Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 256GB Review

The 3-Minute Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Review

By Rachel Hutson | January 2020

The Specifics

Samsung has introduced a few new changes to their new S21 range; they have discontinued the curved screen for the S21 and 21 Plus to make the range more affordable. However, Samsung decided to keep the old curved style screen in the S21 Ultra that everybody knows and loves. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has the best that Samsung has to offer in a smartphone if affordability wasn’t that much of a factor. Compared to last year’s S20 Ultra model, the S21 Ultra is more refined in a few ways.

The S21 Ultra features a new fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, giving the smartphone the ability to handle sub-6GHz and Wave 5G, it also packs an Ultra-wideband radio which will work with Samsung’s new Galaxy tags. With a powerful processor, it is complemented by a 6.8” 3200x1440 display with refresh rates of up to 120Hz which can be run at full revolution, unlike the previous S20 model. It also has 12GB of RAM which is 4GB more than that of the S21 and S21 Plus with 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. There is also a version with 16GB of RAM with a massive 512GB of internal storage.

The previous S20 had camera autofocus bugs, which Samsung has taken care of with a new laser autofocus system. It has a 108MP sensor with another 3 additional cameras on the back to help smoothen out functionality which is a 12MP ultrawide camera and two separate 10MP telephoto cameras with different zooming capabilities.

Features & Design: 5/5 | Performance: 5/5 | Value: 5/5 | Battery Life: 5/5

The Best

To power up this beast of a smartphone, it packs a big 5000mAh battery which will keep you going for a long time. The Samsung S21 Ultra has a smooth and elegant design, eliminating the old ugly protruding camera bump at the back which makes the S21 range stand out above the rest of their competitors.

The Bugs

With owning such a powerful and elegantly designed device comes a price tag that is up to $200 more than the base model, but you’re paying for what you get with the added extra weight of its hardware. Unfortunately, because of the cameras on the back, it still does have a camera bump and doesn’t look as well designed and proportioned as the S21 and S21 Plus.

Is it for you?

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is definitely for you if you’re after the best of what Samsung has to offer in a smartphone, with an adaptive 120Hz display refresh rate and a 5000mAh battery with a whopping 12GB of RAM, the S21 Ultra will make gamers’ dreams come true.

What we like

Surprisingly, the S21 Ultra is the first of the Samsung S series to support Samsung’s S pen stylus. Unfortunately, the stylus isn’t included with the smartphone, but it can be purchased with a cover that has a placeholder for the stylus as well.

What we don’t like

As suspected with a 2021 smartphone, ports on the Samsung S21 Ultra are very limited. This means that it doesn’t feature a 3.5mm audio jack or an SD card slot which is a new trend for Samsung, but also a disadvantage in some ways.

Should you buy it?

If you have the money to afford this wonderful piece of technology, then the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra would definitely be well worth the price tag.