we tested the massive Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra

In a competitive high-end tablet market dominated for years by Apple’s offerings, Samsung It is positioned as one of the few manufacturers able to offer a reliable and complete alternative in the Android ecosystem.

The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra represents the pinnacle of this commitment, a device designed without compromise that aims to attract the most demanding usersboth in performance and multimedia consumption.

At a price that puts it in the very segment premium, around 1,400 euros, but on Black Friday it can be found with a discount of 400 euros. Despite this, this model should justify every euro of its cost.

We spent a week with this modelespecially for leisure and work as well as at the design level.

It’s one of the few tablets that can stand up to Apple’s iPadand we must see if it is so in all sections.

Elegant and good

The first contact with the tablet reveals its purpose premium, as we have already said. Con the thickness barely exceeds 5 millimetersit is one of the slimmest devices in its category.

This thinness does not harm the feeling solidity, thanks to the body-based design whole with aluminum.

This material not only provides elegance and a cool and pleasant touch, but also guarantees excellent resistance to twistinga critical point in wide-format devices.

We also found a matte finish that helps hide fingerprintswhile maintaining a clean appearance.

The addition that remains in this generation is this IP-68 certificate. Common in high-end smartphones but very rare in tablets, this feature protects the device from dust and water immersion.

Although this device is not intended for underwater use, this certification provides significant peace of mind from household accidents such as spillsor its use in environments such as the kitchen.

In the audio section, the experience is equally immersive: The tablet combines a system with four stereo speakersoptimized by AKG and compatible with Dolby Atmos, it delivers powerful, clear sound with the good channel separation needed to enjoy multimedia content at screen height.

Huge screen

The screen is undoubtedly the main component of this tablet. We find an imposing panel 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X.

This size contains it closer to an ultra-light laptop than a regular tablet, offering an exceptional canvas for multitasking, photo editing or technical drawing.

The bezels surrounding the panel are very small, which increases the sense of immersion. AMOLED technology guarantees pure black color and virtually infinite contrast with vivid color reproduction.

Added to this is an adaptive refresh rate of 120 hoursz, which provides absolute smoothness when navigating the interface, which does a scroll on web pages or play compatible titles.

Content support HDR is equally great at letting you enjoy movies and series on streaming platforms. streaming with impressive dynamic range and brightness peaks.

As usual in the Ultra family, S Pen compatibility is guaranteed. This accessory offers minimal latency, turning your tablet into a high-precision digital notebook for taking notes, drawing or signing documents.

A separate mention of the anti-reflective coating of the screensimilar, though not quite, to the Ultra phones, and it helps the backlight not detract from the look of the panel.

Performance and photographic section

To easily move the screen with this resolution and manage the most demanding tasks, Samsung chose a next-generation processor.

Inside you will find Mediatek Dimensity 9400+ processor manufactured in a 3 nanometer process.

Not only does this lithography deliver raw performance capable of running any current application or game without difficulty, it also promises high energy efficiency.

Bundled with the processor, you can choose configurations 12 or 16 GB of RAM. This amount of memory is vital for the advanced multitasking that the software offers, allowing you to keep multiple applications open at the same time or use the DeX (which turns the interface into a desktop-like interface) with no slowdowns.

Internal memory reaches 1 TBbut one of its outstanding differences from its competitors is expandable via Micro SD cardan option highly appreciated by users who work with large volumes of files.

In terms of connectivity, the tablet is future-proof by supporting Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4in addition to offering options with 5G connectivity for those who need to stay connected when mobile.

The photography section, while secondary on a tablet, is competent. The posterior system includes a A 13-megapixel wide-angle sensor and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensoruseful for scanning documents or taking a reference photo.

However, the most relevant camera is front, ultra-wide-angle 12 Mpx which, thanks to the automatic framing function, will always keep you focused during video calls, adapting when you move or when another person enters the frame.

Autonomy

Powering this set of hardware, especially its 14.6-inch display, requires a large capacity battery. Samsung has a built-in battery 11,600 mAh.

Although the number is high, the ultimate autonomy will depend heavily on the use of the device.

With moderate use of office automation and navigation, we will be able to achieve several days of use.

However, if the tablet is used to play demanding titles or view multimedia content outdoors at maximum brightness, the large AMOLED panel will significantly reduce battery life.

To reduce waiting time, the tablet is compatible with Fast charging 45 W. While this capacity isn’t the fastest on the market (especially compared to some smartphones), it should charge a battery of this size in a reasonable amount of time.

Android 16 and One UI 8.0

The tablet is working Android 16 under Samsung One UI 8.0 customization layer. This interface is specially adapted to the large screen format.

We notice this in elements such as doc inferior, similar to a desktop operating system, allowing quick access to your favorite and recent applications.

Management of Art multitasking This is one of its strengths, allowing you to split the screen into multiple apps or open them in resizable floating windows.

Everything is added to these features Galaxy AI Packwhich includes generative artificial intelligence tools such as photo object removal, web page summaries or real-time translations.

Perhaps Samsung’s most important commitment is support, as the company guarantees 7 years of updates both the operating system and security patches.

This means that the tablet will receive support until 2032.a crucial factor that equates its useful life to that of Apple products and provides tremendous durability and long-term value.

Is it worth buying?

Before us is a very special tablet. It’s not for everyone, and neither is the iPad Pro. But it is so This is a tablet for those who are looking for the best.

The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra has no features that aren’t premiumespecially its screen.

This is a recommended purchase for illustrators, users who want work in mobility or people who are within limits the Samsung ecosystemwhere the software is carefully pressed.

In fact, whenever I consider a device of this type, I lend it to my partner, who is an artist and uses an iPad with Apple Pencil for a lot of illustration work. And she was very convinced by this S11 Ultra.

The main reason for it is that The S-Pen works very well. The second is this screen size and quality. Both are features that Samsung emphasizes, so it’s safe to say that their bid paid off.