Hardly did I look forward to reporting about Samsung's new tablets. The same features from last year make appearances again this year in what is being marketed as their slimmest model yet. On the bright side, the processor is faster and the S Pen now has a fresh coat of ergonomic polish.
But none of that hides the fact that the keyboard accessory lost its trackpad and backlighting, while the S Pen lost Bluetooth entirely. It’s not that a tablet can be reduced to its accessories. But these are the little details that make people feel their money is well spent. Although the new launch may draw more sighs than applause, Samsung has gone ahead to officially release the Galaxy Tab S11 series.
Slimness is the idea on Galaxy Tab S11 series
Samsung calls the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra its thinnest tablet yet, and that’s true as it's 5.1 mm, but not dramatically so. Last year's model was 5.4 mm. The difference is barely the thickness of a credit card and won't really make much of a difference in hand. The 11-inch Tab S11, on the other hand, is just right above it at 5.5 mm.
The bezels are slimmer with 5.2 mm on the Ultra and 7.8 mm on the S11. Build quality includes IP68 water and dust resistance. Both of them have Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels with 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1600 nits peak brightness, with anti-reflection coating. The Ultra has a 14.6 inches at 2960 × 1848, while Tab S11’s is 11 inches at 2560 × 1600.
More interesting is the company’s choice to switch to the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ 3-nanometer processor instead of Snapdragon. Performance should be smooth as Samsung claims 33% better NPU, 24% CPU, and 27% GPU gains over the Tab S10 Ultra.
It may look odd after years of Snapdragon use, especially with the Elite series being relatively new and supposedly better. But it’s actually smarter for this generation. The chip is more efficient and runs cooler in both thin bodies, which is something you definitely want on a massive tablet like Samsung's.
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Battery life and storage offerings aren't lacking
Tab S11 Ultra has a 13MP main + 8MP ultra-wide rear setup and a 12MP ultra-wide front camera. The regular Tab S11 has a single 13 MP rear and the same 12MP front.
The Ultra version carries an 11,600 mAh battery with 45W wired fast charging. The regular Tab S11 has 8,400 mAh and is also capped at 45W. Samsung’s typical efficiency should keep them going a full day, but these aren’t leaps over the Tab S10 series, and there’s still no wireless charging option.
Thankfully, there's some generosity with the Ultra model as it supports up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, plus microSD expansion up to 2TB. The Tab S11 offers at 12GB RAM with 128 GB storage that scales up to 512 GB. It has the same microSD expansion.
Connectivity is split by model, such that the Ultra brings Wi-Fi 7 and 5G (Sub-6), while the base Tab S11 has Wi-Fi 6E, but it also supports 5G. Both are dual SIM. They have a physical and eSIM configuration.
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S Pen has been dumbed down, and it's an ultra disappointment
The new S Pen looks great in its hexagonal design and a cone-shaped tip. But Samsung cut out Bluetooth support entirely as rumoured, so little do appearances matter. There's no Air Actions, no remote shutter, no page-turning, and no chance of haptic feedback or advanced tracking later. For a tablet pitched at creatives and students, it's a downgrade.
The Book Cover Keyboard Slim will also cut corners as there's no trackpad and no backlighting. Samsung seems to be betting that most buyers don’t use those features. Even if they didn't, which they do, it cheapens the premium image we've always been sold about these tablets.
At least DeX is getting better, so that's a consolation. Extended Mode finally turns the Ultra into a credible laptop replacement. You'll plug a tablet into a monitor and have a proper dual-screen setup that's not merely screen mirroring. You can set up four customizable workspaces and add flexibility for different workflows.
Both tablets are available in colors of gray and silver. You can purchase them on Samsung's official store. Pricing starts from $800 for the Tab 11 model with 128GB. Tab 11 Ultra costs $1,200 for the model with 512GB.
