Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 vs S11 Ultra: Which should you choose?

Samsung’s latest Galaxy Tab series is made up of just two tablets: the Tab S11 and Tab S11 Ultra.

While we haven’t yet fully reviewed both tablets, we’re keen to see what really separates the two. Is the Tab S11 Ultra simply larger than the Tab S11, or are there more differences that need to be factored in?

Ahead of our reviews, we’ve compared the specs of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 to the S11 Ultra below. Still not sure which tablet to go for? Check out our comparisons against the Galaxy Tab S11 to last year’s Tab S10 Plus and the Tab S11 Ultra to the Tab S10 Ultra too.

Price and Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 is the most affordable model in the S11 series, with a starting price of £799/$799 for its 128GB variant. 

In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is significantly more expensive with a starting price of an eye-watering £1,349/$1,199.99. However, it’s worth noting that the S11 Ultra skips the smaller 128GB size and instead starts at 256GB.

Finally, unlike the Surface Pro 12 or the iPad Pro, the Galaxy Tab S11 series comes equipped with an S Pen stylus. However, the optional keyboard is sold separately.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra has a larger display

The most obvious difference between the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 and Tab S11 Ultra is in their screen sizes. While the Tab S11 is a more compact device, with an 11-inch panel, the Tab S11 Ultra features a 14.6-inch display.

Even so, both Dynamic AMOLED 2X panels are equipped with a range of premium screen technologies, including a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1600 nits. However, the S11 Ultra benefits from slimmer bezels at just 5.6mm, whereas the S11 still sports the same size bezels as the Tab S9. Although the difference is undeniably noticeable, it’s worth noting that we were still impressed with the Tab S11’s overall display quality.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra has dual rear cameras

Although you’re unlikely to rely on even the best tablets to take photos, it’s always useful to have a decent camera for scanning documents or taking quick snaps in a pinch. The Tab S11 is equipped with a single 13MP rear lens, which Samsung promises offers an improved ISP for better overall quality.

On the other hand, the Tab S11 Ultra is equipped with a combination of 13MP main and 8MP ultrawide lenses, along with an embedded flash. While we’re yet to review either tablet’s photography ability, we can expect shots in well-lit environments to be sufficient, but low-light performance is unclear. We’ll be sure to update this versus once we review both tablets. 

Otherwise, both the Tab S11 and Tab S11 Ultra are equipped with a single 12MP ultrawide front camera, which is a notable downgrade from last year’s Tab S10 Ultra, which featured a dual selfie system instead. Having said that, we’d expect the single 12MP front lens to be sufficient for video calls and for taking the odd selfie.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra has a bigger battery

With an 11,600mAh capacity, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra should offer a solid battery life, especially as the cell is 400mAh larger than its predecessor. Even so, the Tab S11 doesn’t fall too far behind, with a decent 8400mAh cell instead, and both support 45W fast charging speeds too.

Samsung promises the Tab S11 Ultra should deliver up to 23 hours of video playback, while the Tab S11 should see around 18 hours instead.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 is lighter

Considering the size discrepancy between the two, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the Galaxy Tab S11 is lighter than the Tab S11 Ultra at just 469g compared to 692g. With this in mind, if you’re planning on bringing your tablet out and about with you, then you might be better off opting for the smaller Tab S11.

Having said that, it’s worth noting that during our brief time with the Tab S11 Ultra, we did note that it felt much lighter than its Tab S10 Ultra predecessor. In fact, considering the screen size, the Tab S11 Ultra is arguably fairly light. 

There’s no chip discrepancy with the Tab S11 series, as both models run on MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400+ processor, which Samsung promises should offer faster processing, “smoother multitasking and more responsive AI features”.

Improved AI performance is a welcome addition, as it means the likes of Gemini, Circle to Search and other tools from Galaxy AI should hopefully work faster than their predecessors. However, we’ll have to wait until we review the tablets before we confirm this.

It’s worth noting that while we found last year’s Tab S10 series performed well in real-world use, we did note pretty low scores in our benchmarking tests. With this in mind, we can reasonably expect the same result with the S11 series. 

Even so, in reality, low benchmarking scores don’t necessarily mean the device won’t run as well in day-to-day use. Still, it’s worth noting anyway, especially considering the similarly priced iPad Air and iPad Pro offer impressive benchmark scores thanks to the use of desktop-level Apple silicon. 

Early Verdict

Whether you decide between the Galaxy Tab S11 or Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra depends on what you’ll likely use the tablet for. If you prefer a more portable device that can be easily carried around, then the Tab S11 is a seemingly better option, as it’s smaller and lighter. 

However, if you’d prefer a device for streaming content or multitasking, then the larger Tab S11 Ultra will likely suit you better.

We’ll update this versus with a more conclusive argument once we’ve reviewed both the Tab S11 and Tab S11 Ultra.