Apple has just unveiled the iPad Pro M5 – but how does it compare to one of the best Android tablets around, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra?
While both undoubtedly offer a top-end tablet experience, the two diverge quite a bit when it comes to key factors like performance, screen tech and even software – so it’s a good idea to know exactly what you’ll be getting from each before making a purchase.
That said, here’s how the iPad Pro M5 compares to the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra on paper.
Pricing and availability
The iPad Pro M5 starts at £999/$999 for its 11-inch variant, while the larger 13-inch tablet starts at a more premium £1299/$1299.
While that’d be extremely expensive compared to most tablets on the market, the 14.6-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra has an equally premium £1199/$1319 price tag.
The Tab S11 Ultra is readily available to buy now, following its release in September, while Apple’s iPad Pro M5 is up for pre-order now ahead of release on 22 October.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra has a bigger screen
When it comes to sheer screen size, Samsung’s big-screen tablet wins this battle. While the iPad Pro M5 is available in both 11- and 13-inch variants, the Samsung alternative offers a whopping 14.6-inch screen.
There’s a different aspect ratio here too, with the Tab S11 Ultra featuring a more widescreen 14.42:9 aspect ratio compared to the comparatively boxy 4:3 from Apple’s new iPad collection – though your preference will likely come down to how you use tablets. Those who use it more for entertainment may prefer the widescreen Tab S11 Ultra, while those who multitask will get more from Apple’s alternative.
They’re fairly well-matched in other areas too; both feature OLED tech for inky blacks and vibrant colours, and both offer the same super-smooth 120Hz LTPO-enabled refresh rate. It really does come down to screen size here.
The iPad Pro M5 is thinner and lighter
Apple’s iPad Pro M5 is an impressively thin and light bit of kit, particularly the 13-inch model, which measures in at just 5.1mm thick and tips the scales at 579g. The 11-inch variant is a little thicker at 5.3mm thick, though with a smaller screen, it’s lighter at 444g.
Samsung’s competing tablet also offers an ultra-slim design, measuring in at the same 5.1mm thickness as the iPad Pro. It’s also heavier at 692g, but with a bigger screen, that’s not exactly a surprise.
The Tab S11 Ultra does have an ace up its sleeve, though, in the form of IP68 dust and water resistance. It’s one of few tablets to offer the high-end protection, and it’s not something offered by Apple’s iPad Pro.
The iPad Pro M5 is much more powerful
While chipset makers are steadily closing in on the lead Apple has long had on the smartphone market with its A-series chips, the same certainly can’t be said for its M-series silicon.
The iPad Pro features Apple’s new M5 chipset, a desktop-level chip also found in the MacBook Pro 14 and even Apple’s Vision Pro headset, with significant performance improvements over the M4 that already had a healthy lead on the competition, particularly on the Android tablet side of things.
That said, the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ within the Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra wasn’t even the most powerful chipset at launch – that’d be the Snapdragon 8 Elite, which was recently bested by the newer 8 Elite Gen 5 – so we’re confident that Apple’s tablet will take the lead in the performance department. We’ll confirm once we go hands-on with the new iPad, however.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra has faster charging
Samsung has the upper hand when it comes to charging – though with an upgrade to the iPad Pro’s charging tech with the M5 variant, there’s not as big a difference as there once might’ve been.
That said, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra features support for 45W charging support, while the iPad Pro offers up to 40W charging – a boost on the 35W of the iPad Pro M4.
What’s better, neither tablet requires a proprietary charger to reach those speeds; any sufficiently powerful USB-C brick should be able to charge the tablets up at full power.
iPadOS 26 vs One UI 8
Of course, the biggest difference between the two top-end tablets is the operating systems they run – and this alone will likely be the deciding factor of which to go for.
Apple’s iPad Pro M5 comes with the latest version of Apple’s tablet-focused software, iPadOS 26. It features the same Liquid Glass UI we saw introduced to the iPhone in September, along with access to a range of features under the Apple Intelligence umbrella.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Ultra, on the other hand, features One UI 8 based on Android 16. Like the iPad, it has a range of AI features, this time under the Galaxy AI branding, along with upgrades to multitasking and more.
That said, Apple’s iPad App Store does feature more high-end, pro-level apps than what’s available in Google’s Play Store alternative.
Early thoughts
The iPad Pro M5 is a modest update to what was already an excellent tablet, with the M5 power cementing its place as the most powerful tablet on the market right now. It’s also thin, relatively light and packs faster charging than its predecessor, even if it’s still slightly short of Samsung’s alternative.
That said, Samsung’s Tab S11 Ultra has a lot going for it. It matches the iPad Pro M5 in key areas like thickness while offering a bigger screen that’s better suited to widescreen movies. It’s just not going to be anywhere near as powerful as Apple’s alternative.
We’ll reserve our final thoughts for once we’ve benchmarked the iPad Pro M5, however, so check back soon for our full verdict.
