Review verdict: Budget-friendly Samsung tablet scores with high performance and optional 5G

Reviews of Samsung devices are often a mixed bag. Sometimes a smartphone or tablet fails to truly impress us because the South Korean manufacturer heavily relies on its well known brand name, but the competition has pulled ahead in terms of specs, features or bang for the buck.

However, we sometimes test Samsung tablets or phones that offer a lot for a reasonable price. Fortunately, the latter is the case with the recently reviewed Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ 5G. This is more or less surprising, since we were rather unimpressed by the Galaxy Tab A11 (non-Plus) base model.

What does the Galaxy Tab A11 Plus offer?

The slightly more expensive Samsung Galaxy Tab A11 Plus arguably offers a bit more for budget-conscious Android users. There are four different configurations, but local availability might differ:

• 6GB RAM / 128GB storage WiFi ($249)

• 8GB RAM / 256GB storage WiFi ($309)

• 6GB RAM / 128GB storage WiFi + 5G ($279)

• 8GB RAM / 256GB storage WiFi + 5G (not listed in the US)

All variants sport a GPS module, even the WiFi-only versions. In some regions, prices at participating third-party retailers have already dropped below the aforementioned MSRP. For instance, the 128GB SKU with 5G currently retails for $253 on Amazon.

Processor, battery life and security

In this price range, the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 is a pretty fast SoC that also offers some headroom for somewhat more demanding applications. In addition, Samsung provides 7 years of security patches, while the 5G model can even be used to make phone calls. The battery has a capacity of 7,040mAh, which is not unusually large but still lasts for more than 36 hours in our WiFi test.

Samsung tablet isn’t free from criticism

Aside from the long update promise, Samsung has not put much thought into sustainability. There is also no fingerprint sensor, and the display shows a slight blue tint.

Our verdict on the Galaxy Tab A11 Plus

With that said, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A11 Plus left a very good overall impression thanks to its well-rounded feature set. More details and numerous measurements, benchmark results an comparison can be found in our in-depth review of this affordable Samsung tablet.