Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 hands on: the return of the small boy

By Nirave Gondhia Published September 4, 2025

For the first time in years, Samsung has chosen IFA in Germany to announce new products. While the new Galaxy S25 FE and Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra both offer similar designs and features to last year’s models, the Galaxy Tab S11 is unique.

Last year, Samsung announced the Galaxy Tab S10 Plus and the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, but opted not to release a smaller successor to the Galaxy Tab S9. Fast forward a year, and Samsung can’t decide which form factor works best, as there’s no Galaxy Tab S11 Plus, but instead, there’s a new Galaxy Tab S11.

The smaller form factor is designed to compete with rival tablets like the iPad Air and the OnePlus Pad 3 for the title of best tablets and best Android tablets. Starting at $799.99, this small tablet could be a sleeper hit and is definitely a tablet you should consider. Here’s why.

The Galaxy Tab S11 resembles the Galaxy Tab S9 and Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, but it’s both slimmer and lighter than the former. Measuring 5.5mm, it’s 0.4mm thinner than the Galaxy Tab S9, and at 469 grams, it’s 29 grams lighter as well. These changes make the Galaxy Tab S11 much more comfortable to use in one hand.

The display measures the same 11 inches as it did two years ago, but features a higher peak brightness of 1,600 nits, as well as a dynamic refresh rate of 1-120Hz and HDR10+ support. Samsung makes phenomenal displays, and the Galaxy Tab S11 is vibrant, sharp, and beautiful to look at.

The Galaxy Tab S11 ships with Android 16 out of the box with One UI 8 on top, the same software stack as the flagship Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the new Galaxy Z Flip 7 series. 

Like its bigger brother, the Galaxy Tab S11 is also powered by the flagship MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ processor, continuing a trend from last year’s models, which were the first Samsung flagship devices to be powered by a MediaTek processor in the US.

While Samsung was able to include a slightly larger battery in the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, the new Galaxy Tab S11 features the same 6,400 mAh capacity as the Tab S9. This should deliver excellent battery life, and 45W charging should ensure it’s fairly fast to recharge fully.

One of the key changes in the Galaxy Tab S11 series is the new redesigned S-Pen. Until this year, the S-Pen was charged in a magnetic strip that extended from the camera design on the rear, and featured a small indentation to keep the S-Pen secure.

The Galaxy Tab S11 changes this entirely, as Samsung has redesigned the S-Pen and adopted a new charging system that’s very familiar.

The S-Pen now features a hexagonal design that’s akin to the Apple Pencil and is far more comfortable to hold in the hand. The redesigned cone-tip provides a writing and drawing experience that’s more true to life, yet also more akin to the experience offered by Apple. 

These changes are welcome, but the biggest change is the charging location; there’s no charging spot on the rear, and instead, the new flatter edges mean the S-Pen can charge magnetically from the top edge of the Galaxy Tab S11. These changes were necessary as they solved the key problems with the S-Pen design on previous tablets.

The Galaxy Tab S11 offers a surprisingly good value proposition, considering the overall package it provides. There’s a large battery, strong performance, and a bundled S-Pen that you don’t need to pay extra for. The whole package starts at just $799.99, and it’s on sale today, September 4.

It should come as no surprise that Samsung chose to return to the 11-inch form factor, especially as that’s a more comfortable size for most customers. However, if you want a cellular version of it, you’ll find that carriers are choosing to stock last year’s Galaxy Tab S10 Plus. 

Last year’s model is excellent, so it’s a worthwhile product to choose if you do want a flagship cellular-powered Android tablet. We’ll need to wait for the full Galaxy Tab S11 review to find out whether this is one of the best Android tablets or whether chief rivals like the OnePlus Pad 3 can deliver instead.