Samsung just launched the new Galaxy Tab S11 series and it wants to steal your laptop’s job – here’s what you’re getting

– Jay Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of Customer Experience Office, Mobile eXperience Business at Samsung Electronics, September 2025

With One UI 8, the tablets can process what you type, say, or show them and respond in real time. Gemini Live, for example, lets you share your screen and then have a natural conversation about whatever’s on it. Point your camera at a chart during class, and Gemini can break it down for you in plain language.

You can also press and hold the side button to call up Gemini for commands like “Summarize this article and save it to Samsung Notes.” It’s designed to simplify multi-step tasks so you don’t lose your flow.

Other AI perks include:

• Drawing Assist: cleans up rough sketches.
• Writing Assist: tweaks your tone and style before you send that email.
• Floating AI overlay: stays on screen to summarize content without interrupting what you’re doing.
• Circle to Search with Google: now with instant real-time translations.

The new S Pen also got a facelift. Its cone-shaped tip handles tilt better, the hexagonal body feels more ergonomic, and tools like Sticky Note let you scribble to-dos directly over Samsung Notes without app switching.

DeX gets smarter (and probably more useful)

Samsung clearly wants these tablets to feel like portable workstations, and that’s where the upgraded Samsung DeX comes in. Paired with Galaxy AI, it’s designed to help you juggle apps, take notes during meetings, or sketch out ideas without breaking your flow. 

Whether you’re a designer working on concepts or a traveler organizing plans across multiple apps, the Tab S11 series is built to support the whole process – from brainstorming to sharing polished results.

The big upgrade this year is Extended Mode. It turns the Tab S11 and an external monitor into a true dual-screen setup, running DeX on both displays at the same time. You can drag and drop apps across screens, keep a document open on one side, and present slides on the other. 

On top of that, Samsung added the ability to create up to four separate, customized workspaces. That way, you can have one space for work, another for creative projects, one for planning trips, and a fourth for whatever else you need.

All of this means you can set up a full desktop-like environment pretty much anywhere – whether it’s connecting to a conference room TV for a presentation or making last-minute edits on a work file while sitting in an airport lounge.

Add in the Book Cover Keyboard Slim, and the Tab S11 series turns into a complete workstation. There’s even a dedicated Galaxy AI Key for instant access to all the AI tools.

Power under the hood

Inside, both tablets are powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400+. It’s a flagship-level chip, but let’s be honest – MediaTek isn’t usually the first name people think of when they hear “high performance.” Still, it should be more than capable of handling productivity, creativity, and entertainment.Samsung also bundled in some nice third-party app offers. Goodnotes comes with a free one-year version, Clip Studio Paint includes six months free plus 20% off, LumaFusion is 66% off with a one-month free Creator Pass, and Notion offers a one-month trial of its Plus plan with Notion AI.

On top of that, you can tap into other supported apps like Noteshelf 3 for organizing ideas, ArcSite for precision CAD layouts, Sketchbook for illustration, and Picsart for AI-driven design.

Price and availability – the big reality check

• Tab S11 Ultra starts at $1,199.99
• Tab S11 starts at $799.99

• 12 GB + 128 GB
• 12 GB + 256 GB
• 12 GB + 512 GB
• Up to 2TB via microSD

• 12 GB + 256 GB
• 12 GB + 512 GB
• 16 GB + 1TB
• Up to 2TB via microSD

Now, even though Samsung didn’t raise prices this year, we’re still talking about a serious chunk of cash for two Android tablets running on MediaTek. To be clear, the Dimensity 9400 isn’t weak – it’ll handle most tasks without issue – but it simply doesn’t match the raw power of Apple’s M4 or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, which, by the way, is found in the less expensive OnePlus Pad 3.