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The Good
- High quality display is great for watching videos
- S Pen is better and more useful than ever
- Fast charging with great battery
The Not So Good
- MediaTek chip is powerful, but doesn't come close to Apple's M-series chips
- Expensive
Need-to-knows
- Huge display is great for watching media
- Fast 45W charging
- OneUI 8 works perfectly
Hands up – I’m an iPad guy. Always have been. I’ve never bought a non-iPad tablet and used it as a tablet, because the iPad makes the most sense for someone like me, who is completely entrenched in the Apple ecosystem.
Doesn’t it?
Doesn’t it?!
Actually, no, it doesn’t – for two reasons. The first is that, after fifteen years of buying iPads, I still struggle to incorporate Apple’s tablet into my work and personal life. The second is that whenever I try an Android-based tablet, I’m always impressed by what you get for the money.
Samsung is a great example of this. I’ve tried a few of their Tab series devices over the last couple of years, and they’re great. More importantly, they offer features that you don’t get on the iPad and, usually, at a price point that is far more enticing.
What follows are five reasons why I think Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy Tab S11, might be better than the iPad Pro. For some people. Including, possibly, me.
Shop the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra below!
At a glance
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 14.6″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X (2960×1848 WQXGA+), 16M colours, S Pen support |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ |
| Memory & Storage | 12 GB RAM |
| Cameras | Rear: 13 MP (wide) + 8 MP (ultrawide), AF + flash |
| Battery | 11,600 mAh (non-removable) |
| Connectivity | USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Type-C), Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be 2.4/5/6 GHz), Bluetooth 5.4, GPS / Glonass / Beidou / Galileo / QZSS, Smart Switch support |
| Network | Dual SIM (SIM + eSIM + microSD) |
| Sensors | Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Gyro, Geomagnetic, Hall, Light |
| Build & Design | 208.5 × 326.3 × 5.1 mm |
| Audio & Video | Supports MP4, MKV, WEBM video |
| OS | Android |
| Price | $1,199/£1,199 (without LTE) |
Is the Tab S11 Ultra better than the iPad Pro?
The iPad Pro is a brilliant device. Arguably, it’s the most capable tablet on the market in terms of raw, desktop-class power. iPadOS 26 is also a superb operating system, which, in my opinion, provides access to the best ecosystem out there.
Related: OnePlus Pad 3 review
But since using the Tab S11 Ultra, it’s clear that Samsung has set its sights very strategically on the iPad Pro, and they’ve scored big time in the following five areas.
Reason 1: The display is HUGE
The big iPad Pro has a 13-inch display. The Tab S11 Ultra has a 14.6-inch display, which is considerably bigger in person. More importantly, Samsung has opted for a 16:10 aspect ratio, which makes the Tab S11 Ultra far more enjoyable to use in landscape orientation.
This really is a tablet that demands to be used in landscape, to be honest. That won’t be for everyone, and it indeed feels way too tall when held in portrait, but for me, it makes the Tab S11 Ultra feel like more of a tablet rather than a massive phone.
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Using Samsung’s tablet in that orientation feels natural, encompassing, and forces you to use it in ways you simply can’t use your phone (even if that phone happens to be a Z Fold7). Multitasking is superb, apps that have been optimised for the screen estate look great, and as noted, content consumption is an absolute joy.
Reason 2: Galaxy AI versus Apple Intelligence
Samsung is way ahead of Apple when it comes to artificial intelligence – because it got there first.
Will the gap close?
I’ll let you into a little secret: I’m not really that bothered. We use ChatGPT fairly consistently in my business to speed up processes, but that’s about as far as my personal involvement with AI goes at the moment. I’ll occasionally remove things from photos (a process for which Apple Intelligence usually does a decent job, to be fair), but that’s about it.
Find out the best iPad for you in my buying guide!
However, if you want the best consumer AI platform for your tablet, the choice is simple: you need to buy a Samsung tablet.
Reason 3: Things you’ll never get on an iPad
One thing I love about Samsung is that it continues to offer stuff that Apple has either long since abandoned or never entertained at all.
For instance, the Tab S11 Ultra enables you to add additional storage via a microSD card slot. It also has 45W fast charging (the iPad Pro tops out at around 35W, although it’s not officially confirmed by Apple), IP68 water resistance, and something called DeX.
You have to commit to internal iPad storage at the point of purchase (and that gets expensive). Apple, for some reason, has also never been keen to offer the same level of commitment to making fast charging an iPad feature. Water resistance? Well, it’s there, to a degree, presumably, but Apple doesn’t quote an official rating.
As for DeX, I confess I’ve never tried it properly, but I’m fully aware that it has a fanbase that’s as ferocious as the S Pen Massiv. So, it must be useful.
Does any of this stuff matter to iPad users? Not really, but you can’t deny that Samsung has chosen some fascinating differentiators if you’re on the fence.
Reason 4: Better value (kinda)
The Tab S11 Ultra is not a cheap tablet. Max it out with 1TB of storage and 16GB of memory, and you’ll pay £1,549. That’s still cheaper than the equivalent iPad Pro, to be fair, and if you chuck in Samsung’s often-generous trade-in deals, the Tab S11 Ultra will cost you even less.
Check out my Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review
However, you also get the S Pen as standard (the Apple Pencil Pro is a cost-option), and one could argue that the ability to self-upgrade the internal storage at a later date makes the Tab S11 Ultra even better value for money.
Reason 5: No glass
I’m not opposed to iPadOS 26 or Liquid Glass. In fact, I’ve come to enjoy it the more I use it. Apple’s new design language is fresh, fluid, and at times genuinely stunning to look at.
But it is a bit illegible at times. And One UI 8 on the Tab S11 Ultra is anything but translucent; it’s just a good, old-fashioned, solid user interface, and it’s a reminder that you don’t need flashy presentation to deliver a great experience.
Conclusion
The best news I can provide today is that, if you’re considering between the Tab S11 Ultra and the iPad Pro, you’re facing an embarrassment of riches. These are two wonderful tablets – arguably the best money can buy.
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However, I do question how many people are actually faced with this decision. Most people have picked their side via the smartphone they use. Which makes comparisons like this one nothing more than a spectator sport.
But that’s ok. It’s fun to compare. And while I’ll always default to the iPad because of my ecosystem preferences, when the Tab S11 Ultra landed on my desk, it once again reminded me that looking beyond your walled garden ain’t a bad idea at all.
1 Comment
The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra really feels like Samsung flexing a little. That massive display isn’t just for show; it genuinely makes multitasking smoother, especially for people who split-screen apps all day. The S Pen being this responsive is kind of impressive too. It’s wild how quickly handwriting on glass can start to feel natural. For creatives, students, or anyone juggling work and streaming, it’s a solid hybrid device. And if questions pop up, keeping the samsung electronics phone number saved is just practical. Overall, it’s nice seeing Android tablets seriously challenge the iPad space.