Create and Construct

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra raises the bar for premium design with its modern, smart appearance. Tough Gorilla Glass Victus is used on the front and back, enclosed in an aluminum frame, so this smartphone offers a good feel and more durability too. At 6.50 inches wide, 2.98 inches high and 0.35 inches thick, it is hugely useful, but also nicely lightweight. You can purchase the phone in Phantom Black and Phantom Silver and the matte finish makes it cleaner by allowing fewer fingerprints. The S21 Ultra comes with a special camera housing, Contour Cut, to blend the module into the frame, creating a beautiful style.

• Aluminum frame
• Gorilla Glass Victus front and back
• Matte finish for fingerprint resistance
• IP68 rating (water and dust resistance)
• USB-C port for charging and data transfer
• No physical SIM card slot (eSIM and single nano-SIM in some regions)
• S Pen support (optional accessory, no built-in slot)

Because of stiff competition, the S21 Ultra does not include a charger and earphones with the phone. You can charge the phone wirelessly using 15W or allow others to charge with the phone’s Wireless PowerShare at 4.5W. Not including a microSD card slot now means LG is relying on storage found inside the device which they offer up to 512GB. You can use the S Pen with the S21 Ultra, a new addition for the series, but it doesn’t include a storage solution like what’s on the Note models.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Display

The 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the Galaxy S21 Ultra is a major improvement over earlier Galaxy models. It produces clear, colourful images with a resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels (515 PPI), supporting HDR10+ for better media experiences. For seamless scrolling and power efficiency, the display's 120Hz adaptive refresh rate alternates between 10Hz and 120Hz. With a typical brightness of 1500 nits, it is very visible in bright lighting. To maximise screen real estate, the display has a tiny punch-hole for the front camera and an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor.

• 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• 3200 x 1440 resolution (515 PPI)
• HDR10+ support
• 1500 nits (peak)
• Gorilla Glass Victus
• 120Hz adaptive refresh rate

The display is excellent for productivity, gaming, and media consumption, and its 120Hz refresh rate makes interactions incredibly fluid. Reviewers have praised its clarity and vibrancy, and its high brightness and colour accuracy make it a standout feature, even though some users may not be able to toggle it to Always-On Display.

Software and Processor

The Exynos 2100 (or Snapdragon 888 in some areas) powers the flagship performance of the Galaxy S21 Ultra. An 8-core CPU (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1, 3x2.8 GHz Cortex-A78, and 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) and a Mali-G78 MP14 GPU (Exynos) or Adreno 660 (Snapdragon) are features of the 5nm chipset. It has storage choices of 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB (UFS 3.1) and 12GB or 16GB of RAM. It provides a seamless, adaptable experience with Android 11 with One UI 3.1 out of the box (upgradable to Android 14 with One UI 6). The S21 Ultra is perfect for power users because it supports wireless DeX, Samsung DeX, and improved multitasking.

• Exynos 2100 / Snapdragon 888
• 12GB/16GB RAM
• Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
• Android 11 (upgradable to Android 14)

With the Exynos 2100/Snapdragon 888, for gaming, multitasking and other AI powered features (Bixby and SmartThings), performance is solid. As far as battery life and connectivity, the S21 Ultra performs well with the 5G modem and especially with efficiency in mind. Users, however, may have experienced some minor inconsistencies in Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, which should be improved over time through regular software updates.

Camera System

The Galaxy S21 Ultra has a versatile quad-camera array consisting of a 108MP main camera (f/1.8, 24mm, OIS), a 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2, 13mm), a 10MP periscope telephoto (f/4.9, 240mm, 10x optical zoom), and a separate 10MP telephoto (f/2.4, 70mm, 3x optical zoom). It also features 8K video at 24fps, 4K video at 60fps, and super slow motion, at 1080p 240fps. The 40MP front camera (f/2.2) has autofocus and 4K video capability. There are many features available for the S21 Ultra, including Space Zoom up to 100x, Night mode, and Director’s View for multi-camera recording.

• Rear: 108MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto (3x), 10MP periscope (10x)
• Front: 40MP
• Video: 8K at 24fps, 4K at 60fps, 1080p at 240fps
• Modes: Night, Portrait, Director’s View, Space Zoom
• Laser autofocus

Reviewers praise the S21 Ultra’s camera for its versatility, especially the 10x optical zoom and 108MP clarity, though low-light performance can lag behind competitors in some scenarios.

Battery Specifications

The Galaxy S21 Ultra has a 5000mAh battery good for almost a full 37 hours of video watching. In normal use cases, I found that it managed around 11 hours of screen time. It supports 25W wired charging (50% charge in ~30 minutes), 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. The combination of the Exynos 2100/Snapdragon 888 improves the efficiency of power management while on standby, keeping the battery level high and consistent. At the time of manufacture, it was among the longest-lasting flagship phones on the market.

• 5000mAh battery
• Up to 37 hours video playback
• 25W wired charging
• 15W wireless charging
• 4.5W reverse wireless charging

Connectivity

The S21 Ultra has a 5G modem (sub-6 GHz and mmWave in some locations) that offers fast speeds for downloading and uploading. It features Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and UWB (Ultra-Wideband) for precise location tracking. Dual SIM (nano-SIM + eSIM) and NFC are provided with GPS (A-GPS, GLONASS).

• 5G (sub-6 GHz, mmWave)
• Wi-Fi 6E
• Bluetooth 5.2
• Dual SIM (nano-SIM + eSIM)
• Ultra-Wideband (UWB)
• NFC
• GPS: A-GPS, GLONASS

P ricing and Availability

The Galaxy S21 Ultra starts at $1199 for 128GB, $1249 for 256GB, and $1379 for 512GB. Released on January 29, 2021, it’s available through Samsung, major carriers (Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T), and retailers. Samsung’s trade-in program offers credits for eligible devices.