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Need-to-knows
- Tab S11 Ultra has a bigger, more impressive display
- M5 chip makes the iPad Pro the easy winner in terms of performance
- S-Pen included is nice, but the Apple Pencil is better
- iPad has a better speaker
This feels a bit like the battle between the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the S25 Ultra, albeit with much bigger displays and, let’s be honest, a slightly smaller audience baying for blood.
It’s still a significant audience, though, and I find the tablet space absolutely fascinating these days. For years, my default response to anyone looking to buy one was: just get an iPad.
Now that I do this for a living and get to actually try the iPad’s competitors, it’s clear that Apple doesn’t hold all the cards. Samsung is just one of the Android tablet manufacturers, proving that you can often get a lot more for your money elsewhere.
It’s not quite as simple as that, though, which is why I’m going to give five reasons for and against each device – and then explain which one I’d personally opt for.
At a glance
| Category | Apple M5 iPad Pro (11” / 13”) | Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra (14.6”) |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 11” / 13” Ultra Retina XDR (Tandem OLED) 120Hz, 264 ppi, up to 1600 nits HDR | 14.6” Dynamic AMOLED 2X 2960×1848, 120Hz, HDR10+ |
| Chipset | Apple M5 9-core or 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy Octa-core |
| RAM / Storage | 12GB / 16GB RAM 256GB–2TB (no microSD) | 12GB RAM 256GB + microSD up to 2TB |
| Operating System | iPadOS 18 (with Apple Intelligence) | Android (One UI 6.1.1 + Galaxy AI) |
| Dimensions / Weight | 11”: 249.7×177.5×5.3mm, 444g 13”: 281.6×215.5×5.1mm, 579g | 326.3×208.5×5.1mm, 692g |
| Rear Camera | 12MP Wide + LiDAR | 13MP + 8MP (ultra-wide) |
| Front Camera | 12MP (Landscape, Center Stage) | 12MP (Ultra-wide) |
| Battery | 31.3Wh (11”) / 39Wh (13”) ≈10 hrs video | 11,600mAh ≈23 hrs video |
| Charging / Ports | Thunderbolt / USB-C (USB4) | USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1) |
| Audio | 4-speaker system | 4 AKG-tuned speakers |
| Stylus Support | Apple Pencil Pro / Pencil (USB-C) | S Pen (included) |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, optional 5G | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Security / Unlock | Face ID | In-display fingerprint |
| Build / Colours | Aluminium, Silver / Space Black | Aluminium, Graphite |
| Software Support | ~5 years | Until Sept 2032 |
| Starting Price (approx.) | £1,199 (11”) / £1,549 (13”) | ~£1,099 (256GB Wi-Fi) |
Why the M5 iPad Pro is better than the Tab S11 Ultra
I bought an original iPad Pro when it was launched ten years ago. Since then, I’ve watched it continually dominate the spec benchmark tables and become so powerful it’s hard to know what to do with it.
Related: M5 iPad Pro vs M1 iPad Pro
That isn’t – and shouldn’t be – the main reason it’s potentially the better of these two, but it’s where I’ll start.
1. Performance
The current iPad Pro is powered by Apple’s brand-new M5 chip. Which is stupidly powerful. It’s basically a super-capable desktop-class chip wedged into the thinnest frame you can imagine.
According to reports, the M5 iPad Pro matches the desktop M4 Max chip and every other PC chip in single-core performance (it scored 4,133, if you’re interested). That is insane. By comparison, the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ in the Tab S11 Ultra managed a score of 2,474.
In everyday use, they feel identical, but if you want to push your big tablet further, the iPad Pro clearly offers bigger gains.
2. The Nano-Texture Glass option
The M5 iPad Pro I was sent to review included the nano-texture glass option. It’s not a cheap addition, but it does result in a matte finish display which deals with reflections beautifully.
By comparison, the Tab S11 Ultra’s display is extremely reflective, and there’s no alternative option available from Samsung.
Latest: M5 MacBook Pro review
If you work outdoors a lot or just prefer matte-finish displays, the iPad Pro with the nano-texture box ticked is the tablet to go for.
3. It’s better looking (just)
This is entirely subjective, I know – and there’s not much that can be done when it comes to the design of a great big slab of glass and metal. But, for me, the iPad Pro just nudges it in terms of look and feel.
I’m not sure why. They’re even the same thickness (5.1mm). There’s just something about Apple’s tablet design that hits the spot for me, and it feels slightly less fussy than the design adopted by Samsung for the Tab S11 Ultra.
4. Resale value
A 2022 report suggested that iPads lose around 67.9% of their value after launch, whereas Samsung tablets lose 84.3%, on average.
I appreciate that 2022 was quite some time ago, and, equally, the numbers above should be taken with a grain of salt because many factors come into play with the resale value of any piece of tech.
Check out my iPhone 17 review
Despite this, I think it’s fair to suggest that Apple gear in general usually holds its value better than most, and the iPad is no different. If that kind of thing really matters to you, I’d always swing Apple’s way.
5. The ecosystem and app support
I’m an Apple ecosystem user, so my opinion here is entirely skewed by the features I rely on each day (namely, AirDrop, Apple Pay, and the ability for my AirPods Pro to switch seamlessly between devices).
However, I do honestly believe that Apple offers the best ecosystem experience. It’s expensive, and irritatingly sticky, but it works.
Another alternative: OnePlus Pad 3 review
There’s nothing inherently wrong with Samsung’s ecosystem, and it offers pretty much all of the features we get from Apple’s. But personal preference and existing devices will always play a big role during the buying process, and if you’ve got an iPhone… well, you’ve probably already picked your tablet.
Why the Tab S11 Ultra is better than the M5 iPad Pro
The Tab S11 Ultra is the first flagship Samsung tablet I’ve had access to for any amount of time, and it has been a bit of a revelation, to be honest. It’s certainly more than a worthy alternative to the iPad Pro if you’re not wedged inside the Apple ecosystem.
1. The display is HUUUUUGE
Place the Tab S11 Ultra against the 13-inch iPad Pro, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that the latter was actually the 11-inch version.
Samsung’s tablet is massive. This is because it has a 14.6-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio. The latter means it’s superb for watching widescreen content, and even better for multitasking and proper work once you pair the Tab S11 Ultra with its keyboard case.
Granted – it looks a bit weird when held in portrait format, but Samsung’s tablet isn’t really intended for that kind of use. This is strictly a landscape device, in my opinion, and that makes it feel more like a tablet, for some reason.
2. Galaxy AI vs Apple Intelligence
I won’t labour the point here, but there’s no competition. Although I’ll admit that, during a test between Galaxy AI and Apple Intelligence for image cleanup, they both fared fairly badly (you can see what I mean in the YouTube version of this comparison).
Ready my guide on choosing the best iPad for you!
That aside, if you want a tablet which has access to the best overall AI platform out there, you need to get the Tab S11 Ultra. It isn’t just better than Apple Intelligence – it has more features; generative photo editing, Circle to Search, Drawing Assist, and Browsing Assist all come along for the ride.
Apple is slowly closing the gap with its AI platform – and I confess that, for me, this isn’t too big a deal because I’m not a big AI user – but I know it matters to some, and if that’s you, Samsung is the way to go.
3. Things you’ll never get with an iPad
Samsung offers a bunch of stuff on the Tab S11 Ultra, which I think we’re unlikely to ever see on an iPad.
The first is significant – microSD storage expansion. That’s right – pop open the SIM tray on the side of the Tab S11 Ultra, and you’ll find space for a microSD card. You can add up to 2TB of additional storage this way, which is genuinely useful.
Samsung has also given the Tab S11 Ultra an IP68 water and dust resistance rating. One can assume (although dangerous, I agree) that the iPad Pro will have some level of resistance built into it, but Apple has never gone for an official rating with its tablets. Does this matter? Not massively, but it does provide extra peace of mind when you’re carrying your unsheathed tablet during a light rain shower.
Then, we have DeX, which I still haven’t tried properly, but which I know is a big deal to a lot of Samsung fans. It adds a bunch of extended workspace features, which, although also present in the iPad, are believed by many to have been mastered quite some time ago by Samsung.
Oh, and you get the S Pen as standard in the box with the Tab S11 Ultra. I don’t think we’re ever going to get a ‘free’ Apple Pencil Pro from Apple, are we?
4. It’s better value
The Tab S11 Ultra is cheaper than the M5 iPad Pro off the bat. The 13-inch version of the latter starts at £1,299 for the 256GB model, and goes up to a trouser-destroying £2,728 for the 2TB edition if you throw in cellular, nano-texture, and the Apple Pencil Pro.
By comparison, Samsung’s tablet starts at £1,199 for 256GB of storage, and tops out at £1,699 for the 1TB version with cellular connectivity.
Granted, Samsung doesn’t offer a 2TB storage tier, but remember – you can upgrade the internal storage yourself thanks to that microSD slot.
It’s also fair to say that while iPads usually hold their value better than any other tablet, you’re probably going to get a better trade-in deal initially from Samsung when you buy your Tab S11 Ultra.
5. There’s no Liquid Glass interface
I like iPadOS 26. I’ve even grown to like the Liquid Glass user interface. Sure, it often falls into design before function territory, but I quite like shiny, impressive things – even if the substance behind them is sometimes questionable.
However, I’m acutely aware that some people don’t like iPadOS 26 and Liquid Glass. And it’s hard to deny that, when you compare it against the version of One UI 8 that sits on the Tab S11 Ultra, the latter does feel cleaner, more legible, and rather more satisfying to use as a result.
Conclusion
Most of the points of comparison above are entirely subjective and will, let’s not beat around the bush, be superseded by brand advocacy.
That aside, they are both wonderful devices – the best on the market by miles. My choice is – and likely always will be – the iPad, because I’m nestled deep within the Apple ecosystem.
However, if I were free of Apple’s firm grip and wanted a huge tablet for both productivity and entertainment purposes, it would be hard to look past the value offered by the Tab S11 Ultra.
Let me know what you’d choose, and why, in the comments section below.
1 Comment
Which stylus is included with the Tab S11 Ultra, and how does it compare to the Apple Pencil? bce