Samsung Galaxy Tab A 11" A11+ Gray 2026

The unlocked 5G is genuinely useful, but the weak processor and poor productivity scores make this tablet a hard pass for anyone who actually plans to do work on it. Get the Xiaomi Pad 6 instead.

The Galaxy Tab A11+ 5G sits in the lower half of our performance rankings, and honestly, it shows. The CPU and GPU scores are underwhelming, landing in the 37th and 38th percentiles respectively. That means multitasking gets choppy when you're running more than a couple apps, and forget about anything graphics-intensive. The 8GB of RAM helps keep things from crawling entirely, and the 90Hz display does make scrolling feel smoother than you'd expect at this price. But when we push it with real workloads, the tablet starts to sweat. The battery life is also a weak point, coming in at the 32nd percentile. It'll get you through a workday if you're careful, but don't plan on leaving the charger at home.

The iPad Air M3 absolutely dominates this comparison. Apple's tablet crushes the Tab A11+ in every benchmark that matters, from raw CPU performance to display quality and battery life. If you're not married to Android or the unlocked 5G feature, the iPad Air is the obvious choice. The Xiaomi Pad 6 is a closer fight and actually undercuts the Samsung on price while offering better performance numbers. Lenovo's Idea Tab Pro is another strong alternative if you want Android without the compromises. The Tab A11+ only wins if you absolutely, positively need an unlocked 5G tablet and refuse to spend more than $200.

At $178 to $351 depending on where you shop, the Tab A11+ 5G sits in a tricky spot. It's not expensive, but it's not cheap enough to excuse its weaknesses. The unlocked 5G is genuinely valuable if you need carrier freedom, and we found the best deals hovering around the $200 mark. Anything above $300 and you're getting into territory where better-performing tablets exist. Watch for sales, because paying full price here is a tough sell.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ 5G is a budget tablet that makes one big promise: freedom from carrier lock-in. With its unlocked 5G support and 11-inch 90Hz display, it sounds like a solid choice for anyone who wants to stay connected without being tethered to a specific network. But here's the thing: our benchmarks tell a different story. The upgraded chipset lands in the bottom half of the pack, the productivity score is dead last among its peers, and with only 13 customer reviews, this tablet hasn't exactly proven itself at scale. It's fine for basics, but if you're looking for a tablet that can actually keep up with your workload, this isn't it.

If you're buying this for work, schoolwork, or anything beyond casual media consumption, skip it. The productivity score is the worst we've seen in this category, and you'll spend half your time waiting on the tablet to catch up. The Xiaomi Pad 6 or a base iPad will serve you far better.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ 5G is a niche device for a specific use case: someone who wants a tablet with true carrier freedom and doesn't care about performance. If that sounds like you, it's fine. Everyone else should spend a bit more and get something that won't make them wait through loading screens.