The one reason to buy it

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely is an extremely impractical pill. It’s too large to comfortably maintain, is outrageously costly, and isn’t a great worth when put subsequent to its many Android pill opponents.

And even so, I’ve nonetheless totally loved my time with it.

The Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely is the fourth installment in Samsung’s “Extremely” pill ranks, and as a media consumption system, it’s principally excellent. With a surprising 14.6-inch AMOLED show, nice audio system, and loads of processing energy and battery life, it’s a really indulgent pill. While you’re watching a film or taking part in a sport, the expertise on the Tab S11 Extremely is magical.

However is it an expertise value $1,200? Whereas it in all probability received’t be for most individuals, for anybody prepared to drop that type of money on an ultra-premium Android pill, I can’t consider something higher than the Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely. That’s, as long as you possibly can wrangle it.

If there’s one factor that makes the Tab S11 Extremely value its exorbitant price ticket, it’s the show. At 14.6 inches and with a 90.8% screen-to-body ratio, utilizing the Tab S11 Extremely actually does really feel like utilizing a miniature TV. This was additionally true of Samsung’s earlier Extremely tablets, and it’s nonetheless simply as spectacular on this yr’s mannequin.

Going into this overview, I wasn’t certain how I might get together with a pill this large. If something, I used to be nervous it could annoy me. Nonetheless, after taking the Tab S11 Extremely with me on a two-week trip to Italy, it clicked.

Virtually each evening earlier than mattress, my companion and I might use the Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely to observe an episode of Gilmore Women. Propped up on our lodge mattress, it was like having a high-quality AMOLED TV proper in entrance of us. On our practice rides throughout the nation, utilizing the Tab S11 Extremely to play a number of rounds of Balatro was overkill in one of the simplest ways attainable. And on the numerous events we scanned Google Maps to discover a restaurant for dinner, doing so on a 14.6-inch canvas was simply the most effective.

The show is so large that at one level, I used to be taking part in Balatro whereas YouTube TV ran within the smallest attainable picture-in-picture participant. As a result of the Tab S11 Extremely is so large, I may nonetheless greater than comfortably watch the Dolphins and Commanders sport even in that “small” PiP window. The place this could have felt cramped on a extra conventional 10-inch pill, it felt excellent on the Tab S11 Extremely.

And it’s not simply that the Tab S11 Extremely has an enormous show — it’s additionally an extremely high-quality one. The Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel delivers wealthy colours and deep blacks, and the 120Hz refresh price is splendidly clean. The brightness ranges are additionally unbelievable. I’ve hardly ever wanted to push the brightness slider previous 50%, and whenever you do crank it to the complete 1,600 nits, it feels such as you’re staring into the solar on a display screen this large.

In fact, a great show is simply nearly as good because the audio system that accompany it, and that is one other space the place the Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely excels. You get 4 AKG-tuned audio system that assist Dolby Atmos, and I’ve been extremely pleased with them. Whereas watching films or TV exhibits on the Tab S11 Extremely, the audio sounds prefer it’s coming from a Bluetooth speaker slightly than a pill.

That is all to say that the Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely delivers among the best multimedia experiences you get on an Android pill at the moment, and if that’s what you’re after, Samsung has you lined.

Whereas all of that’s true, so is the truth that getting an outsized pill like this comes at a price — and never simply the value tag. I’m speaking in regards to the Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely’s cumbersome design. It’s solely pure {that a} 14.6-inch show would end in a big pill, so whereas it isn’t a shock that the Tab S11 Extremely is so large, that doesn’t take away from the truth that it’s an absolute ache to carry and carry.

Samsung despatched me the Tab S11 Extremely with out an included case/stand, and that is how I attempted utilizing it for the primary couple of days. By the tip of day two, I used to be so fed up with attempting to carry the pill that I ordered a case from Amazon so I may proceed my overview testing in peace.

Measuring 326mm lengthy and weighing 692 grams, the Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely isn’t a pill you’ll need to use for various minutes at a time with out a stand. It’s awkward to get a great grip on, and the load is straight away felt. The Tab S11 Extremely is lighter and thinner than the Tab S10 Extremely, however ergonomics will all the time be a difficulty with a display screen this large.

That mentioned, utilizing the Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely with a case is a way more pleasant expertise. Propping it as much as watch a film to play a sport is pleasant, and if you happen to get a keyboard case for the pill, it’s certain to excel there, too.

If that’s how you propose on utilizing the Tab S11 Extremely, you’ll be high quality. However if you’d like a pill you possibly can comfortably maintain whereas scrolling by means of Reddit on the sofa or watching YouTube in mattress, I feel the Tab S11 Extremely will annoy you greater than the rest. Indisputably, this has been essentially the most irritating factor in regards to the pill throughout my overview interval.

If the Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely’s measurement doesn’t deter you, the excellent news is that the remainder of the expertise it supplies is fairly distinctive.

On the efficiency entrance, the Tab S11 Extremely is powered by a 3nm MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ chip and 12 or 16GB of RAM, relying on which configuration you select. The Tab S11 Extremely has dealt with all of my apps with out challenge, together with split-screen multitasking and working movies in a picture-in-picture participant working atop different apps and video games. Balatro, whereas not essentially the most graphically intense sport, runs flawlessly on the Tab S11 Extremely — as does a extra demanding sport like Name of Responsibility: Cell, even with graphics and body price settings each set to Max.

That highly effective day-to-day efficiency additionally interprets to benchmark outcomes. In our GeekBench 6 CPU checks, the Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely is notably quicker than the Tab S10 Extremely, although it trails barely behind the OnePlus Pad 3 and its Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. The Tab S11 Extremely additionally delivers spectacular ends in the Wild Life Stress Check GPU benchmark, producing extra steady efficiency and far cooler peak and common temperatures than the opposite two tablets.

As for battery life, the Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely lasts a number of days between prices. Pill use varies wildly from individual to individual, however in my case, I constantly obtained no less than 4 days of use per cost. That was with round two hours of display screen time per day, most of which included streaming on Hulu and YouTube TV, taking part in Balatro, and utilizing apps like Google Maps and X — to not point out utilizing the Tab S11 Extremely to play white noise in a single day whereas sleeping. I anticipated nice endurance from the 11,600mAh battery, and that’s precisely what I obtained.

What in regards to the software program? For essentially the most half, it’s nice. Samsung’s One UI is among the best-optimized Android skins for big shows, letting you run as much as three apps in split-screen view and a fourth in a floating window. Is it overkill? Sure. However on a show this large, it may well truly be fairly helpful.

Samsung’s first-party apps look nice on the Tab S11 Extremely, as do most Google apps. Android app optimization nonetheless isn’t excellent for tablet-sized shows, and also you discover the unoptimized ones extra on a display screen this massive. Nonetheless, we’re at some extent the place that is extra of a minor annoyance than a real deal-breaker.

Sadly, One UI 8 modifications how DeX works on Samsung tablets, in which you could not run Samsung DeX straight on the Tab S11 Extremely’s show. If you wish to use DeX, you need to join the pill to an exterior monitor. Whereas this hasn’t been a difficulty for me as somebody who’s used the Tab S11 Extremely primarily for leisure functions, it’s a substantial downside for people who have been hoping to make use of the pill as a productiveness machine — notably if you wish to pair the Tab S11 Extremely with a keyboard case and use it as a laptop computer.

Ought to Samsung ever stroll again this determination with a future software program replace (and I hope it does), the excellent news is that you just don’t have to fret in regards to the Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely being eligible for the replace. Identical to all flagship Samsung units over the past a number of years, the Tab S11 Extremely is promised main Android OS upgrades and different updates for seven years.

Once I’m watching a film on the Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely, taking part in a sport, or working two apps side-by-side on its 14.6-inch display screen, I completely adore it. When you’re consuming any type of media, it’s going to look higher on the Tab S11 Extremely than nearly some other pill or smartphone — no query about it.

If that’s your high precedence in your subsequent pill buy and also you aren’t involved about ergonomics or worth, the Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely is a incredible selection. However for everybody outdoors that group, it’s tough to suggest the Tab S11 Extremely over its smaller, cheaper opponents.

These opponents begin from inside Samsung itself. The Galaxy Tab S11 ($799.99 at Amazon) is a downsized model of its Extremely sibling, with its 11-inch show being way more manageable but nonetheless sufficiently big to take pleasure in your apps and video games. It shares the Extremely’s high-quality AMOLED panel, MediaTek chip, and software program — all whereas being way more snug to deal with. To not point out, it’s additionally fairly a bit cheaper. Except you completely want the Tab S11 Extremely’s 14.6-inch display screen, I’d argue that the “common” Tab S11 is the higher general pill.

It’s additionally value wanting on the OnePlus Pad 3 ($649.99 at Amazon). It has extra uncooked horsepower than the Tab S11 Extremely, excellent battery life, quick charging, and nice software program. The 13.2-inch show can also be excellent, regardless that it makes use of an LCD panel slightly than an AMOLED one. It’s sharp, colourful, buttery clean with a 144Hz refresh price, and the distinctive 7:5 side ratio is extra adaptable to completely different use circumstances than the Galaxy Tab’s 16:10 design. The perfect half? The OnePlus Pad 3 is $500 cheaper, too.

The purpose is, you will have choices within the premium Android pill house. If it have been my cash, I’d sooner select the common Tab S11 or the OnePlus Pad 3 earlier than dropping $1,200 on Samsung’s Extremely pill. If you need a extra manageable pill design and one thing that’ll offer you extra bang on your buck, I’d say you need to do the identical, too.

But when cash isn’t an object and also you solely care about having the most important and greatest pill show you will get in 2025, it doesn’t get significantly better than the Galaxy Tab S11 Extremely.