Samsung has announced the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11, its latest compact premium tablet, which returns to the 11-inch form factor last seen with the Galaxy Tab S9.
The new tablet launches alongside the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, which retains the massive 14.6-inch display from last year’s Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra.
The Galaxy Tab S11 is, in typical Samsung fashion, equipped with great components for its price. Its 11-inch AMOLED display has a resolution of 2560 x 1600, and a maximum brightness of 1,600 nits. It comes with the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ chipset, between 12GB and 16GB of RAM, and an 8,400mAh battery with 45W wired charging.
The Galaxy Tab S11 starts at $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 for the model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and it comes in Grey and Silver finishes.
Like its Ultra sibling, the Galaxy Tab S11 runs One UI 8, which is based on Android 16, straight out of the box. This software package brings new intuitive AI features and a reworked DeX mode to Samsung’s tablet experience, offering a bridge between a traditional tablet experience and a laptop-style UI with resizable windows and multiple desktops.
In addition to these bumped-up hardware specs, the Galaxy Tab S11 comes with a redesigned S-Pen. The new version of the popular accessory has a hexagonally ridged design that makes it easier to hold, as well as a new cone-shaped nib designed to make writing and drawing feel more fluid. It now snaps onto the side of the tablet magnetically, rather than into a groove on the back of the tablet.
My first impressions
At a recent Samsung event, I went hands-on with the Galaxy Tab S11, and though my time with the new tablet was limited, I was able to get a sense of its new features and user experience.
As is standard for Samsung, the Galaxy Tab S11 is wonderfully built – the chassis is all aluminum, and it strikes a great balance between being sturdy and portably light (the unit weighs 469g, about as much as the 11-inch iPad Air). The display is sharp, bright, and responsive, and the tall 16:10 aspect ratio makes it ideal for watching videos, or even one-handed use if you can handle the weight.
Having reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE Plus (try saying that five times at speed) earlier this year, my expectations for performance were limited – but the Galaxy Tab S11 feels snappy and responsive thanks to that high-powered Dimensity 9400+ chipset. I didn’t get a chance to test any intensive apps, but even with multiple windows open, I didn’t clock any stuttering.
The new S-Pen is an absolute coup as well – the ridged edges make it much more comfortable to hold than a smooth stylus, and the new conical nib feels very smooth against the glass. Writing and drawing in Samsung’s pre-installed Notes app was noticeably smoother than writing on an iPad with an Apple Pencil, but the tablet’s handwriting-to-text function struggled to get it right. Mind you, that's more to do with the software than the stylus, which is genuinely excellent.
Additionally, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 is possibly the most AI-focused tablet I’ve come across. While using the tablet, you’ll see icons and suggestions from Google Gemini and Galaxy AI that open into intuitive windows. These overlays hover over your current task, rather than taking over the entire screen – it’s a smart approach that keeps things feeling fluid.
Tablet build, desktop power
Speaking of multitasking, I’m a huge fan of the way DeX works on the Galaxy Tab S11. Rather than manually switching between each UI mode, you now enter DeX by dragging an open app down from the top of the screen, which leaves it hovering as a freely resizable window.
To get back to tablet mode, you simply swipe up and hold as you would to see all of your open apps, which allows you to switch between your tablet-style space and up to four DeX desktops. That’s more freedom than any other tablet allows, though, as CNET reports, these features will also come to the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra.
There’s been much debate over whether tablets could, or even should, replace laptops and desktop computers, if only they’d adopt a more computer-like UI. Apple has certainly made waves with this year’s announcement of iPadOS 26, which finally brings freely resizable windows and a desktop-style menu bar to Apple’s tablet experience.
DeX is certainly mature enough at this point to put up some strong competition to Apple’s incoming update – but Samsung tablets (and Android tablets more generally) still suffer from a lack of professional software support. Samsung highlighted various deals for apps like Notion and video editor LumaFusion during the presentation, so there’s clearly some drive to change this.
Personally, I’d love to see more high-end video, photo, and audio software come to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 – DeX is an excellent experience that builds on years of updates and tweaks, and could seriously challenge the iPad with the right software to support it.
The Galaxy Tab S11 and Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra are available now in the US and UK and for pre-order in Australia. As usual, generous trade-in offers and discounts apply and vary by territory, so be sure to check the Samsung online store before purchasing. Let us know what you think of Samsung’s new flagship tablets in the comments below.
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