Lenovo Tab M11 vs. Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ Comparison: Which is better?

The Lenovo Tab M11 and Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ are two 11-inch tablets that are both inexpensive and similar in many respects. I have tested and compared both and my conclusion is clear: the Galaxy Tab A9+ is the stronger tablet overall. For many, however, the Tab M11 may still be the better choice.

Display: 11 inch vs. 11 inch

Let’s start this comparison with the displays, which is 11 inches on both and has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. So they are equally sharp. However, it’s clear immediatly that the Galaxy Tab A9+ is a good deal brighter. Not just a little, but really quite a bit.

With that being said, the M11 has slightly more stable viewing angles, but I think the brightness is more important.

They are fully laminated each, colors look good and they both support 90Hz. That’s great. You can also watch Netflix in HD resolution on both of them.

There are four speaker slots on each side, and the M11 is said to have a total of eight speakers. The A9+ is a good deal louder and definitely the better choice if you want to fill a room – for example with music or even as a voice assistant in the kitchen, where it’s likely to be louder.

At the same volume, however, the sound of the M11 is somewhat more pleasant. The bass is stronger and the treble is more pleasant, not so scratchy. If you want to watch movies alone at home for the most part, Lenovo’s speakers a little better suited for this.

Active Stylus: No S Pen

As I said, an active stylus is included with the M11, even though the tablet is cheaper. However, I didn’t like the stylus that much in my review. Handwriting in particular does not look as precise as with an S Pen tablet.

It is therefore not suitable for students who want to write down a lot of handwritten notes. However, if you just want to draw and paint something or scribble a note or two, the stylus is fine. But I can’t recommend it for more than that.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Tab A9+ does not support an active stylus. You can write and draw on the display with a stylus for capacitive touchscreens, but these only emulate a finger, are even less accurate and are certainly not suitable for taking notes.

Hardware & Performance

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset with 4GB or 8GB RAM and 64GB or 128GB internal memory. It’s also available with 5G.

The Lenovo Tab M11, on the other hand, is sold with a MediaTek Helio G88, 4GB or 8GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. There is also a version with LTE, but 5G is not supported. I have the version with 4GB and 128GB which is cheaper than the Galaxy Tab A9+.

My Geekbench 5 benchmark comparison is pretty clear: The Galaxy Tab A9+ performs slightly better than the M11 in both the CPU and graphics tests. The difference is not huge, but there certainly is a difference.

The Samsung tablet is also a good deal more powerful in the 3D Mark Wild Life test. This benchmark tests the graphics performance.

I also noticed differences in my gaming test, starting with Fortnite. It runs quite poorly on the A9+, but it does run. The M11, on the other hand, is not supported at all.

PUBG Mobile runs well on both tablets and in both cases you can select HD graphics settings.

I was also able to play Genshin Impact quite well on both tablets, and I was able to turn the graphics up quite high in each case. I felt it ran a little better on the A9+. But it’s hard to see any real differences, and like you’ve seen, even the benchmark differences are quite small.

Software: Android 14 vs. Android 13

Both tablets are shipped with Android 13 out of the box, but an update to Android 14 and OneUI 6 is already available for the A9+, which I installed straight away. Samsung wants to provide the tablet with a total of two major updates, so up to Android 15, as well as four years of security updates, so until the end of 2027.

Lenovo also wants to provide the M11 with major updates until Android 15 and security updates until January 2028. Roughly the same as Samsung is doing with the A9+.

The difference, however, is that Samsung is faster with Android 14 and has been significantly better than Lenovo with updates in the past. Sure, Lenovo is catching up, but it looks like Samsung will maintain its leadership in this area – albeit by a smaller margin.

Read: The Best Tablets Under $200 Tested

Apart from the Android operating system, both tablets have similar features. There is a desktop mode, various multitasking views and pre-installed note-taking apps.

Design & Build Quality

There are clear differences regarding the design and build quality. While the Lenovo Tab M11 is made entirely of metal and feels quite high-quality, the Galaxy Tab A9+ also has a metal back for the most part, but with a plastic cover on top. Above all, however, the transitions from the body to the display feel a little cheap. The M11 simply makes a more higher-end impression.

In my review of the A9+, some people didn’t like the fact that I criticized the build quality. But in a direct comparison, it becomes clear again that the A9+ feels comparatively cheap.

The ports are the same. We get a USB C 2.0 port, a headphone jack and a MicroSD card slot. The 5G and LTE versions also have a SIM card slot. The A9+ has another port, possibly for a keyboard cover, but one has not yet been released.

My Tab M11 has an 8-megapixel camera at the front and rear, although a 13-megapixel rear version is also available in some countries. The Galaxy Tab A9+ also has an 8-megapixel camera at the back, but only 5 megapixels at the front.

Incidentally, both tablets can be unlocked with facial recognition via the webcams.

Battery Life

In my battery test, the A9+ lasted 6.5 hours, slightly less than the Tab M11 with 7.5 hours. However, I have to say that the A9+ has a brighter display, so the adjusted battery life should be about the same.

For this test, I always run an HD YouTube video at maximum brightness and in this case at 90Hz in an endless loop.

Lenovo Tab M11 vs Galaxy Tab A9+: Final Words

So, my comparison has shown that the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ is slightly better than the Lenovo Tab M11. Sure, it costs a bit more, but it has a brighter display, better processor performance and receives updates more quickly. I think that’s more important than the advantages the Lenovo has.

The latter has a better finish, slightly more pleasant speakers and the stylus is included. But unfortunately, the stylus is of limited use only and I can’t describe it as good.

On the other hand, I think it’s great that Lenovo offers twice as much storage with 128GB at a cheaper price. The 128GB version of the A9+ currently costs quite a bit more. So the Lenovo Tab M11 is a pretty good choice if you want to save some money. It’s a good tablet that’s just a little weaker than the A9+, but also a little cheaper and I think the prices of both tablets are reasonable for what they offer.