Table of Contents
- Design
- Fabric
- Cameras
- Performance, Storage and 5G
- Battery
- Conclusion
- Video review
- Galaxy S21 Ultra specifications
O Galaxy s21 ultra was announced in January by Samsung with the mission of being one of the best smartphones on the market, competing with the tops of the Android ecosystem and with its main opponent, the iPhone 12 Pro Max. With a robust camera set, huge battery and excellent performance, it is a remarkable phone. Check out all the details of this incredible device in the exclusive review of Techlifers.
Design
Samsung brings a design proposal with flat sides on the Galaxy s21 ultra, as opposed to the rounded one seen on last year's Galaxy S20 Ultra. The back now has a matte finish — to reduce fingerprints on the device — and the camera housing is now flush with the rest of the back, eliminating the annoying bump present on the S20 line. The device, in general, is a dazzle to the eye and to the touch.
The right side of the phone has the volume and on/off buttons, and on the top small holes indicate the sound input from the microphones. On the underside of the device, the USB-C port for charging and connecting the phone to the PC is present, along with the SIM card tray and the speaker.
The device's screen is coated with Gorilla Glass Victus, the certification IP68 provides protection against water and dust. Counting on 6,8 inches, the screen looks huge at first glance, but the user adapts quickly to it. Its luminosity is great, presenting no problems to use the device in sunlight.
Fabric
The screen Galaxy s21 ultra it's a display AMOLED WQHD + dynamic with resolution 3.200 x 1440 pixels, offering a very immersive experience, dominating the front of the device with its 6,8 inches.
The contrasts are well defined, the blacks are deep and the visual fidelity in the colors is at a great level. This display can also dynamically adjust its refresh rate depending on the type of content being displayed on the screen: it can be as low as 10 Hz for activities such as reading eBooks, or as high as 120 Hz (maximum) for games that require a high refresh rate.
The front camera is positioned in an inconspicuous hole in the screen, which Samsung calls “Infinity-O”, as in the S20 line. Well centered, it doesn't interfere with the experience while not being used.
The fingerprint sensor of the S21 Ultra is also an evolution, being of the second generation ultrasonic type of the Qualcomm. At the first use, it is already noticeable how superior to the sensor that equipped Samsung's previous devices. Fast and accurate, it works even when clogged with water or sweat.
O Galaxy s21 ultra it's the only model in the line S21 compatible with S-Pen. The pen is one of the main features of the line Galaxy Note, and all models of the accessory — from the first to the latest — are compatible with the smartphone. THE S21 Ultra It does not come with the accessory, which must be purchased separately. As the device does not have an internal compartment for the S-Pen, we recommend using a special cover that holds the pen.
Cameras
O Galaxy s21 ultra comes with a quad rear camera system, and a front camera. The rear system consists of: 108MP Wide Lens with Dual Pixel technology, 12MP Ultra Wide Lens, 10MP Telephoto with 10x Optical Zoom and 10MP Telephoto with 3x Optical Zoom.
The new sensor 108MP brings enhanced focus and optimal low-light performance, and with the assistance of laser-guided focus, images come out with amazing clarity. The photos taken with the 108MP sensor also have one of the functions that has been improved over the S20 Ultra: the Dual Pixel, which in the case of the S21 Ultra takes groups of 9 Pixels and treats them as a larger pixel, giving a very good quality. bigger for photos.
The resource Space Zoom returns in S21 Ultra, adding digital zoom to the 10x optical zoom, getting close to incredible 100x. The camera now has the Zoom Lock, which has optical and digital image stabilization supported by artificial intelligence, improving the level of detail when compared to the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
O S21 Ultra it can also take pictures in dark environments easily even without activating the night mode, thanks to its sharpening and lighting options. In the wide-angle lens, by the way, it is surprising that Samsung managed to maintain a pattern of colors very similar to those seen in the other lenses of the device.
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Telephoto cameras stand out because of the optical zoom. With a choice of 3x on one lens and 10x on the other, the photo-taking experience is impressive, opening up a whole new world of options. Testing the 10x zoom on Avenida Paulista, the result was surprising, not losing quality and being able to calmly see details of the building where the camera was pointed.
The lens capable of 3x zoom is slightly sharper than the lens with 10x zoom, because of its larger aperture, but still the zoom results are impressive, as it is something with a much higher quality than any other. photo taken with digital zoom.
In terms of types of photography, the S21 Ultra also delivers great stuff. With the 40MP front camera, selfies are clear and sharp, but are heavily dependent on ambient lighting. In cases where the light is not so good, the colors can be a little distorted. THE One UI 3.1 brings two new options for selfies: natural and bright. The natural one is focused on contrast, while the bright mode is made to better define the shadows of the selfie.
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Photos taken in portrait mode look great too, thanks to the laser-guided autofocus sensor's edge detection. However, it is notable that when a lot of detail is present in the photo the edge detection gets a little confusing, taking away the quality of the photos. The Auto Macro mode is also surprising, simply by bringing the phone closer to something it recognizes and putting the cameras in Macro mode, bringing enormous quality to photos and showing details that were previously invisible.
In the video, the S21 Ultra is a great highlight, going far beyond just the cameras that can shoot in up to 8K at 24fps or 4K at 60fps. The options for shooting and editing modes within the device itself turn the user into a true director. In the modes present in the device, two stand out: the Single Take 2.0 and the mode Director's Vision.
O Single Take 2.0 can, from a recording, create various types of content. It can produce video and photos with filters, accelerated clips, portraits, panoramic/cropped photos and highlighted videos, all from a press of the record button. already the Director's Vision allows the user to switch between different lenses during video recording, showing a thumbnail of the other lenses that are not being used. Through settings, the director's view can also show a selfie camera feed in the top corner, which allows you to have multiple different points of view in one shot.
Overall, the S21 Ultra's camera array is easily one of the best that users can find on Android devices.
Performance, Storage and 5G
O Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra sold in the Spanish market has the processor Exynos 2100 5G developed by Samsung, while in selected markets it has the Snapdragon 888 from Qualcomm. The model evaluated by Techlifers, being the one that will reach the Spanish market, is the one with the Exynos 2100, and the results were great.
In daily use, no lag or stuttering of the device was noticed, and its speed is very remarkable. It is also notable, but in a negative way, that even in basic activities such as sending messages or the like, the S21 Ultra it gets very hot, and it's not a matter of using a lot of memory or processor, since looking at the management of the cell phone it was using very little of the 16 GB of RAM contained in the device. In games and activities that demand more processing and memory, such as gaming as Asphalt Legends, the experience is fluid and without any type of crash. Although the heating is uncomfortable, the fluidity and speed of the cell phone make it difficult not to want to take full advantage of it. the cell phone also works quickly and fluidly, without stuttering, but still with the problem of heating.
O Galaxy s21 ultra it is compatible with the connection of 5G networks, however as this network is not yet available in Spain we were unable to test it. In terms of Wi-Fi and 4G connections, the S21 Ultra had enormous stability, especially at points where connections have strong signals. It also supports Wi-Fi 6And, being one of the first smartphones with this support. Download and upload speeds, when connected to this type of Wi-Fi network, have a huge and important increase.
Available in models with 128GB and 512GB of storage, the Galaxy S21 Ultra does not have the possibility of expanding memory from a microSD card.
Battery
O Galaxy s21 ultra it has a considerable battery of 5.000 mAh, and even with tasks that demand a lot of processing, such as the dynamic refresh rate, the battery lasted impressive periods. In light tests, with only day-to-day tasks, the cell phone managed to last two whole days, reaching the end with 15% of battery. In times of heavier testing, with lots of photos, videos and games, the battery lasted a little over a day.
However, when talking about the battery of the S21 Ultra, it is impossible not to comment on one of Samsung's most controversial decisions. Going on the same decision as Apple for its line of iPhones, the Korean giant took the charger from the package that integrates the kit of the S21 line.
Although in 2021 it is almost impossible to imagine that a person does not have a charger at home, the omission is still something complicated, especially when noting that the cable that comes with the S21 Ultra is one with two USB-C ends, whose chargers that accept it are not yet so common, forcing those who buy a smartphone to most likely also spend on a separate charger.
O S21 Ultra it also supports wireless charging, but in terms of speed it lacks a lot. If possible, focus on the cable that came with the device.
Conclusion
Analyzing the entire set of the device, involving cameras, performance and screen, it is clear that the Galaxy s21 ultra It is one of the best premium Android available on the market, if not the best. When compared to the other models in the S21 line, it stands out. Points that weigh against the top of the line Samsung are the excessive heating of the Exynos processor, the removal of memory expansion by microSD cards, and the controversial decision to remove the charger from the cell phone case.
The wide range of content display options with its dynamic refresh rate, its robust battery, its cameras with great lenses and various shooting options like the “Director's Vision” mode make the Galaxy s21 ultra be a fantastic device, which we highly recommend to anyone who wants a premium experience.
O Galaxy s21 ultra is available in Spain from March 05th in two versions, that of 256GBBy R$ 9.499, it's from 512GBBy R$ 10.499. The Samsung also prepared a special action for the launch of the new Galaxy S21 in Spain, with the option Smart Exchange. At the time of purchase, it is possible to evaluate your used device and instantly know the amount that will be paid by Samsung on your old device. The customer will then be able to purchase the product by paying only the difference between the exchanged item and the value of one of the new ones. Galaxy S21. The used product will only be picked up after delivery of the S21 to the place indicated by the buyer.
Video review
See the analysis of Galaxy s21 ultra also on video:
Galaxy S21 Ultra specifications
| Model | Galaxy s21 ultra |
| Price | R$9.499 (256GB) R$10.499 (512GB) |
| Fabric | 6,8 inches |
| Screen Resolution | 3200 x 1440 |
| Processor | Exynos 2100 |
| RAM memory | 12GB |
| Storage | 256 and 512 GB |
| Memory card | no support |
| Back camera | 108MP Wide Angle Lens with Dual Pixel Technology 12 MP Ultra Wide Angle Lens 10MP Telephoto Lens with 10x Optical Zoom 10MP Telephoto Lens with 3x Optical Zoom |
| Frontal camera | 40 MP |
| Operational system | Android 11 |
| Battery | 5.000 mAh |
| Available Colors | black, silver and violet |
