I managed to finagle an upgrade to Pixel 6 Pro. There was a problem. Not only do you get super smooth scrolling and gameplay, you now get 120Hz and quad HD resolution at the same time. It's bright, vibrant and doesn't make you choose between the highest resolution and highest refresh rate like its predecessor. Lastly, the S21 Ultra has UWB (ultra-wideband), which makes it easier to share files with other UWB devices, like the Galaxy S21 Plus. The Galaxy S21 Ultra has the highest resolution main camera (108MP vs 64MP for S21 and Plus), the most powerful zooms (100x vs 30x) and the sharpest display (QHD vs 1080p). Its a bit big and heavy, and the lack of a charger and microSD card slot both sting. Its the 3x, 10x and, occasionally in well-lit conditions, 30x photo zooms that nail the shot with breathtaking clarity.
And it's amazingly bright and colorful to boot. As of this writing, Best Buy is selling a carrier-tied version of the Galaxy S21 Ultra for $849, while unlocked versions can be found at Amazon for $750. Note that this time is with the standard 60Hz display mode turned on and that youll see less battery life with adaptive mode (up to 120Hz) engaged. Take this photo of towering trees I took at a nearby park. The inclusion of microSD slots always made it easier for us to recommend Samsung over Apple when things were neck-and-neck, as you could go for the lower storage size and upgrade later. Photography and speed are only two-thirds of the story here. Thats faster than the Note 20 Ultras 1:16 but still well behind the iPhone 12 Pro Maxs 28 seconds. Its not fantastic, but the iPhone 12 Pro Max mustered only 100 Mbps in the same location when I popped the same SIM card in that phone. We started out saying that the S21 Ultra is Samsungs vision of excess, but youll have to let go of what doesnt fit into the companys roadmap. The S21 Ultra didnt flinch as I sliced through multiple enemies in Grimvalor while delivering console-quality visuals. Sounds like a quality control issue. It makes it easier to unlock the phone, and I found that the S21 Ultra didnt ask me to press the sensor again like previous phones. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, with its five cameras and 100x zoom range, impresses this time around, even if grainy Space Zoom photos continue to not meet our quality threshold for readily posting to our Instagram accounts. Our previous favorite telephoto camera from Samsung, on the Note 20 Ultra, had a 5x optical zoom and 50x digital zoom.
Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). 
The iPhone 12 Pro Max averaged 54 fps. All Galaxy S21 series phones now record video at 4K at 60fps from all cameras, and 8K at 24fps returns. It also comes in handy for quickly signing documents. Yes, the contour cut camera design blends the camera bump into the glass back, but this is still a massive device youll want to use with two hands. You can still find it from other retailers and wireless carriers, but make sure you're paying less than the $1,199 debut price, as that will get you a newer Galaxy S22 Ultra.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra battery life was solid during our normal testing, amounting to a full day and change but we tanked the battery much more quickly when we pushed that 120Hz screen refresh rate to the max and cranked up the resolution to Quad HD. Keep in mind that theres no microSD card slot for expandable storage, so if youre keen on taking lots of 4K 60fps or 8K 24fps video, you may want to look into the pricier 256GB or 512GB storage sizes and the latter of those sizes also bumps up the RAM to 16GB. So the 10x optical zoom on the S21 Ultra gets you closer to those far-off subjects, while the 3x optical is handy for pulling it back a little bit without digital distortion. I never accidentally tapped something on screen as I did with last years Ultra. Thank you for signing up to Tom's Guide. It also starts at $100 less than Samsung while offering better cameras to boot. item 1 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 128GB Phantom Black Verizon Good Condition, item 2 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 128GB Black SM-G998U (VERIZON) Reduced Price JW8126, item 3 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G - 128GB - All Colors (Verizon) -Very Good Condition, item 4 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G - Unlocked (All Carriers) - 128GB - Black - Good, item 5 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G SM-G998U - 128GB - Phantom Black (Verizon), item 6 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 128GB Phantom Black Verizon Fair Condition, item 7 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 128GB Phantom Black Verizon Excellent Condition, 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 30 product ratings.
That's another reason to get the Galaxy S22 Ultra, as that phone ships with an included S Pen. The RAM wont make much of a difference in a phone, but youll definitely notice if you run out of storage space. You can also upgrade to 256GB of storage and to a model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The need for resolutions higher than Full HD among smartphones was being driven by VR headsets you could see a screen door effect at lower resolutions when the pixels were so close to your face. 
The phone tends to heat up and is extremely fragile. At 100x the zoom does get shaky but the new Zoom Lock feature can help you get a steadier shot with just a tap. The launch event was January 14, meaning that both the official announcement and the release date were a month earlier than were used to for the companys flagship smartphone.
It is easier to see at my age. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, The S21 Ultras screen proved plenty colorful in our lab tests, with the panel producing 81.4% of the demanding DCI-P3 color gamut, compared to 84.8% for the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Check out our Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review (opens in new tab), iPhone 13 Pro Max
Shame on Samsung for making such a cheap, over-priced ripoff that fails in the first ten minutes.Read full review. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra supports all of the latest wireless standards, starting with 5G. For the first time ever, a Galaxy S device supports the S Pen, the S21 Ultra makes that happen with a Wacom digitizer built into the display. Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Top picked items. You will receive a verification email shortly. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra starting price is $1200. The very last great one was the Note8, which Samsung stupidly discontinued. Samsung says it has also improved the Portrait mode on the S21 by leveraging AI to better separate the subject from the background. Caution: while it's cheaper than last years Ultra phone, it remains pricey for average consumers, and it doesnt come with a microSD card slot nor does it include a charger. Gone is the microSD card slot for expandable storage, and say goodbye to MST (being able to use Samsung Pay with credit card machine even if they didn't have NFC). I tested the camera out at a nearby store to capture a shot of produce, and the green peppers in the foreground look shiny and delicious. Not Sell My Personal Information. Finally, youre going to be able to do justice to the extra detail from those 108MP shots and 40MP selfies, which makes a post-snap crop easier. Unfortunately, while you have a range of storage options to choose from for the S21 Ultra 128, 256 or 512GB Samsung ditched the microSD card slot. The biggest competitor for the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the iPhone 13 Pro Max. i enjoying this phone, the best phone that i ever had. published 6 July 22, The Galaxy S21 Ultra is the best Android phone yet with dual zoom lenses, a stellar display and excellent battery life. I slightly prefer the S21 Ultras photo in this case to the iPhone 12 Pro Max, but its really close. The colors are as rich as ever, and the viewing angles nice and wide when bing watching on Netflix. In this mode we saw a runtime of 10 hours and 7 minutes. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is Samsungs best-looking phone ever. While the iPhone 12 Pro Max is stuck at 2.5x optical zoom, the S21 Ultra packs two telephoto lenses of 3x and 10x optical zoom. There's a new vlogger mode that lets you use the front and back cameras as the same time for recording video. However, things work a bit differently here: theres no S Pen included with the phone and, even when you make the separate purchase, there's no way to embed the stylus into the body of the phone. 120Hz Refresh rate. We recommend the S21 Ultra over the S21 and S21 Plus simply because it has so much extra going on. But its the new Directors View mode that caught our eye this year: you can capture video with both the front and back cameras simultaneously. Display: 6.8 inches AMOLED (3200 x 1400); 10 to 120Hz So you can't skip tracks with a button press or control slideshows. Wireless: 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, UWB If you're constantly losing stuff like me you'll want to check out Samsung's new Galaxy SmartTags. And you can see live thumbnails of each camera while you're recording video, so you can make a quick call if you want to switch. Both the Galaxy S21 Ultra and S21 Plus have a smooth Gorilla Glass back while the Galaxy S21 is stuck with a polycarbonate (read: plastic) back that feels less smooth to the touch. Going all the way from the ultra-wide camera at 0.6x to the digitally zoomed-in 30x with usable photos each step of the way is how Samsung stands apart from Apple and its cameras on the iPhone 12 Pro Max (capped at 2.5x optical / 12x digital), and Googles Pixel 5 (no telephoto). But the phone is worth it:), Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned. A post shared by Matt Swider (@mattswider) (opens in new tab). I have owned the Ultra 21 for just under a week now. Samsung's newer version of the S21 Ultra has pretty similar specs but one massive change: the S Pen stylus fits within the body, making it a core part of the experience. I might go with black because of its slimming effect. It starts at $1,199 / 1,149 / AU$1,849 for a version with 128GB of internal storage and 12GB of RAM. Switched from Google Pixel3XL and will NEVER go back. The Samsung Galaxy S21 delivers some phenomenally good performance, and if you need a smartphone that can handle multiple tasks at once in split-screen view, or when gaming, this will likely be it. While we still never saw the Note 21 Ultra, this is the closest you'll get to that kind of experience thanks to the stylus. Samsung's never-dying Bixby Assistant (the 21st century Microsoft Clippy) is still present on the S21 series, but there's no more dedicated Bixby button thankfully, so you won't accidentally trigger Bixby Voice. Other phones with AMOLED screens, including the S21 and S21 Plus, max out at 1,200 nits, and every little bit helps in direct sunlight. Resolution: 1440 x 3200 Its much easier to pull off the 100x 'Space Zoom' now, although punching in 100x is limited to being a neat party trick due to grainy images, while 30x is passable in the right light. While Samsung has modified something from what you'll find on a Pixel phone, you can read our Android 12 review to learn more about what you can expect with the update. Specs and performance Weve been finding the S21 Ultra to be big where it needs to be, while minimizing everything you dont want to see. Plus, the S21 Ultra supports the S Pen, a first for the Galaxy S series. at a good price. At the heart of all three S21 phones is one of two speedy chipsets: either Qualcomms Snapdragon 888 (US) or Samsungs own Exynos 2100 (just about everywhere else). It's been replaced by Google Assistant cards (formerly Google Now) that have a knack for surfacing more relevant information to your day. S Pen compatibility Screen crystal clear and rich colors.
And while the S21 Ultra is fast, its still a step behind the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Missing from the new S Pen we tested ahead of launch were the Bluetooth shortcuts for triggering the camera and other apps. For more, see our in-depth iPhone 13 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra face-off. Storage: 128/256/512GB Perfect phone for me. Yes, its the green thing to do, but if you havent bought a phone in the last couple of years and dont have USB-C, it will mean more money coming out of your pocket. We've recognized as the best designed device in our Tom's Guide Awards 2021 for phones. If you only just got over the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack in Samsung smartphones, brace yourself for these changes we have seen some diehards in our YouTube video comments proclaim no microSD, no sale. Please refresh the page and try again. The base-level 128GB of internal storage with 12GB of RAM might not be enough for everyone. New York, It was one of the first new smartphones we tested in 2021, along with the Samsung Galaxy S21 and Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus, and it set the bar high much higher than last years problematic Ultra phone. Rear camera: 108MP + 10MP + 10MP + 12MP The colors on the iPhone were a bit more accurate, with its screen achieving a Delta-E score of 0.07, compared to 0.35 for the Galaxy S21 Ultra. It's the cameras where the Galaxy S21 Ultra stands out the most against the S21 and S21 Plus. But here are the key things to know. The S21 Ultras pic is overly bright and a bit washed out, while his fur his more golden and natural looking with the iPhone. At $1,199, the S21 Ultra isn't cheap, but it's $200 less than the S20 Ultra. NY 10036. If I buy from Costco, I have a 90 day return, which seems like a smart way to avoid a problem. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the very best of what Samsung can pack into a smartphone. These capabilities include Night Portrait, pet recognition, lighting position editing and support for Portrait mode when shooting video with the telephoto lens. This is something to be aware of. Tom's Guide is supported by its audience. Follow him on Twitter at @mspoonauer. The lowest-priced brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging (where packaging is applicable).Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, unless the item is handmade or was packaged by the manufacturer in non-retail packaging, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag.See details for additional description. The new top-of-the-line Galaxy S22 Ultra is an improvement over this model our Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra comparison details in what ways and we'd recommend the new device instead of this one. Travel Plans, Do The warranty replacement was simply a POS. Battery: 5,000mAh
I saw download speeds exceed 160 Mbps. Thats behind the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which cleared 4,100 and 1,600, but its still the best scores weve seen from an Android phone. Swapped out 4 times because of poor network, connectivity, dropped calls. The Fold 3 is a big, powerful phone that Samsung has intended to succeed the venerable Galaxy Note line (RIP). The 108MP main camera can capture 12-bit HDR photos with 64 times richer color data and more than three times the dynamic range of the S20 Ultra. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra release date was January 29, 2021, and it's available in the US, UK and Australia, among many other places. The original purchase just stopped detecting the original SIM and 2 replacement SIM cards. Battery: 5,000 mAh We found the 6.8-inch body to be easier to grasp than the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max, and thats in large part thanks to the curved display and overall narrowness of Samsung's device. It's also of course one of the very best Android phones and ranks among the best Samsung phones. Verizon courteously canceled my lease bless them. That beats the iPhone 12 Pro Maxs 10:53 and lands the Ultra on our best phone battery life list. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is Samsungs first non-Note phone thats compatible with its S Pen stylus, and its a trend we like seeing. What youll want to pay attention to more are the internal storage sizes. Vloggers and other content creators will relish the fact that they can record reaction shots of themselves, which they can splice in alongside their main footage. There was a problem. So you dont have to choose between the highest resolution and highest refresh rates. However, the music Samsung chooses sometimes for its auto-generated video clips sounds cheesy. A Samsung moderator posted that the adaptive battery should solve some of the issue, but some members are saying that even after a week they are seeing no change. That price rose to 1,199 for the 256GB handset and topped out at 1,329 for the model with 16GB and 512GB of internal storage. And there's an Eye Comfort Shield feature that's designed to reduce eye fatigue by limiting blue light. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra led the charge for the best Android phones in 2021. Apple's top dog of 2021 has a big screen, three rear cameras, a powerful chipset and a top price. Many people have been turned off by the fact that the S21 series doesnt include a microSD card slot for expandable storage, and, frankly, were with you on that. We were able to jot down quick notes and bring up all of the Air Command options, which include a variety of features you can use without touching the phones screen. For example, its large display stretches the hand at 6.8 inches, yet the curved edge-to-edge screen means that bezel is almost non-existent, and that 40MP front camera hides behind a tiny punch-hole thats easy to ignore after a few minutes of watching a video.
Others in the official Samsung forums have similar issues. Samsung released One UI 4 for the Galaxy S21 Ultra in mid-November 2021. This is a new in open box Verizon Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 128GB. Heres why you can trust us. On our web surfing battery test over 5G, the S21 Ultras 5,000 mAh endured for 11 hours and 25 minutes. Specifications are top-notch including Snapdragon 888 chipset, 5G capability, up to 16gigs of RAM, and 512GB of storage. The two main colors of the Galaxy S21 Ultra. One UI 4.1 delivers many of the Galaxy S22's camera features to older Samsung flagships. 5.0 out of 5 stars based on 9 product ratings, 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 109 product ratings, 4.4 out of 5 stars based on 27 product ratings, 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 2 product ratings, 5.0 out of 5 stars based on 12 product ratings, 4.7 out of 5 stars based on 50 product ratings, 4.7 out of 5 stars based on 76 product ratings. Copyright 1995-2022 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. We also tested the screen brightness of the Galaxy S20 Ultra outdoors, and it automatically amps up to a super-bright 1,500 nits when necessary. Samsung has retooled its main camera with lasers yes, lasers to remedy the autofocus issues on the Galaxy S20 Ultra, and also upgraded the specs to keep up with the demands of processing those large 108MP photos, 40MP selfies, and 8K video without as much as a hiccup. The S21 Ultra is also smart enough to automatically dial the refresh rate all the way down to 10Hz to help save on power. My only comment is that it's quite heavy compared to the previous one. I have experienced terrible battery life. & Poor function. The S21 Ultra also fared well on the 3DMark Wild Life graphics benchmark, hitting 34 fps. It wowed us with a huge screen, five cameras and the best zoom on any readily available Android phone. On Geekbench 5, the S21 Ultra notched 3,440 on the multi-core test and 1,123 on single-core. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Then again, Samsungs phone lasts longer on charge and lets you do more with its cameras. Also helping is the fact that the 120Hz refresh rate is variable. So it may take zoomed-in photos with the main sensor and then just crop to simulate that zoom. What helps most at the 30x (and 100x) ranges is the new tripod lock feature, which prevents the viewfinder image from jumping around, something that could be jarring when zooming in that tightly on the S20 Ultra. As of this writing, One UI 4.1 is rolling out to Galaxy S21 models including the Ultra. It packs in all of the features you could possibly want in a phone, especially if you prefer big screens. JUNK! Samsung.com is offering exclusive S21 Ultra colors, though, including Phantom Navy, Phantom Titanium and Phantom Brown.
And it's amazingly bright and colorful to boot. As of this writing, Best Buy is selling a carrier-tied version of the Galaxy S21 Ultra for $849, while unlocked versions can be found at Amazon for $750. Note that this time is with the standard 60Hz display mode turned on and that youll see less battery life with adaptive mode (up to 120Hz) engaged. Take this photo of towering trees I took at a nearby park. The inclusion of microSD slots always made it easier for us to recommend Samsung over Apple when things were neck-and-neck, as you could go for the lower storage size and upgrade later. Photography and speed are only two-thirds of the story here. Thats faster than the Note 20 Ultras 1:16 but still well behind the iPhone 12 Pro Maxs 28 seconds. Its not fantastic, but the iPhone 12 Pro Max mustered only 100 Mbps in the same location when I popped the same SIM card in that phone. We started out saying that the S21 Ultra is Samsungs vision of excess, but youll have to let go of what doesnt fit into the companys roadmap. The S21 Ultra didnt flinch as I sliced through multiple enemies in Grimvalor while delivering console-quality visuals. Sounds like a quality control issue. It makes it easier to unlock the phone, and I found that the S21 Ultra didnt ask me to press the sensor again like previous phones. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, with its five cameras and 100x zoom range, impresses this time around, even if grainy Space Zoom photos continue to not meet our quality threshold for readily posting to our Instagram accounts. Our previous favorite telephoto camera from Samsung, on the Note 20 Ultra, had a 5x optical zoom and 50x digital zoom.
Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). The iPhone 12 Pro Max averaged 54 fps. All Galaxy S21 series phones now record video at 4K at 60fps from all cameras, and 8K at 24fps returns. It also comes in handy for quickly signing documents. Yes, the contour cut camera design blends the camera bump into the glass back, but this is still a massive device youll want to use with two hands. You can still find it from other retailers and wireless carriers, but make sure you're paying less than the $1,199 debut price, as that will get you a newer Galaxy S22 Ultra. The Galaxy S21 Ultra battery life was solid during our normal testing, amounting to a full day and change but we tanked the battery much more quickly when we pushed that 120Hz screen refresh rate to the max and cranked up the resolution to Quad HD. Keep in mind that theres no microSD card slot for expandable storage, so if youre keen on taking lots of 4K 60fps or 8K 24fps video, you may want to look into the pricier 256GB or 512GB storage sizes and the latter of those sizes also bumps up the RAM to 16GB. So the 10x optical zoom on the S21 Ultra gets you closer to those far-off subjects, while the 3x optical is handy for pulling it back a little bit without digital distortion. I never accidentally tapped something on screen as I did with last years Ultra. Thank you for signing up to Tom's Guide. It also starts at $100 less than Samsung while offering better cameras to boot. item 1 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 128GB Phantom Black Verizon Good Condition, item 2 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 128GB Black SM-G998U (VERIZON) Reduced Price JW8126, item 3 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G - 128GB - All Colors (Verizon) -Very Good Condition, item 4 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G - Unlocked (All Carriers) - 128GB - Black - Good, item 5 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G SM-G998U - 128GB - Phantom Black (Verizon), item 6 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 128GB Phantom Black Verizon Fair Condition, item 7 Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 128GB Phantom Black Verizon Excellent Condition, 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 30 product ratings.
That's another reason to get the Galaxy S22 Ultra, as that phone ships with an included S Pen. The RAM wont make much of a difference in a phone, but youll definitely notice if you run out of storage space. You can also upgrade to 256GB of storage and to a model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The need for resolutions higher than Full HD among smartphones was being driven by VR headsets you could see a screen door effect at lower resolutions when the pixels were so close to your face. The phone tends to heat up and is extremely fragile. At 100x the zoom does get shaky but the new Zoom Lock feature can help you get a steadier shot with just a tap. The launch event was January 14, meaning that both the official announcement and the release date were a month earlier than were used to for the companys flagship smartphone. It is easier to see at my age. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, The S21 Ultras screen proved plenty colorful in our lab tests, with the panel producing 81.4% of the demanding DCI-P3 color gamut, compared to 84.8% for the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Check out our Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review (opens in new tab), iPhone 13 Pro Max
Shame on Samsung for making such a cheap, over-priced ripoff that fails in the first ten minutes.Read full review. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra supports all of the latest wireless standards, starting with 5G. For the first time ever, a Galaxy S device supports the S Pen, the S21 Ultra makes that happen with a Wacom digitizer built into the display. Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Top picked items. You will receive a verification email shortly. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra starting price is $1200. The very last great one was the Note8, which Samsung stupidly discontinued. Samsung says it has also improved the Portrait mode on the S21 by leveraging AI to better separate the subject from the background. Caution: while it's cheaper than last years Ultra phone, it remains pricey for average consumers, and it doesnt come with a microSD card slot nor does it include a charger. Gone is the microSD card slot for expandable storage, and say goodbye to MST (being able to use Samsung Pay with credit card machine even if they didn't have NFC). I tested the camera out at a nearby store to capture a shot of produce, and the green peppers in the foreground look shiny and delicious. Not Sell My Personal Information. Finally, youre going to be able to do justice to the extra detail from those 108MP shots and 40MP selfies, which makes a post-snap crop easier. Unfortunately, while you have a range of storage options to choose from for the S21 Ultra 128, 256 or 512GB Samsung ditched the microSD card slot. The biggest competitor for the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the iPhone 13 Pro Max. i enjoying this phone, the best phone that i ever had. published 6 July 22, The Galaxy S21 Ultra is the best Android phone yet with dual zoom lenses, a stellar display and excellent battery life. I slightly prefer the S21 Ultras photo in this case to the iPhone 12 Pro Max, but its really close. The colors are as rich as ever, and the viewing angles nice and wide when bing watching on Netflix. In this mode we saw a runtime of 10 hours and 7 minutes. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is Samsungs best-looking phone ever. While the iPhone 12 Pro Max is stuck at 2.5x optical zoom, the S21 Ultra packs two telephoto lenses of 3x and 10x optical zoom. There's a new vlogger mode that lets you use the front and back cameras as the same time for recording video. However, things work a bit differently here: theres no S Pen included with the phone and, even when you make the separate purchase, there's no way to embed the stylus into the body of the phone. 120Hz Refresh rate. We recommend the S21 Ultra over the S21 and S21 Plus simply because it has so much extra going on. But its the new Directors View mode that caught our eye this year: you can capture video with both the front and back cameras simultaneously. Display: 6.8 inches AMOLED (3200 x 1400); 10 to 120Hz So you can't skip tracks with a button press or control slideshows. Wireless: 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, UWB If you're constantly losing stuff like me you'll want to check out Samsung's new Galaxy SmartTags. And you can see live thumbnails of each camera while you're recording video, so you can make a quick call if you want to switch. Both the Galaxy S21 Ultra and S21 Plus have a smooth Gorilla Glass back while the Galaxy S21 is stuck with a polycarbonate (read: plastic) back that feels less smooth to the touch. Going all the way from the ultra-wide camera at 0.6x to the digitally zoomed-in 30x with usable photos each step of the way is how Samsung stands apart from Apple and its cameras on the iPhone 12 Pro Max (capped at 2.5x optical / 12x digital), and Googles Pixel 5 (no telephoto). But the phone is worth it:), Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned. A post shared by Matt Swider (@mattswider) (opens in new tab). I have owned the Ultra 21 for just under a week now. Samsung's newer version of the S21 Ultra has pretty similar specs but one massive change: the S Pen stylus fits within the body, making it a core part of the experience. I might go with black because of its slimming effect. It starts at $1,199 / 1,149 / AU$1,849 for a version with 128GB of internal storage and 12GB of RAM. Switched from Google Pixel3XL and will NEVER go back. The Samsung Galaxy S21 delivers some phenomenally good performance, and if you need a smartphone that can handle multiple tasks at once in split-screen view, or when gaming, this will likely be it. While we still never saw the Note 21 Ultra, this is the closest you'll get to that kind of experience thanks to the stylus. Samsung's never-dying Bixby Assistant (the 21st century Microsoft Clippy) is still present on the S21 series, but there's no more dedicated Bixby button thankfully, so you won't accidentally trigger Bixby Voice. Other phones with AMOLED screens, including the S21 and S21 Plus, max out at 1,200 nits, and every little bit helps in direct sunlight. Resolution: 1440 x 3200 Its much easier to pull off the 100x 'Space Zoom' now, although punching in 100x is limited to being a neat party trick due to grainy images, while 30x is passable in the right light. While Samsung has modified something from what you'll find on a Pixel phone, you can read our Android 12 review to learn more about what you can expect with the update. Specs and performance Weve been finding the S21 Ultra to be big where it needs to be, while minimizing everything you dont want to see. Plus, the S21 Ultra supports the S Pen, a first for the Galaxy S series. at a good price. At the heart of all three S21 phones is one of two speedy chipsets: either Qualcomms Snapdragon 888 (US) or Samsungs own Exynos 2100 (just about everywhere else). It's been replaced by Google Assistant cards (formerly Google Now) that have a knack for surfacing more relevant information to your day. S Pen compatibility Screen crystal clear and rich colors.
And while the S21 Ultra is fast, its still a step behind the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Missing from the new S Pen we tested ahead of launch were the Bluetooth shortcuts for triggering the camera and other apps. For more, see our in-depth iPhone 13 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra face-off. Storage: 128/256/512GB Perfect phone for me. Yes, its the green thing to do, but if you havent bought a phone in the last couple of years and dont have USB-C, it will mean more money coming out of your pocket. We've recognized as the best designed device in our Tom's Guide Awards 2021 for phones. If you only just got over the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack in Samsung smartphones, brace yourself for these changes we have seen some diehards in our YouTube video comments proclaim no microSD, no sale. Please refresh the page and try again. The base-level 128GB of internal storage with 12GB of RAM might not be enough for everyone. New York, It was one of the first new smartphones we tested in 2021, along with the Samsung Galaxy S21 and Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus, and it set the bar high much higher than last years problematic Ultra phone. Rear camera: 108MP + 10MP + 10MP + 12MP The colors on the iPhone were a bit more accurate, with its screen achieving a Delta-E score of 0.07, compared to 0.35 for the Galaxy S21 Ultra. It's the cameras where the Galaxy S21 Ultra stands out the most against the S21 and S21 Plus. But here are the key things to know. The S21 Ultras pic is overly bright and a bit washed out, while his fur his more golden and natural looking with the iPhone. At $1,199, the S21 Ultra isn't cheap, but it's $200 less than the S20 Ultra. NY 10036. If I buy from Costco, I have a 90 day return, which seems like a smart way to avoid a problem. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the very best of what Samsung can pack into a smartphone. These capabilities include Night Portrait, pet recognition, lighting position editing and support for Portrait mode when shooting video with the telephoto lens. This is something to be aware of. Tom's Guide is supported by its audience. Follow him on Twitter at @mspoonauer. The lowest-priced brand-new, unused, unopened, undamaged item in its original packaging (where packaging is applicable).Packaging should be the same as what is found in a retail store, unless the item is handmade or was packaged by the manufacturer in non-retail packaging, such as an unprinted box or plastic bag.See details for additional description. The new top-of-the-line Galaxy S22 Ultra is an improvement over this model our Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra comparison details in what ways and we'd recommend the new device instead of this one. Travel Plans, Do The warranty replacement was simply a POS. Battery: 5,000mAh
I saw download speeds exceed 160 Mbps. Thats behind the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which cleared 4,100 and 1,600, but its still the best scores weve seen from an Android phone. Swapped out 4 times because of poor network, connectivity, dropped calls. The Fold 3 is a big, powerful phone that Samsung has intended to succeed the venerable Galaxy Note line (RIP). The 108MP main camera can capture 12-bit HDR photos with 64 times richer color data and more than three times the dynamic range of the S20 Ultra. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra release date was January 29, 2021, and it's available in the US, UK and Australia, among many other places. The original purchase just stopped detecting the original SIM and 2 replacement SIM cards. Battery: 5,000 mAh We found the 6.8-inch body to be easier to grasp than the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max, and thats in large part thanks to the curved display and overall narrowness of Samsung's device. It's also of course one of the very best Android phones and ranks among the best Samsung phones. Verizon courteously canceled my lease bless them. That beats the iPhone 12 Pro Maxs 10:53 and lands the Ultra on our best phone battery life list. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is Samsungs first non-Note phone thats compatible with its S Pen stylus, and its a trend we like seeing. What youll want to pay attention to more are the internal storage sizes. Vloggers and other content creators will relish the fact that they can record reaction shots of themselves, which they can splice in alongside their main footage. There was a problem. So you dont have to choose between the highest resolution and highest refresh rates. However, the music Samsung chooses sometimes for its auto-generated video clips sounds cheesy. A Samsung moderator posted that the adaptive battery should solve some of the issue, but some members are saying that even after a week they are seeing no change. That price rose to 1,199 for the 256GB handset and topped out at 1,329 for the model with 16GB and 512GB of internal storage. And there's an Eye Comfort Shield feature that's designed to reduce eye fatigue by limiting blue light. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra led the charge for the best Android phones in 2021. Apple's top dog of 2021 has a big screen, three rear cameras, a powerful chipset and a top price. Many people have been turned off by the fact that the S21 series doesnt include a microSD card slot for expandable storage, and, frankly, were with you on that. We were able to jot down quick notes and bring up all of the Air Command options, which include a variety of features you can use without touching the phones screen. For example, its large display stretches the hand at 6.8 inches, yet the curved edge-to-edge screen means that bezel is almost non-existent, and that 40MP front camera hides behind a tiny punch-hole thats easy to ignore after a few minutes of watching a video.
Others in the official Samsung forums have similar issues. Samsung released One UI 4 for the Galaxy S21 Ultra in mid-November 2021. This is a new in open box Verizon Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 128GB. Heres why you can trust us. On our web surfing battery test over 5G, the S21 Ultras 5,000 mAh endured for 11 hours and 25 minutes. Specifications are top-notch including Snapdragon 888 chipset, 5G capability, up to 16gigs of RAM, and 512GB of storage. The two main colors of the Galaxy S21 Ultra. One UI 4.1 delivers many of the Galaxy S22's camera features to older Samsung flagships. 5.0 out of 5 stars based on 9 product ratings, 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 109 product ratings, 4.4 out of 5 stars based on 27 product ratings, 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 2 product ratings, 5.0 out of 5 stars based on 12 product ratings, 4.7 out of 5 stars based on 50 product ratings, 4.7 out of 5 stars based on 76 product ratings. Copyright 1995-2022 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. We also tested the screen brightness of the Galaxy S20 Ultra outdoors, and it automatically amps up to a super-bright 1,500 nits when necessary. Samsung has retooled its main camera with lasers yes, lasers to remedy the autofocus issues on the Galaxy S20 Ultra, and also upgraded the specs to keep up with the demands of processing those large 108MP photos, 40MP selfies, and 8K video without as much as a hiccup. The S21 Ultra is also smart enough to automatically dial the refresh rate all the way down to 10Hz to help save on power. My only comment is that it's quite heavy compared to the previous one. I have experienced terrible battery life. & Poor function. The S21 Ultra also fared well on the 3DMark Wild Life graphics benchmark, hitting 34 fps. It wowed us with a huge screen, five cameras and the best zoom on any readily available Android phone. On Geekbench 5, the S21 Ultra notched 3,440 on the multi-core test and 1,123 on single-core. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Then again, Samsungs phone lasts longer on charge and lets you do more with its cameras. Also helping is the fact that the 120Hz refresh rate is variable. So it may take zoomed-in photos with the main sensor and then just crop to simulate that zoom. What helps most at the 30x (and 100x) ranges is the new tripod lock feature, which prevents the viewfinder image from jumping around, something that could be jarring when zooming in that tightly on the S20 Ultra. As of this writing, One UI 4.1 is rolling out to Galaxy S21 models including the Ultra. It packs in all of the features you could possibly want in a phone, especially if you prefer big screens. JUNK! Samsung.com is offering exclusive S21 Ultra colors, though, including Phantom Navy, Phantom Titanium and Phantom Brown.