Galaxy S21 Ultra – Samsung’s spearhead

Last year Samsung boasted of Space Zoom, a feature that allowed its largest and most expensive device in the Galaxy S20 series to perform digital zoom of up to 100 times. The results were not quite high quality, not that we expected particularly high quality digital zoom in the first place, but the main problem was in focus, Something we also addressed in our review of the same device.

Thinking about the Galaxy S21 Ultra Samsung of course addressed the camera issues, and along the way also added quite a few other improvements. This is a positive thing when dealing with various issues that came in the previous generation of devices when the next generation came out, and these improvements definitely propel the new model forward, but Samsung have also chosen to take things out, like the charger and headphones, and even reduce certain capabilities like fast charging, which offers low speed More in the new generation.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra came to our table in early February, and after about a month of use, in which we wanted to put more emphasis on the battery after our disappointment than that of the standard S21, these are our conclusions.

>> Join Gadgeti’s Telegram Channel

Design, structure and the shortcomings of the box

Samsung chose to adopt the way Apple started when they removed the charger and headphones from the packaging. Samsung noted that this choice is due to considerations of contribution to the environment and even referred to the fact that many of its users use old USB-C chargers, these have been supported by its devices since 2017.

So true, anyone who has owned Samsung even before purchasing a new device, can indeed use it in the current model as well and will probably also be able to enjoy the fast charging at a power of 25 watts (depending on the charger, of course). But at least in Israel, the early buyers received not a small and economical package that can contribute to the environment, but a huge package that includes a variety of gifts – headphones, fast charger and more. And it’s fun to receive gifts – but the connection between donating to the environment and what actually happens is quite tenuous, at least with the launch of the Galaxy S21 series in Israel.

The structure of the device has changed as well – we get stronger protective glass (Gorilla Glass Victus) that will protect the screen better, and the back of the Galaxy S21 Ultra also comes in a matte color, such that fingerprints will not stand out, and a photo set in a new structure, which looks pretty good even if It is still very prominent from the back of the device as it was in the past. It is still a very large and quite heavy device weighing close to 230 grams, one that requires time to adjust to its regular use.

Galaxy S21 Ultra: The best screen on the market

If there’s one thing consistent with Samsung’s flagship devices, it’s the screen. Samsung is one of the largest manufacturers of OLED screens for phones and it also provides the best products, and evidently, its screens can be found not only in its Galaxy devices, but also in the leading flagship devices of Apple, Shiomi and other phone manufacturers in the market.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra comes this year with a slightly smaller screen (0.1 inch difference) compared to the S20 Ultra. The screen in the new model comes in size 6.8 inches, With Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel, WQHD + resolution and 3200 by 1440 pixels, offering higher brightness (1500nits versus 1400 in the previous model) and a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz, which this time also works in the highest resolution on the device.

model	Galaxy S20 Ultra	Galaxy S21 Ultra
Display size	6.9 inches	6.8 inches
Resolution and panel	+ WQHD Layout: 3200 by 1440 pixels Panel: Dynamic AMOLED 2X	+ WQHD Layout: 3200 by 1440 pixels Panel: Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Pixel density	511 pixels per inch	515 pixels per inch
Additional features	support in: Display content in standard + HDR10 Glass: Gorilla Glass 6 Display ratio: 20 by 9 Refresh rate: 120 Hz Maximum brightness: 1400 rivets	support in: Display content in standard + HDR10 Glass: Gorilla Glass 7 Display ratio: 20 by 9 Refresh rate: 120 Hz Support for working with S-Pen Maximum brightness: 1500 rivets

The brightness of the actual screen is indeed very high, one that allows it to be used quite easily even outdoors, and the colors look excellent as well. The default is the “colorful” mode, which enhances the colors seen on the display, but you can also choose more natural colors, change the white balance on a scale ranging from “cool” to “warm” and even change each color individually (red, green, Blue) manually.

The operating screen always saves the need to fully turn on the display every time just to look at the watch, but it consumed quite a bit of battery when always operating, between 10-15 percent during the test period, while its instantaneous operation with a single touch of the display saves battery life.

The advantage of the high refresh rate is noticeable during games, which showed smoother movement in the high display settings compared to the 60 Hz mode, but I did not notice a significant improvement in battery life. Samsung notes a dynamic charging rate, one that can range from 10-120 Hz, so you can expect noticeable savings in battery consumption in current uses, but this is probably negligible compared to my uses of the device, so I could not notice it during the use of the device.

Galaxy S21 Ultra: Performance

The performance segment in Samsung devices has become a battlefield following a wrong step in my opinion that the company took with the launch of the latest Galaxy Note series. Samsung chose to update Qualcomm’s chipset, which reaches limited areas of the world (US in particular), but the rest of the world continued to use the Exynos 990 chipset launched with the Galaxy S20 models about six months earlier.

In a world where everyone has a small computer in hand that is able to connect to the world via the internet, everyone knows what’s going on everywhere, and this has created quite a stir among news sites, YouTube videos and has also permeated user communities. This echo was so intense that even with the launch of the Galaxy S21 Ultra, which has already been upgraded to a completely new chipset – the Exynos 2100, there were still voices against devices marketed with Samsung’s chipset, instead of Qualcomm’s.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is marketed in Israel, as mentioned, with the Exynos 2100 chipset, which is manufactured in a 5-nanometer process and offers an upgrade of more than 40 percent in the graphics processing section and an upgrade of more than 30 percent in the performance category. And with all the noise around the Exynos 990, the new system has been updated to a level that significantly reduces the differences between the devices sold here and those sold in the US with the Snapdragon 888 platform, but various tests show some performance benefits to Qualcomm’s system at this point as well.

But all this does not matter, because the bottom line is that the performance is among the highest on the market, the device functions with a high resolution screen and a high refresh rate whether watching videos, regular use of the device or demanding tasks like graphics-intensive games, and if in one comparative test someone found a gap, After all, it is of no importance to me in the day-to-day use of the device. Where is the noise about gaps yes important? Exactly where such noise may cause a company like Samsung to hear criticism and try to improve and improve to provide us with the best product it can provide.

But there are more gaps, and if you thought that Samsung just removed the charger and headphones from the box, then this year you will no longer be able to expand the storage volume with an external memory card. In my opinion, this is not a significant disadvantage, since the minimal storage components today are not as small as they used to be, but for those who are used to using a microSD card for their own reasons, this is a more significant disadvantage.

Charging and battery life

The battery in the S21 Ultra model comes with the same capacity as that obtained in the previous model battery in the series, this stands at 5000mAh, but supports a fast charging power of only 25 watts. It is not clear to me why Samsung chose to reduce the charging power, perhaps noticed that not many have adopted the 45 watt charging that was available earlier, mainly due to the fact that Samsung itself did not provide support chargers in previous models, and maybe there is another unknown reason.

Samsung has already proven that they know how to route users according to actual needs and not according to specifications on paper when they led to setting the display resolution + Full HD by setting the default even on devices where higher resolution was available, and it still happens. But in the case of the battery, I was happy that the GaN charger I bought, which supports Samsung’s new device and fast charging with a power of up to 65 watts, would not reduce by 25 watts and would require me to wait about an hour and a half for a full charge of the device.

The battery performance of the S21 Ultra, in contrast to my experience with the regular model, was very good. I have said many times that I expect a battery life of at least two days from new devices sold today, but it seems that the battery gods do not provide this, so a full working day, which usually ends with another 15-20 percent battery, will probably satisfy the vast majority of users, too. Those that come with more demanding requirements in their regular use of the device.

Improvements in the photography system

In addition to the change in the design of the rear camera system, Samsung has also added to the functionality of the cameras and improved the problematic focus we saw in the previous generation with autofocus focus, which prevents unwanted volatility in general and especially while zooming. All the cameras this time come with autofocus (Dual Pixel AF) and in performing the Space Zoom you can see Samsung’s camera app in another small window that opens and allows us to see a kind of freezing of the image at a certain level of stabilization. This allows you to zoom in at high zoom, to keep the image quality as good as possible, but don’t expect luxury if you use 100x digital zoom – it will look better than the company’s previous camera, but it’s still a digital zoom.

Comparison of camera specifications between the S20 Ultra and the S21 Ultra:

model	Galaxy S20 Ultra	Galaxy S21 Ultra
Number of sensors in the main array	4	4
Main sensor	108 megapixels	108 megapixels
Main sensor features	Sensor: First generation Aperture key f / 1.8 Built-in Optical Stabilization (OIS) Autofocus support Sensor size: 1 / 1.33 inches Pixel size: 0.8 micrometers	Sensor: Second generation Aperture key f / 1.8 Built-in Optical Stabilization (OIS) Improved autofocus support Laser AF Focus Sensor size: 1 / 1.33 inches Pixel size: 0.8 micrometers
Secondary sensor	48 megapixels (periscope) Aperture key f / 3.5 Built-in Optical Stabilization (OIS) Sensor size: 1 / 2.0 inches Autofocus support Pixel size: 0.8 micrometers Optical zoom: 5x Digital Zoom: Space Zoom up to 100x	10 megapixels Aperture key f / 2.4 Built-in Optical Stabilization (OIS) Sensor size: 1 / 3.24 inches Support for fast autofocus – Dual Pixel AF Pixel size: 1.22 micrometers Optical zoom: 3x
Third sensor	0.3 megapixels Aperture key f / 1.0 Intended for depth collection only	10 megapixels (periscope) Aperture key f / 4.9 Built-in Optical Stabilization (OIS) Sensor size: 1 / 3.24 inches Support for fast autofocus – Dual Pixel AF Pixel size: 1.22 micrometers Optical zoom: 10x Digital zoom: Space Zoom second generation, up to 100 times
Wide angle sensor	12 megapixels Aperture key f / 2.2 120-degree shooting angle Sensor size: 1 / 2.55 inches Pixel size: 1.4 micrometers	12 megapixels Aperture key f / 2.2 Support for fast autofocus – Dual Pixel AF 120-degree shooting angle Sensor size: 1 / 2.55 inches Pixel size: 1.4 micrometers
video	Up to 8K at 24 frames per second Up to 4K at 60 frames per second Slow gear at Full HD resolution at 240 frames per second Slow gear in HD resolution at 960 frames per second	Up to 8K at 24 frames per second Up to 4K at 60 frames per second Slow gear at Full HD resolution at 240 frames per second Slow gear in HD resolution at 960 frames per second
Selfie camera	40 megapixels Aperture key f / 2.2 Autofocus support Pixel size: 0.7 micrometers Shooting angle: 80 degrees	40 megapixels Aperture key f / 2.2 Autofocus support Pixel size: 0.7 micrometers Shooting angle: 80 degrees
Selfie video	Up to 4K at 60 frames per second	Up to 4K at 60 frames per second

The real advantage comes in the form of an optical zoom of up to 10 times (which is a lot!), While the zoom 20-30 times also shows an impressive level of detail, although at this level it is no longer an optical zoom. If you like to shoot things remotely, Samsung’s camera will allow you to do so in impressive quality even without getting close.

The images produced by the main camera are very accurate. The light level collected is high, the colors are rich and the contrast is impressive, as is the dynamic range.

The wide angle camera is also very impressive compared to the others on the market, but compared to the main camera there are differences in quality, especially at night, so you can see the differences between the amounts of light that enter the main sensor and those that reach the wide photo sensor. Between shooting in the main sensor and shooting in the wide angle sensor along with the designated night mode active:

Macros look great as well, and the autofocus available in the various sensors in the photo array contributes a lot to that.

The selfies also look great and when shooting in front of a strong light source the details in the image are well lit and not burned, with the bokeh effect showing a good separation between the subject and his surroundings and blurring it well.

Bottom line – what we thought of the Galaxy S21 Ultra

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is without a doubt one of the best and most impressive devices that exist in the market today, and also among the most expensive ones. It offers a huge and particularly impressive screen with high brightness and rich colors, strong audio output from the speakers and even quite strong vibration, performance at the highest level in regular use and during games and a photo system that has a wide range of improvements and shows good results in all types of photography.

Samsung’s new ultra model is without a doubt its spearhead and is the perfect package for Android users, but keep in mind that in the packaging that wraps it you will not get a charger and headphones.

For purchase: Power Warehouses KSP Ivory

---

* Some of the links that appear in the post are related to affiliate programs, for which we will receive a commission upon actual purchase. This commission does not increase the final cost of the products for you.