The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is a great-looking phone with a fantastic camera. It’s got a new 108MP sensor aided by laser-guided focus, a 10x optical telephoto lens, and an AMOLED display that can dynamically adjust its refresh rate to save battery power.
It’s also the first Galaxy S phone to support stylus use. This feature will likely attract Galaxy Note users to the S21 Ultra.
Display
The Galaxy S21 Ultra is a big-screen Android flagship that looks and feels premium. Its display is the best we’ve ever seen on an Android phone, and it’s a vast improvement over last year’s Galaxy S20 series.
The S21 Ultra’s display features a WQHD+ dynamic AMOLED panel with a 3,200 x 1440 pixels resolution. It’s also capable of scaling from 10Hz to 120Hz and will adapt its refresh rate according to the content you’re watching or playing.
It’s a huge step forward from last year’s S20 Ultra, offering only a fixed 120Hz refresh rate. This new display isn’t as fluid when displaying static images, but it’s much more flexible when scrolling and gaming, where faster refresh rates can help save battery life.
Camera
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra camera is one of its most impressive features, with a 108-megapixel primary sensor supported by a laser autofocus system to ensure things stay in focus. There’s also a wealth of telephoto options to get the best from it, too, with 3x optical zoom and 10x space zoom available, making it one of the most versatile phones in Android today.
The sensor is paired with a high-speed f/1.7 lens, which brings out fine details and keeps subjects in sharp focus even at the long end. There’s also a lot of intelligent AI on board, including tracking auto-focus and auto HDR, but you can turn it off if you don’t want any fancy extras.
Taking photos on the Galaxy S21 Ultra is excellent fun, and there’s a host of modes to choose from, including Pro mode for complete manual control, Panorama, AR Doodle, Food, Night, Portrait, and more. All of which give awe-inspiring results.
Performance
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is a powerful, high-end smartphone that should appeal to well-heeled phone enthusiasts and first adopters. Its 108-megapixel primary camera significantly improved over the 12MP sensor on last year’s Galaxy S20 Ultra, while its new laser autofocus module and two telephoto cameras are also suitable.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra also has a dynamic 120Hz display that is bright, colorful, and very capable in low-light conditions. It’s Samsung’s first – and so far only – device that can support a smooth 120Hz refresh rate when running at pixel-packing Quad HD resolutions.
The adaptive display is a big step from the static 120Hz refresh rate on the S20 Ultra, saving battery life. It can select any of the refresh rates from 10-120Hz to suit your content and works on various resolutions.
Battery
Battery life is one of the most important aspects of any smartphone. It determines how long you can use it in a day and how many times it will charge itself.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the flagship of the Galaxy S21 series and has a giant battery of 5,000 mAh, which is excellent for longer-lasting usage. It also has the latest and most power-efficient 5nm chipsets and a dynamic refresh rate screen.
It’s available with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for $1,199; depending on your needs, you can also choose 256GB or even 512GB of internal storage. We recommend going with the 256GB version for the extra capacity, as you’ll probably have a lot of photos and videos to store on your phone.