Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Review

The Galaxy S21 Ultra arrived in January 2021 as Samsung's correction of the flawed S20 Ultra, and it fixed nearly everything. It launched at 1,199.99 dollars, 200 dollars less than its predecessor, with a Snapdragon 888 in the US and an Exynos 2100 elsewhere, a 5,000mAh battery and, for the first time on a Galaxy S phone, support for the S Pen.

The display draws the loudest praise. The 6.8 inch QHD+ AMOLED can finally run at full resolution and 120Hz together, drops as low as 10Hz to save power, and is among the brightest, most vivid screens ever fitted to a phone. The cameras pair a 108MP main sensor with telephotos at 3x and 10x, giving the best long zoom on any Android phone of its day, and the focus problems of the S20 Ultra are gone. Battery life comfortably covers a heavy day.

The faults are about cost and convenience. There is no charger in the box and no microSD slot, charging peaks at 25W, the S Pen is sold separately with nowhere to store it, and at 227g it is one of the biggest, heaviest phones around. Samsung's One UI remains a love it or hate it skin.

It went on to receive four major Android upgrades, through Android 15, and it was the Android flagship to beat in early 2021.