Oh look, Samsung’s gigantic tablet is back.
The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is here, and it follows in the footsteps of the Tab S10 Ultra, itself the successor to the Tab S9 Ultra and…you get the point. Every year since 2022, Samsung has launched a high-end tablet with a ridiculously large display, and it’s no different this time around.
When it comes to specs, few could argue against the Tab S11 Ultra being the most capable Android tablet we’ve ever seen. It boasts a stunning 14.6-inch AMOLED display within an incredibly slim 5.1mm chassis, yet the aluminium armour frame and IP68 water and dust resistance mean it remains impressively durable.
Under the hood, MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400+ chipset is right up there with the Snapdragon 8 Elite in the performance stakes, while a huge 11,600mAh battery is supplemented by 45W charging.
Elsewhere, you also get quad speakers, three cameras and Samsung’s magnetic S Pen stylus in the box. It’s an enviable list, with initial testing suggesting it could be even better than last year’s Tab S10 Ultra.
However, despite all that, I already know that I won’t be able to recommend it to anyone. You see, five big obstacles prevent the Tab S11 Ultra from being a worthwhile purchase for most people, none of which have been addressed by Samsung.
It’s too damn expensive…
If you’ve read Tech Advisor’s reviews of the last few Galaxy Tab Ultra models, we probably sound like a broken record. But price remains the single biggest reason that the Tab S11 Ultra is so hard to recommend.
For the 5G models, you’ll have to pay at least £1,349
The device starts (yes, starts!) at £1,199/$1,199, and that doesn’t even get you LTE connectivity. For the 5G models, you’ll have to pay at least £1,349, which is a staggering amount of money for a tablet.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
For context, our top tablet recommendation is the M3 iPad Air, which is literally half the price (from £599/$599) and has better software to boot! Even if you’re set on an Android tablet, there are lots of more affordable alternatives which are worth trading for a massive screen.
…and you’ll probably want extra accessories
To get the most out of the Tab S11 Ultra, you’ll need some extra accessories. The new S Pen is included in the box (more on that later), but everything else is sold separately.
That includes the ‘Book Cover Keyboard Slim’, which is absolutely necessary if you want to turn the tablet into anything resembling a laptop.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Samsung hasn’t revealed how much the Tab S11 Ultra keyboard will cost, but the Tab S10 Ultra version costs a cool £199/$199. I’d be very surprised if it got any cheaper.
It’s too damn big
Okay, a 14.6-inch screen isn’t huge by laptop standards, so it makes sense if you’ll only use it with the keyboard cover attached. But if that’s your intention, why not buy a laptop instead?
The dimensions of 208 x 326mm make it unwieldy and cumbersome to use
The beauty of a tablet is that it can be used as a handheld device, too. In which case, the Tab S11 Ultra is simply too big! Even with an ultra-slim bezel around the screen, the dimensions of 208 x 326mm make it unwieldy and cumbersome to use.
I have relatively large hands, but still struggled to comfortably hold it in one hand and tap on the screen with another. It’s just not practical.
The S Pen had a downgrade
I’m grateful that Samsung continues to bundle its S Pen stylus in the box with its flagship tablets. The version for the Tab S11 series has been redesigned, and now boasts a cone-shaped nib and a hexagonal design that’s reminiscent of a real pencil.
I briefly tried it out, and the experience of writing on the S11 Ultra feels more natural and pen-on-paper-like than ever before. I’m impressed.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
However, the new S Pen is also missing a key feature: BLE, or Bluetooth Low Energy. On previous Galaxy Tab Ultra models, you could use the stylus as a remote control across apps such as Camera (as a shutter button), Gallery, Notes and Samsung Internet. You could even navigate the device without ever having the touch it.
I’m really sad it’s been removed, but it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. Samsung also sacrificed Bluetooth support on the S Pen that’s built into the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
So, even though the new S Pen delivers a slightly better handwriting experience, it still feels like a downgrade to me.
The software still can’t replace your laptop
One UI 8 is probably the best software experience you’ll find on any Android tablet. Based on Android 16, it includes useful multitasking features and plenty of Galaxy AI functionality. You also get a full seven years of OS and security updates.
All too often, Android tablets are an afterthought for app developers
But, at the end of the day, it’s still Android, meaning that its abilities as a productivity device are still severely limited. If you plan on using the Tab S11 Ultra as a laptop replacement (and, given how much it costs, you probably should), you’ll have to make sure that the apps you want have a dedicated Android tablet app.
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
All too often, Android tablets are an afterthought for app developers. It means you often simply end up with a larger version of the phone app, with no bespoke features for the larger display, and desktop functionality is regularly missing.
Samsung has partnered with a few apps that do play nicely with the Tab S11 Ultra, including Noteshelf, ArcSuite and Picsart. But these are frustratingly few and far between.
If recent Galaxy Tab devices are anything to go by, the Tab S11 Ultra will be more adept at web browsing and content consumption than complex productivity tasks. As good as the hardware is, that’ll always make it a tough sell when you’re paying so much money.
But could the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra prove me wrong? Look out for our full review soon to find out.
In the meantime, you can check out why the boring Tab S11 is a better bet, what we really want Samsung to bring us, why the Galaxy S25 FE might make the S25 Plus obsolete and what Samsung didn’t announce at the event.
