The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G is the company’s most premium smartphone yet, with a strong focus on cameras. Just like the Galaxy S20 Ultra (Review), this new model boasts of 100X “space zoom” and 8K video recording, but with an improved shooting experience and even better image quality.
We’ve already talked about the design and main specifications of the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G in our recent first impressions article, so for this review, we’ll dive straight into the cameras and system performance first. If you’re serious about photography or capturing video, then you should be interested in the Galaxy S21 Ultra, which is the most capable of the three Galaxy S21 models. However, is the price justified? Let’s find out.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G price and variants
Before we begin, let’s quickly go over the variants of the Galaxy S21 Ultra that are available in India. In other countries, Samsung has reduced the launch prices of the Galaxy S21 series, however due to taxes and currency rate fluctuations in India, the prices have gone up a bit compared to last year’s models. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G starts at Rs. 1,05,999 for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and there’s a second option priced at Rs. 1,16,999 which has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
It’s pricey for sure, but still costs less than what Apple is charging for its iPhone 12 Pro series. The base variant of the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G seems like it should be the more popular model of the two, but keep in mind that there is no microSD card slot for storage expansion this time, so if you think you’ll be shooting a lot of 8K video, you might want to consider the higher storage variant instead.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G cameras
While the camera capabilities of the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G remain largely similar to those of its predecessor, Samsung has reworked the implementation, especially of the telephoto cameras. There’s a new-generation 108-megapixel primary camera which does nona-pixel binning, combining information from nine pixels into one, for more detailed 12-megapixel photos.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G is all about the cameras
There’s a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera and two telephoto cameras. The latter both have 10-megapixel sensors, but with different types of optical zoom lenses. One has a 3X optical zoom, while the other is capable of 10X, with a periscope-style lens. There’s no mention of hybrid zoom this time, however there’s still some AI processing being applied at higher magnification levels.
Samsung continues to market Space Zoom, which on the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, goes all the way to 100X. At such a high magnification, it can get very tricky to frame shots correctly. especially if you’re shooting handheld, which we experienced with the Galaxy S20 Ultra. This is where the new Zoom Lock feature comes in. When you go beyond 20X magnification, you get a little preview window in the viewfinder to help you find your subject better. If you hold the frame steady enough for one and a half seconds or tap the preview box, the camera will lock focus on your subject and stick to it (the preview box turns yellow to confirm this), making it much easier to get a properly framed shot.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G performance and battery life
Other than excellent camera performance, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is also a true-blue flagship with cutting-edge components. The Indian version is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 2100 5G SoC, which is similar to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 SoC in terms of fabrication process and the types and number of ARM CPU cores used. The 12GB RAM variant that I had for review posted strong benchmark numbers. It scored 5,70,453 points in AnTuTu, and 960 and 2,995 points respectively in Geekbench’s single-core and multi-core tests. These numbers are still behind what Apple’s A14 Bionic in the iPhone 12 series can produce, but honestly, you’d be hard pressed to tell any difference between these phones with regular use.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G software
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G runs OneUI 3.1, and it worked smoothly with no real hint of lag or slow-downs in the week that I had to review this phone. This is the latest version of Samsung’s custom skin, and is based on Android 11. It looks and feels slick. Familiar Samsung gestures and shortcuts such as the Edge Panel are all present, which should make existing Samsung users feel right at home. Unlike the iPhone 12 Pro Max, you can make better use of the large display by opening two apps in split-screen. Samsung DeX is present, which I found super useful for transferring files from my laptop to the phone and vice versa, wirelessly.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G ergonomics
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G packs in a lot of features, but all of this comes at the slight cost of ergonomics. It’s a massive phone by any definition, and in fact, it’s even a bit thicker and heavier than the Galaxy S20 Ultra. It’s also quite top-heavy, and you can feel this imbalance, even with two-handed usage. I’m not complaining too much, though, since coming from the iPhone 12 Pro Max, I find it a bit more comfortable for one handed use thanks to the rounded sides.
The new design makes the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G look way better than previous models. Samsung’s new contour-cut design for the camera module is unique, and manages to mask the camera bulge pretty well. You also get premium materials all around, with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus for the front and back, and a metal frame.
Verdict
For a long time, Samsung’s Galaxy S flagships in any given generation were mainly differentiated by display and battery size, with the ‘plus’ models benefiting more. This changed last year when Samsung introduced a third ‘Ultra’ model with a focus on cameras. This year, Samsung is trying to create an even larger gap between its models. The Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G continues to be the hero product, but the Galaxy S21+ 5G and Galaxy S21 5G now have lower-resolution (full-HD+) displays, and the latter even ditches the glass back for plastic. Samsung did something similar with the Galaxy Note 20 series last year, with the Ultra model getting a premium treatment, while the standard model had to live with big compromises.
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