iPad Pro (M5) vs Samsung Galaxy Tab S11

Samsung announced Galaxy Tab S11 on 4 September 2025, as the 11-inch model beside the 14.6-inch Tab S11 Ultra. Apple followed on 15 October 2025 with iPad Pro (M5), in stores a week later on 22 October. On paper they have more in common than the logos suggest: both use OLED panels (Apple’s tandem OLED, Samsung’s Dynamic AMOLED 2X), both start with 12GB of memory, and the thickest of them is 5.5mm. What splits them first is the system. The iPad launched on iPadOS 26 with Apple Intelligence, which has region and language limits; the Tab launched on Android 16 with One UI 8.

The differences at a glance

Spec	iPad Pro (M5)	Samsung Galaxy Tab S11
US launch price, Wi-Fi	$999 (11-inch); $1,299 (13-inch)	$799.99; later listed at $899.99
Cellular	$200 more; C1X modem, 5G, eSIM only	Sub-6 5G; one physical SIM and one eSIM
Software at launch	iPadOS 26	Android 16 with One UI 8
Sizes	11-inch and 13-inch	11-inch only
Display	Tandem OLED Ultra Retina XDR; ProMotion, 10Hz to 120Hz	11.0-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X; 120Hz
Resolution	2420 × 1668 (11-inch); 2752 × 2064 (13-inch); 264 ppi	2560 × 1600; ppi not published
Brightness	1000 nits full screen; 1600 nits peak (HDR only); 1 nit minimum	1600 nits peak; 1000 nits in high brightness mode
Chip	M5: 9-core CPU (256GB, 512GB) or 10-core CPU (1TB, 2TB); 10-core GPU; 16-core Neural Engine; 153 GB/s	Dimensity 9400+: 3.73 GHz, 3.3 GHz and 2.4 GHz cores
Memory	12GB (256GB, 512GB); 16GB (1TB, 2TB)	12GB on every model
Storage	256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB; no card slot	128GB, 256GB, 512GB; microSD up to 2TB
Pen	Apple Pencil Pro or Pencil (USB-C), sold separately; hover	S Pen in the box; no Bluetooth Low Energy
Keyboard	Magic Keyboard: $299 (11-inch), $349 (13-inch)	Book Cover Keyboard Slim, sold separately
Water and dust	Not published	IP68: 1.5m of freshwater for up to 30 minutes
Port	Thunderbolt and USB 4, up to 40Gb/s	USB 3.2 Gen 1, plus a microSD slot
External display	One, up to 6K at 60Hz or 5K at 120Hz	Not published
Wireless	Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thread	Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4
Unlock	Face ID	Fingerprint reader in the display
Speakers and mics	Four speakers, four microphones	Quad speakers; mic count not published
Weight, Wi-Fi	444g (11-inch); 579g (13-inch)	469g
Thickness	5.3mm (11-inch); 5.1mm (13-inch)	5.5mm
Battery	31.29Wh or 38.99Wh; up to 10 hours of Wi-Fi web or video	8,400mAh typical; up to 18 hours of video
Charging	20-watt adapter in the box	45-watt charging
Rear camera	12MP Wide, f/1.8, LiDAR, flash, 4K at 60 fps	13MP, autofocus, flash, 4K at 30 fps
Front camera	12MP, also used for Face ID	12MP ultrawide
Colors	Silver, Space Black	Gray, Silver

The S Pen comes in the box; the Apple Pencil doesn’t

Samsung packs a redesigned, hexagonal S Pen with every Tab S11. It has no Bluetooth Low Energy, and it’s rated IP68 like the tablet. Apple supports Apple Pencil Pro and Apple Pencil (USB-C) on iPad Pro (M5), both with hover, and sells them separately. If you’ll write or draw from day one, that’s money the iPad asks for on top of $999.

Keyboards cost extra on both. Apple’s Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro was $299 for the 11-inch and $349 for the 13-inch at the October 2025 launch. Samsung sells a Book Cover Keyboard Slim with a Galaxy AI key, a Book Cover and a Frame Cover, and doesn’t publish US prices for them. Neither keyboard turns its tablet into a laptop: the iPad doesn’t become a Mac, and Samsung DeX doesn’t make the Tab a Windows PC.

Two kinds of 1600 nits

Apple’s tandem OLED Ultra Retina XDR screen runs ProMotion from 10Hz to 120Hz, with P3 color and True Tone. It holds 1000 nits across the full screen, peaks at 1600 nits for HDR content only, dims to 1 nit, and Apple quotes a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The 11-inch is 2420 × 1668 and the 13-inch is 2752 × 2064, both at 264 pixels per inch. Nano-texture glass is an option on the 1TB and 2TB models. Apple calls it its most advanced display, which is Apple’s claim, not a result against Samsung.

Samsung’s 11.0-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen is 2560 × 1600 at 120Hz, with a 1600-nit peak and 1000 nits in high brightness mode. The anti-reflection coating Samsung mentions for the Ultra isn’t listed for this model.

So the shared numbers do different jobs. Apple’s 1000 is full-screen brightness and its 1600 is an HDR peak; Samsung’s 1600 is the peak and its 1000 is high brightness mode. Don’t read them as two scores from one test.

M5 on two memory tiers, Dimensity 9400+ on one

On iPad Pro (M5), the 256GB and 512GB models have a 9-core CPU and 12GB of memory, and the 1TB and 2TB models have a 10-core CPU and 16GB. Every model has a 10-core GPU, a 16-core Neural Engine, hardware ray tracing and 153 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Apple’s faster-storage and AI claims for M5 compare it with the previous iPad Pro, not with Samsung’s chip.

Tab S11’s Dimensity 9400+ runs cores at 3.73 GHz, 3.3 GHz and 2.4 GHz, with 12GB on every storage size from 128GB to 512GB.

Storage is where the Tab makes up ground. It starts at 128GB but takes a microSD card up to 2TB, sold separately. The iPad has no card slot, so you pick 256GB, 512GB, 1TB or 2TB when you buy, and only the top two get 16GB and the nano-texture option.

Thunderbolt, Wi-Fi 7 and cellular

The iPad’s Thunderbolt and USB 4 port runs at up to 40Gb/s and drives one external display at up to 6K and 60Hz, or 5K and 120Hz. Its N1 chip adds Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread. Cellular models use Apple’s C1X modem with eSIM only and cost $200 more than Wi-Fi; Apple’s faster-cellular claim is against the previous iPad Pro’s modem.

Tab S11’s port is USB 3.2 Gen 1, next to the microSD slot. It has Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4; Wi-Fi 7 is a Tab S11 Ultra feature. Cellular models are Sub-6 5G with one physical SIM and one eSIM across the series, so check the exact US model. Samsung’s UK specs list GPS, Glonass, BeiDou, Galileo and QZSS; confirm that on a Wi-Fi-only US unit, since Apple puts GPS in its cellular iPads only.

Water, weight and the second size only Apple sells

Tab S11 is rated IP68, for up to 1.5 meters of freshwater for up to 30 minutes, and its S Pen carries the same rating. It’s the only one of the two with an IP rating.

The Tab weighs 469 grams and is 5.5mm thick. The 11-inch iPad is lighter and thinner, at 444 grams and 5.3mm, and the 13-inch iPad, which has no Samsung counterpart in this pair, is 579 grams and 5.1mm. Apple says the enclosure is 100 percent recycled aluminum.

Neither comes smaller than 11 inches, so this isn’t the pair to look at if you wanted an 8.3-inch iPad.

Battery and charging

Apple puts 31.29Wh in the 11-inch and 38.99Wh in the 13-inch, rated for up to 10 hours of Wi-Fi web or video and up to 9 hours of cellular web, measured on preproduction units at 50 percent brightness. A 20-watt adapter comes in the box, but the fast charge to about 50 percent in 30 minutes needs a separate adapter of at least 60 watts.

Samsung rates its 8,400mAh battery (8,160mAh minimum) for up to 18 hours of video and supports 45-watt charging. Samsung’s UK box list names a USB-C cable but no wall adapter, so check the US box. Watt-hours and milliamp-hours aren’t the same unit, and video playback isn’t Apple’s web-or-video test, so the hours don’t rank the two.

Cameras, speakers and unlock

The iPad’s rear camera is a 12MP Wide at f/1.8 with LiDAR and a flash, and it records 4K at 60 fps; ProRes goes to 4K at 30, or 1080p at 30 on the 256GB model. The 12MP front camera also handles Face ID. Tab S11 has a single 13MP rear camera with autofocus, a flash and 4K at 30 fps, and a 12MP ultrawide on the front.

Apple fits four speakers and four microphones; Samsung lists quad speakers for the series. The iPad unlocks with your face; the Tab with a fingerprint reader in the display. Colors are silver or space black for the iPad, gray or silver for the Tab.

Price

iPad Pro (M5) launched on 15 October 2025 at $999 for the 11-inch and $1,299 for the 13-inch with Wi-Fi, and $200 more with cellular. Add a Pencil, and $299 or $349 if you want Apple’s keyboard. Galaxy Tab S11 launched at $799.99 in the US with the S Pen included, and by 19 September 2026 Samsung’s US site was listing it at $899.99. Samsung’s keyboard covers are extra. Prices and what’s in the box change, so check both stores before you buy.