Can the Samsung Galaxy S11 Ultra replace your laptop?

I've always been a fan of laptops as my primary device for productivity. They're super convenient, have a long battery life, and are a necessity to use within the workplace.

However, tablets have grown as the medium of choice for many who seek portability to the extreme. There's no question tablets have also surpassed the power and performance of many entry-level laptops.

In order to truly answer the question of whether a tablet can replace your laptop, we've tested Samsung's latest Galaxy S11 Tab Ultra 5G and put it through its paces on a busy day in the office.

NOTE: Prices are accurate at the time of publishing.

Samsung Galaxy S11 Tab Ultra at a glance...

Wi-Fi - from $20995G - from $2699

Pros: Beautiful big display, multimedia powerhouse, Samsung DeX desktop mode, included S pen, slim and light

Cons: DeX mode has limits, locked into Samsung ecosystem, absurd handheld size, accessories cost extra

Verdict: Top-tier Samsung tablet built for productivity and entertainment

First impressions

Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy S11 Tab Ultra is a premium experience, but the first thing that'll stick out to everyone is how massive the tablet is in reality. The tablet boasts a 14.6-inch display that's big enough for watching your favourite movie or writing an article about the product itself. You get the idea.

While it looked heavier than my work laptop at first glance, holding it swiftly changed my mind. At just 5.1mm thickness, this is Samsung's thinnest tablet yet. The 5G model weighs about 692 grams, which is just over half the weight of a laptop. So it was safe to say this tablet was going to be extremely portable and easy to carry (and it was).

The Samsung Galaxy S11 Tab Ultra also comes with a new redesigned S pen that features a hexagonal grip with a cone-shaped tip. It looked exactly like a pencil, which was natural and a welcome upgrade.

Under the hood, the tablet also features an upgraded chip called the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ with up to 16GB of RAM on the 1TB storage option. You can expect these tablets to rival or complement your laptop.

What really caught my attention was the upgraded Samsung DeX desktop experience that I was excited to use as a laptop replacement. In DeX mode, the tablet offers windowed setups (like a normal PC or laptop) that you can move around freely and resize easily. Plus, you can have up to four separate workspaces on the tablets now – like having four different accounts on one laptop.

So what are my overall first impressions? If you're a student, digital artist, work in corporate, or anyone who wants a tablet experience to complement your laptop needs, then this might be the upgrade to make.

On to the real test!

What I liked about the Samsung Galaxy S11 Tab Ultra

Beautiful display

If I'm going to be watching YouTube or writing an article staring at a screen all day, I want it to look smooth in motion. I also ideally want the quality to be high, and the brightness to be... bright enough.

The Galaxy S11 Tab Ultra has no problem providing on all those fronts. The huge 14.6-inch frame is backed by a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display that offers up to a 120-hertz refresh rate – making it two times as smooth as your usual work monitor.

The display is also high-quality with a 16:10 ratio and an almost 3k resolution (as opposed to 4k, like that on TVs). You can get the display looking even more crisp thanks to its 1600 peak nits brightness.

Overall, the display just felt that much more pristine than my work laptop, so that all gets a tick from my end.

A multimedia powerhouse

Samsung has created its most advanced and powerful tablet yet, thanks to a few upgrades, giving it an average 28 per cent performance boost over last year's S10 Ultra.

I put the performance to the test using Samsung's DeX mode (more on that soon), with a variety of apps open that I use for my daily workflow. Slack, Chrome, Gmail, Google Drive, the usual. While these aren't super intense apps, it was the many tabs open in my browser and the back and forth between all these open apps that used up to 8GB of the total 12GB of RAM.

It was safe to say the experience felt just as fluid, if not more so, than the usual day-to-day usage on the work laptop. If you feel like you want more RAM than the base 12GB option, you can get up to 16GB of RAM if you choose the highest storage tier on the tablet – perfect if you really think you want to push the laptop to its limits or play games at the highest graphic settings.

Drawing and writing using the S Pen is fluid and feels good with the new redesign, so if you're an artist or want to take a more traditional route for taking notes, this will be perfect.

Playing games is easy enough to do split-screen on the tablet while you watch or scroll on other apps. Finally, watching media as well looks great, again, thanks to the display.

Samsung DeX mode

Samsung's aptly named 'DeX' mode transforms your tablet into a functional desktop experience. This mode can be accessed in a few ways that I found:

• Swiping from the bottom up and adding a new desktop page
• Accessed by swiping down to find the tablet's quick settings
• Connecting an external monitor via a USB-C cable
• Wirelessly connecting to a compatible device, like a smart TV

So what's so good about it? It's a clean desktop experience clearly built to rival the laptop experience. You can connect up a monitor, keyboard and mouse as well, either via cable or Bluetooth. You can also accessorise with Samsung's own keyboard cover.

What I found really intuitive was the flexibility in multitasking thanks to the additional monitor I used. On my main screen, I displayed my drafting and internet queries, while the tablet itself had Slack for communication and a notepad app open for fleeting ideas I'd jot down with the pen.

The experience just felt fluid, but not overly complicated. Simple enough to write and browse, intuitive enough with a tablet close to me to glance and use... like a tablet.

You can also build up to four different desktops, which can be easily accessed and shuffled around so you can have open tabs on each for particular tasks or needs.

What I found difficult with the S11 Ultra

Size and ecosystem

The size was a little overkill for my needs. If you're someone who doesn't like a large screen, then the 11-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 might be more for you.

Worth considering, since it is a Samsung tablet, it has its ecosystem limits too.

Final thoughts...

Wi-Fi - from $16995G - from $2299

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra functions at about 80 per cent of the capabilities of a laptop. It's a fantastic multimedia device if you're going from handheld movie watching to writing and working. So, if you're looking to boost your productivity and make the switch, this is your call to do so.

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