Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review: All of Android for considerably less

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is a brand original keep of value proposition from Samsung. It’s no longer dazzling better than the decrease-destroy items with a better camera, esteem final 365 days’s Ultra. You’re additionally getting a grand better show, Wi-Fi 6E, S Pen improve, and potential extra RAM. Whether you’ll need these items is peaceable up for debate, however in repeat for you them, the S21 Ultra is successfully value the improve from the S20 Ultra or the $200 step-up from the S21+.

Michael Simon/IDG

That’s mainly since the Ultra’s top class designate comes at less of a top class this 365 days. Where final 365 days’s designate impress keep the S20 Ultra firmly in the better destroy of the stratosphere, the S21 Ultra starts at $1,199. You would possibly additionally max it out with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $1,380, $20 decrease than both final 365 days’s entry-stage S20 Ultra and a fully loaded iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Substitute 3: 15 PM: The Galaxy S21 Ultra is $200 off at Amazon this day.

Even though it designate the an analogous because the S20 Ultra, the S21 Ultra would peaceable be one of the most correct phones ever made, maybe one value spending upward of $1,700 on. But Samsung’s aggressive pricing makes the S21 Ultra’s spec sheet grand extra swish and proves that it is doubtless you’ll maybe well additionally maintain it all without surely spending it all.

Upgraded class

The S21 Ultra has the an analogous originate because the S21, which I reviewed final month, and it’s dazzling as impressive. The camera array is no longer any longer a bulbous bump floating in the destroy left nook, however a grand extra delicate one who seamlessly extends from the perimeters of the cell phone. It’s peaceable reasonably mighty, however the original placement feels extra balanced than in the old generation’s S20, and it doesn’t bump into my fingers as steadily. The matte motivate is clean and savory and does an very ultimate job at repelling fingerprints.

The S21 Ultra is a big cell phone, even it’s technically smaller than final 365 days’s S20 (165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9mm vs 166.9 x 76 x 8.8mm). It’s on the whole very no longer liable to make exercise of with one hand, and at 6.8 inches peaceable feels very grand at the better destroy of how mighty of a cell phone folk are willing to address. The reality that it’s a tenth of an creep smaller than the S20 Ultra and the an analogous dimension because the Present 20 Ultra appears to be like to point out we won’t explore a 7-creep Galaxy cell phone anytime soon, unless it folds.

Michael Simon/IDG

Love the more affordable S21 phones, Samsung has removed a number of capabilities from the S21 Ultra, particularly MST for the utilization of Samsung Pay at terminals that don’t improve NFC, and the microSD card slot. The dearth of expandable storage hits particularly fascinating, since the S21 Ultra is supposed to be the highest of the excessive destroy. I take hang of its purpose audience might well be inclined to make exercise of a microSD card. But alas, it’s gone.

Highest on the eyes

When you happen to might additionally address the scale and static storage, however, the S21 Ultra has the correct show Samsung has ever made, which just isn’t any small feat. It debuts masses of original capabilities for a Samsung brand and sets the bar extremely excessive for the rest of its 2021 competitors, including the next-generation iPhone Pro.

• It uses Samsung’s original low-powered OLED brand, which reduces energy consumption up to 16 p.c.
• It’s the principle Samsung cell phone to improve 120Hz at elephantine WQHD+ decision.
• It’s the brightest brand Samsung has ever made, topping 1,500 nits.
• It’s Samsung’s most exciting adaptive refresh brand, with a model of 10Hz to 120Hz.

Michael Simon/IDG

So it’s no longer a stretch to sigh the Galaxy S21 Ultra has the correct brand ever made. Clearly, that became additionally dazzling of the S20 Ultra at the time, however the S21 Ultra feels esteem a dazzling achievement in brand abilities. The dimensions will be an advise of affairs for many users, however Samsung has however delivered a ridiculously dazzling brand.

Efficiency you request

Alongside with the correct brand you’re ever seen, you’re additionally getting the correct characteristic of specs ever assembled in an Android cell phone:

• Processor: Snapdragon 888
• RAM: 12GB/16GB LPDDR5
• Storage: UFS 3.1 128GB/256GB/512GB
• Battery: 5,000mAh
• Wi-fi: sub6 + mmWave 5G, Wi-Fi 6E
• Ultrawide band: Yes

That’s no longer reasonably right by draw of-the-board better than the S21 and S21+, however it’s a marked development. You’re getting a diminutive bit sooner speeds due to the extra RAM, however the S21 is already crazy-mercurial, so it’s no longer one thing you’ll note in day-to-day exercise. In repeat for you numbers, I’ve obtained numbers:

Galaxy S21

Geekbench 5 (Single/Multi)

S21: 1076/3223

S21 Ultra: 1118/3541

PCMark Work 2.0

S21: 13070

S21 Ultra: 13525

3D Label Natural world

S21: 5209

S21 Ultra: 5686

The marquee characteristic is the UWB chip, which operates in a dedicated fragment of the radio spectrum to enable proper advise tracking. That’ll near in at hand when Samsung starts promoting its SmartTag+ UWB-powered tracker later this 365 days.

Michael Simon/IDG

The S21 Ultra’s 5,000mAh battery is a powerhouse as successfully, with absolutely no effort making it by draw of a day of heavy exercise. Benchmarks delivered almost 11 hours, potential longer than the S20 Ultra and on the whole any other Android cell phone I’ve ever customary. Even with the 120Hz brand grew to change into on, I had no advise of affairs getting by draw of a day after which some. It’s in iPhone 12 territory—you won’t need to stress relating to the battery unless you’re downloading big recordsdata over 5G for hours on destroy.

Also original is the addition of the S Pen, which is an additional accessory—and it doesn’t maintain a slot esteem the Present. I’m no longer decided how mighty the marketplace for it is, however as soon as you happen to’ve ever lamented relating to the incapability to jot down in your S cell phone, this will seemingly scratch that itch. It might probably maybe well’t attain any of the like Bluetooth air gestures yet—you’ll need the S Pen Pro for that, which is launching later this 365 days—however the newbie S Pen works perfectly successfully for taps and notes.

Up shut even from far-off

While the Ultra surname can apply to all aspects of the cell phone, nowhere is it extra obvious than with the camera. No longer easiest is the S21 Ultra’s camera a huge development over the S21 and S21+, however it’s additionally a mighty soar over final 365 days’s already-succesful rig:

S20 Ultra

Camera 1: 12MP Ultra Huge, f/2.2

Camera 2: 108MP Huge-attitude, f/1.8

Camera 3: 48MP Telephoto (5X), f/3.5

Camera 4: DepthVision (time-of-flight)

S21 Ultra

Camera 1: 12MP Ultra Huge, f/2.2

Camera 2: 108MP Huge, f/1.8

Camera 3: Telephoto (3X) 10MP, f/2.4

Camera 4: Telephoto (10X) 10MP, f/4.9

The ideal enhancements over the S20 Ultra are with the telephoto lens and autofocus. The laser autofocus launched with the Present 20 is right here so the S20’s focusing concerns are gone, which makes it grand more straightforward to mercurial point and shoot. Samsung improved the S20 after a number of updates, however it below no situations felt as mercurial because it would peaceable. The S21 does.

Michael Simon/IDG

Equally noticeable are the enhancements Samsung has made to zooming. Samsung made telephoto pictures a mighty address the S20, and it continues right here with the addition of a second telephoto lens. That enables very decided photos at 10X zoom, twice as long because the iPhone 12 can shoot with digital zoom. Comparing the outcomes to any other cell phone isn’t even dazzling. If telephoto pictures is your side, there’s no motive to judge any other cell phone.

Samsung peaceable lets in you to “Protest Zoom” up to 100X, and while it’s somewhat extra exact and less noisy than the S20, it’s peaceable extra of a event trick than a serious characteristic. It’s reasonably extraordinary that a cell phone can zoom the full potential to 100X and peaceable lend a hand some semblance of image quality, however you won’t be the utilization of it somewhat steadily, if ever.

Michael Simon/IDG

Where the extra telephoto lens surely shines is with portraits. Clearly, Samsung phones maintain had a portrait mode since Selective Focal point arrived on the Galaxy S5, however it’s below no situations been better than on the S21 Ultra, with extremely crisp edges, luminous lines towards any background, and a relaxing background blur.

In other places, the S21 Ultra takes very ultimate photos that are on a par with the correct in the field. My ideal criticism is that photos are inclined to be somewhat overexposed. In spite of which of the four cameras you opt to make exercise of, however, you’ll be snapping a truly dazzling pic. Going forward, Samsung needs to flip its attention to a deeper stage of processing, however it’s fascinating to accumulate too grand fault with a telephoto camera that’s this unheard of.

Ought to peaceable you take hang of the Galaxy S21 Ultra?

For masses of merchants, the Galaxy S21 Ultra will be too grand cell phone for too grand money. Love the iPhone 12 Pro Max, it’s very mighty and heavy, and this will seemingly characteristic you motivate a bundle of dough. When you happen to’re in the slightest degree cautious about what your spend, this isn’t the cell phone for you, and the $800 S21 is the potential to transfer.

But as soon as you happen to’ve gotten a better budget, the S21 Ultra represents the correct—the better of Samsung, the most extremely efficient telephoto camera, and the better of the whole lot Android has to provide at any designate. It’s additionally $200 more affordable than the S20 Ultra, and the corners Samsung decrease to web there didn’t sacrifice too grand of what makes it an extremely-top class cell phone. While the microSD slot and MST might well appear esteem important losses, the things you’re gaining better than comprise up for it.

• The Galaxy S21 Ultra is basically the correct Android cell phone it is doubtless you’ll maybe well additionally take hang of appropriate now. But it is peaceable too mighty and too expensive for all however a small audience of enthusiasts.

  Mavens

  • Dazzling show and general originate
  • Very ultimate camera with killer telephoto abilities
  • Sizable battery and efficiency

  Cons

  • Astronomical and heavy
  • No MicroSD card slot

Michael Simon covers all things cell for PCWorld and Macworld. You would possibly additionally on the whole accumulate him along with his nostril buried in a show. The correct potential to bawl at him is on Twitter.