Samsung Galaxy Tab A 11" X238U Gray 2026

A budget tablet with a surprisingly smooth screen, held back by a slow chip and a confusing 'business' identity. Only buy it cheap and only if you absolutely need 5G.

The 'upgraded chipset' doesn't translate to real-world speed. In our database, the CPU and GPU both sit in the bottom third, which means you'll feel stutters when multitasking or trying to play anything beyond casual games. The 8GB of RAM is a nice surprise and helps keep a few apps in memory, but it's fighting an uphill battle against a sluggish processor. The 90Hz screen is the saving grace, making the interface feel more responsive than it actually is, but the 5MP cameras are a real letdown, even for video calls.

The Tab A11+ gets crushed by the Apple iPad Air M3 in every performance metric, but that's a tablet in a completely different price universe. A more realistic fight is against the Lenovo Idea Tab Pro. The Lenovo typically offers a better overall experience with a sharper screen and snappier performance for similar money. If you don't absolutely need 5G, the Xiaomi Pad 6 is also a much stronger performer for media consumption. The Samsung's only real win here is the cellular connectivity, which is a niche but critical feature for a specific type of mobile worker.

Value is all over the place here. We're seeing this renewed model listed from $178 to $338 across vendors. At the low end, it's a decent deal for a streaming and email machine with 5G. But if you're paying over $250, you're getting ripped off. The sweet spot is finding it closer to that $178 mark from a seller with a solid return policy, because with renewed units, you're rolling the dice on battery health and cosmetic condition.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ 5G is a confusing tablet. It's being marketed as a business workhorse with its 5G and 'upgraded chipset,' but the actual experience lands squarely in budget entertainment territory. The 11-inch 90Hz screen is the clear highlight here, making scrolling and video feel smoother than you'd expect at this price. But for anything beyond streaming and light browsing, the performance falls flat. The real kicker is that this is a renewed model with a wild price spread, so you absolutely need to shop smart.

If you're looking for a primary tablet for school, creative work, or gaming, this isn't it. Go get a Lenovo Idea Tab Pro or a base iPad instead. This Samsung is strictly for someone who needs a cheap, disposable second screen with a data plan.

Only buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+ 5G if you find it for under $200 and your number one priority is a tablet with a SIM card slot for 5G data. It's a passable secondary device for streaming Netflix on your commute or handling emails in a pinch. For everyone else, a Wi-Fi only tablet from Lenovo or Xiaomi will give you a much better screen and faster performance for the same cash. This is a niche product that makes too many compromises to be a general recommendation.