Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)

Released January 2021

Ultra-Premium (>$800)
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)

Summary

Pros

  • Quality of photos & videos in all conditions
  • Good detail in selfie stills and videos in bright to moderate light
  • Brightness level of the screen, making it readable in indoor and outdoor conditions
  • Well-adapted screen brightness and faithful colors when watching HDR10 videos
  • Overall audio playback experience
  • Performance in audio recording, particularly in loud environments such as concerts and shows

Cons

  • Main camera performance when compared with competitors in the same segment
  • Unnatural zoom images
  • Artifacts in videos
  • Noticeable noise selfie photos and videos
  • Limited screen performance under very bright outdoor conditions
  • Inaccuracies in touch performance, affecting video gaming experience
  • Below average autonomy in this segment, providing less than two days (41+ hours) of average use

Scores

Camera
Display
Audio
Battery
Selfie
! This evaluation is based on the version 5 of our Camera test protocol. Results are not directly compatible with those from the latest version 6, which employs an updated evaluation framework
115
camera
Overall Camera Score i
115
45
Xiaomi Redmi A3
BEST 169
Top score
Oppo Find X8 Ultra

Sub-scores

Photo i
121
110
Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G
BEST 170
Top score
Oppo Find X8 Ultra
Video i
100
90
Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro+ 5G
BEST 166
Top score
Oppo Find X8 Ultra
Tests

Read the test results

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos) camera
131
display
95th

in Global Ranking

63rd

in Ultra-Premium Ranking (>$800)

Overall Display Score i
131
82
Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
BEST 160
Top score
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Sub-scores

Readability i
136
74
Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
BEST 164
Top score
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Color i
124
104
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
BEST 165
Top score
Google Pixel 8
Video i
141
65
Samsung Galaxy A22 5G
BEST 167
Top score
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Touch i
105
79
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
BEST 164
Top score
Google Pixel 7 Pro
Tests

Read the test results

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos) display
118
audio
119th

in Global Ranking

67th

in Ultra-Premium Ranking (>$800)

Overall Audio Score i
118
86
Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
BEST 161
Top score
Black Shark 5 Pro

Sub-scores & Use Cases

Playback i
116
74
Nokia 7.2
BEST 163
Top score
Black Shark 5 Pro

Use Cases

BEST 172

Listening to music

Through the smartphone's integrated speakers

BEST 161

Watching videos

Through the smartphone's integrated speakers

BEST 156

Gaming

Through the smartphone's integrated speakers

Recording i
124
88
Fairphone 4
BEST 160
Top score
Honor Magic6 Pro

Use Cases

BEST 169

Friends & Family videos

With the smartphone's main camera

BEST 164

Selfie videos

With the smartphone's selfie camera

BEST 158

Concert videos

With the smartphone's main camera

Tests

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Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos) audio
93
battery
185th

in Global Ranking

50th

in Ultra-Premium Ranking (>$800)

Overall Battery Score i
93
75
Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
BEST 164
Top score
Motorola Edge 60 Pro

Sub-scores

Autonomy i
88
55
Xiaomi 12 Pro
BEST 197
Top score
Honor Magic7 Lite
Charging i
109
72
Wiko Power U20
BEST 218
Top score
Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
Efficiency i
80
47
Xiaomi 12 Pro
BEST 154
Top score
Oppo Reno6 5G

Key performances

Battery Life
1 days 17h
Battery Life
0-80% Charge
0h51
0-80% Charge
Full Charge
1h33
Full Charge
after 5-minute charge
2h57 Autonomy
after 5-minute charge
Tests

Read the test results

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos) battery
135
selfie
24th

in Global Ranking

19th

in Ultra-Premium Ranking (>$800)

Overall Selfie Score i
135
25
Intex Aqua Selfie
BEST 151
Top score
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Sub-scores

Photo i
133
18
ZTE Axon 20 5G
BEST 149
Top score
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Video i
140
38
Intex Aqua Selfie
BEST 156
Top score
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
Tests

Read the test results

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos) selfie

Specifications

151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9mm

Dimensions

5G
Dual SIM

Network

Water resistant
IP68

Protection

Wireless

Charging

128/256/512 GB

Storage

Wide, Long Tele, Tele, Ultra-Wide

Main camera
Show more specifications

Video

Pricing