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Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

86/100
38 Critic Reviews

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Release Date (UK): January 2021

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What the critics say (scores are out of 100)

100

IT PRO | Bobby Hellard

If you like big phones, the only issue you'll have with the Samsung S21 Ultra is the price.

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100

T3 | Robert Jones

Samsung's Ultra phones, this isn't a handset for everyone, but it's not built to be – it's another slice of smartphone royalty from the South Korean maker, and it will appeal massively to well-heeled phone enthusiasts and first adopters.

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100

The Guardian | Samuel Gibbs

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is Samsung's latest big, heavy and expensive superphone that makes meaningful improvements to both the camera and general usability...If you want the best Android superphone the Galaxy S21 Ultra is it and will take some beating this year.

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97

ZDNet | Matthew Miller

If you are considering this phone and have an older phone sitting around then now is the time to purchase it since Samsung's trade-in deals change significantly after the phone launches and the pre-order period expires.

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91

phoneArena | Daniel Petrov

The Galaxy S21 Ultra still carries the same humongous battery, but has done the near-impossible, taking the record-beating camera kit further to earn the world's best camera phone specs title.

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90

Neowin | João Carrasqueira

The asking price is nothing to brush off to the side, but you get a whole lot of phone for your money.

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90

The Economic Times | Debashis Sarkar

The S21 Ultra is one of the most-advanced Android phones in 2021.

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90

Digital Trends | Andy Boxall

2021's only true flagship Galaxy S Series phone is the Galaxy S21 Ultra, which has extraordinary ability, particularly from the camera.

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90

news.com.au | Elly Awesome

It may be pricey but overall, I think this is the best all-round mobile device I've used as of late for content creation. This kind of phone will especially be invaluable for people who make TikToks, YouTube videos, filmmakers or even people who manage social media accounts.

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90

The Indian Express | Nandagopal Rajan

This is a phone for the pros in every sense and those who don't need this much can look at the lower specced versions of the S21 series. Samsung seems to have a winner here, but this is not a phone for the masses.

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90

NextPit | Antoine Engels

If you already own a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, I do not think that upgrading is justified. However, if you are using a Galaxy S10+ or older, then this ultra-premium flagship generation is perfection, thanks to the incremental improvements made to last year's release.

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90

Android Authority | David Imel

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra fixes most of the issues that plagued last year's S20 Ultra, all while coming in at a lower price point. The lack of microSD card expansion and a charging brick may frustrate longtime fans, but Samsung has delivered a great all-rounder phone with a clean design, wonderful display, blazing-fast performance, and one of the most versatile camera systems you can get in a smartphone today.

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90

pocketnow | Jaime Rivera

All that's holding this phone back from total dominance is timely software updates. In absolutely everything else, I think the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the best Android phone you can buy right now. It doesn't just pack the numbers for bragging rights. This time, it actually delivers on them so well, that I'd call it memorable.

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90

Trusted Reviews | Max Parker

It's big, powerful and very capable. If you're after the very best Samsung Galaxy S21 model and money is no object, the Ultra is the one for you. It's a big upgrade over the S20 Ultra, fixing the focus issues and improving battery life. It is very pricey though, especially when the regular S21 has become more affordable.

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90

TechRadar | Matt Swider

Surprise, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is launching a month earlier than anticipated, and that's good news if you're eager to own the very best of what Samsung can pack into a smartphone. It wowed us with a huge screen, five cameras and the best zoom on any readily available Android phone. Caution: while it's cheaper than last year's 'Ultra' phone, it remains pricey for average consumers, and it doesn't come with a microSD card slot nor does it include a charger.

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90

Pocket-lint | Chris Hall

In a change from 2020, we get the feeling that the S21 Ultra will now attract those who want the best from Samsung, leaving the other models in the S21 family slightly more adrift.

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90

NotebookCheck | Daniel Schmidt

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is not without its flaws, but it is without a doubt one of the best smartphones currently available.

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90

NDTV Gadgets | Roydon Cerejo

It offers better value than the iPhone 12 Pro Max (Review), is similarly powerful, and has one of the best telephoto camera implementations in the market. Add to that the excellent build quality, great display, strong battery life, and productivity features such as S Pen support, and this is easily the best Samsung flagship to date.

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89

Engadget | Chris Velazco

The Ultra absolutely shines this year, not because of game-changing updates, but because it addresses basically all the problems we saw in last year's model. Best of all, it's less expensive than the model it replaces.

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85

The Verge | Dieter Bohn

If you can navigate the software, the size, and the price tag, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the best Android phone available today...The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is finally worthy of the name.

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84

Pickr | Leigh Stark

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is a great phone that delivers, even if it needs improvements in some areas. A little more battery life and an improved camera, though these things might be touches Samsung could make in software over time.

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82

TechPP (Technology Personalized) | Nimish Dubey

The S21 Ultra is the successor of the S20 Ultra, which in spite of the immense promise, stumbled because of a few issues and bugs. With dual telephoto sensors and a massive 108-megapixel main sensor, the S21 Ultra adds a new dimension to photography on phones. Yeah, it's expensive, but there ain't anything like it.

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80

Australian PC World | Michael Simon

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is indisputably the best Android phone you can buy right now. But it is big and expensive.

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80

Forbes | Patrick Moorhead

If you are considering an ultra-premium smartphone, I am confident that the S21 Ultra can meet your needs in virtually every category, and in most, it will probably be overkill. Samsung is committed to delivering the best premium smartphones on the market, and I believe enthusiasts and enterprise users will be delighted with the S21 Ultra.

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80

Recombu | Peter Phelps

If you want the very best then you'll have to pay for it, and there are no punches pulled with the S21 Ultra's price.

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80

GadgetMatch | Vincenz

If you're the type of user who has the purchasing power and clearly knows that you want the best of everything in a smartphone, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the ultimate smartphone you can buy right now.

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80

Input | Raymond Wong

Samsung's new flagship Android phone is packing so much heat, the iPhone 12 Pro Max gets burned to a crisp.

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80

Mr Phone | Aman Rashid

if budget is really not a problem and you want to purchase the best Android phone out there? The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the one to get.

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80

The Mobile Indian | Sandeep Budki

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra starts has a premium price tag attached to it...he camera, display and overall performance are top-notch but the ads in the UI and lack of charger are a big disappointment.

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80

91mobiles | Prateek Pandey

While you could make the case against the phone's slow charging speeds and its barebones unboxing experience, truth be told, you wouldn't care about any of that once you start using the phone – it's that good.

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80

Firstpost | Nimish Sawant

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is definitely recommended for those of you who have been using flagships from three generations ago and don't mind the six-figure pricing. Those with the S20 / Note 20 Ultras need not bother - the S21 Ultra isn't an earth-shattering upgrade.

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80

Tom's Guide | Mark Spoonauer

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is the best Android phone yet with dual zoom lenses, a stellar display and excellent battery life. The S Pen is just a bonus

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80

SlashGear | Chris Davies

Samsung's Galaxy S21 Ultra is more affordable than last year's flagship... Still, for all its merits, it's difficult not to see the Galaxy S21 Ultra as the evolutionary pinnacle of a species set to be replaced.

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80

Mobile Syrup | Patrick O'Rourke

With the Galaxy S21 Ultra, Samsung has a lot to prove. The main question surrounding the device is if it solves the S20 Ultra's most glaring issues. Thankfully, Samsung's latest S series flagship accomplishes this for the most part.

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80

Stuff | Andrew Williams

An Android that earns its "ultra" title with an incredible camera array allowing you to capture moments other phones will simply miss

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80

Expert Reviews | Nathan Spendelow

The [Galaxy S21 Ultra] is a fabulous smartphone and it comes packed with everything you could possibly want from a flagship. However, with a four-figure cost that zooms past its already-expensive rivals, it's a tough sell, especially during the current period of economic instability.

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80

Wired UK | Andrew Williams

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra takes what made the S20 Ultra great and adds to it in style. This is a phone for photo fans, for the scenes it lets you capture rather than the purity of the image character.

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75

India Today | Javed Anwer

The latest and greatest phone from Samsung is the Galaxy S21 Ultra but its design is wonky and cumbersome, its software mundane and its price exorbitantly high, making it a poor value compared to other phones.

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Every day, we search through thousands of tariffs and offers from UK online retailers to find the best Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra deals and contracts across a selection of price points and needs.

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Compare Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra specs side-by-side with other phones
COMPARE SPECS

Form factor and dimensions
Dimensions & Form

Form factor: Touchscreen Bar
Dimensions 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm (6.5 x 2.98 x 0.35 in)
Weight: 227 g (8.01 oz)

Screen
Screen

Size: 6.8 inches diagonal
Resolution: 3200 x 1440 pixels
Screen Density: 516 ppi
Screen-to-Body Ratio: 89.4 %

Display Type: Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak)

Operating System
Runs

Android

Performance
Performance

Chipset: Exynos 2100 (5 nm)
CPU: Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55)
GPU: Mali-G78 MP14
RAM: 12/16GB

Camera
Camera

Main Camera: 12MP (ultrawide) + 108MP (wide) + 10MP (3x telephoto) +10MP (10x telephoto) + LED flash + laser autofocus
Secondary Camera: 40 megapixels

Storage
Storage

Built-in Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB
Expandable Storage: Not Available

Battery
Battery & Charging

Capacity: 5000 mAh
Removable Battery: No
Wireless Charging: Yes

SIM Standard
SIM standard

Dual SIM: Nano SIM + Nano SIM or Nano SIM + eSIM
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Water and Dust Resistance
Water & Dust Resistance

IP68 Rating: Protection from contact with harmful dust, and protection from immersion in water up to a depth of 30m for up to 30 minutes

Fingerprint Reader
Fingerprint Reader

Front (under the screen)

More info
References & More info

Official website
GSMArena specs page

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Last Updated: 20th May 2023

How HandsetExpert Works: We don't run ads on the site, or charge users to use the site. The site is funded using commission links, where we may receive a commission if a phone or tariff is purchased via HandsetExpert. Our editorial, phone scoring and recommendation system and deal-finding algorithms are not affected by this; we are fiercely committed to providing unbiased, independent information.

Important notes

  • We aim to compare as many tariffs in the marketplace from the UK as possible. However, we do not include every package (e.g. legacy tariffs no longer available, or tariffs only available to existing/specific customers), nor do we detail every aspect of every tariff (e.g. international out of bundle rates, on-network minutes, etc).
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