The Galaxy Tab S11’s best new feature turns it into a powerful Linux computer

Big Android tablets are incredible devices for media consumption, but their productivity capabilities are all over the place. While a few large tablets can replace laptops for some people, most are, at best, just giant notepads. The new Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 is firmly in the former category with its massive OLED display and an array of Samsung-exclusive multitasking features. Thanks to the addition of Linux app support, however, its computing capabilities transcend those of almost any other Android tablet.

Earlier this year, Google introduced the Linux Terminal app, allowing you to run full-fledged Linux programs on your Android device. The app boots an instance of Debian (a popular Linux distribution) in a virtual machine (VM). It then lets you send commands to this VM, opening the door to running many power-user and developer tools that aren’t natively available on Android. This effectively transforms any compatible Android device into a powerful, portable Linux PC.

Not every device has access to the Linux Terminal app, however. While every Tensor-powered Google Pixel has it, many Snapdragon-powered devices do not. Samsung’s Snapdragon-powered Galaxy Z Fold 7, for example, does not support the Linux Terminal, but its Exynos-powered sibling does.

This discrepancy is because the Linux Terminal app has two key requirements. First, devices must have a version of the Android Virtualization Framework (AVF) that supports the Terminal app. The Android 15 QPR2 update from March was the first release with Terminal support. Second, their chipsets must support running “unprotected” VMs, i.e., VMs whose memory can be accessed by the host OS. This second requirement is what separates the Galaxy Z Fold 7 from the Z Flip 7; the Flip’s Exynos chipset supports unprotected VMs, while the Fold’s Snapdragon chipset does not.

The Galaxy Tab S11 family, however, isn’t powered by an Exynos or Snapdragon chip, but rather a MediaTek one. This created a major question mark, as it was previously unknown whether MediaTek’s chipsets met the requirements for the Linux Terminal. To find out, we needed a MediaTek-powered device running a version of Android newer than 15 QPR2.

Lo and behold, the Galaxy Tab S11 series fits that bill perfectly. It’s powered by the Dimensity 9400+ and runs Samsung’s One UI 8, which is based on Android 16. According to Reddit user NSuknyarov, the Linux Terminal app does indeed work on the new tablet.

While the version of the Terminal app on the Tab S11 doesn’t support graphical Linux apps, that functionality should arrive in a future software update. For those who are impatient, it’s possible to manually configure graphical app support, as documented by Reddit user LeftAd1220.

The Galaxy Tab S11 isn’t the first tablet to support the Linux Terminal app — that achievement belongs to the Pixel Tablet. However, the Tab S11 brings a more powerful processor, more memory, and, most importantly, display output to the table. Combined with Samsung DeX support, these features allow you to turn the Tab S11 into an incredibly versatile portable computer.

The Galaxy Tab S11 also isn’t the only MediaTek-powered device that supports the Linux Terminal app. The new Xiaomi 15T series is compatible as well, albeit not out of the box — users will have to wait for Xiaomi to roll out its Android 16-based HyperOS 3 update. This suggests that the Linux Terminal app will likely work on any Dimensity 9400-powered device running Android 16, provided the manufacturer doesn’t intentionally block it. Whether older MediaTek chips will also get support remains to be seen. However, with Samsung rolling out One UI 8 to the Dimensity 9300-powered Tab S10+, we shouldn’t have to wait long to find out.

Hopefully, Qualcomm follows suit and brings support for unprotected VMs to its chips so users with Snapdragon devices won’t be left out of this productivity revolution.