Tablets Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra review

[Sensamic]

Hey all.

Wanted to share my brief experience (1 week) with my S11 Ultra for those who might consider buying this tablet.

I also have the iPad Pro 11 M4, I wanted both a small and big tablet, for different purposes. I find the S11 Ultra WAY more fun to use.

- Bigger 16:10 screen is perfect for true multitasking. Having 2 apps open simultaneously on the Pro 13 is useless, they look too small. I can actually have even 3 apps open simultaneously on the S11. The different ways to multitask, in tablet mode and DEX mode, are amazing. I can have virtual desktops! This is really useful for my workflow.

- I do some light work on the S11: web surfing, E-mail, note taking, messaging, pdf annotation, document editing, etc. S11 is more than enough powerful for this, and it actually better than iPad Pro 13 because of the 16:10 screen aspect ratio.

- The new S Pen is great. The hexagonal design makes it really comfortable to use in hand, and no need to charge. Smaller than Apple pencil also.

- Antireflective coating on the S11 Ultra is great, no need to pay almost 2.000€ for the nano coating in the Pro 13, too much for just a tablet to do some light work from time to time. Also, I get MICRO SD expansion, 12GB RAM (M4 model has 8GB, which was my other buying alternative), 45W charging, super thin design, lighter than previous models, bigger battery, etc.

- OneUI 8 is great. I much prefer it over iOS and IPAD OS 26. Endless ways to personalize your experience. For example, I use Edge Panel for screenshots or video recording, for AI select and doing partial screenshots, I have extra virtual buttons to pull down the notifications panel or turn the screen off, etc. You can enjoy the tablet the way you like.

- Magic Keyboard is better, obviously, but it also costs 3 times more. I got the official book keyboard cover slim for 115€ vs 350€ for the MK. It does the job, has quick access for quick settings, AI key, DEX key, three apps direct access, I turned the esc key to a back button, etc.

- AI. Google Gemini integration (easy access with a key in the keyboard), Google Circle to Search, Samsungs AI is way better than Apple and they keep adding new features constantly, etc. AI is becoming more and more useful for day to day tasks, and if you want the best to come, you need to be in the Google/Samsung side. The gap with Apple will only get bigger with time.

- If you don't buy the nano textured display with iPad Pro, you are stuck with those glossy reflections. You should see how clean everything looks in the S11 Ultra, whites looks also better. Brightness is more than enough.

- I got the S11 Ultra + official keyboard slim for 1070€, while the old M4 iPad Pro 13 is right now discounted at 1099€, while being always stuck at 256GB and 8GB RAM. I bought a 512GB MICRO SD for 40€.

- There are SO many little things I'm learning every day with OneUI that blow my mind at how convenient they are. S Pen can actually replace ALL gestures on the software side. Apple pencil does not.

- 7 years of OS updates, just like with Apple.

- Android apps are not that weel optimized for tablet, true. I found an useful way to deal with X, Facebook, Instagram... Access them via the Chrome browser and then turn them into web apps. Now what happens? They work better than native apps! I've got the full web blown version which opens as a single app.

- Android has a true file system, and true multitasking. It's as close as it gets to a true computer. No hassle when dealing with all sorts of file types.

- I got this to use as a laptop, because I wanted a better display than what 90% of laptops offer, and don't want a Windows laptop. I have an iMac and S25 phone, which integrates beautifully with the S11 with calls, messaging, etc.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with my purchase. I will use It alongside my 11 iPad Pro M4 for many years I hope.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

Good impressions. I have the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and it is a fantastic tablet. Beautiful design that rivals the latest iPad Pro and the audio is amazing whether you are listening from the tablet speakers or headphones and the OLED screen is just icing on the cake. I had considered the Ultra only if there was an appealing trade in path and there wasn't. I can say this for a fact, the S10 Plus with a third party keyboard/touchpad weighs as much as a 15" laptop. I can only imagine what the 14" S11 Ultra must be like to carry around.

 

[sjsharksfan12]

I've had my Ipad since I think 2021, and I'm starting to look at the Samsung tablets. I don't really have a need for tablets these days (Though if I wanted to get back into reading, would I just use the Amazon store or does google have a book store) but I'm starting to hear and read good things about the Android tablets. Also, I think I just want to get away from Apple entirely considering the direction of the company. I'm even looking towards replacing the 2021 Apple TV, even though it still works really well.

 

[Sensamic]

There is so many stuff to talk about this tablet.

The keyboard shortcuts are excellent, I think better than what you get with iPad, although I should compare that better. Shortcuts to turn the screen off, open specific apps, settings, etc,

Overall size and weight is not that bad. I thought it would be worse., but I move the tablet + keyboard all over the house without problems. Eventually I'll take it outside.

Another plus for me is how good android keyboards are compared to iOS and IPAD OS. I've got Gboard installed and I can write super fast and perfectly in various languages, something I always struggle with my iPad. Auto-correct and dictation, as you all know, is better in Android (like miles ahead). Writing long posts like this in an English forum is a chore in iPad. Gboard even learns specific words as you type.

I use the S Pen all the time to move around the UI. Samsung Notes works perfectly for PDF annotation, with so many options.

I'm excited seeing the direction OneUI and Samsung/Google AI is heading. This beast will only get better with time.

Since I want to use this tablet more as a laptop replacement than a tablet (for that I've got the iPad Pro 11), I'm not too bothered by the lack of more optimized tablet apps. As I said in my original post, using web apps is extremely convenient, maybe even better than native apps, since you get the full set of features platforms like Facebook and X have.

I always use the tablet in landscape mode, that was my original intention, alongside the keyboard cover, so I won't ever use this in portrait or without the keyboard cover. The only angle you get with this keyboard is also ok, no issues there. I love being able to surf the web with such a big screen (but actually not overly huge) in the couch, even being able to have 2/3 apps open simultaneously. There is an option to have 3 apps side by side, like they were mobile UI, and it works beautifully.

 

[Ludatyk]

There is so many stuff to talk about this tablet.

The keyboard shortcuts are excellent, I think better than what you get with iPad, although I should compare that better. Shortcuts to turn the screen off, open specific apps, settings, etc,

There's no doubt it's a beast of a tablet... but comparing keyboard shortcuts to the iPad, that's definitely where it falls short. That's one of the reason I prefer the iPad over an Android tablet, because there's more keyboard shortcuts available for it.

Another plus for me is how good android keyboards are compared to iOS and IPAD OS. I've got Gboard installed and I can write super fast and perfectly in various languages, something I always struggle with my iPad. Auto-correct and dictation, as you all know, is better in Android (like miles ahead). Writing long posts like this in an English forum is a chore in iPad. Gboard even learns specific words as you type.

Yeah, but Apple has always been lacking in on-device keyboard features. But whenever I'm doing a long posts or anything that involves typing for a extensive period of time... I grab the Magic Keyboard.

I use the S Pen all the time to move around the UI. Samsung Notes works perfectly for PDF annotation, with so many options.

Yeah, I'm a big S-Pen user... use the S-Pen more compared to the Apple Pencil for the iPad. The way Apple designed the Pencil is to be more tailored specific tasks whereas the S-Pen can be used across the whole UI as you suggested.

 

[DeepSix]

The Ultras are a far better device than the iPad pro for:

1) media consumption
2) note taking and PDFs
3) music player and streaming
4) multitasking
5) in car dash screen. If you have a Samsung phone the text and messaging on it is pretty sweet