Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review

Introduction

The Galaxy Tab S11 flagship series premiered at Berlin’s IFA this year and it is available in two sizes – the 11″ Tab S11 and the 14.6″ Tab S11 Ultra. Today, we will explore the larger of these slates, the most premium Samsung tablet right now – the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra.

Thin and powerful is what best describes the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra. The new model is even slimmer and lighter than the Tab S10 Ultra, but it packs one of the best Android chips on the market and one of the largest batteries.

Like before, the Tab S11 Ultra revolves around a gargantuan 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X with 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support, and the whole slate is still wrapped in enhanced armor aluminum. The S11 Ultra is also drop, dust, and water resistant, with an IP68 rating, which is not often seen on a tablet.

The most notable upgrade is the Dimensity 9400+ chip, up from 9300+ model inside the Tab S10 Ultra. It is one of the fastest chipset platforms right now while the Dimensity 9500 has still not hit the market. The tablet’s memory configurations still span from 12GB/256GB all the way to 16GB/1TB.

There is no change in the connectivity department – optional 5G SIM support, Wi-Fi 7, GPS, USB-C 3.2. The tablet now features a slightly larger battery with a 11,600mAh capacity and supports up to 45W fast charging.

There are two cameras at the back – a 13MP primary and an 8MP ultrawide shooter, still no changes from last year’s. But now there is only one front camera – a 12MP ultrawide, which makes it one camera less than the Tab S10 Ultra, and the notch has correspondingly shrunken to a more acceptable level.

The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra ships with Android 16 and One UI 8, with support for Google AI and various S-Pen features.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra specs at a glance:

• Body: 326.3×208.5×5.1mm, 692g; Glass front, aluminum frame, aluminum back; IP68 dust-tight and water-resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min), Stylus support, Enhanced Armor aluminum.
• Display: 14.60″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1000 nits (typ), 1600 nits (peak), 1848x2960px resolution, 14.42:9 aspect ratio, 239ppi.
• Chipset: Mediatek Dimensity 9400+ (3 nm): Octa-core (1×3.63 GHz Cortex-X925 & 3×3.3 GHz Cortex-X4 & 4×2.4 GHz Cortex-A720); Immortalis-G925.
• Memory: 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 16GB RAM; UFS; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
• OS/Software: Android 16, One UI 8.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 13 MP, f/2.0, 26mm, 1/3.4″, 1.0µm, AF; Ultra wide angle: 8 MP, f/2.2.
• Front camera: 12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚ (ultrawide).
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 11600mAh; 45W wired.
• Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.4.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers (4 speakers); Wireless Samsung DeX, Circle to Search.

We are not convinced that the front camera couldn’t have existed without the notch, but, hey, who are we to question Samsung’s engineering?

Unboxing the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra

The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra ships in an incredibly large yet thin paper box. It contains the tablet, the new octagon-shaped S-Pen, and a USB-C cable.

There is also a SIM/microSD ejection pin inside the box as we have the 5G model.