else.

Tablet shoppers typically find themselves looking at iPad and Windows for two reason: there’s a lot of choice ranging from mid-range to premium.

With the iPad, there seems to be a model for every price point, covering the entry-level iPad, the mid-range and compact iPad Mini, the more professional but still wallet friendly iPad Air, and the premium and more professional iPad Pro.

And over in the world of Windows, there are a few options that bring all the heart of a capable content creating computer to a laptop with a touchscreen, some of which are pretty sizeable.

But if you want something with Android on it, you’re probably looking between the budget and mid-range. There’s just not a lot for high-end tablet buyers with Android. Plenty of Android phones, just less so with tablets.

Samsung goes against the grain here, though, offering an Android tablet range made for people who want something premium.

Featuring the namesake of its equally premium Galaxy S phones, the Galaxy Tab S-series are the flagship model designed to offer more than what the Galaxy Tab FE variations deliver.

This year, the performance is definitely there, as is the look and feel. Glance at the Galaxy Tab S11 and you’d quickly think you’re looking at Android’s best iPad.

But it just feels like it’s missing something, and could still be better.

Design

Tablet design has become pretty consistent over the past few years, and Samsung isn’t exactly breaking any major changes with this one: you get a screen, and you get a soft corner and flat edges, and you even get a magnet on the top right edge on the horizontal for the included pencil-inspired S-Pen.

All up, it’s a pretty normal design for tablets. Nothing exciting here, though it does look professional, and similar to what Samsung is trying with other models in the current Galaxy S range, namely the flat edges used in the S25 Ultra and S25 FE, and even manages to out-slender the super-slim Galaxy S25 Edge, measuring 5.5mm compared to that handset’s 5.8mm Yikes.

Features

Weighing 469 grams, the Tab S11 doesn’t seem like much of a tablet, but the name finally matches the review model we have, as we’re looking at the 11 inch S11. It’s on brand!

Inside, there’s a Mediatek Dimensity 9400 chip, 12GB RAM, and between 128GB storage and 512GB depending on the model you buy (though the larger Ultra model goes up to 1TB). Android 16 arrives on this model out of the box, complete with Samsung’s One UI skinned, and there’s even a single 13 megapixel camera on the back. We don’t know many people who take pictures with their tablet, but if this is you, handy.

Connections are interesting, largely because the Tab S11 appears to support 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax WiFi 6E, but not WiFi 7. Weirdly, that honour goes specifically to the Tab S11 Ultra, with the standard 11 inch model missing out on the improved wireless technology, at least according to Samsung’s own specs. Otherwise, there’s Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, and a single hard-wired port for USB-C (USB 3).

The battery is rated at 8400mAh which Samsung suggests is a maximum of 18 hours of video watching, and if you need to expand the storage, there’s a microSD card slot, too.

You also get the S-Pen in the box, something that would normally command a good $100 to $200 with most tablets, but is at least an inclusive freebie with the Tab S11. That’s certainly nice.

The optional extra this time is the case or keyboard case, as it is with most tablets, but Samsung does make each of those, should you choose to protect the screen.

Even if you don’t opt for the case, the Galaxy Tab S11 is an IP68 dust and water resistant tablet, meaning it should survive more than a chance encounter with liquid, much like Samsung’s flagship phones.

Display

Sitting on top of all these features is the screen, something Samsung is quite well known for.

AMOLED is clearly one of those technologies Samsung is well known for, having used the hardware in practically every major smartphone and tablet it makes for years now, and the Tab S11 is no exception, getting an 11 inch display sporting a resolution of 2560×1600.

As expected, the screen is bright and clear, delivering a lot of display with minimal bezels and a clear look.

Most tablets don’t offer an AMOLED, but this one does, and as luck (or technical prowess) would have it, the technology is similar to what Samsung offers in its phones, using the Dynamic AMOLED 2X tech.

In-use

With Android 16 armed and ready to use, plus a Samsung tweaked overlay that is One UI, you’ll find a large assortment of widgetised-home screens waiting for you and an almost desktop-ish approach to Android.

It means you’ll get shortcuts and screens and widgets should you want them, and a reasonably spacious tablet display to work in.

You also get more than just a touchscreen, because this one comes with a mouse of sorts, or more specifically, a pen.

The updated S-Pen

A feature long associated with Samsung’s Galaxy Tab range is the stylus, also know as the S-Pen. As expected, it arrives out of the box with this tablet, looking a whole lot like an actual pencil and its hexagonal edges.

If you can imagine a classic school-ready 2B pencil, but in white and with a stylus and button, this is what you’d have.

The whole thing feels lighter than it probably should, lacking any heft, but it’s comfortable to use at times, and even magnetically clips to one of the sides easily. Nudge it slightly and it will fall off, but there’s also a magnet at the back for cases, and weirdly, that will also hold the S-Pen.

In terms of usability, the S-Pen feels more like a remote mouse of sorts this time. You can write and you can draw, and you can even squeeze a button on the pencil-like stylus, that’s clearly not a pencil, even if it looks like one. But you will miss out on gestures like in previous models, which is a bit of a loss, though not a huge one.

The optional keyboard

Another accessory you might consider for the Tab S11 is a keyboard cover case, officially named the “Book Cover Keyboard Slim” and basically provides a physical connection for a keyboard case, folding up at an angle to hold the tablet at a slight angle against the keyboard. It seems to be a specific version for the Tab S11, by the way, so make sure you’re getting the right version if you do.

The idea isn’t dramatically different from Apple’s “Magic” keyboard cases, but the result doesn’t feel anywhere near as refined or capable.

The key are shallow, the layout cramped, and the typing rate poor. If you happen to be a fast typist like this reviewer, the Samsung Tab keyboard isn’t as fun to use, and strokes will just get lost at times.

It’s not a great keyboard. You have to hope a peripheral maker builds something better fast for Tab S11 owners. The $299 Samsung charges extra for this accessory isn’t really great value.

Performance

Fortunately, the performance is a lot better than the keyboard, with Samsung’s use of a MediaTek chip really giving the hardware some oomph to work with.

While you won’t find the Qualcomm Snapdragon chips in this tablet, nor will you find the Samsung-made Exynos from the S25 FE, MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 is certainly no slouch, and holds its own performance-wise, at least in our testing.

Apps run easily with little to no lag, Android feels responsive, and even the benchmarks we ran the hardware through handled themselves well.

Comparing the Tab S11 through the past few generations of Galaxy tablets that we’ve reviewed, it’s pretty clear the Dimensity 9400 inside has a lot of power, almost doubling the CPU of the S9 series, and more than doubling the graphics. Nice.

It’s not quite as solid as the Qualcomm hardware inside this year’s Galaxy S25 Ultra, as that offers better scores in general, but the result is still up there. You won’t likely end up complaining.

In a real apples vs oranges test, but one consumers will likely judge the tablet on, the Galaxy Tab S11 doesn’t quite match the power of this year’s M3 iPad Air, at least on benchmarks alone.

Both are fast and both are capable, but the performance does show just how far ahead Apple Silicon M3 chip might be.

This shouldn’t matter tremendously, and an iPad isn’t really something you can easily compare against an Android tablet. Different architectures and competing operating systems make this a complex comparison, but it’s one that may matter if you’re looking for benchmarks.

However, the Tab S11 is certainly no slouch, and should keep you going in terms of what it can do for quite some time.

Battery

You’ll also find a sizeable battery, the 8400mAh inside keeping the Tab S11 going for between several hours of consistent use to several days of intermittent use.

This reviewer is the sort that uses tablets sparingly, writing reviews on devices where we can (when a decent keyboard is provided), and using it for content consumption, but if you’re someone who needs it for more, expect to charge it either nightly or every two days, which isn’t bad.

Value

Then there’s the price which comes off as a little too expensive, at least for what it is.

Thin, light, and capable, you’d be excused for thinking the Tab S11 is a little like the iPad Pro: high-end and built to deliver the world. We see you Samsung. We get it.

The problem might not be Samsung’s fault, but Android tablets have never quite felt like the success story iPads have achieved. They can be as good and as much of a performer, but they don’t feel as good or reliable as an iPad, and so the price is more difficult to justify.

In fact, the price is also higher than the iPad Air, with the 128GB base model Galaxy Tab S11 starting from $1399, compared to the iPad Air’s $999.

If we’re comparing the iPad Pro, the $1599 256GB Tab S11 is closer to the newly launched $1699 Apple M5 iPad Pro without the Apple Pencil, but we know the M5 will trounce this hardware given its two generations beyond the M3 we’ve already tested.

And sure, it’s not just about performance, because Samsung delivers a lovely AMOLED screen in a nice design. We won’t argue against that.

One of the other features that keeps the Tab S11 value so strong is the included S-Pen, which would normally be an optional $219 purchase over in the world of Apple, but just comes with the $1399 Galaxy Tab S11.

That’s a pretty consistent approach for Samsung, so it’s hardly new, but it does help the price tag of this tablet make more sense.

What needs work?

But the Tab S11 still feels like it costs more than it should. It just doesn’t quite hit its full value, and while it comes off being a great Android tablet, there’s little that really makes it stand out.

Which leads us to the other issue, because with the approach to design that Samsung has taken, the Tab S11 comes off as ordinary, as if Samsung took what made all the previous models unique and just said “nah, give the people a stock standard slimline minimalistic tablet void of anything intriguing or exciting”.

The little stand the S-Pen once was is gone, with the magnet on the edge. The tablet lacks any extra flourish or even a place to store the S-Pen inside the phone’s case, like the S25 Ultra does. There’s no folding design or special features beyond the Galaxy AI, and a couple of years into AI on phones, we’ve yet to see either it or AI on tablets make a dent on our lives.

Samsung has achieved in making a premium tablet in the Tab S11, that’s definitely true.

But is it an exciting model? Hardly. It’s just a little unexciting, especially compared to Samsung’s other releases this year.

Final thoughts (TLDR)

That is ultimately the biggest problem with the Tab S11: it’s boring and costs more than it should.

As reviewers, this is an awkward ask, because while the Galaxy Tab S11 is one of the best Android tablets around, it’s also one of the least interesting tablets, losing any real sense of personality for the price.

Samsung makes a great tablet, but previous models have exuded more individuality than this, which feels little more than a clear iPad competitor. And sure, that’s what it clearly is, but it could have been more.

We could have seen a built-in S-Pen like the phone or a wafer thin design like the Fold 7 or a remarkably thin bezel or small kickstand or really just anything that wasn’t yet another minimalist tablet. The previous models had something else going for them, and this one just goes with the flow.

And look, there’s nothing wrong with that. The Galaxy Tab S11 is a perfectly fine tablet that goes with the flow, and providing a premium experience in an 11 inch form. It’s just a touch ordinary.

Samsung could just make it more interesting next time, like it’s doing to its phones. It deserves that.