Super-Tablet Showdown: Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra vs. iPad Pro M4 (2025 Edition)

• Ultra-Thin Designs: Both tablets are astonishingly slim at just ~5.1 mm thick, making them the thinnest tablets ever (as thin as a USB-C port). The Tab S11 Ultra’s 14.6-inch chassis is larger and heavier (1.52 lb) than the iPad Pro’s 13-inch model (~1.4 lb), but both use premium aluminum builds – with Samsung touting Armor Aluminum and IP68 water resistance, while Apple uses 100% recycled aluminum (no official water-proofing on iPad).
• Stunning Displays: The Tab S11 Ultra sports a 14.6″ 120 Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, and the iPad Pro offers new 11″ and 13″ Ultra Retina XDR tandem OLED displays at 120 Hz. Both deliver up to 1,600 nits peak HDR brightness and vivid colors. The iPad’s 13″ screen (2752×2064) has a classic 4:3 aspect ratio ideal for productivity, whereas the Tab’s 16:10 2960×1848 screen is superb for widescreen video with minimal black bars. Apple even offers a nano-texture matte glass option to cut glare (for a hefty premium).
• Performance Showdown: Apple’s M4 chip is a powerhouse that outclasses any current mobile SoC – reviewers note it “runs circles” around predecessors and handles console-quality games and pro apps with ease. Samsung’s Tab S11 Ultra uses a cutting-edge 3 nm MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ chip (comparable to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 “Elite” tier), delivering top-tier Android performance and AI features. In practice, the iPad Pro’s CPU/GPU still wins in raw speed and heavy-duty tasks, but the Tab S11 Ultra feels fast and smooth for everyday multitasking. The Tab provides 12–16 GB RAM (versus 8–16 GB on iPad) and expandable storage up to 2 TB via microSD – a boon for power users, as the iPad Pro has fixed storage and charges steep premiums for higher capacities.
• Software & Ecosystem: The iPad Pro runs iPadOS 18 with Apple’s polished app ecosystem (rich in tablet-optimized apps and creative tools), while the Tab S11 Ultra runs Android 16 with Samsung’s One UI 8, which adds PC-like DeX mode and advanced multitasking. Apple’s platform offers unrivaled pro apps like Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro on iPad, plus exclusives like Procreate, giving it an edge for creative pros. However, iPadOS remains somewhat restrictive – as one reviewer put it, Apple’s tablet is “ultrapowerful” hardware held back by a “locked-down” OS. In contrast, Samsung leverages Android’s flexibility: you can run up to 3 apps in split-view (or 4 with floating windows), use DeX for a desktop-like interface with a taskbar and resizable windows, and even extend DeX across an external monitor for true dual-screen productivity news.samsung.com. The Tab S11’s new Gemini AI assistant can live-share your screen or camera view and perform actions (e.g. summarize an article into Notes) by voice – a glimpse at on-device AI integration. Apple’s Neural Engine is incredibly powerful on paper, but as of iPadOS 18 most AI-driven features (like on-device dictation or the new Math Assistant in Notes) are modest; “I’m still not convinced” the M4’s AI prowess matters yet, one reviewer noted.
• Battery Life Champs: Apple made big leaps here – in tests, the 13″ iPad Pro M4 lasted 13 hours 13 minutes of continuous web surfing, beating Apple’s 10-hour claim and even surpassing the previous M2 iPad Pro by 2.5 hours. This “astonishing” endurance sets a new bar for premium tablets. The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra’s 11,600 mAh battery is enormous and designed for all-day use as well; while we don’t have standardized test figures yet, Samsung’s efficient 3 nm chip and AMOLED should deliver around 10+ hours of mixed use. (For reference, Microsoft rates its Surface Pro ~10 hours web or 14 hours video playback, but real-world use often falls short – the iPad Pro still came out on top in independent tests.) When it comes time to recharge, Samsung has the edge: the Tab supports 45 W fast charging (full charge in about 90 minutes), whereas the iPad Pro charges slower (Apple includes only a 20 W adapter, taking around 2+ hours for a full charge). Neither device has user-swappable batteries – they’re sealed units that will need service after a few years of heavy use, though Apple’s battery health management and Samsung’s charging optimizations help prolong lifespan.
• Accessories & Stylus Experience: Both tablets transform with the right add-ons. Stylus: Samsung includes the S Pen in the box – now a redesigned, battery-free stylus with a grippier hexagonal barrel and a new cone tip for better tilt shading. It magnetically snaps to the tablet to auto-charge for air gestures, similar to Apple’s Pencil. The S Pen offers an excellent drawing/writing experience (Wacom-powered 4,096 pressure levels) and now even works in the rain with IP68 water resistance. Apple’s new Pencil Pro (sold separately, $129) ups the ante with advanced features: a twistable “rollable” tip that changes brush size or tool by rotating between your fingers, haptic feedback, and a squeeze sensor for mode switching. Artists praise the Pencil’s near-zero latency and precision, and the new barrel-roll trick “is particularly impressive” for dynamically adjusting stroke thickness. Both styluses excel for note-taking, annotations, and art; the Apple Pencil may be slightly more responsive due to iPadOS’s 120 Hz touch sampling and optimizations, but the difference is negligible in practice. Keyboards: Apple’s Magic Keyboard (now in a thinner, aluminum design) turns the iPad Pro into a mini laptop, with a spacious trackpad and backlit keys. The new model even adds a function key row and a sturdier hinge, addressing prior complaints tomsguide.com. Typing feels “quite nice” and the large trackpad is “as responsive as ever,” making the iPad feel closer to a MacBook tomsguide.com. Samsung offers the Book Cover Keyboard Slim for the Tab S11 series, which similarly provides a laptop-style experience with a keyboard and trackpad. It magnetically attaches and supports two viewing angles (thanks to a dual-adjust hinge design inherited from the Tab S8/Tab Extreme style). While not backlit, it is comfortable and sturdy – reviewers found the typing experience surprisingly good, and the strong magnets ensure the giant tablet stays securely propped 9to5google.com. One advantage for Samsung: the keyboard cover and S Pen were bundled with the Tab Extreme, and we’ve seen discounts bundling them with the S11 Ultra, whereas Apple’s Magic Keyboard and Pencil are always a la carte extras.
• Productivity & Use Cases: Both these tablets target professionals, creatives, and power users, but they have unique strengths. For pure productivity (office work, multitasking, laptop-replacement duties), the Surface Pro (running full Windows 11) still offers the most PC-like capability – but in the tablet category, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra comes closest to a laptop workflow. Its DeX mode with multi-window support, desktop browser experience, mouse/keyboard integration, and now multi-display Extended Mode make it a “productivity powerhouse” in the Android realm techradar.com. You can connect the Tab to a monitor or TV and use dual screens (tablet + external) with different apps – e.g. reference notes on the Tab while presenting slides on the big screen news.samsung.com. Samsung even added the ability to set up four separate DeX workspaces that you can switch between for different tasks (like virtual desktops) news.samsung.com. The iPad Pro, on the other hand, relies on Stage Manager for multitasking – which now supports up to 4 apps on-screen plus external display support. It’s smooth for light multitasking, but still more limited than a true windowed OS. Where the iPad shines is the software ecosystem: if your work involves creative apps or tablet-optimized software, iPadOS simply has more high-quality options. For example, graphic designers have Procreate, Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator (mobile versions), Affinity Designer, etc., all tuned for touch. Video editors get LumaFusion (also on Android now) or even Final Cut Pro for iPad. Musicians can use countless pro music apps and even Logic Pro. Many of these don’t exist on Android or are less robust there. Samsung is trying to close the gap – they partnered to offer apps like GoodNotes, Clip Studio Paint, and LumaFusion on the Tab S11 (with free trials and discounts for Galaxy users) – and indeed you can do serious art or video editing on the Tab. But professionals who already rely on iPad apps may find the Apple ecosystem hard to leave. For media consumption, both devices are superb: a quad-speaker setup on each provides loud, rich sound in landscape orientation. Apple’s iPad Pro speakers sound excellent with nice stereo separation; Samsung’s AKG-tuned speakers are also top-tier, perhaps even a bit louder. The Tab S11 Ultra’s expansive 14.6″ OLED is made for movies, offering an immersive HDR experience (albeit at 16:10, you’ll still see small black bars on 16:9 video). The iPad Pro’s 13″ screen uses a 4:3 aspect, meaning wider black bars for movies, but its color accuracy and XDR brightness are outstanding – highlights in HDR content really pop (Apple boasts a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio with those tandem OLED panels). For reading and web browsing or note-taking, the lighter 11″ iPad Pro or Tab S11 (standard) might be more comfortable to hold for long periods than the Ultra devices. Students and professionals will appreciate that both tablets support handwriting-to-text, searchable notes, and robust note apps (Apple’s Notes with iPadOS 17+ is very powerful, and Samsung’s Notes app is equally feature-rich and even syncs with Microsoft OneNote). Both support external keyboards and mice, and can even pair with gaming controllers for play – these are truly versatile machines. In short: if you prioritize a desktop-style workflow and flexibility, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is extremely capable; if you lean towards a tablet-first experience with the most optimized apps (especially for creative work), the iPad Pro still has an edge.
• Durability & Repairability: Despite their slim profiles, both tablets are built to high standards of quality. The iPad Pro’s chassis is “stunningly thin and light” yet “just as strong as the previous design,” according to Apple, and real-world use hasn’t surfaced any widespread bending issues for the M4 generation. The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra uses Samsung’s durable Armor Aluminum frame and is IP68-rated for dust/water resistance – a rarity among tablets. This means it can survive splashes, rain, or even a dunk (up to 1.5m for 30 minutes), which is peace of mind for field use or kitchen tabletop use – scenarios that would threaten an iPad. Both screens use tough glass (likely strengthened aluminosilicate; neither is using ultra-hard sapphire or anything exotic), but you’ll still want a case or at least a screen protector if you’re rough on your devices. As for repairability, neither tablet is particularly easy to fix. Apple’s iPad Pro is glued tight – repairs require heat and careful prying to replace the screen or battery. iFixit scores for recent iPad Pros hover in the low single-digits (out of 10). Samsung’s tablets are similarly glued and use fused display assemblies, though Samsung has made strides in providing official repair parts and manuals (and the battery in some Galaxy devices is easier to remove thanks to pull tabs – unclear if the Tab S11 has these). In any event, expect costly repairs out of warranty. On the plus side, both companies offer long software support: Apple typically provides 5+ years of iPadOS updates, and Samsung now promises up to 5 years of security updates and 4 Android OS upgrades for its flagships (One UI 8 at launch, up through One UI 12+ likely). These tablets are an investment, but they’re built and supported to last.
• Pricing & Value: At this level, neither device is cheap. The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra starts at $1,200 (Wi-Fi, 256 GB, 16 GB RAM). The iPad Pro M4 13-inch starts at $1,299 (256 GB, 8 GB RAM) and the 11-inch at $999 (256 GB). In general, you’ll pay slightly more for Apple’s hardware – and Apple charges handsomely for storage upgrades (the 1 TB iPad Pro is $1,799 and 2 TB $2,199, versus $1,499 for a 1 TB Tab S11 Ultra). Apple also doesn’t include the Pencil ($129) or Magic Keyboard ($349 for 13″) in those prices. Fully kitting out a 13″ iPad Pro as a laptop replacement pushes well above $1,600 (indeed “you might as well get a MacBook Air” at that price, one reviewer quipped). By contrast, Samsung at least includes the S Pen, and often runs promos bundling the keyboard cover at a discount. The Tab S11 (11″) starts at $800 (12 GB/256 GB), significantly undercutting the 11″ iPad Pro’s entry price – Samsung is positioning the smaller Tab S11 as a value alternative to the iPad Pro 11. Value for money depends on your needs: if you require the brightest OLED screen, fastest chip, and premium build, both deliver, but Apple’s extra polish (and brand cachet) comes at a premium. Samsung offers more bang for your buck in raw specs (more RAM, expandable memory, included stylus, larger display) at a given price point. However, one must also factor ecosystem value – for instance, if you already own an iPhone/Mac, an iPad integrates seamlessly (Continuity, iMessage/FaceTime, iCloud, etc.), whereas Galaxy devices integrate nicely with Samsung phones (via Link to Windows, Samsung Flow, etc.) and even Windows PCs. For those looking purely at productivity value, the Tab S11 Ultra arguably gives you laptop-level hardware at the price of a high-end laptop, whereas the iPad Pro gives you silicon beyond most laptops but running a mobile OS. It’s worth noting there are much cheaper alternatives if you don’t need the absolute best: the OnePlus Pad 2, for example, launched at $549 with an 12.1″ LCD (144 Hz) and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip – an incredible value for performance. The OnePlus lacks OLED and the polish of Samsung’s interface, but it delivers nearly 15 hours of battery life and strong specs for nearly half the price. Xiaomi’s Pad 7 series (expected globally by late 2024) targets the $300–$500 range, offering 11.16″ 144 Hz LCD displays and mid-to-high range Snapdragon chips – again, a great value if you can live without an OLED screen or IP68 build. These mid-range options make the iPad Pro and Tab S11 Ultra look even more expensive, but they do come with compromises in display tech, build quality, or software support.

Competition and Alternatives

The premium tablet arena in 2025 is more crowded than ever. Besides Apple and Samsung’s flagships, here’s how other notable competitors stack up:

• Microsoft Surface Pro 11: Microsoft’s latest Surface Pro (2024/25 model) isn’t an Android or iPadOS tablet at all, but a Windows 11 PC in tablet form. This 13-inch device now even offers an OLED screen option and comes powered by laptop-grade Qualcomm Snapdragon X chips (co-developed with Microsoft) for ARM-based Windows. The Surface has a built-in kickstand and optional Type Cover keyboard, excelling at laptop-style productivity. Its advantages are the full Windows ecosystem – you can run classic desktop apps (Photoshop, VS Code, full Office, etc.) that no iPad or Android tablet can, and connect any peripherals. It’s the choice for users who need a true 2-in-1 PC. However, it’s the heaviest and least “tablet-y” of the bunch (nearly 2 pounds without the keyboard), and Windows 11 is still not as touch-friendly as iPadOS/Android for tablet use. In pure tablet mode (reading, casual use), the Surface is less convenient. It’s also pricey: the Surface Pro 11 starts at $999 (16 GB RAM, 256 GB) and goes well above $1,500 for higher specs – keyboard ($$$) and pen ($129) sold separately. Battery life is decent (10–11 hours of real use), but notably shorter if you’re running heavy desktop apps. Ultimately, Surface Pro is a great hybrid, but if you don’t need Windows, the iPad Pro and Tab S11 Ultra provide a more optimized pure-tablet experience.
• OnePlus Pad 2 / Pad 3: OnePlus entered the tablet game aiming to deliver high-end specs at aggressive prices – the Pad 2 (late 2024) and Pad 3 (mid 2025) continue that trend. The Pad 2 features a sharp 12.1″ LCD (7:5 aspect ratio) and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 CPU, giving it performance on par with last year’s Android flagships. Reviewers loved its “epic battery life” (nearly 15 hours in tests) and smooth performance for everyday tasks. At $549, it’s an excellent value, undercutting even Samsung’s Tab S9/S10 series while delivering a premium metal build and even 67 W fast charging oneplus.com oneplus.com (far faster charging than Samsung or Apple). Its drawbacks are a lesser display (IPS LCD, 600 nits, albeit 144 Hz) and the lack of the deep app ecosystem Samsung and Apple enjoy. The OnePlus Pad 2 and 3 run OxygenOS (Android) with “Open Canvas” multitasking that allows up to 3 apps on screen, similar to Samsung’s multi-window (and inspired by iPadOS Stage Manager) – it’s good, but not quite as refined as Samsung’s DeX or Apple’s multitasking. The OnePlus Pad 3, launched June 2025, jumps to the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a revamped design. OnePlus boldly claims they are “confident [Pad 3] will be the best Android tablet of 2025”. While that remains to be seen, the Pad 3’s cutting-edge chip and likely aggressive pricing will make it a strong contender against Samsung’s Tab S11 (and possibly even S12) for those who prioritize value. OnePlus also touts tight integration with their phones (you can mirror your phone screen or use the tablet as a secondary display for a OnePlus phone). Overall, OnePlus tablets are fantastic bang-for-buck options – they might not fully match the iPad Pro or Tab S11 Ultra in display quality or pro app support, but they deliver 80–90% of the experience for a fraction of the price.
• Lenovo Tab Extreme: Launched in early 2023, Lenovo’s Tab Extreme remains a noteworthy competitor, essentially Lenovo’s take on a Galaxy Tab Ultra. It features a huge 14.5″ OLED display at 120 Hz, comparable in size to Samsung’s Ultra, and it came bundled with both a keyboard dock and stylus pen in the box. The Tab Extreme’s design is quite innovative: it’s 5.85 mm thin and has a unique dual-hinge keyboard that can prop the tablet at multiple angles or even reverse it like a stand. With two USB-C ports (one 3.2 with video-out, one 2.0 for charging), it’s very flexible for peripherals – you can hook up an external monitor or USB drives easily, something iPad still can’t do as freely. Under the hood it uses the MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chip (flagship-class for 2022), which delivered solid performance but is a generation or two behind the latest chips. Reviews praised its “immersive, vibrant” screen and strong quad speakers – calling it a “great for movies and multitasking” device. However, its size and weight (around 740 g, ~1.63 lb) make it a bit cumbersome for handheld use. It’s really meant to be used with the keyboard as an ultrabook replacement. Lenovo’s software is close-to-stock Android with some productivity tweaks; it lacks the deep UI polish of Samsung’s DeX or the breadth of Apple’s app ecosystem. Still, as of 2025 the Tab Extreme can often be found at a discount (under $900) which, considering it includes a keyboard and pen, is compelling. If you want a giant OLED Android tablet mainly for media or light productivity, the Tab Extreme is a viable (if niche) alternative. Just note Lenovo has been slow with updates (it launched on Android 13 and only recently got Android 14), so long-term software support is a question mark.
• Xiaomi Pad 7/7 Pro: Xiaomi’s Pad series is known for offering iPad-like design and features at mid-range prices. The upcoming Xiaomi Pad 7 and Pad 7 Pro (expected by early 2025) will continue that trend. Leaks suggest an 11.6″ 3K LCD 144 Hz display on both, with the Pad 7 using a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip and the Pad 7 Pro stepping up to a Snapdragon 8-series (possibly the 8+ Gen 1 or a new 8s Gen 3). In other words, these will slot in below Samsung’s Tab S9/S10 FE series but above budget devices. Xiaomi typically undercuts everyone on price – previous Pad 6 models started around €300–€400 in Europe. For that, you got a solid metal build, a sharp 11″ 120 Hz screen, and a capable Snapdragon 870/8+ Gen1 chip. The Pad 7 series should be even better, likely adding faster charging (leaks point to 67 W on the Pro) phonearena.com and perhaps an upgraded OLED on a higher model. Xiaomi also has a stylus and keyboard for their Pads (sold separately, usually much cheaper than Apple’s). The catch? Availability in western markets can be spotty (sometimes China-only for the Pro model initially), and Xiaomi’s MIUI software, while feature-rich, doesn’t have as many tablet-optimized app experiences for non-Chinese users. Still, for those on a tight budget, a Xiaomi Pad is often the best value tablet for media, casual drawing, and general use – delivering, say, 80% of an iPad Pro’s functionality at 1/3 the price. Just don’t expect Apple-level support or Samsung-level polish in software.
• Other Notables: We’re also seeing experimental devices like the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i (a dual-screen laptop-tablet hybrid) and rumors of tri-fold tablets from Samsung or others, which could redefine productivity on the go. Additionally, Huawei’s MatePads (if you have access to them) offer great hardware but lack Google services, and Google’s own Pixel Tablet (2023) is a budget-minded 11″ slate aimed more at smart home integration than at iPad Pros – so not really in the same league as the Tab S11 Ultra or iPad M4. In the next year or two, we may even see Apple expand iPad Pro sizes (there have been rumors of a 14-inch or even 16-inch iPad Pro in development) and Samsung exploring new form factors (a foldable Galaxy tablet or the long-rumored tri-fold). For now, though, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra and iPad Pro M4 stand as the pinnacle of what a tablet can do in 2025.

Future Outlook and Rumors

Looking ahead, both Samsung and Apple appear to be iterating toward even more powerful, AI-centric tablets:

• Apple’s Next-Gen iPads: Based on Apple’s release cadence, the iPad Pro M5 could arrive by late 2025 or early 2026. Rumors from reliable sources (Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman) suggest the next iPad Pro will stick to the M-series 18-month upgrade cycle. The M5 chip will naturally bring another performance bump, and intriguingly, Apple might add dual front cameras – one for landscape and one for portrait – so that no matter how you hold the iPad, you have a centered webcam. (The current M4 iPad Pro moved the single front camera to the landscape top bezel, which was a welcome change for horizontal use.) This dual-camera rumor suggests Apple is doubling down on making the iPad versatile for video calls in any orientation. We don’t expect major display changes since the 2024 models already introduced OLED; however, there’s chatter that microLED tech is on Apple’s horizon (likely several years away and debuting on the Apple Watch first). In the nearer term, iPadOS will continue evolving – iPadOS 19 and 20 may leverage that Neural Engine for more on-device AI (Apple is reportedly working on “Apple GPT” AI features). Also worth noting: Apple just updated the iPad Air in early 2025 with an M3 chip, which starts at $599 for 11″ – if the iPad Pro feels too pricey and you don’t need the absolute best screen, the Air M3 is a compelling cheaper alternative with a lot of power. For creatives, keep an eye on Apple Pencil advancements – the Pencil Pro brought new tricks, but Apple has patents for color-sampling stylus tips and more haptic feedback that could appear in future models.
• Samsung’s Next Moves: Samsung’s tablet release pattern is less clockwork than Apple’s, but they generally follow with a new flagship Tab every 1.5–2 years. Since the Tab S11 series launched in late 2025, a Galaxy Tab S12 (or perhaps S13 if they skip number 12 for synergy with phones) might not come until 2027 given the longer development—unless competition forces a quicker refresh. The Tab S11 Ultra already feels like the ultimate form of the “slab” tablet. As one Android Central columnist mused, “I don’t really think Samsung, or any other company, can do anything else [with the traditional tablet] that would be ground-breaking”. The logical next frontier could be foldable tablets. Samsung has showcased flexible display tech and is rumored to be exploring a tri-fold device (a tablet that folds in two places to become a more compact phone-sized device). If that materializes, it could redefine what an “Ultra” tablet is – perhaps a 10-inch tablet that unfolds into a 14–15-inch panel. For the conventional Tab S-series, we expect Samsung to incorporate next-gen silicon (maybe Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite or a future Exynos with beefy AI cores) and further integrate AI. Samsung’s One UI 8 on the Tab S11 already puts AI front and center (Gemini, etc.), and they’ve pledged to expand their “Galaxy AI” features across more devices. We might also see Samsung dabble in Mini LED or even microLED displays for tablets if OLED supply gets constrained – they experimented with miniLED on laptops. But given Samsung’s mastery in OLED, that will likely remain the tech of choice. On the software side, Samsung will continue refining DeX and multitasking. One possible future feature could be multi-user support – Android technically supports multiple user profiles on tablets (useful for families or shared devices), and Samsung could surface that in One UI, whereas Apple still treats iPads as single-user devices except in education settings. Lastly, Samsung’s partnerships (like with Google and Microsoft) mean you can expect tighter integration – e.g. more syncing between Galaxy phones, Tabs, and Windows PCs (the way iPhone<>iPad synergy works).

In short, the arms race continues: faster chips (with an AI focus), better displays, and new form factors are on the horizon. The good news is, if you’re investing in a Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra or iPad Pro M4 today, you’re getting a device that is years ahead of most software – they both feel very future-proof. Apple is already talking about the iPad Pro as the device for “the next decade of computing life”, and Samsung’s Jay Kim similarly emphasizes how the Tab S11’s AI and productivity features empower you “to work, create, and flow more naturally” on the go. Neither company is standing still, but we’re at a point where year-over-year leaps are smaller. It’s a fantastic time to be a tablet user, with two giants pushing each other – and plenty of others nipping at their heels.

Conclusion

Choosing between the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra and the Apple iPad Pro M4 ultimately comes down to your priorities and ecosystem preference. These are, without question, the two most capable tablets on the market as of late 2025 – they’re more alike than ever in many respects, yet each maintains its own identity:

The iPad Pro M4 is a triumph of design and power on the Apple side. As one reviewer put it, “the iPad Pro is a genuine achievement in tablet design… a light, fast, remarkable machine”. Its new OLED display is class-leading, the M4 chip blazes through any task, and the battery life borders on unbelievable. For artists, designers, or anyone already in Apple’s ecosystem, the iPad Pro is a joy – it has the apps and the optimizations that can truly replace a laptop for creative workflows or mobile productivity. However, it’s also expensive, and iPadOS – while improving – can still frustrate those who want a full “computer.” If you need things like a desktop file system, developer tools, or simply the freedom to install whatever software, you may hit the familiar iPadOS walls.

The Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, meanwhile, represents the pinnacle of Android prowess. It’s “the iPad Pro of the Android world” – from its premium 120 Hz AMOLED screen to its top-tier chip and build quality. Samsung has bundled every feature one could think of: you get the S Pen included, expansion storage, an even larger canvas to work on, and a flexible OS that can be a tablet one minute and a desktop-like computer the next with DeX. It’s the ultimate all-in-one Android tablet, and it earned praise as “a true multitasking experience” that leverages Samsung’s “deep experience in mobile productivity”. On the flip side, Android’s tablet app selection still lags, and not everyone will use the advanced features like Extended Mode or Drawing Assist AI. Also, the sheer size of the S11 Ultra can be overkill – it begs to be used on a desk with a keyboard, whereas the 13″ iPad still feels a tad more balanced between tablet and laptop modes.

In summary, both tablets are phenomenal, and neither will disappoint in performance, display quality, or build. If you’re heavily invested in Apple’s ecosystem or you need the cutting-edge creative apps, the iPad Pro M4 is the obvious choice – it’s the best iPad Apple has ever made, described aptly as “the best kind of overkill” for those who demand the top-end tablet. If you crave maximum versatility, value features like expandable storage or a bundled stylus, or prefer a more open platform, the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra is a compelling champion – one that finally matches the iPad Pro in thinness and premium feel, and even exceeds it in some specs.

For most people, it may simply come down to ecosystem and use case: an iPhone/Mac user will lean iPad, a Galaxy/PC user will lean Tab. The good news is no matter which you pick, you’re getting a cutting-edge tablet that can handle work, play, and creativity for years to come. These devices show how far tablets have evolved – from content consumption slabs to do-it-all powerhouses. And with competition this fierce, we the consumers are the real winners.

Sources: The information and quotes in this comparison were drawn from a variety of expert reviews and official announcements, including hands-on analyses by MacRumors, Apple’s and Samsung’s own press releases, detailed reviews from Tom’s Guide tomsguide.com, The Verge, Android Central, and other reputable tech outlets as cited throughout. These sources provide further reading for those who want to dive deeper into each device. Let’s stay tuned to what 2026 brings – but as of now, in the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra vs. iPad Pro M4 showdown, the winner truly depends on you. Both are at the top of their game, and neither is a bad choice in this battle of tablet titans. tomsguide.com