Samsung Galaxy S21 5G
An in-depth review of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra—the Android phone I've been waiting for
After purchasing a new Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra a few weeks ago and giving it ample time to be tested in terms of its battery life, cameras, and other features, I can now finally present my comprehensive evaluation to you. On my channel, there are also unboxing videos, hands-on reviews of the Galaxy Buds Pro and a few accessories, and in-depth discussions on the camera lenses. But the complete evaluation is the focus of today
Let's get the cameras started! There are four back cameras on the S21 Ultra.
Quad rear camera:
- The top-most quad rear camera is an Ultra-wide (120°) model with 12 MP, 1.4µm, f/2.2, and 0.6x zoom fixed focus.
- The Main comes next: 108 megapixels, f/1.8 aperture, 0.8 µm pixel size, optical stabilization (OIS), laser autofocus, and 83 field of view
- Next, you have a Telephoto (3x): 10MP, 1.22µm, f/2.4, OIS, 35 FOV
- And a Telephoto (10x) sensor on the smaller sensor: The periscope lens, which has 10MP, 1.22µm, f/4.9, OIS, and 10 FOV, is folded.
- Additionally, Laser Focus is a feature of this phone's design.
- The front-facing 40MP, 0.7µm, f/2.2, and 80 field of view selfie camera
- Video recording functions exactly like they do on the standard S21.
The S21 Ultra, then... Titanium, Navy, and Brown are Samsung-only hues. Phantom Black or Silver is the colorway that is currently shipping. The MSRP for 128GB is $1199.99, 256GB is $1249.99, and 512GB is $1379.99. Your phone, a data cable, a SIM remove tool, and a quick start instruction are all included in the package. There is no power adaptor included.
The phone's chassis is constructed of aluminum, while the front and back are composed of corning gorilla glass victus. Akin to my iPhone 12 Pro Max, it has a respectable dimensions of 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm and weighs 227g. The arrangement resembles that of other S21s. The bixby side button may be changed to just turn your phone off without triggering bixby, which is what I did. The volume and bixby side buttons are located on the side. On the bottom are USB-C and a single SIM card port. AKG stereo speakers are tucked away at the top and implanted at the bottom of the screen. Moreover, the phone has IP68.
It's a very beautiful spectacle. It has a 6.8" Quad HD+ dynamic AMOLED 2x Infinity O display with curved edges. Although FHD+ is the default resolution, you may raise it to QHD+, or 3200 x 1440, at 515 ppi. You still get the full 120 Hz refresh rate with this, but your battery life could slightly decrease. Common aspect ratios are 20:9 and 89.33%, respectively, for screen size to body size. It was so bright—1500 nits—that I didn't even have to consider brightness when I brought it downtown Parker over the weekend. Thanks to Eye Comfort, I didn't have eye strain at night, and the adaptive brightness performed a fantastic job of rising as needed.
Additionally, you have the option to add and modify the Always On Display, adding whatever information you would like to appear when the screen is "off". - Notifications, the weather, a clock, your calendar, etc.
FHD 30 and 60, UHD 30 and 60, and 8k 24 are among the resolutions and framerates that you can record at. There are just two versions of Super Steady: FHD 30 and 60. Digital zoom in video can reach up to 12x.
Videos are often not overexposed but rather slightly oversaturated. Although the audio from the microphones was typically decent, a lot of background noise was picked up.
Pictures were really good overall. With these four lenses, I was able to get some pretty nice detail and color balance. Even though the sun was setting behind me, the front-facing camera provided me with superb exposure, which was another outstanding feature.
One of the greatest portraits I've seen thus far, I think. Compared to previous year's models, these have greatly improved.
magnification: At 100x magnification, there are still a lot of potatoes, but up to 30x zoom, the clarity is very remarkable. Zoom Lock is quite helpful in this regard, as it may assist you maintain your hand's steadiness. However, if the topic isn't described precisely, it struggles to lock onto it; for example, if the colors blend together, it will hop about a little.
Night Mode: This works really well. The brightness was a little more consistent with the remainder of the shot since the Ultra reduced the overexposed signs more effectively than the S21. I could clearly see the tree, and my photos weren't blown out by traffic lights. Although it wasn't horrible, I would like to utilize this more.
Focus: Nothing wrong. It performed better at focusing on the right subject and focused faster than the previous generation. Maybe because of the quicker CPU, capture speed has also risen.
The AI engine and the more potent parts provide the camera with a lot of its technological capability. As an instance, you receive 12GB RAM, 128 or 256 GB of storage, or 16GB RAM and 512 GB of storage. However, extendable storage and compatibility for SD cards are absent.
My 3D Mark Scores matched the options on the S21. I scored 5567 on the new stress exam and 5606 on the new Wild Life test. This result is somewhat in line with my expectations, as it performed well when I tested other games.
using load timingIn terms of overall usage, this phone was already simple to get used to because the configuration is essentially the same as that of the previous generations. As a result, I had no trouble finding what I wanted, which is nice because I often tweak Samsung's OneUI 3, which has its own interface enhancements in addition to some of the benefits of Android 11, upon which it is built. S Pen Support is also available on the S21 Ultra. I'm waiting on my S-Pen to arrive before I can test this function.
Samsung bloatware is still present. many of which are impossible to remove. Expert advice: everytime you launch these programs, PLEASE DO. NOTSince there was no slowness or lengthy loading times, DO NOT check any check boxes that may appear without first reading them.
Frequently, they are entirely optional; for example, "I agree to accept personalized ads" is a box that you may ignore without clicking. Samsung Dex, connecting wirelessly to a computer or TV for viewing. Samsung Payments...
Included are edge panels and those edge screen shortcuts. Additionally, I wanted to point out that accessibility features are included, such as support for hearing aids, display customizations, and Android's new live transcription and captioning.
I'm always interested in learning about the security of new gadgets, and this one has Samsung Knox for both software and hardware security, which will shield the kernel from malware. It also has the Knox Vault and a defeat exploit, or DEFEX, which is meant to discourage rooting.
Face Unlock functions, however it isn't as precise as FaceID on the iPhone. However, the fingerprint sensor has much improved. Among these is Qualcomm's new Ultrasonic Fingerprint sensor, which is not only more quicker and less light, for example, when used at night, but it also collects more data to improve accuracy and covers a larger area, meaning it offers improved security.
Models differ according on your region and carrier, but options include Bluetooth 5.2, up to wifi 6e, NFC, SIM (my supports single SIM, dual and e-sim are available on specific carriers and locales), Bluetooth 5.5, and up to wifi 6e. Includes Ultra Wide Band.
You may use UWB in conjunction with smart tags to improve location accuracy. This phone seems to have good call quality, and I had no trouble using Google Fi's 5G speeds in Denver.
AKG stereo speakers with no headphone connector and Dolby Atmos compatibility. Both the bottom rail and the top of the display include speakers. Excellent clarity and balance. Bass is deficient. They have the same exact tone as the S21 normal.
The battery has a capacity of 5000 mAh and can be charged at 15W via quick wireless charging 2.0 or 25W with fast charging via wired technology. Powersharing over WiFi functions
ideal for supplying power to the Galaxy Buds. This phone was used to view YouTube videos for the entire seven hours that it was charged—all radios were off except WiFi—and it had full resolution, adaptive refresh rate, and adaptive brightness. The phone went from 100% to around 60% in that time.
For the time being, I believe this will be my everyday vehicle. It does, in many respects, characterize Ultra. For a lively lifestyle like I obviously lead, I would still have enjoyed some better color selections, but that's a little compromise for great specifications. Although I've never been a huge fan of Samsung cameras, they've made some excellent improvements this year, making them a serious challenger.
This phone, in my opinion, is among the greatest available right now. Historically, Samsung has produced some of the greatest hardware, but... Since I don't want all the bloatware and the S21 Ultra's software still has some issues, I frequently go to stock Android, forgoing superior hardware.
Of course I adore it, especially considering that I paid far less than $1200 for it thanks to my trade-in. Therefore, it was well worth it in my opinion. Is it something you should purchase? Sure, provided that it fits into your budget. The S21 and S21+ offer similar experiences if you don't require the extra features like greater resolution, more zoom, or a larger battery.
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