Samsung Galaxy Tab A11 review: Compact, capable & cheap

Best Prices Today: Samsung Galaxy Tab A11

While so much tech is refreshed every year, Samsung waited a little longer to launch a new generation of budget Android tablet. The Galaxy Tab A11 is here at last though, aiming to be the best value tablet money can buy. 

It’s worth pointing out that Samsung decided to skip the Tab A10 name, perhaps because of the two-year gap since the A9 series launched. The Galaxy Tab A9 was one of our favourite cheap tablets of all time, so the Tab A11 has big shoes to fill. 

While the Galaxy Tab A11 – kindly provided for review by AO – might be impossible to tell apart from the Tab A9 by simply looking at it, it does come with some upgrades and even a lower price. 

When you put this all together, along with the fact that small budget tablets are hard to come by these days, the Tab A11 is a winner.

Design & Build 

• Looks identical to Tab A9 
• Brilliantly portable 
• Two colours 

There’s oddly little to say about the Galaxy Tab A11 design and that’s because Samsung has literally used the A9’s chassis. It’s identical down to every millimetre, button, port and bezel.  

You name it, it’s visually the same. This new model is a tiny bit heavier, but we’re talking 3-4g, depending on whether you choose Wi-Fi or LTE, so not an amount you’d notice. 

The only other difference I can see here is that the Tab A9 came in a nice Navy Blue colour – which I tested –  but that’s not available in the Tab 11. There are only two colourways on sale. 

The best thing about the Galaxy Tab A11’s design is how compact it is

I’ve been testing the Grey option (previously called Graphite) but there’s also Silver if you prefer. 

The repurposed design makes it feel a tad dated but it’s still a stylish little tablet and at this price, style isn’t often high up the priority list for manufacturers. 

I’d say the best thing about the Galaxy Tab A11’s design is how compact it is. At just 8mm and 335g, this thing will go everywhere with you without being a hindrance. In fact, I can even fit it in some of my (men’s) trouser pockets. 

If you’re looking for a cheap, compact, portable Android tablet, then this is it.

There’s no IP rating for dust or water resistance, but we wouldn’t expect that in a budget tablet. Fortunately, the device feels rather more premium than the price suggests, with a mostly metal build, though not unibody.  

Like one of the classics of small tablets, the Google Nexus 7, it’s designed to be used in portrait mode like your phone, but stereo speakers are placed so they’re on either side when held in landscape. 

All in all, it’s an impossible game of spot the difference from its predecessor, but ‘if it ain’t broke’… 

Screen & Speakers 

• 8.7-inch LCD 
• New 90Hz refresh rate 
• Stereo speakers now have Dolby Atmos 

Just by looking, it seems as though the screen and speakers are identical to the Galaxy Tab A9, but this is where the A11’s biggest upgrades are hiding. 

The screen has remained the same size, which for me is an excellent balance of ‘bigger than your phone but small enough to be highly portable’, and uses LCD tech, but Samsung has increased the refresh rate to 90Hz – this was previously only available on the Tab A9+. 

If this means nothing to you, it helps the experience look and feel smoother, especially when scrolling through content. As the screen is refreshing more times per second, it’s less jerky.

Note: Any banding you can see in the images of the screen here is only a result of taking photos of it and not seen by the human eye.

Although things like an AMOLED panel would be nice, it’s too much to expect at this price. I could pick holes in the display performance, mentioning viewing angles and inconsistent lighting, but it’s all perfectly acceptable. 

For less money than a lot of earbuds, you get a perfectly colourful and crisp image and there’s good peak brightness, too. I measured it at 528 nits (in the middle), which is a little better than the Tab A9. 

If you need a larger screen than 8.7-inch, the Galaxy Tab A11+ provides an 11-inch display. As does the Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2.

Moving on to the speakers; they’re positioned just as before. If you hold the tablet in landscape mode, they’re on either side and towards the top, so you won’t cover them up.

It’s a clever system for when you’re watching video content and there’s Dolby Atmos support now, too. It’s not a massive improvement, but it does create a more spacious feel to the sound. 

You still get a headphone port, so there’s no need to connect Bluetooth headphones if you don’t want to. 

Specs & Performance 

• Mediatek Helio G99 
• Up to 8GB RAM 
• Up to 128GB storage 

In terms of performance, everything is the same as the Tab A9, starting with the Helio G99 processor, which is now three years old. 

The entry-level model comes with a basic 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage but you can double both to 8/128GB if you splash an extra £40, which may be a very wise investment.

Not only will that extra storage mean you can download more apps etc, but the memory will help with performance – especially in the long term. Samsung still offers a MicroSDXC card slot so it’s possible to add storage (up to 2TB) to either model should you run out (bear in mind the OS, plus other pre-installed bits take up around 20GB). 

The Galaxy Tab A11 is a versatile all-rounder as long as you don’t push its limits

Once again, I’ve been testing the cheaper and more basic spec model and while it’s not snappy like a hungry crocodile, it’s certainly not painfully slow and something that should be avoided like some budget tablets. 

Of course, a newer processor would be welcome and there’s a chance the tablet might struggle by the time it gets its final software update but that’s partly because Samsung offers long support (more on that later). 

The bottom line is the Galaxy Tab A11 is a versatile all-rounder as long as you don’t push its limits with tasks that should be reserved for more expensive and powerful tablets. You can browse the web, use social media, take a video call and do a bit of light gaming without major hiccups.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A11 benchmarks

I find it slightly odd that you can once again opt for a Wi-Fi only model or an LTE (4G) version of the Tab A11, but consumer choice is welcome and if you need 4G data on the go on your cheap tablet, you can have it if you’re happy to pay extra. 

In other wireless specs, there’s not much to write home about, with a basic setup consisting of Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 5. Keeping costs down is the name of the game, so you get old specs with no frills – there’s no NFC or a fingerprint scanner – but you probably won’t notice. 

Cameras 

• 8Mp rear camera 
• Upgraded 5Mp front camera 

While the Galaxy Tab A11 has the same 8Mp camera as its predecessor, it’s great to see a tech company prioritise the front camera for an upgrade. 

On a tablet, we feel this one is far more important as you’re more likely to use the device for tasks such as video calls. Taking photos with the rear camera is awkward, even on a compact device like this and, if you need high-quality results, you should be able to use your phone instead. 

I’d personally rather there wasn’t a rear camera at all. This would save money and stop the tablet wobbling on a flat surface due to the lens sticking out.

Once again, the rear camera should only be used if you absolutely have to. The quality is basic and fuzzy, with problems getting the white balance right, among other things – and that’s when using it in daylight. 

The front-facing camera is now far more usable, with reasonable quality if the lighting is good. There’s a wider shot mode if you prefer, which I would use since the framing isn’t great otherwise – holding the tablet normally puts you right at the bottom of the frame. 

The portrait mode isn’t too bad either and I’ve also found the upgraded camera helped the face unlock feature work better, as well. 

Battery Life & Charging  

• 5100mAh  
• Adapter not included  
• 15W charging 

We’re back to a section where nothing has been changed since the Tab A9, so the Galaxy Tab A11 has a battery no larger (or smaller even) than many phones. 

Fortunately, the low-power chip running things here does a reasonable job of keeping things efficient. In our usual PCMark for Android Work 3.0 battery test, the tablet managed 12 hours and 59 minutes. 

Things aren’t at all cheery when it comes to charging

That’s 48 minutes better than its predecessor and you’ll once again see an hour of streaming consume a little over 10% of the battery power.

That’s not bad and should get you through most flights. However, things aren’t at all cheery when it comes to charging. 

Samsung doesn’t provide an adapter in the box and charging is painfully slow at just 15W maximum. 

I tried various chargers I have to hand and the best I saw was 7% in 15 minutes and 14% in 30 minutes, just like the Tab A9. You’ll need to plan in advance when taking the Tab A11 out and about because a full charge takes a few hours. 

Software & Apps 

• Android 15 
• One UI 7 
• Long software support promise 

As you might expect from a budget tablet, the Galaxy Tab A11 doesn’t come with the latest versions of software, so you get Android 15 with Samsung’s own One UI 7 interface. 

There’s an update to Android 16 and One UI 8 rolling out at the time of writing, but I haven’t seen it pop up on my sample yet. As such, I’ve tested it on the software you get out of the box, but you may be able to upgrade it straight away – though One UI 8 is a subtle update anyway.

Despite being two years newer than the Galaxy Tab A9, the experience feels very similar, meaning that overall, it’s pretty clean, stylish and easy to navigate. 

Samsung adds some features you don’t see on its phones due to the larger screen, such as the edge panel. Here you can swipe in from the side where there’s an almost hidden grey tab to get quick access to a selection of apps you choose. 

That’s the default, but you can also switch on other panels in the settings, such as People, Tasks, Weather and more, which you can then scroll through. It’s worth messing around with, as some could really be handy and time-saving. 

When you have an app open full screen, you get a little taskbar at the bottom like a desktop PC. Here you can access the navigation buttons, app icons and a shortcut to all your apps. 

It’s a little small and looks dated to me, but you can customise it a little or switch it off if you don’t like it. 

There’s a big hidden upgrade when it comes to software

More useful in my experience is being able to run two apps at once and adjust how much of the screen each takes up. I don’t bother doing this on a phone screen, but it’s far more advantageous on this larger size. 

As is typical for a Samsung Galaxy, there are a lot of pre-installed apps, including the company’s own, which are almost all just duplicates of better Google ones. There’s also a selection of Microsoft apps and the likes of Netflix, Spotify, Temu, TikTok and Monopoly Go. 

While these might help keep the cost of the tablet down and can almost all be uninstalled, it’s still quite bloated. You don’t get any Galaxy AI features at this price, but Google Gemini is built in to help you with various things, though you can’t use Circle to Search, which is a shame.

There’s a big hidden upgrade when it comes to software because Samsung now promises a whopping seven years of support. That’s up from four years on the Tab A9 and matches its flagship devices, including the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra.

Many rivals don’t even make a promise of how long you’ll get new OS versions and security patches, so this adds a lot of value. One of the main questions which can’t be answered is how the processor will handle the latest software and apps in seven years’ time, but Samsung clearly believes it will be able to. 

Price & Availability 

Launched quietly in September, the Galaxy Tab A11 starts at just £149, which is actually £20 cheaper than its predecessor. Plus, we’ve already seen it drop to as low as £99 in Black Friday sales.

It’s once again available in four models, depending on your memory and storage needs, as well as the need for data connectivity. There are only two basic colours this time around, though. 

Here are all the models to choose from: 

• 4/64GB – £149 
• 8/128GB – £189 
• 4/64GB + LTE – £199 
• 8/128GB + LTE – £239 

As mentioned earlier, it may well be worth the additional £40 for double the RAM and storage, especially when thinking about performance towards the end of its lifespan. 
 
Oddly, the Galaxy Tab A11 isn’t available in the US yet, but you can buy it in the UK from just about everywhere that sells tech, including the official Samsung store, Amazon, Argos, Currys and Very. 

Our review sample was provided to us by AO. 

Check out our guide to the best budget tablets to see what the Galaxy Tab A11 is up against. 

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab A11? 

While the Galaxy Tab A11 looks identical to its two-year-old predecessor, that doesn’t matter all that much. 

It’s a stylish tablet that’s a rare breed these days. Truly compact, but big enough when compared to most phones to make it worthwhile. 

Samsung has added some important upgrades here as well as reducing the price. The limitations of the Tab A11 are perfectly reasonable considering the value on offer. 

Most importantly, you now get a 90Hz refresh rate on the screen, making the experience smoother, plus there’s a whopping seven years of software support, eclipsing rivals. 

Furthermore, the front camera has been upgraded, making it far more useful for video calls and selfies.

You’ll need to limit your expectations where performance is concerned, but the Galaxy Tab A11 is an exceptionally good value tablet. If you want a compact, portable Android tablet at a very affordable price, then you needn’t look any further. 

Specs

• Android 15, One UI 7
• 7 years software support
• 8.7in, HD+, TFT LCD, 90Hz
• MediaTek Helios G99
• 4/8GB RAM
• 64/128GB storage
• microSD card slot (up to 2TB)
• 8Mp main camera
• 5Mp front-facing camera
• Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
• 4G LTE (optional)
• Bluetooth 5.3
• Headphone jack
• USB-C port
• 5100mAh battery
• 15W charging
• 211 x 124.7 x 8mm
• 335g
• Launch colours: Grey, Silver

Best Prices Today: Samsung Galaxy Tab A11