Description
| Brand | Samsung |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Samsung Private Ltd. |
| Product | Smartphone |
| Country of Origin | South Korea |
| Charger | ? 1 Provided |
| Condition | New |
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Model | Samsung S Series |
Sale!
Samsung Galaxy S20FE (G781B-DS, 5G) (256GB/8GB, Cloud Lavender)
£913.58 £593.83
Stock expected soon
Email when stock available
Additional information
| Product code | ACE-59420 |
|---|---|
| Barcode | 8806090874741 |
| Brand | Samsung |
| Colour | Standard |
Adam H –
Ive been a Samsung fan for the last five years. Previously owned the Galaxy S8 and decided it was finally time for an update.I choose the Galaxy S21 as it was reasonably priced and had all the features I required. Never been one to go for the latest phone but felt this one was definitely worth it.The screen size is the same as my S8, yet there is less phone this is great as it fits in my pocket better and feels less cumbersome whilst using it.I love how the screen fills the entire phone also, no wasted space, as well as the front camera being placed within the screen.The features are incredible and Im still slowly getting through them all. Syncing your Google account to your Samsung account has never been easier feels very efficient and cohesive.Ive never been fussed on how good a camera is until using the Galaxy S21. I cannot believe how much fits in the new wider camera, feels like a true reflection on how you view the world from your own eyes.I also did the tradein option, very good service as well as the free gift promotion helping prompt my purchase. Would recommend this phone to anyone wanting a new or latest phone at an affordable price.
Btha –
Samsung has gone an ruined the Galaxy phone line with the S21 model. Compared with my 2 year old S10 this phone is on par at best or WORSE in every single aspect. I routinely upgrade to the newest Galaxy every 2 years and have done so since the first Galaxy model arrived, however, this latest upgrade does not feel like an upgrade at all.Let me highlight some of the features now comparing to the S10Screen Smaller which I actually wanted and has a weird aspect ratio, its too narrow and wide. worseStorage Bigger but FIXED so no SD card can be added. worseMemory same on parCamera about the only thing thats better on this phone really, but I preferred the 2x zoom selection option on the S10 more than the 3x option on the S21. betterAudio this is BY FAR the worst feature of the S21 compared with the S10, WHY Samsung would not include a 3.5mm headphonemic jack is downright stupidity Both the Bluetooth options and adaptors are terrible options compared to the simple 3.5mm headphonemic jack of the S10. I actually used true wireless earbuds with my old S10 but the utility of being able to plug in wired headphonesmic was invaluable compared with the inability to do so on the S21. On a related note the Samsung Typec to 3.5mm adaptor dongle is GARBAGE. And on another related note the Samsung galaxy buds physically hurt to wear after very short time possible a worse design even compared with the S21. One would have thought that if they wanted to force a change to Bluetooth headphones they would come up with a wider range that suit more people but I digress WORSEAccessories be warned, this phone DOES NOT come with a charger, cable, adaptor, headphones etc. which honestly would all be handy given the limitations highlighted above. The one thing it did come with was a Typec to Typec cable included which made the process of switching my appscontacts etc. over a breeze but only to discover the same apps work less well on the S21 compared with the S10. worseOverall I really am struggling to find the change to this new model an upgrade in any way. It seems to be overall slower with the same set of apps and even the Bluetooth which is being force upon us seems to have a worse time connecting compared with the S10. I hate to say it as im now stuck with this phone but the S10 was a superior phone.
Japi –
Compaired to S9 aligning ear on phone earpiece is not super intuitive. Wonderfully smooth display due faster refresh rate. I wish I could reduce even more brightness in total darkness. Not a fan of the thicker, heavier frame, but prefer the additional memory rather than SD support. I like that Samsung kept the ability to set the picture of albums and having albums in albums. I do not get the Samsung member app. Camera Better color rendition. Great selfie camera. Zoom is great up to 30x. Marginally better macro is possible, but sometimes more difficult to take. 3x camera is underutilized. Prefer the back fingerprint sensor. Wish I still had the heart rate sensor.My wishes for my next phone 1 plenoptic camera with control on focus plane and depth of field. 2 Sturdy design no needing a protective case. Ex the old Blackberry Z10
hisp517 –
Seven months, two phones, both broken.My first S21 Ultra bricked after about 4 months. Black screen without warning and nothing would recover it. Got a warranty replacement.Have had the second one for two months and it spontaneously developed two screen cracks. Now, I know everyone with a cracked phone says, I didnt do anything… but I REALLY didnt do ANYTHING. Just opened it up and found the cracks. NEVER dropped. Not even set down hard or jostled. Phone is always in a Samsung case. You could examine the phone with a microscope and you wont find any other damage other than these inexplicable cracks. The only speculation I can offer is that the weather was warm, and so I wonder if thermal expansion causes the crack. But there is a fundamental defect if a screen can crack without any impact and completely unacceptable for a phone at this pricepoint.Having had multiple other phones that have survived years and which are now being used and abused by my kids, all without a crack or problem, I know a phone screen should not spontaneously crack.All that said, the camera is pretty awesome. Too bad I have to view the phones through two cracks in the screen.
Anchel –
Ive upgraded from a Galaxy S20 Plus, a phone that, while it had some great features, it was unfortunately marred by some atrocious battery life and lots of overheating problems, at least for the Exynos variant.The S21 Ultra does away with all the issues of its predecesor and makes the phone shine even more with an absolutely gorgeous screen with silky smooth scrolling, an extremely versatile camera set that allows for plenty of experimentation with its many features, or a simple, quick automatic photo that is sure to look good. And it does so in a much more beautifully designed package.Battery life was not stellar on the first few days, but after reading online that the Smart Switch feature sometimes causes idle battery drain, I reset the phone to factory settings and installed my apps one by one again. Now the battery is excellent and lasting a full day of heavy use.Im also having some issues with the integrated Gallery sync to OneDrive, and looking for how to resolve it.
Wadey3103 –
The last Samsung I had before, was the S8. I then had various brands since before making the decision to get the S21 Ultra. And oh my…. it doesnt disappoint. Starting off with the drawback, cost… theres no denying it. Its very expensive and in my eyes, a little too much money, hence why I went to a few brands in the last few years. I did however, miss some of the premium features, and having to swallow the cost, I thought I hope this is worth it. Well, I can honestly say, its well and truly worth it. Its a very capable phone with THE BEST camera. The display is phenomenal and the software works flawlessly. My only complaint, is why did it not come with the Snapdragon for UK markets The exynos is good, but the Snapdragon wouldve made the deal sweeter. Overall, Im very happy with the phone, and I hope longevity wise, it lasts. If you have the finances to support it, and youre looking for an extremely good phone, with the camera and ancillaries to match, its a must have. My final line, Im very happy with it, and will continue to enjoy the phone.
sirhartyc –
Okay, so off the bat Yes, it doesnt have a micro SD just get the 256 or 512gb model and use this magical thing called cloud storage also I have a Samsung T5 so I gave an external option, there is no charger in the box a really dumb complaint imo, considering you may as well just buy a super fast pd charger and youll be sorted for all your phones, and of course the headphone jack doesnt exist. Honestly, these are things people have been complaining about for years and its time to move on. The S21 Ultra has the memory and RAM capacity of a laptopcustom PC build. The speed, the beautiful 120hz QHD display is the best and certainly one of the fastest. The camera has everything youd want and Ive not even got to trying out 34 of the creative features available. It would be nice to have the S Pen included and with somewhere on the phone to store it, but Im not a big pen user and Im happy to wait for the S Pen Pro. Also, Samsung is a loyal brand. Updates are always welcome, the customer service is great.
RaxasMum –
I have owned Samsung phones starting with the S3 , S4 , S6 , S8 and S10 . The S21 Ultra is a real smart phone . It has predicted my usage and adapted to how and when I use it. The battery is amazing. Im getting to the end of the day with around the 45 mark . None of my other Samsungs gave done this and the need to charge it was often . The camera is amazing. The swiftness of the operating system is superior . It has put into deep sleep apps that I rarely use so they arent all running in the background without having to compromise with any other optimisation of battery power . And , its a sexy looking phone . I purchased the smart cover and battery charger separately. So charging is super quick and protection for my phone is fantastic . The Buds Pro came with it as I purchased on pre order. Thank you They are also top quality. Sound quality and ease of use and comfort are great . The original buds that came with my 10 dont come close to the quality of the Buds pro .
Ahsoka –
So about this phone after a few months, the cam is amazing on both video and taking photos. The AI driven edit mode is just out of this world. I love the speed, nothing ever hangs, I pick up the phone and it just works.PhysicalWhat I like most about it is the slim form factor, the feel of it is amazing and I love what Samsung has done with the hardware buttons with the customizations. The screen just glides without error. The typeC connection works with any hub like adapter.SoftwareSo it runs Android 11 and to be honest the phone feels like stock android with a little Samsung Flair, you can remove most of the little pre installed apps but you honestly may find use for them so just try them. The OS does not take up much space and I recommend the 16gb version.Battery life is about 1.5 days for my use and I game on mine, it keeps really cool at all times. The ultra charge is neat if you really need it but really just keep normal charging and turn off fast and ultra charge unless you need that 10 min 80 percent battery. The OS is slicky smooth, I do like my own launcher, I use Nova Launcher and with the S21 it is simply amazing. The Samsung Dex is like a perfect linux desktop to work on.It does not have an SD card slot which is fine because it has lots of space as is and a simple SSD will work with it for extra storage.The price is really the only con, but you do get an amazing phone with all the features you could ever want.Now with the S Pen, the S pen works flawless on this phone, I love taking quick notes and when I am done just send it off, or in a meeting taking notes with this thing is amazing. I love the option to handwrite in combination with or without a keyboard and it transcribes my messy handwriting perfectly. It also learns a bit from you every time you use it so amazing.I recommend the Spigen Liquid Air Armor Designed for Galaxy S21 Ultra Case 2021 case they have on Amazon or the Black Case Logic Caseology Vault Compatible with Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. I use both on my two s21 ultra 512gb.This is my daily driver and hopefully Samsung will improve on this winning design.This pairs really well with the Samsung Tab S7
Vivas81 –
Begin with the bad thinks.Its heavy and I didnt fount that crazy evolution or new thing that I was found on any new galaxy some years ago when I read the new things and said whaaaaaat, how this can do that. ok. The zoom its amazing and the AI of processing pictures are amazing, but personally I would like have the possibility of deactivate this funtion some times. To much contrast or detail you know arent there. Otherwise you never feel stuck. Is really really fast. The sensation of 120hz screen is lovely and is automatic and you never feel the decrease of hertz, very nice.The camera its amazing but I like the reality and have some dislike about the automatic AI contrast and repixel but its incredible how works. The night picturea are stunning to much light can enter, but sometimes the AI overfeed. Grate phothos but Im obsesive with this thinks. The autonomy its very good but you know. This is almost a computher and sometime drybthe butery like one.Finally. Worth it YES. more if you check the other phones and I give it only 4 stars because always galaxy amaze me, actually its a 4.6 oh and bonus. The integration with computhers are great, I use a macbook pro and finally can use and share with any problem very good.
Gautam –
As someone who is always in the middle of technology, S21 Ultra made it to my list of must haves as soon as it launched. Waited for a month in NZ to get my hands on this, it was beautiful and pristine. Felt so good in the hands, although being a big phone. Performance wise, its an absolute beast. Everyone knows the specs, but its the actual performance that matters. Battery is mich improved over the past ones. I am a heavy user and cannot complain any bit about it running iut of juice anytime soon, easily lasts for a day. As a Samsung patron, Ive come to expect beatiful displays from them, which sometimes doesnt give an actual perspective as to how good it is, unless you use other phones. Its packed with features one cab dream of, the camera is amazing and One UI 3.1 makes everything so buttery. Top all of this with a 30 discount I managed to get as a university staff. I mean, it was the best deal of my life, and every bit worth it. Absolutely recommended for anyone who values technology at work in its prime.
Galaxybound –
Moving the fingerprint sensor from the back panel on the S9 to the front of the phone under the screen on the Ultra 5G was a terrible mistake.The placement of the sensor under the LCD makes fingerprint feature nearly unreliable and forces me to use the secondary method to get past the locked screen.I have removed any covers and screen protectors to see if the problem can be remedied.I have also added my fingerprint nearly 20 different times, with and without the screen protector.All of the solutions were unsuccessful. I now use pattern instead. Still, it is a shame to not have this feature reliable when previous iterations of the galaxy line were successful in delivering this reliable feature.Other than this issue, the phone performs tremendously well.
LearJet55 –
Yay The camera I wanted Its soooo nice I dont really care very much about the phone for phone purposes, but it is also fine and has a quiet, clear signal. I bought this for the cameraI did an instore sidebyside comparison with the 2nd rated phone according to online reviews. You can probably guess which one. They were both very nice, but this camera won handsdown for me. I like the variety of lenses and fstops. I like how close this one could focus macro.Be sure to review the tips and other online suggestions for getting maximum functionality out of it. The pictures are exceptionally clear, even after cropping them and even if cropping from the optical zoom. Optical zoom goes up to 10x.Digital zoom goes to 100x. They give you an extra spotting window to help you FIND your target at that level of zoom. The digital zoom pictures are NOT at the same crispness level as the optical zoom, but they still arent bad at all.I found a case online that included a slide window to cover the lenses. That is probably wise, although they also have a glass cover over them for protection.If you want to take pictures, get THIS phonecamera
BuDWiZe –
Had a bumpy first 2 weeks shooting video with phone overheating. after a cpl of weeks ph turned off unused apps and it doesnt really seem to heat up anymore. I am a photographer and the cameras on these phones can get some great results. Obviously no where near my dslr but i also dont want to drag that with me everywhere i go. Videos are very good quality. There does seem to be some focusing issues at times though that i have enountered. Not sure if there are any settings i need to change for this but its been a bit of a nuisance at times. with 4k8k video They should have kept the micro SD card as you can fill even 256 gig up pretty quickly. I burned through storage so fast at a boxing eventphone itself is great much better design than my old s9. Software is snappy much prefer the screen vs the s9 iteration. No idea about the speed vs snapdragon here in australia.Battery is lasting a long time for me. I dont use 5g so i set it to 4g and below.Ive taken supurb photos under fluorescent lighting which is very low light situation. its especially good to select the 108mp mode and then resize it yourself in ps and you nice sharp and clear photos. If i could upload a cpl of samples here i would have.
Batman –
Upgraded from a galaxy s9. Dont get me wrong. This isnt a bad phone. But it does miss the mark in a few areas where I feel it counts. Ill start with the pros first. The camera coming from the s9 I do see some improvements notably in the software. Features which appear to be exclusive solely to the s21 ultra do to it having 4 cameras. Also has laser focus. The display As always, Samsungs displays never cease to impress me. Though if you want the WQHD, youll need to shell out the extra cash for the s21 ultra. The s21 and the s21 feature only 1080p displays. Overall build the physical built overall is quite nice. The back is plastic but not cheap plastic. Not a finger print magnet like its predecessors. Metal frame and a nearly bezzless display combined to make a quite nice, even sophisticated package, though not a wide range of colors at launch. But for me, as long as I have my black, I dont care. So I subtract no points. Processor Each new phone typically boasts the usual more powerful processor claim. I havent put it through benchmark tests but from real world use, the OS is quite snappy and moving from app to app and menu to menu has no lag at all. Overall a pleasant experience. Battery life The s21 features a much larger battery the the s21 and s21. Two days in so far and it seems to hold up to daily activities rather well texting, some light gaming, facebook, etc… S Pen if you just so happen to have an S Pen from an old Note or Galaxy Tab, it will absoluty and finally work on the Galaxy S line of phones. Though there is no storage on the phone itself for the pen, but you can purchase a case that has an integrated S Pen holder.Okay. Now for the CONS…. Camera Now I know what you must be thinking. But you said the camera was a PRO. Yes I did. However, even with the various software and hardware improvements, the image quality does not seem to be so strikingly amazing compared to my s9. Even when shooting in 108mp mode, the results seem only marginally better. Adding to this, I dont believe the sensor is truly 108mp, rather each mp is divided into 9 parts allowing the sensor to capture more detail and thusly produce an in my experience somewhat sharper image. Furthermore, I do not understand what the point is to put so many cameras into a phone. Sure you have your telephoto, for example, which should enable you to maybe get a nice shot of the moon. However, if lunarphotography or any other kind of long range shooting interests you, even an entry level DSLR will yield far superior results. My opinion leave smart phone to the selfies and MAYBE wide angle. Leave everything else to actual cameras. It will make room for other things like my next point. 3.5mm HeadphoneMic input The modern smartphones have become an especially handy and even accessible solution for vlogging. With the ability to shoot 4k and the s21 ultras 8k, you can yield some very acceptable results and very easily. But good video does not make up for garbage audio. And unless you are using a mic, garbage is what you will get. I dont care what smartphone you are using. The other reason the removal of the 3.5mm jack is problematic will become painfully clear if youre somebody who flies a lot. Once you put youre phone in airplane or flight mode, those Galaxy Buds Pros you just bought will be of no use to you. Now Im sure there is a USBC to 3.5mm adapter available, but my point stands and for this the entire s21 lineup loses 1 star. Expandable storage Samsung have we not been down this road before I know you guys know how much people value the option for expandable storage. Say goodbye to another star. No headphones or charge brick in the box In an age where every single thing comes with a charge brick, I think this was probably a good move. We all have 500 of those kicking around at this point. But the lack of headphones is unacceptable. A decent pair of USBC headphones absolutely should have been in the box. At the very least, a USBC to 3.5mm adapter given that they removed the jack. Fingerprint sensor Theres not much I can say other than that it has so far been nothing short of a frustrating experience. It was MUCH better on the s9 and when it was on the back of the phone as compared to under the display on the front. Maybe the next iteration will return to this design in lieu of featuring 75 different cameras.I hope some of you find this review to be insightfull given that you will potentially be spending upwards of 1,000.00 or more on this phone. Again, I dont totally hate the phone but it feels as though there has been a bit of a departure from past years in terms of Samsung listening to the desires of the consumer. I think this will be something that will hurt them in the bigger picture.
RavN –
I bought this phone during its release coming from an S9. The S21 Ultra digital zoom is magnificent for photography. Attached is a picture of the moon just using the zoom alone. I do have to note that, the zoom quality does deteriorate after 70x magnification with the stabilization failing and thats even on a tripod. The battery life isnt bad and phone functionality has been good. The ONE real disappointment I have is with no auxiliary port. Wireless buds are nice, but battery life for both bud and phone isnt great. Taking the phone out for a long run doesnt last more than 3 hours. If you do a long run or long hike, the device fails completely. I did a 5 hour marathon with the S9 and it still had about 40 battery because I was using wired headphones so this was one design flop for active people.
DaKorona –
Its been a while since I owned a Samsung phone. The last flagship I got from Samsung was the Galaxy S5 though Im a huge fan of the note series. I almost got the Galaxy Note 20 before I realised this phone existed. I have the European Exynos 2100 version which is a slight let down. Snapdragon 888 has better thermals and performance but even at that you cant turn your nose up at this phone. The cameras on both front and back are incredible. They show a new level of detail and are comparable to even some DSLR cameras in image quality. From day one I put this device in an Otterbox case and its heavy. I dont mind the weight so much but its something to be mindful of. Android 11 with one U.I 3.1 is a pleasure to use. One thing I dont like is that I cant use the keyboard to post emoticons on the end of sentences in Twitter posts. My last phone used stock Android and I got used to that feature. The phones responsiveness, download and install times are excellent. Ive not used the 5G yet because my carrier doesnt currently cover my area but its good to know its there for future, or should I find myself in the city Anytime soon. Customisation is a major plus with the galaxy store offering tons of free personalisation content from complete themes to wallpapers and icons. All in all, I got this phone simply because I didnt like the competition. This didnt stand out all that much to me but after some reviews I decided to go for it. Im more than happy this was my choice. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G is an absolutely stellar phone. With additions like Samsung Dex, this can literally become a desktop in your pocket especially with the 12GB of RAM Check out next dock and youll see what I mean. Especially usefull if you writecode or want to remote into that beefy PC back home. Dont consider this. If you need a phone and have the extra dosh laying around just buy it. Its excellent.
Android Addict –
I normally buy most flagship phones every year. Apple, Google, SAMSUNG, OnePlus, and an occasional LG. The SAMSUNG Galaxy S21 Ultra is the best phone Ive ever owned. It checks all the boxes, from great screen, camera, battery life, fast internal storage, and the UI. The phone is fast and fun to use So many options from Dex to SPen.This is the first year I didnt buy a OnePlus flagship because I knew it just wouldnt compare and I wouldnt switch back and forth. I normally swap my SIM card from phone to phone. Iphone 12 max was sold immediately and no use trying OnePlus.Foldable phones have my interest but they just dont have the camera module that the ultra has. Ive taken some excellent pics and videos with my phone. Very very very happy with it Love the matte finish and the look of the camera module. I plan on keeping this phone for at least a year and that is super rare for me. Great job Samsung
Bala7 –
Constructive feedbackI knew there was no charger included, but it feels unwelcoming even as a Samsung fan and frugal when I cant charge my newest purchase with a charger from previous generations. The Samsung website stated in text format that a USBC cable is included in the box as in the attachment. However, I learned this was not the case after discovering the CC cable. The only things I can charge it with at the moment is my laptop or using my cable and charger from the S8.Moreover, the battery drops quite fast compared to Samsung Galaxy S8 and warmed up quite a lot on day 1 without really utilizing any app or charging it. I hope this stabilizes and isnt because of the Exynos 2100 chip. The selfie camera also feels a little underwhelming since I use it quite often for personal video calls. The person on the other end doesnt notice any difference with the camera. Camera focus is not always accurate and cumbersome to correct.
rumo –
I upgraded from a Galaxy S10 that has expandable memory, a phone jack and phone charger. You wont get that on the Galaxy S21 Ultra. I could take a screen shot on the Galaxy S10 much easier than the S21 Ultra. To shut off the phone is a one button press on the Galaxy S10 but on the S21 Ultra its a two button press on the right side. I found that to be more difficult than the S10. I dont like all the buttons to be on the right side and lower than the S10. It probably works better for someone whos left handed. I think the Samsung should have left the button placement alone. I purchased a 128 GB phone. Its enough for my basic phone use. I found going to the My Files icon then select Analyze Storage, scroll to the bottom and it allows you to free up memory space by deleting all the files you dont want instead of a 30 day auto deletion. I also deleted all the bloat apps and that gave me for memory on my phone. I do like the S21 Ultra and will have to adjust to the new button design. The battery life goes all day with average phone use. The sound output making calls, listening to music and watching videos is good. The phone works well with the 5G connectivity. Website browsing on 5G is noticeably faster. I wouldve given the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5 stars but the button placement, lack of memory expansion, and a phone charger could have made this phone a real winner.
Tom72 –
I am a Samsung fan for many years and decided to go with the Samsung S21 Ultra at Costco since they had a better deal than the Verizon stores. Like others have mentioned, there is no 3.5mm jack for your earphones. Samsung, please bring this back for us old schoolers. I have an open mind and instead of returning the phone, I decided to get the Bluetooth earphones. After a little education, it works fine. It just takes a little getting used to. I havent used an SD card slot, but I understand how important this is to other customers. Samsung, please bring back the SD card slot.When I got my phone, I connected my phone to my home Internet and immediately updated to the latest software. After transferring everything over from my old phone to the new phone using the Smart Switch app, I then activated my phone by signing into the Verizon Wireless website and activated it myself. My next step was to sign into all the apps that requires a signin. I havent had any problem connecting to my car and was able to use everything as before.I took some pictures and videos and they look good. Tip for video recording Move the camera slowly so when you watch it later, it wont be a blur Glad I dont have to buy new chargers as our old Samsung 8 cables worked. Also works on our same wireless chargers. I downloaded the 182page manual for this phone from the Samsung website and will read a little each day. One good thing that helped me right away was going to Settings, Tips and help to learn more about what I could do with this phone. Overall, I recommend this phone. Verizon Wireless did not pay me to write this review. I did this on my own to show that for the last 2 weeks looking for wood to knock on I havent had any issues with this phone. Peace Yall.
MikeyboyT –
Really Really enjoying the s21. Best phone Ive had in years, my last phone, a one plus 5T, was also amazing for when I got it and lasted me a good few years before the battery fell through the floor.Im loving the s21, features galore, an amazing camera the wide angle is truly wide and beautiful, great quality in pictures and films in 4k, great stuff.It is FAST the intelligent refresh rate for the screen is mad smooth and you definitely notice the difference when you swith it off.I have one major gripe though. Signal. Its poor, very poor. Has nothing to do with my location as I am on the same service provider o2 and in my one plus I had perfect signal always, no dropouts and almost always perfect calls. The s21 not so much, I use my phone as a hotspot to play games and watch YouTube through my xbox and I get terrible loading times, lag galore and it can take a while for the data to connect.I hope Samsung sorts out the signal issue as Ive seen other people having the same problem and its pretty dumb that a phone of this technological prowess and price, would have either a poor antenna, modem, or just optimization issues that prevent it from being fully realised.Still though, very happy with the device and will continue to enjoy it for another 5 years like my glorious one plus. Itll be a battle between the two manufacturers when its time to upgrade for sure.
Upstate –
CAMERAI will add a photo that almost no one believes I took with the S21 Ultra. It is amazing. No tripod, no extra lens, not even leaning on a rail. This freehand picture of the moon blew me away and I took it I know there is a lot more to learn about the camera capabilities.The camera is a huge plus.5G5G service is still so limited that it is difficult to say whether it is the advantage it is claimed to be. I will say that internet is often better than it was with my old phone, but still has big giant gaps that frustrate.THE PHONEThe form is fine, I miss the headphone jack and do not understand why a phone that cost more than my first new car does not include a charger. Its a bit bigger than I am used to, but not uncomfortably so. The bump on the back for the camera lenses is a bit offputting. That bump also makes it a little tough to use the wireless charging option on anything other than a dedicated charger.CALLSThe quality of calls is good, but frankly, it drops and allows as much interference as my old trusty S7. Its the third decade of the 21st century. Its time for cell phone service to match up to ancient land lines. And its not all infrastructure. This phone, as did its predecessor, drops calls altogether when interrupted by incoming texts. That may be a caarrier issue, but it is bothersome and sometimes very inconvenient.STORAGEI waited for the 512gb version because the phone does not have an SD card slot. So far, so good, but it usually takes a while for storage to run out as new apps get bigger, more specific and take up more space.SAMSUNG UNIVERSEI went all out and got the ear buds, the watch and the 45w charger. Oh, it uses a stylus too. I misplaced my stylus within 24 hours and had to replace it, but havent used it since. The buds are cute, but substandard and not well integrated with the phone. The sound quality is dime store. But oh that watch The watch will be available for a fraction of the list price any day now. It too is not wellthought out or thoughtfully integrated with the phone. Its awkward to use. The features are a shadow of the actual app to which it connects. The battery life is about 24 hours so if you want to use health monitors while you sleep, be ready to give up the watch for part of the next day. So as a platform for peripherals, the S21 is still playing catch up and with the other big phone company announcement this week about music quality, Samsung is about to eat some dust. Better buds and an overhauled watch, for example, could bring the universe up a notch. Right now they dont and it may be that the core product isnt quite ready for them. The ultra fast charge, however, is top shelf, even though it requires me to replace all my USBs with USB C cables now.THE PRICEYes, its fun. Yes, it has a great camera. Yes, it reboots the ability for OS upgrades for a couple more years. Yes, it will probably be great on 5G. Yes, they can always improve the extras as the main device has a wildly strong processor. Yes, I like it, but is it worth over 1300, over 1,700 with the doodads Its just hard to say yes at this point.I am going to check that I would recommend the product in the next section, but only with this caveat, if you are the kind of person who likes to ooo and ahhh more than uh huh, go for it. If you need a phone, dont care about the camera, live in about 85 of Americas geography, never used an accessory except your Bluetooth earpiece and you dont rely on your phone as your primary computer, go find a 1971 Plymouth Duster, for the same money.
Stupotty65 –
What can I say other than WOW I was lucky enough to have my husband buy me the S20 for my birthday in October last year, but when I saw that I was actually eligible for an upgrade with Sky to this epic phone, I grabbed the swap with both hands And I get a free pair of Galaxy Earbuds thrown in as a Samsung member benefit Retail price on the buds alone, more than outweighs the cost of upgrading to this absolute behemoth I cant understand why other reviewers have given it 1 or 2 stars due to its overheating and short battery life I didnt experience any of this with my Ultra handset, so cant empathise with these low scores on the doors Miss Ford Hahaha The stacked performance of this beautiful phone will mark a line in history as one of the most powerful featured phones, just on its picture video performance alone The ingenuity of the design with its ultra clean and crisp edge to edge display, with a legendary refresh rate and with Dolby Atmos audio playback, it will keep you entertained for hours and hours Im going to leave my review there for now, because Ive only had the phone for 3 days and I have so much more to explore and experience Well done Samsung I didnt think that you could top the Note 10, but you beat it into a cocked hat and then some Cant wait to update my review when Ive had a chance to have a proper look around Be safe and take care all
rzlive –
Ive been a big fan of Galaxy phones for awhile. In fact I started with IPhone and once I switched to galaxy I never went back. Im not a strict Android fan and I do like some IPhone features that Android doesnt. But overall the freedom I have with Android I dont get with IPhone.What Samsung Galaxy adds to Android is the quality of the screen as well as some features like Samsung keyboard etc. Of course Samsung provides a lot of experimental features that dont function properly each time. But good news is that I dont care much about them.The new S21 Ultra finally provides a camera with a good quality. Samsung has always lagged behind apple in terms of picture quality. But I think this is the first time that I really cant complain about the pictures. The cost of having good pictures is a the cost of the phone and b the weight of the phone. This phone is really heavy and worst than that, the weight is unbalanced The portion of the phone that contains the camera is really heavier than the rest of the phone causing issues about how to locate it in ones pocket etc.I also dont like the fact that Samsung has removed the SD slot and the headphone jack. If there is one reason that I usually favor Samsung over IPhone is that it provided features that IPhone didnt. Looks like the more time passes, Galaxy and iphone are getting more similar. Then the question will be whats the point of sticking to either brand if they are enforcing their own preferences over the customersAlso, for a product that costs 1200 I personally want a charger in its package and I dont want to hear the same lame Tim Cooks excuse that were saving the planet by doing this If you cared about the planet, both companies would slow down in offering beta versions of their phones every other year and stick to releasing a phone ever two years.
AzharAK –
This is an excellent new phone feom Samsung, much better than S20 which was a disappoint, camera on S10 plus was also not as advertised. This S21 Ultra is way more better than the others. I have tested camera and zoom very pleased with it, yes after 80x zoom it moves alot and not very clear but still looks ok, or when used with tripods maybe result will be improved. Phone is heavier than S20 amd S10 plus specially with a cover gets more heavier. Display is sharp and crystal clear. Im currently using at WQHD 3200X1440 and not bad with battery. Earbuds came with this preorder phone also much better in sound quality and tag was a plus. Bigger and sharp screen good for overall day to day use and friendly with eyes. Photos attached taken from the same place to test the result and zoom. Happy with it, will leave anothet review in 3 months time after more use.
AT21 –
I purchased both phones about 10 days ago and immediately noticed how quickly both phones get hot to the point that it is very unpleasant to hold them. Overheating happens during charging Samsung original wireless or wire, using speaker, Bluetooth, browsing, etc. Pretty much during EVERY activity both phones get very hot. It is really upsetting and annoying. This did not happen with my previous versions Galaxy S9 and S10. Also, the battery life is VERY bad Today, I fully charged at 12 pm and by 7 pm I had 46 left. I was at work the whole day and only made several calls and checked emails. Thats all I never watch movies, or listen to the music. Just making calls, sending text, WhatsApp, Facebook, emails. I dont have crazy apps running. I turned off almost every notification for every app. Still no improvement. So what is the point of having these phones if I cannot fully use them because they get overheated I am thinking of taking them back to the Verizon store and returning them. This will be my 6 Samsung Galaxy phone and first time I am VERY unhappy with the purchase. I totally regret trading in S9 and S10 for S21 and S21U. NOT WORTH OF PAYING EXTRA FOR S21 POOR PERFORMANCE. Who cares about 5 cameras I took perfect pics S10 cameras. Very disappointed. I do not recommend S21 and S21U.
Holly –
I wasnt exactly sure which type of phone to purchase when I first walked into Best Buy. I was deciding between the Google Pixel 5 and Samsung Galaxy S21. However, after talking more to the best buy associate, Taylor, I came to realize that the Galaxy S21 Ultra was tailored more for my needs. Thanks to Taylor, I realized that the Ultra existed and was capable of producing such high resolution photos, along with special features such as the directors view. That was enough to sale it for me. Although I was a little worried about how large the phone would be compared to my prior one, I do not regret the decision. Overall, I love the phones capabilities and Im so impressed by how well the photos turned out on my recent hike I am so fortunate to have been helped out by Taylor in my phone selection process. Taylor was easy to talk to and provided exceptional customer service by going out of her way to answer all of my questions, as well as offer honest advice in my purchasing decision.
GalaxyNut73 –
When I bought the Note 9 and configured faster animation speed and custom UI i thought a phone couldnt get any better. BUT…the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is almost indescribable. BEST battery life in a handheld mobile device, BEST load time for apps and animation, incredible promode photo capability with Directors view topping the list of amazing features, 108x zoom provided my first ever picture of the MOON. On a phone Unmatched. Fastest processing ever achieved and lightning fast interconnectivity with my broadband. Seamless Bluetooth switching from car to Buds Live and Galaxy watch…you name the features and this phone tops the list. It even transfers files to my Samsunt T7 external ssd directly via my usbc cable. Dropped face down on concrete from 4 feet and slid accross the floor…not a scratch. I could stand in a retail electronics store and sell this phone 100 times over and never get tired of talking about it. Love it.
Lost Customer –
Cant tell you how i disappointed I have been with Samsung for removing these two features. These features were the selling point for me and based on what I have read here, for many other customers. However some genius in samsungs product design decided that they wanted to eliminate these and drive away your customers by trying to be more like Apple. Well congrats, you have succeeded. If anyone any samsung is listening, let me explain a two points 1. We loved the micro sd feature because it allowed us to protect our data and give us freedom to bring what we want. Mirco Sd card is the probably the only feature that has allowed me to minimize loss of data every time I switch my android phone. Due to the competing cloud platforms and settings preset by the carrier, the phone manufacturer and google, I always end up losing one thing or the other during phone transition. Mircro SD allowed me to do away with worrying about these. Now that this feature is gone I am left with no choice other than to either go another manufacturer or stick with my old device or might as well switch to Apple for that matter.We liked your product precisely because its not like Apple, so dont try to be like it.
nOOky –
Im currently using a 2.5 year old LG V40. The fingerprint reader is dying, thankfully the face unlock works, and the rest of the phone also. My wife has a Samsung S20 and it is only marginally better imho than my phone, especially the camera. However both phones have a microsd card slot. I could learn to deal with the lack of a headphone jack, although my LG does power a nice set of Sony reference headphones due to its increased output voltage and quad dac. So I think I may end up getting a new phone in the next few months, but darn you Samsung the S21 Ultra wont take my 512gb memory card. Ill research but with LG going away it will be Samsung, Motorola, or I dont know what. So I just reviewed here to say thank you Samsung for removing valuable features that may be a strong consideration for not purchasing my next phone from you. It could have been perfect…
Mozzy –
Ive upgraded from a Samsung S10 to the S21 and although it is noticeably smoother and faster thanks to its new processor and 120 hertz refresh rate it still doesnt feel like much of an upgrade. I would go as far as saying its the smallest leap Ive experienced with Samsung phones ever since I started with the S6.The reason for this, in my opinion, is that it is bulkier and heavier than the S10, the battery durability is about the same even though it is larger and my biggest gripe about the S21 is that the signal strength is quite a bit worse than the S10 which is a major drawback and, quite honestly, a dealbreaker for many see images attached comparing the 2 using same SIM card, the higher db the poorer the signal strength.Ive not managed to have a decent conversation on this new phone without it cutting out.If I had known this beforehand I dont think I would be writing this review right now.At best there could be a software update that could help but sadly I fear this is more of a hardware issue than a software issue.Dont get me wrong, theres plenty to like about this phone but do your research please take a look on the Samsung Members page, this is a decision that could affect, quite possibly like me, your next 2 years
adr67 –
TLDR Great phone. BB does not understand the concept of appointment so I ended up setting it up myself.I researched many phones and decided on S21 Ultra 256G. I purchased it online with shipping to my local BB store. At the same time, I set an appointment for configuring it the day after to allow some wiggle room in case shipping was late. The appointment was set for 30 minutes… plenty of time, or so I thought.Apparently, the term appointment for BB has a completely different meaning than the rest of the world… NOBODY was available to do the job. Halfway through, an unbusy guy from the TV section came over and offered to at least go find the order. He found it, but could not do the setup. Having a hard stop, I proceeded to do so myself. I was able to get it to a point, but ran into trouble with the sim card. Finally someone freed up about 2 mins before I had to run. It turns out there were two sim cards and the one preinstalled in the phone was the wrong one.So, at least I had a phone that could makereceive calls when I walked out the door, but I had to finish moving everything later that night. If I had know BB would not do the job they promised, I would have allocated time to do so.
Hefner23 –
I really like this phone, the buttons are in different places than the s10, but being left handed I like the new placement better. The camera is great and probably never use it to it ls true capabilities. But Im already a fan of the night vision shots it takes. Getting a new phone is always awesome but the process still sucks of getting your old apps on the new one. Sure it copies them over and reinstalls most of them,but you still have to reenter all your login and any settings you may have had set, which becomes a real pain. Especially for those apps that you have used in a while. The file placement of apps and the output of them is still horrible. As one app saves your pictures in one place, another in its own place and then a 3rd app wont load them because it doesnt know were to look.. I wish android would get some basic standards so that all apps would save specific file types in specific places.
TechnoConsultant –
This is my favorite android phone on the market, save two downsides which you need to be ok with.Pros New prices that have dropped this to 899 128GB make it a great value The cameras are excellent. The 3x and 10x are classleading for a phone. Dont expect the same quality as with the regular lens. 120hz is phenomenal. Everything so fast One UI 3.1 is great. Closer and closer to stock android with helpful additions like side bar Beautiful screen Openness of androidCons the disabling of the eSim is huge for me, not a big deal for both. I always use two lines on my iPhone and Pixel, and the Samsung forces me to carry two phones Slow updates. Android 12 looks awesome, and it sucks knowing that this phone will be 612 months behind the pixels in getting it.
CGT1 –
The software that comes with this phone is a constant irritation, with a lot of really poor user interface design from a practical perspective. For example, something as simple as the alarm clock you cant dismiss the alarm for the day if you wake up early you have to complete shut off the alarm clock altogether and turn it back on afterward your wakeup time has passed.The phone also came with a lot of useless garbageware that you cant get rid of. The Bixby routines are specially engineered to invade your privacy, while the phone eventually became insistent that the Google assistant has to be turned on to use any voiceactivated features that you could previously use simply by tapping the microphone icon in the search bar.Once I reviewed what the Bixby SW does and the permissions it requires to do it, I simply disabled it all which of course reduces the usability of the devices features I value my data privacy very highly.This S21 was supposed to be an upgrade from my Motorola Droid Turbo 2, but its engineering simply isnt as good.If you dont value your data privacy, dont mind sloppy SW engineering, and dont mind paying the price, its a decent device.
Tr1p77 –
Have had it little over 5 days now and I am totally impressed. I upgraded from the s10 and it was worth it. The camera is amazing and fantastic at capturing night time pics, the 108mp sensor has amazing detail and the zoom is amazing for a fone. The screen at set at full resolution and 120hz has great colour contrast and depth. It really shows of your home recorded 8k videos. The speed of the processor and the 16gb ram included really allows you to use multiple apps effortlessly and switch in and out of each very quickly. The spen, sold separately wenworking with this fone is also a joy to use and a lovely addition. Its great for making notes and for those that enjoy sketching on apps like Adobe draw etc. Overall the fone looks and performs great and has no complaints from me at all. Love love love it.
Fredintheshed –
Coming from the Note9 the S21 ultra 5g has a lot to beat but hey we are some 4 years on so the S21 ultras going to be a monster yes sadly NO… Im now 3 days into getting my Ultra and I want to throw it in the bin. I keep asking why have you done this Samsung Firstly I found it lagging on touch response and had to go in and increase sensitivity and switch off a whole load of stuff just to get it respond quick enough to my touch input. Now they have removed the home button wake up feature in favour of a Double Tap on the screen. its just hard work the home button was simple and quick, now I spend ages pecking at the screen hoping it will wake at some point Having to double up on things instead of keeping it simple seems to be a theme. if you run dual sim you can only call back on the sim you were called on, when the note gave you the option in the record which sim to use. When writing a text you have to select the sim ahead of sending the message in the Note9 you had send 1 or 2. Its just not as slick or intuitive as I was hoping for. It has some good features you can assign a default sim to a person so family by default can be on my own sim and clients on my work one. all in all at its price point Im left regretting the purchase for now. Samsung, why take away simplicity the silly part is that it may have a great camera that ive not even used yet but unless the rest is slick and simple its a paperweight to me
Ferny –
I upgraded from a GS8 to GS21 Ultra. It is fast and camera is great. I cant wait to take some pictures that I have seen in some videos and see how they turnout with my phone.Battery life is much better than the GS8.The bad things, from my point of view are1. Lack of phone jack. We still have some beats that are wired and now we cant use them directly. Yes, there are adaptors but that is an extra thing we need to purchase.2. The worst part for me is the lack of memory card. I do not know what it is the assumption by Samsung that everyone will use the cloud to store things. That is not true and it has been proven time after time that the cloud is not as secure as people think it is I know a memory card is also not secure if you lose it. Also it I can move my music, photos and videos just by inserting the memory card rather than syncing them again. I was about to not buy this phone just because of this.Other than that, I think this is a great phone, with a couple of backward steps in specific areas.
Rvecreative –
Just when youve thought that samsung outdid themselves with the s20 ultra space zoom. Theyve upgraded the camera Dock expensively with the s21 ultra. Unbelievable how much detail right out the box. For those complaining about the lack of features, be aware for the upcoming updates. This phone will put all other brands to shame, these cameras are top notch and far ahead of competitors. Enough talk about the cameras. The phone itself lasts you at least 14 hours on a fully charged battery. Im using it nearly all 14 hours as my business requires to do so. Mails, photoshop, motion graphics and Web design at rvecreative.nl are made now mostly with my s21 ultra. Of course the finishing touches are done on my pc, but it takes away 80 off my pc work by just being such a great device with strength and power you wouldt expect. Dont hesitate, just buy one. Youll be blown away by the power that comes in this little package.
Rich1175 –
The s21 ultra is a great phone. It seems Samsung has taken all that was wrong with the S20 range and put it right. The 120hz, qhd screen now works. The rear of the phones are a Matt finish, so less fingerprints. The laser focus has sorted out the focus issues. Android 11 has been added given the UI an even better, smoother experience.The exynos 2100 chip is a big improvement over that aweful 990 chip used last year. However its still falling short of the USA s21 equivalent. The Snapdragon 888. But it is more than enough for mostThe cameras are great and probably the best out right now.I like the fact the s21 ultra has a less curved screen. However for me Id prefer a completely flat screen and I know quite a few that would as well. However this is subjective. Others may prefer the curved screen.As it stands Samsung have done a great job with the s21 range. It truly is a big improvement over the already great S20 range.Ans now with s pen integration, what more could.you ask for.
Waninsight –
Previously had an Android phone way back when, and regretted every minute, so went to apple. As things progressed and I had more and more apple phones I decided that they are all the same no matter how newer they get, which is okay I just fancied trying something new for a chang…so gave this a try and in loving every minute of it cannot put it down.Its stunning display, you can customise and personalise pretty much everything. The camera is just phenominal, the speed, battery life, I havent got a single bad word to say yet other than the screen protectors. They are very flimsy and if you get a glass one the finger print recognition is reduced. So I have yet to find something I think will protect it without adding a lot of bulk to the phone. That being said I have one of the flimsy ones on at the minute and Im being careful with it so I dont actually know if it will.protect the screen or not. Only time will tell.I thought Id have to give it back and go back to apple but I have to say Im sold on Android now, they have come on in leaps and bounds.
Camelot –
I gave it 3 stars because there are a few things I dislike or need improving. With the UI 3 you cannot shorten the screen to remove the camera out of the way on app. The front camera isnt flat and is slightly indented. Buggy OS Samsung Keyboards keeps forgetting the key you selected to be to the left of the spacebar. Also, set to UK English, it displays some menu items in American English. Had a spam text, blocked the number but no option to report it. Heavier than the S10 Only 512Gb where I had the S10 1TB before. The phone is wide and with the flip case with the pen removed, its uncomfortable to hold. The SPen works great but the lack of software restricts it tremendously. Holding in landscape to do a screenshot has the power volume down opposite another button so easy to catch button on left side at the same time. Phone comes with lots of bloatware which needs uninstalling after setup. Samsung Cloud is being replaced with OneDrive but the integration of backing up your messages, settings etc isnt there so not sure what will be done. The default home screen designs are repulsive but it never comes with a black only theme. The AOD lock screen cimes with a few more dynamic pics and the cats are almost all horid pics not like the usual Internet pics. Ringtones have changed and only a few are ok so add your downloaded, paid for music. Camera is a pain as you may wish to take one pic but it may take one that is like a short video so I hate it when it is like that. In all, as a phone its fine but as a replacement for a S10 is a bad choice.
Cornel –
So I switched from an iPhone to a galaxy s21, and here is my opinion. not defending Apple over Android, both have issuesFor starters the phones are to big. They dont fit into pockets properly, you cant hold it in one hand and work the screen with your thumb, for example the x to close a screen is in the top left corner, but no normal size hand can reach it with your thumb so I have to redirect my hands to do so. Second there are an unexeptable amount of accounts to make, for Samsung, then for Android, and then every app wants an account to customize the ads… Just goes on and on with giving every bit of information out. Third Google maps needs to understand that even tho you arent supposed to use it during driving, we all do, and why not make the layout a bit easier to navigate your routes, address. What a headache to try and do on the fly.All in all the phone is amazing as far as camera and speed and battery goes, but its hardly usable in everyday quick app uses which I want my phone to be. If Samsung and apple didnt own the phone market Im sure a much much better solution could be invisioned. I cant be the only one that wants a easy, reasonable sized, tough, good quality phone without all the trendy stuff Attached.
SportsDuck –
Got lucky and was able to find this as an open box and on sale. Had the phone for a couple of weeks and heres my initial thoughts and Im only going to focus on a few thingsCAMERAOne of the main driving factors in getting this phone was the dual optical lenses and coming off the last few LG V series phones Im not afraid to use the ManualPro modes. It is challenging but I was able to get some social media worthy shots using the 100x zoom as you can see in the pictures attached where I progressively went from 1x to 100x 1x, 3x, 10x, 30x, 100x. All of the pictures were used holding the phone in my hand no sticks or tripods or anything like that. Im not crazy about the layout in the Pro mode but it will take some getting used to. Played around with the slomo video with a roller coaster and it was excellent.My biggest gripe with the camera is for whatever reason flames from tiki torches had a strong bluepurplish hue as you can see in the picture.SCREENThe screen is absolutely gorgeous. Great for watching videos. I never understood the hype about 120hz refresh rates until now, but it is still not enough to be a must have for me. I am not a fan of hole punch cameras but there are some great wallpapers out there that hide it.That being said I cannot get the underscreen fingerprint reader to work for me. Maybe Im used to the nuances of the LG V60 or maybe the Zagg screen I have is throwing it off.BATTERYSo far so good. Get through the day with no real problems. Only once was I low where I had to top off but that was a very intense day at an amusement park but even then I think I could have gotten through the day without topping off.SPEEDOverall the phone is fast for my needs. The 512GB storage is great for longer videos and quickly storing them. I dont go by artificial bench scores but I have seen real world tests that push the processor where the 865 was faster. But again, for the typical user the speed is very fast.OVERALLFor what I paid for the phone and with some incentives I got on top of it yes, it is a great purchase for the money. It takes great pictures overall and the lenses are extremely flexible. The battery is great for the typical user. If you are looking for a phone for point, shoot, post, there are better options out there if Im just looking at an MSRP comparison. If you are not afraid to use the phones pro modes or other features then yes this phone is a good option. I do wish there was a headphone jack I know, its dead with the major players but I still prefer it to listening to audio and its nice to have the capability to use better peripherals such as external mics.LONG STORY SHORTThe phone is great but not worth the MSRP price. If you can get it during a promotion eg, sale, open box, extra for your trade, other forms of store credit, etc. then go for it. If you are a pointshootpost photographer, you may be better off going elsewhere unless you are really looking to take advantage of the dual optical lenses
Loyal Samsungist –
It was time to upgrade from the S7 not supported anymore or for much longer. The phone is feature rich and has sooo many convenience features. Battery is excellent. Camera is excellent slo mo is great, picture a squirrel jumping for treat to the sound of the six million dollar man, too funny. Security features are sound, secure encrypted folders folders etc. Screen is excellent, font adjustability is excellent. These are some things most phones do but it is easier and better on the s21 ultra. I had to get used to the balance point of the phone initially as the s7 is a bit smaller but now its all great. Just a fantastic phone. If your are someone who likes to drop their phone on a regular basis then consider the samsung insurance not your caririer insurance. Nothing bad to say. Great for astronomy pics, night shot is phenomenal. Its just better, no other way to say it. Well done
Madamplayer –
I have always loved and been loyal to the Samsung galaxy brand. This phone however I feel is moving too far in the direction of its biggest competition which is a huge mistake to make. The reasons that people choose Samsung galaxy over its obvious competitor is because of the system operating software, the ability to expand memory with micro sd, and the camera. Well, apparently not only was a decision made to remove the audio jack but also the ability to expand memory was removed as well. Not wise The lack of expandability makes the other important purpose of the galaxy more of a chore than a feature. The camera is amazing but now you have to hassle through uploading and downloading to and from the cloud in order to take photos and videos in the way most of us do. I am NOT happy about this. So now the only obvious difference between the galaxy and its competition is the operating system and frankly, what difference does that really make with other advantages removed. I am not happy at all with this purchase and I regret making it. If this is the direction Samsung is taking, this will have been my final purchase from the company.
Noctornus –
Where to begin, my first Samsung Galaxy was last years S20 Ultra however this years S21 Ultra is a great leap forward. Last time there seemed to be some compromise with certain features the biggest was the option of a fixed 120hz refresh or you could max out the resolution, but not both. I went with the 120hz. This time weve got nothing to fight over, you want both fine have both. Not only that but the screen now offers variable refresh rates,furthering your battery life which is again better than last time.The camera is another giant improvement over last years sketchy performance. Brilliant images and up to 8k video with some amazing options.Design is beautiful I went for the Silver and so glad I did, it screams UltraIve only got slight issue, the option of expanded storage is gone but in fairness with unlimited data, huge cloud storage and music apps like Spotify do you really need it.This is the definition of flagship and the definition of Ultra.
DeansMachine –
Bought my SAMSUNG GALAXY S21 ULTRA 5G PHONE on April 21st, right from the beginning it has amazed me for what it will do I had never used the telephoto cameras. I saw a crow land on top of a real tall electrical tower out in a field, by the fast food place where I was parked. I zoomed in on the crow, 100X, and even with hand held the crow was clear as a bell I though wow this is unbelievable.Every day I find something new it will do.My SAMSUNG GALAXY S21 ULTRA 5G PHONE is my life line to the World.Its connected to my new FORD ESCAPE SE, where U can start my car remotely, lock or unlock my doors, see what my tag number is, see how much gas I have left and how many miles I can drive till empty,I can locate my car in a big parking lot if I get turned around, check the weather, control my big TV, show my photos on my TV, play my music on my TV, I have finger print security, with the calendar I can set up my doctor appointments and time when to take my medicine. This SAMSUNG GALAXY S21 ULTRA 5G PHONE compliments my whole life, couldnt be without it. Best phone I ever had
Akwm00 –
I finally upgraded from my S9. This phone is very nice, but it actually has less features than that phone did. I bought it because I upgrade every 3 generations. If I could take the processor and ram from this phone and place it into the S9, I would. The S21 ultra feels like a generic high end smart phone without any character. Great camera, and the latest processorram upgrades but really no other stand out features. No SD card. The display is basically a lateral upgrade from my S9 minus the refresh rate. The large screen is nice but its too big for one hand. I kind of feel like I downgraded in some aspects which is unfortunate. Maybe better luck in 3 generations from now. Samsung needs to get their stuff together.
myner91 –
If you drop your phone at all dont get this phone. Dropped from desk to ground on the beveled edge and created a chip that made hairline cracks in the screen. A line down the middle of the phone happened at the same time. Shortly after that the bottom half of the screen stopped working. I have had s4 that fell down the stairs with me and never broke, my s8 dropped from the same distance and broke on the corner, but the screen was fine. Now my s21 Ultra is toast. Do your own research on drop test, CNET just recently did one, and the whole s21 line failed. Samsung is using psychical damage not to warranty the screen. Apple does not seem to have this problem and Google even with the screen broken repaired my daughters phone when the pixels went out. Seems to me there are 2 other options for the next phone I get. Sad to say Samsung has lost a loyal customer today.
Rob R –
The S20 Ultra was my first Samsung phone after many years of buying LG. I loved the S20, but a couple of issues were really annoying. The worst was the fingerprint sensor, and less bothersome were a couple of camera quirks. To my delight, the S21 Ultra solves both and provides several other upgrades.The S21 Ultra fingerprint sensor by Qualcomm is larger, faster and more sensitive than its predecessor by Samsung. Finally I can unlock the phone without all those retries and failures. The S21 camera laser assisted focus really rocks and solves some annoying bad focus effects especially closeups on the S20.The additional nice features of this phone are the much speedier Snapdragon 888, which has an embedded 5G modem and should therefore run more efficiently on its 5nmbased chip. Tests Ive read have this processor neckandneck with the best Bionic from Apple. The smooth contours of the phone are better thoughtout, and I simply just LOVE the camera options as Im a major camera geek and think the photos from these optics really do rival my DSLR. Sad too, since I have a lot invested in those big clunky camera bodies and lenses… Oh well. They will just have to stay home when I travel and collect dust.
Daveyb911 –
Been using Samsung for last few years for phones, S7, S9 then note 9. This is a somewhat reluctant upgrade as I wasnt keen on losing sd card support and headphone jack. No regrets from upgrade, I like smaller phone body. Dont miss loss of QHD display as never used this on note or S phones. Love variable 120hz refresh makes everything seem slicker and faster. The screen is truly edge to edge now, looks fantastic and now its flat, so no accidental touches when you grip it. mine came with preapplied screen protector it still has dual sim, split screen and one ui which is updated like android 11. Dex is such a bonus now it can be used over wifi, your smart TV can now be a pc and all your function on a larger screen. Get it while there are free Bluetooth buds live as these are so comfortable for long listening sessions. There are cheaper android phones but none as feature packed and good value as the vanilla s21
Anonymous –
I have been using Samsung smartphones for a very long time, but now for the first time I have decided to purchase the newest Galaxy S serie. It might seem crazy to spend big amount of money for just a smartphone… but Samsung galaxy S21 stole my heart. Starting with the design, I decided to choose pink version, which makes the phone outstanding, and rose gold details give very interesting, and beautiful look. The size of the phone is handy, you can easily keep it in the pocket. Its my first day of using this phone, but I have already noticed that battery is lasting long, and phone works very smoothly. I was also surprised how easy it was to back up data from my old Galaxy s8. It took just few minutes to get all my old apps, contacts, photos thanks to Smart Switch. Im really happy with the quality of photos especially with 30x zoom. I cannot wait to test cameras further, especially in difficult conditions like for example water.I was only a bit disappointed when I discovered that there was no charger and headphones in the box, but the Google Nest I have received as a gift for my purchase some how composites it.To sum up, I am glad that Im an owner of Galaxy s21. Im looking forward to testing all new features and I hope that my first day impression about the smartphone was right
iPou –
Hands down this is one of the best devices I have ever had. The specs are off the charts and the quality of the build materials was amazingly selected to make this one of the best looking devices in the market today. The cameras are astonishingly precise and although rarely do I use the 100x zoom, it is there and it is better than any other device in the market. The screen resolution makes for a great experience on watching videos and even looking at the fantastic pictures taken on that 108 MP camera. Overall this is the best phone to get your hands on, BUT…. It is missing my beloved expansion slot for a micro SD card and this… I NEED The battery makes up for this though and I am ok with starting point of 128GB on this device… should be 256GB I recommend it 100
Becky –
So this is an update to my other Review, Ive exchanged the S21 Ultra for the S21 Plus. The S21 Ultra is a VERY HEAVY phone, unless you wanna carry a Brick of a phone around I suggest you get the S21 Plus. Ill miss the Photo Quality of the S21 Ultra, as far as zoom goes photo quality diminishes after 30 times Zoom. ESPECIALLY at 100 times zoom, for me I dont even Zoom past 10 times zoom on phones but its nice to have the option to. The S21 Plus maxes at 30 times zoom which personally is enough, I loved this phone but its just way too heavy and was causing pain in my wrist. Ive been using an Otterbox Defender series case for years, and that makes the S21 Ultra so much heavier. Using this phone became unpleasant for me, if you dont mind a HEAVY BRICK phone this phone is for you. However if youre like me and doesnt get the S21 Plus. SAMSUNG STOP MAKING GIANT BRICK HEAVY PHONES And Bring back the SD card slot, listen to your users not blow them off
NCTech –
Had gone away from Samsung smart phones in favor of a Google Pixel for the better camera, updates, pure android but when I cracked the screen of my 3year old phone I wanted to upgrade NOW not in several months if and when the Pixel 6 comes out.So far Im loving this new phone. Its fast, responsive, and you can not beat the camera system including its optical zoom. I also like the ability to use the Spen not included and its integration with the Samsung Galaxy Smart Watch.Some people may find the Ultra a little too large or heavy especially if you have small hands or any issues with grip strength but I really like the extra screen real estate AND the added battery life which makes up some of the weightsizeSamsung has improved upon some of the issues I had with their smart phones in the past which drove me to Pixel but Im really happy with my choice of this phone and not waiting for Google Pixel which in many ways seems to have been going down a lowprice rabbit hole over their last few iterationsSamsungs and in my case Verizon bolton additions and changes to Android are acceptable and make good use of the phones hardware.Battery life is excellent, and Im really liking the wireless charging youll need to buy a charger on your own
MrsFreckles –
I love the more colorful choices we get now As a petite person, to have a lighter 62 phone is a huge plus previous phone was S9. The camera is just awholenother level. Crazy results front and back but Im guessing S21 Ultra is even on a higher note. But for me, this is more than enough for nowHowever, I do miss the fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone, because it helps with checking the notifications without having to stretch my thumbs to the top of the phone while using with one hand. Also the lack of SD memory card is a bit of a downer since one of the reasons I quit Apple products is cus of the lack of external memory usage. Maybe the next ones can still have these features Im pretty sure a lot of users feel the same way.All phones will have things they lack. But nevertheless, I love S21 especially this phantom violet color.
Debb –
This phone is overall great for photos, combination phone and tablet features, viewing photos, and documents on a high quality screen. The 8k video and 108 MP back40 MP front cameras are impressive. The speed of the operating system is also great. Battery life is perfect. I can get by most days charging every other day. The cameras stick out of back and definitely need a case or you will likely break the glass over the cameras. The curved screen is nice but necessary. Difficult to find a protective case that protects both the screen and camera glass. Still early, so maybe soon a case will come out that protects all sides of phone well. Until then Im being very careful. Had an S8 active before, so Im use to a rugged phone, but wanted a new tablet and a new phone, so this phone gave me both in 1 package. Overall Im happy. I also purchased the SPen separately. Very expensive phone if youre just after a new phone, there are other less expensive options.
Bkrauss2020 –
Cant say much for 5G as its not great in my area. My only complaint is losing the SD card slot, but with the amount of cloud storage available its not that big of a sacrifice. Beautiful display as always by Samsung. The 120 Hz screen is absolutely stunning, camera is superior to anything Ive used previously. The software is amazing, battery life cant be beat, features are seamless to pair with tablets, on our new Galaxy Book Pro. Eco system works exceptionally well with Windows now that theyve teamed up with Microsoft. I do miss the charger coming with the phone, but I received the 45w super fast charger during a previous promotion. Id highly reccommend this device for power users. It checks all the boxes, and then some.
Orcun –
I have been using Samsung Galaxy series S8, S10 and S21Ultra 5G, respectively for a long time. One of the strongest aspect of Samsung is their friendlyuser interface and innovative approach. Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G is my most recent smartphone, which allows me to have great experience for my daily, as well as, professional life. The battery life, size of the screen, high quality of photo options and allowing me to use pen as in note series, provide flexibility. I believe, after having this product, you will be highly satisfied during your private and professional usage. The only possible downside issue might be the thickness variation at the camera site compared to to thickness of the product, which means the back cameras are a bit out from the surface. However, you should note this is associated with all those different features, i.e. high zoom, high resolution etc., and I think it is worthy. Moreover, with many different types of covers, you wont even realize this. I hope this comment would be helpful, Best
D4V3L3W1S –
It should have been difficult to improve on the S20 Ultra but Samsung have done itThe S21 Ultra feels more premium, the slightly smaller screen is the perfect size and the weight and ergonomics are perfectly balanced.The CPU performance is faultless It keeps up with the most demanding games and activities without any issues.Making the rear camera lens surrounds a satin finish was brilliant idea Much less chance of scratches and recessed lenses are well protected. The cameras themselves produce amazing quality photographs and night time photos vastly improved over the S20 Ultra.The fingerprint scanner works first time every time, the sound quality is fantastic and even the click of the volume and power button is spot on.Literally cannot find a single fault with the device, best upgrade Ive had to date.
Nebroo –
Overall, not a bad phone, per se, it does however lack the feel of a 1000 phone. For a start, it is a Glastic case and the screen res is lower than some competitors who offer the near same specs for less money.The biggest negative for me, as usual, the shocking amount of bloatware and the constant attempts by Samsung to tie you into their silly apps and a Samsung account, I applaud them for the marketing skill at trying to tie folks into a long term relationship but, I need apps that sync across all of my devices, such as calendar and contact, without the need to intervene constantly such as to manually sync them, so I am stuck with two apps for various things, calendar and contact to name but a couple.This basically raises a couple of problems, firstly the lack of ability to kill or remove the unwanted apps, which sit in the background, using resources and space, spitting out the odd message about not syncing or working, blah blah blah blah blah. For example, I fired up Google Maps and the calendar app, which I have done my best to strangle and am using Google Calendar instead, complained about not having access to something or other, and of course, whenever I disable the notifications they seem to magically reenable themselves. So as I say, I now have a bunch of apps that I have two of, one from Samsung and one from Google and I am trying my best to strangle the Samsung apps but it is a frustrating game, to be honest.I had almost forgotten what a frustrating time I had last time, having to spend the first 12 weeks trying to get the apps working, having to compromise in a few too many places and whispering to myself that I would never buy another Samsung, obviously I am a berk and I am hoping that next time I remember just how annoying this all is and will look elsewhere.I dislike the interface immensely, compared to a couple of my other Droids, it looks like a childs interface, as in, something I see on kiddies devices, yes I know I can change the launcher and change some of the settings, but this just adds another load of mods I have to do just to be happy it is working for me, I despise the fact you cannot even get the apps to shut up let alone disable or remove them and I despise the fact that Samsung has put so much work into funnelling you into a Samsung account and forcing you to use their apps, which would be fine if they actually had some global value, when they should be working to make the experience more easily customisable, if I wanted to be tied down and live in a world where I can only choose the colour of my walls, I would have bought one of the walled garden phones.For me, a step back with a downgraded screen, lacklustre finish compared to other phones in this price bracket, ugly interface, stuffed with bloatware, lack of control over app usage and generally adding it all up, a poor value purchase.I am already considering flogging it as I am struggling to see a day when I am going to be happy with this phone.
Anonymous –
I am really exciting this new Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G. Before I was owned NOTE 9 which one I also was crazy about. But the new Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G its the best phone I think at the moment in the whole world. It has a great camera with the very clear picture and a lot of adjustments. In the beginning I look quiet skeptically on stated camera features as 108megapixel resolution and very big zoom, but after few pictures made, I saw the really great picture, as well as very good zoom, for example I make some pictures with 6x or 8x zoom and it was vey good quality pictures with the note 9, good pictures was only with max 2x zoom I also trying to use 100x zoom to see some far objects not for photos and it was quiet good as well it is not possible to make good pictures with this huge zoom, but I can see the things what I need. The front camera also very good quality, my selfies became better now Because of my work I use the phone almost 24 hoursday, and this phone can work 1 1.5 days My Note 9 can work 12 20 hours. Display of the phone very clear, I really like fingerprint reader on the display as well. The phone do not lose connection ever. There very good sound. I have the most powerful version with 512 Gb SSD and I am really happy with this smartphone with all the features.Before I decide to by this Galaxy S21, I checked a lot of reviews and ask a lot of people, because, because of my job, I need powerful phone, with good camera, big SSD and stable connection. I stay with Samsung long time, but this time I was thinking about IPHONE 12 because it was released earlier and it was announced as very powerful phone And the meantime as I know Samsung stopped to produce Note models, which I really like, but as soon as I heard about the release of new S21, I changed my mind the same timeMy conclusion is If you are businessman and you need really good smartphone, which one you will use a lot, you need to take Galaxy S21 Ultra of course onlyIf you real businessman and you work a lot,Buy your Galaxy S21 and you will break this world
ReyWay –
Ive received this phone a couple of days ago. During that timeline, I was able to do heavy gaming on it Asphalt 9 with highest graph settings with no lag, watch movies, and scroll on social media. The overall experience was amazing. All social media apps Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok seemed to open with hardly noticeable load time. Although something to note, apps do reload every now and then. This is usually when there are A LOT of apps open and those apps include games, so I recommend locking the three apps you dont want to reloadclose. The phone is a bit big, but the majority of people may be able to adapt to the size of this phone. The camera experience has been nice. Amazing results from shots with good lighting and good results from shots with low lighting amazing with night mode. With that all said, I actually love this phone and Im not looking to upgrade anytime soon.
FondOfPhone –
Ive had this phone since its launch a few months ago and had a great experience with the phone since upgrading from my Samsung Galaxy S9. It is incredibly fast, runs multiple apps at once with ease, the battery lasts so much longer than my previous phone, and the camera is just wildly fantastic. I love this phone and can easily see myself keeping it for a few years and not wanting to upgrade it for a good long while. The phone feels built to last and has a lot of nice features that should keep it running well and up to par with future phones beyond the next few iterations. That being said, going from my Galaxy S9 to my S21 Ultra meant I lost my expandable memory and my headphones jack, which were some of the most important features that my old phone had. While I have wireless earbuds the first generation Galaxy Buds and a usbc headset, I hate that I cant just use my old headphones anymore without buying a converter. This was a terrible design that every single phone manufacturer made and I do hope Samsung reconsiders adding a headphone jack back in. I have the same gripe about the expandable memory because that made my phone truly become an all around tool and mini computer. I used my expandable memory with my old phone and was irritated I couldnt use it with this one. Im tired of companies taking away valuable features that benefit the consumer removing the jack benefits them by increasing Bluetooth earbud sales, removing the expandable memory increases the likelihood people will upgrade or buy cloud storage for longterm consumption. Even with that, I still think the phone is incredible and I love using it.
Beksramsay –
Im totally in love with my new phone. Its so robust compared to other Galaxys Ive had before. The camera is INCREDIBLE. There are loads of new features that I love and have discovered such as Bixby Routines. The battery life is awesome too, Ive yet to run out of battery which is amazing for me as I use my phone for business and pleasure. Its so quick to start up and having the additional storage is good. I love Samsung products and this is the first phone I have ever preordered. I got the Galaxy EarBuds Pro and the Smart Tag as a gift. The EarBuds are amazing and I actually like having less ports on the phone. Its forced me to venture in to the world of wireless headphones and Im glad I did. There are too many good things about this phone to list, buts its a must have. I got a great discount when trading in my old phone too which is always a bonus. Buy this phone You wont regret it.
Lamichel –
I am one of those folks that tends to take sometime to upgrade things. But I have been a longtime Samsung follower since my first Samsung smart phone from 2011. I have been holding on to my Samsung S9 for years and realized that it was time to upgrade. Typically Samsung comes out with new devices, often. So I waited but when I saw the S21 Ultra, I knew I has to make a move.So far, I love it Like most quality Samsung model classes the ultra feels great in my hand… though it took me awhile to get used to the screen being where the finger lock is and the giant fly eye cameras in the back. But once I got used to the feel, I have found that I am excited about using the phone, again. And taking lots of picturesThe pictures are amazing And the apps, as of now, run smoothly. Its much easier to play games on it, too. If you are looking for something new and of quality, this has to be the best camera phone in the market.
EmmaGP –
I started with the Samsung s6 and I have never been deceived by the galaxy s series. The phone is compact and has just the right size, it is comfy to hold in your hand I have small hands you dont feel like the phone is too big. The system is super fast like craaazy fast and the fast refresh rate is worth it The price of the phone for the quality of it is absolutely amazing. I am a big fan of taking pictures with my phone, all my family has been stunned with the quality of the pictures, as well as the zoom that it hasOverall, I would recommend this phone to everyone that enjoys to hold a good quality phone as well as loves to take pictures. The apps run smoothly, the refresh rate is stunning, the quality of the image is amazing. One more thing, the SOUND Well it is super loud and very clear. If you sometimes watch a video on your phone and want to share it with the family or with your friends. No more of the shuuusssh I cant hear because the quality and the loudness are IMPRESSIVE
MotherNATEur –
I normally dont write reviews, but I felt compelled to say this. I have been a Samsung user for nearly 20 years. I got an iPhone last year, a 2nd phone, as a business line. After using it for a year, I can say that I absolutely hate the iPhone, and would never make a full switch.Yesterday, I decided to upgrade my Note 8 to the S21… I was actually going to buy 2 one as an upgrade and the other to replace my iPhone, but after reading all the reviews and seeing that the S21 was very similar to the iPhone, I backed out of my purchase. I dont want anything at all remotely close to an iPhoneI need the aux jack… even though I have wireless earbuds, my van which I live in does not have bluetooth, so I need the jack to listen to music while Im driving cross country. I think it sucks that the phone doesnt come with a charger and all the other things… but I can overlook that, I can NOT overlook no aux jack. Thats a huge disappointment.Stop trying to be like Apple… thats why us true Android users love you. We DONT want to make the switch for a reason. Stay in your lane, thats why we ride for you
VijayTT –
I purchased this back in February and had to actually wait a month for it to arrive. The wait was well worth it. I am very happy with this device. My previous device was a Galaxy S6 Edge, which was also excellent but was now fully worked its life. I have had iPhones before as well as older Galaxy S4, Original Galaxy S and HTC smartphones previously. I have to admit this is one of Samsungs best effort yet. The camera is awesome, battery life is exceptional, beautiful screen and of course performance and software updates has bee. Surprisingly very good. My only feature that I miss and which could have been useful due to covid is the heart rate and blood oxygen sensors from older models. I mean the simple fix would be to get a smartwatch to do this so its not a deal breaker. You wouldnt think of watching a movie on a device this small but your eyes will be in for a treat. As per usual Samsungs vivid AMOLED screens are the best in the industry. The battery life for a moderate user is easily two days. I rarely charge to full, just plugging in for a quick top up and Im good until the next day. That being said, remember you have to buy your own super fast charger as it doesnt come in the box. Also you should note if getting a 3rd part charger you need to make sure it has the PPS feature for super fast charging to work. I learnt this the hard way Overall there is very little to no issues I have had with this device for the past 4 months. I am very impressed with the progress Samsung has made. The device is stable and performs near perfect each and Everytime. I would consider this a workhorse of a device this especially for business users. I look forward to many more years of great service. As a side note, this device supports UWB so if you have the Galaxy Buds Pro they pair seamlessly with it. Its an overall good user experience. As I finish my review I have to repeat that the camera is absolutely beautiful. The photo and video quality is amazing and you wont be disappointed. There is some slight lag however the latest software update has reduced this lag greatly. Im sure features and performance will keep improving over time. Great job Samsung
Will –
As a hardcore die hard loyal Samsung customer, Im very disappointed in this phone. Sure the camera is really awesome, but Samsung shot itself in the foot removing expandable storage and the headphone jack from the S21 line of phones. This really sucks. On top of that it seems the only models available are the 128g models because everyone is sold out of 256g 512g phones. I bought this phone because the sales rep at my Best Buy location indicated this phone still had the SD card slot for expanded storage which it clearly does not. Now Im going to return the device because 128g wont cut the mustard. For the first time in over 10 years, Im looking at other brands. I use my expanded storage and my headphone jack daily Im not willing to give up these features. Samsung needs to bring back these features and recognize their customer base doesnt want an iPhone or we would have bought an iPhone. Samsung quit trying to copy Apple and keep the features that have set you apart in the past or you will lose more customers like me.
Apprentice –
The Galaxy S21 Ultra ticks nearly all the boxes when defining what a premium smartphone should be. I say nearly, because my only complaints are that its missing expandable memory and lacks the superfast wired charging enjoyed by other flagships. Disappointed that Samsung have jumped on the bandwagon regarding the exclusion of a power adapter or other bundled accessories. For the premium price one expects something more in the box.But all that aside, you cant argue that this is easily the best smartphone of 2021. From the stunningly bright high resolution and 120Hz refresh screen to super impressive camera modules including an incredible 10x optical zoom, along with SPen support, high capacity battery, cutting edge performance all wrapped up in a beautifully designed and first class build quality package, this certainly raises the bar for premium smartphones.
Dann –
Good phone for Android peasants, almost every app had complications or glitches when using them, the battery life was subpar. The camera was great but the color correction was terrible and made everything lighter than usual. Compared to iPhones there is no competition, tried to give it a chance but the smoothness you get on 60hz screen on an iPhone blows the Samsungs 120hz glitchy and lackluster feel. Also uploading any picture or video to any sort of social media looked terrible despite it looking amazing on your phone. Android will never catch up to iPhone when it comes to OS and no matter how good the camera or screen are. iPhone also has a better camera, extremely good battery life, it has constant updates to make your phone feel new all the time, I have a XR and this phone feels much faster and smoother than the S21 Ultra. The only pros to the S21 are customizability, and being able to download or change your phone without having to jailbreak or hack your phone. I do not recommend this to anyone. Sometimes the charger wouldnt charge it and its have to replug it into the phone for it to recognize it
Lexxiah –
I loved this phone so much. Super fast, amazing screen and awesome camera.I am 52 and have hands smaller then average. I knew this phone was a behemoth but convinced myself it was way worth it. I got 2 pop sockets to brace it correctly and oh man it was awesome for a while.However after the 4th time I dropped it on my face and ended up looking like an MMA fighter I decided to reevaluate my phone needs. Then my doctor mentioned my TFCC wrist injuries were flaring pretty badly and I couldnt help but think this was exacerbated by the overpowered in a great way brick I was carting around.Is this phone super gorgeousYesIncredibly fast with excellent processingYesThe best camera Ive ever usedYesMeant for small people with easily damaged facesNoNot Samsungs fault at all, this is easily a 6 star phone and if you have normaltolarge hands this is great for you. For those of us who are handsizechallenged, well just have to wait for companies to realize small people would like incredible phones, too.I mean, Titans arent the only people who want that beautiful screen and phenomenal processing, right
MissTree –
I upgraded from the galaxy S7 active. So I already knew I was going to be impressed just because I was so many models behind. I was very much looking forward to the camera features. Everything is crisp. Honestly I can see more details and more things clearly through the camera than I can through my glasses lol.The Spen works wonderfullyusing it to write this actually I use it constantly. Highlighting text, doodling notes, coloringwhich is super awesome Its every utensil I ever need all in one..Ive had the phone for a month and am still learning new tricks I can do with it. But even though Im still learning it its not difficult to use out of the box. Like its easy and pleasant straight off then Everything else you discover over time is just like a nifty little bonus. Like a buried treasure that gives you a hint on your map to another buried treasure and so on and so on lol.I went from charging my old phone about every 34 hours of continuous use to I take it off the charger when I get up and Im not charging it again till the evening after all day of using it.Seriously a FANTABULOUS phone. No matter if youre upgrading from a dinosaur like I did or a new model. Everything about this phone lives up to expectation and even more. The S21 Ultra is definitely what your pocket needs lol.
Nplgunner97 –
I am really in love with this phone. Here are my thoughts most of positive and some negative points.Excellent design, premium feel, class leading screen with 120 fps, superb performance and very good battery life.Excellent versatile camera setup, amazing macro zoom camera 10 times optical zoom outstanding, one of the best all round day and night still photos. Very good video as well.There are some areas it can do better with software update like low light video and shutter speed need to be improved as photos comes blurry if subject is moving. It also need to improve zoom in and out transition, its little bit jerky and frame rate needs to be stable when taking low light video.Overall I cant see any other phone including iPhone better that Samsung galaxy s21 ultra right now.Highly Recommended, no need to have carry camera.
SarahP123 –
I had the standard S20 previously, i was frustrated with the poor battery and the screen quality Compared to my colleague with an iPhone. So decided to bite the bullet give the ultra a go, and oh boy am I super glad I did. I can now get 1416 hours out of my battery, incredible, Im not an average user either, I game, research, spend an hour on my lunch watching videos. The screen quality, just knocks the S20 out the park, I didnt think the quality could get better as Id never seen a working ultra to me, that was the best Id get from Samsung. The screen vibrancy the depth just incredible. Ive not played around too much with the camera, Im messed around with the zoom, like any zoom on any camera unless you have super steady hands, honestly not worth it. But that being said, Ive not used it in an outside environment and so it maybe better. The only thing I dont like, the colour and design, I ordered silver, well to me its pink… I dont like the camera cut out either but again, this doesnt impact what I use the phone for this is me being truly picky. Overall 1010 if you are thinking between this and the 12 Pro max, this is as good, if not better in my personal opinion.
Jbullard –
Been using my S21 Ultra since late February ordered the Samsung Store exclusive Phantom Brown and it was really worth the wait. The Brown semigloss finish along with the carbonfiberlike bezel around the camera group looks so good, its a shame to put a case on it.Coming form a Note10 the oversized form factor was not an issue for me. Weight and feel are on point. I really love the fact that you can use a stand alone SPen, which works just the same as in my old Note10.I use my phone as a mobile office, so Im constantly using data and making calls, and not once have I needed to plug in the charger before 10pm. No matter what I throw at it, it will keep going after hours with some 1215.If you need device capable of becoming a mobile office, the S21 Ultra is the way to go. If stylus compatibility its a must, the S21 Ultra.
JoeSings –
I was using the Galaxy S10 for the last 2 years. I preordered the S21 after watching the CES 2021 and received the phone on June 26.I have used the S21 and Im very impressed by the updates on the S10 which is a good phone itself.I was greatly impressed by smooth as butter transition from my S10 to the S21 by just connecting a wire.All my data, my preferences, even my wallpaper was perfectly mirrored on to the S21. Im not sure if its the same for other devices but I was very happy seeing that I didnt have to change a single thing on the S21 to make it my own.I also noticed the software is improved, its more responsive, has more features.The camera app has done wonders, each selfie or a picture I have taken look alot better and I think its a combination of both the camera hardware, the software and the screen.The screen is brighter and more responsive. I have had the phone out in AZ blaring Sun and have no problem looking at the screen. I had some issues when the content on playing on the screen was dark but its an improvement over my S10.I also, really appreciated the fact that this phone doesnt have the Bixby button. I thank you Samsung for that. Only God knows how many times I have triggered Bixby unknowingly.I am taking some time to get used to volume rocker being on the right side S10 has it on the left but its not gonna take long, Im sure.Overall, its been a good buy. Although I wish the battery had been a tad bit bigger, at least 4500 MAh. Thats the reason I gave perfomance a 4 star review.
Aashil30 –
Phone is extremely overpriced, it should be worth around 700 at most. There are also literal ads within some apps imagine paying for a phone especially over 1000, thinking you own it, and still having ads playing inside the phone this is alone enough for me not to want to use this phone.Some things people dont talk about1. Cameras are good but the UI in the camera software is not that great except for Pro mode, which is pretty nice.2. The software experience overall isnt very intuitive. There are some settings which are buried deep within the Settings app. Its also not very friendly with Google Photos for example, every time you want to delete a photo using Google Photos, it will ask you via prompt if youre really sure you want to give Google Photos access.3. Google Maps access this is one of the most infuriating potential harmful issues. Typically youd imagine that any navigation apps Google Maps, Waze, etc. would need access to the phones GPS all the time by default. This is not the case in this phone for some reason. When you open up Google Maps, it will ask you via a prompt if you want to give Maps access to the GPS either only this one time, only when the app is open, or not at all. The option to give Maps access to GPS all the time isnt available unless you dig deep into the settings grant the Maps app permission separately this is such a stupid design especially if you expect Maps or other navigation apps to just work normally as they should. Granting the app access to GPS only when the app is open doesnt work if the app isnt in the foreground for example, if you get a call while youre driving and Maps gets minimized and the Phone app opens, then GPS route navigation will be lost imagine dealing with that while youre driving trying to navigate.4. Ads this is another infuriating issue. Why are there ads in a phone that I paid full price for, and on top of that one that is unlocked fully There is no option to turn off ads in the settings and Samsung has very predatory setup process when you first setup your phone it will automatically optin for sending them personal data and showing ads. There is a very jank way to disable ads and its not supported natively within the Settings of the phone in other words, youre paying over 1000 for a smartphone that will have ads. This is absurd and absolutely unnecessary.If this phone was 700 I would still be annoyed with all those things but slightly less. If this phone was 400, I probably wouldnt complain that much about most of these issues. But at over 1000, this is ridiculous at best and people should find these practices unacceptable.
Makayla –
I was given this as a present and so far im really enjoying it. I am able to play extremely high graphic mobile games on here, and play for at an hour and a half before the battery is in its 4010 range. It does overheat after playing on these types of games. But thats easily solved by turning it off for 1020 minutes. The battery life is extremely well. If you plan on downloading a high graphic game, itll likely have a larger file. But no worries The games download fast and work quickly. The charging is a bit slow, but that could just be the length of my charger. But a plus side would be, it has a long battery life. I loved how when it was raining the phone had no damage or anything. One thing i would be careful with is hot water, that will likely damage the phone. I try and keep it out of water even so. I would say the size is pretty well designed too. The camera quality is almost like an actual photographer camera. It has aperture, IOS, focus, flash, and other settings as a professional camera would have. I do dislike the camera quality if you zoom in too much, as then it becomes a bit blurry. But you can take extremely close up photos with this with no worries The storage is pretty well too. You should likely get a case before using the phone, as mine was a bit annoying without a case to properly hold, and protect it. Id also like to point out to make sure your hands arent greasy or dirty. Also keep the camera clean. The phone doesnt lag at all either. It has nice vibration settings and sounds for notifications and alarms too. Youre also able to use a 15 second or 10 second video for your lockscreen. But only for the lockscreen. Those who i know were extremely surprised about how great my phone was when theyve only ever had apple products. I have to agree with them too, i use primarily androids until the last 7 years as i could only find apple, but the Apple IPad i have is extremely lesser than this phone. Speakers are extremely well. The phone is thin too. Light weight also, you can feel its weight, but its more light weighted than heavy.
NeverPutMyCellDown –
I am a LOYAL Samsung Galaxy Customer and when I say LOYAL I mean Ive never owned any other cellphone but Samsung. I recently purchased the S21 Ultra and this is my 1st S series. Ive always bought a Note series since the first one became available so I wanted to try a different Samsung model and Im really glad I did. The Samsung S21 Ultra is nearly Perfect. From The performance to the design and Matte color. I really love everything about it. Especially the camera and Spen capabilities.Im very happy with my purchase. My only DISCREPANCY is the screen scratches incredibly easy. I experienced scratches only after 2 months of me purchasing my S21 Ultra. I never it dropped it or placed it against anything abrasive. None of my Notes has ever scratched this easily. Other than that, my S21 Ultra can stand up to any of my Galaxy Notes. This is an amazing phone
gramps –
I was really excited to get this phone. Ive been using a Pixel 2 XL since it was released so I was long overdue for an upgrade. Id seen all the positive reviews, how amazing the camera is, etc etc. So I picked one up a little over a week ago and my experience has been very disappointing.The phone is very, very fast. It has a lot of great features and the camera is excellent if not overhyped a bit. I didnt realize how big in the hand this was until I was using it every day but I got used to it.Three days into ownership, things began to fall apart. The fingerprint sensor worked only 10 of the time. Whenever Id play music onto my bluetooth headphones, the apps would play for 10s and then stop. Id hit play again and seconds later, it would stop. Didnt matter if it was Spotify, Youtube, Tidal, they all did the same things. And finally the phone started to get very warm. Not set something on fire warm, but warm enough to know it was in your pocket.I dont know if I got a dud, but I also know my last three Samsung experiences have not been positive. This included. I honestly just dont know if they can make a quality product anymore. Ive had two of their TVs and now this device which all have had quality issues in very short order. I guess Ill head back to Pixel.
LewisS –
Having owned several Samsung S and Note phones in the passed I expected high expectations for the S21. Although despite knocking Apple not to include a charger and earphones then doing the same beggars belief. The performance of this phone is quite good and the form factor size is what I prefer. Nice job on that Samsung. The one underlying area I cant excuse Samsung for is its short battery life. My 4 year old LG and Pixel 4a 5G whithe smaller batteries simply kill the S21 for battery life. I sold a Note 10 to buy the S21 and I am disappointed in doing so because the battery life on the S21 is appalling in comparison. I am a light user and set my phones in the same way but the S21 suffers from unexpected short battery life. I had to find extreme ways on Youtube and Samsung advice to save the battery life and becoming paranoid at the same time. Not sure whether it is an Exynos chipset thing again as opposed to the SD888 the US gets. Absolutely no improvement in this area. I prefer to use the Pixel phone so the battery lasts me a little longer.
Kevin –
Ive had this phone for a week, and have run into small headaches consistently. The features Samsung chose to take out of Android 11 at the expense of their own are puzzling. The power menu that comes by default on Android 11 Gone. In its place Samsung SmartThings. The bloat continues from there, with some features forcing you to make a samsung account.Simple things like video picture in picture are now limited, so you cant put them in the center of the screen. Multiple games look horribly pixilated, whereas on other Android phones with 90hz displays look amazing. Settings are rearranged from standard android, for no reason. Great camera, fast apps, but many compromises.Which leads me back to the title. If youre a Samsung user and are used to being strongarmed into using Samsung features at the expense of Android features, you may love this phone. Me I cant help but crave the features and simplicity of other flagships.
xman –
Ive had this phone for about 5 month. It is my first Samsung phone since the Galaxy S6. Ive been a big fan of the Google NexusPixels for years now, but didnt really like the Pixel 5 after trying it out for a week and wanted a change. This S21 5G is fast, has a great battery life, gorgeous 120hz display and can handle anything I throw it. I also appreciate the thought and effort the developers at Samsung have put into the refined version of One U 3.1… keep it upThat said, there is one MAJOR ISSUE with this phone that I have not experienced with any of my previous phones including the Galaxy S6. The issue is with the screen… it develops unsightly micro scratches EXTREMELEY easily. I am super careful with the screens on my phones and never put phones in my pockets with keys or other objects. I have a good case on my phone Spigen Rugged Armour that has a decent lip, so when I place the phone down it sits on the lip and not the screen. I use a high quality lint free microfiber cloth to wipe down the phone down every night and ensure it is always clean. Despite all of these precautions I am seeing more and more micro scratches appear on the glass. I thought at first it may be a screen protector that Samsung installed at the factory, but after further review I found out that Samsung was being cheap this year and the S21 5G did not ship with a protector… terrible for a 1200CAD phone… dont even get me started on the lack of a charger in the box In any case these micro scratches are on the glass, and very annoying to see when tilting the phone in certain light conditions.Samsung is claims that this Corning Gorilla Glass Victus is the toughest Gorilla Glass yet, with significantly improved scratch and drop performance. After reading a few reviews I actually believe there is a flaw in Samsungs manufacturing process here it wouldnt be the first time. Based on the reviews I feel some customers including myself received a flawed version of the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. Call it what you want but based on the level of care that Ive taken this is what I feel.
Bob39 –
After having many different phones in the s series, the improvement between different generations seems to have stopped at the s10. Everything the s21 ultra does, my older s10 does. The camera on the s21 ultra is a massive disappointment. Its being sold as the ultimate camera phone, but the quality is worst than my s10. Maybe future software updates will make the s21 live up to all the hype. If you listen to music through Bluetooth, either through headphones or something like your car stereo, the maximum volume has been reduced so much that seems 50 lower than the s10. I listen to master quality tracks through my tidal app and the sound quality is very disappointing. Please sort this samsung. Overall dont expect that wow factor you used to get every couple of years when upgrading your mobile. Dont bother with the ultra, I wish I hadnt.
Jwuollife –
I may be a bit preemptive with my review as Im in the middle of an active complaint with both Samsung the Telco Im contracted to, however Within 78 days of receiving my S21 handset, it started overheating. The camera becomes extremely warm if its in use too long. If even felt hot when left inactive overnight. When it arrived, it was extremely hot in the packaging this was referred to my Telco, so was the delivery method the issue Who knows Im not a happy person though.. Can I get the handset replaced No I My Telco keeps offering an assessment, followed by a possible repair. Admittedly, every person Ive spoken to has been very polite, but its not solving the issue.I rarely leave the phone turned on, never overnight, but is it an S21 defect or just my handset Either way, after seven days usage, surely I should get a replacementPossibly, this is a fantastic piece of technology, but I can only go on my experience I may end up updating my review, once I have…a 24hour mobile phone, not a parttime one caused by heating issues.
StevenD –
I wanst up to my 3rd Samsung phone yet till I dropped it, out while out of its protective casing and the complete screen got broken. As the battery life was a bit degraded over time 2 years old and the cost of the bended screen of the S10 is rather costly I decided to go for the new S21.Now, as the screen was broken, it was not possible to manipulate the phone anymore.Lukily Samsung has a bunch of tools such as SmartSwitch and Dex that allowed me to recover my files and images and restore the complete app ecosystem incl. backgrounds on my new phone.After this only needed to log on again to the different apps and I was up and running again.In comparison to my S10, which wasnt a slow phone, the S21 is lightning fact and the fingerprint is super quick.Still need to play around with the cameras but Im sure pictures will be at least as good as these of my destroyed S10.For the rest, the plastic back does not bother me as I have my phone always secure in a casing except the time I dropped my S10.So thank you Samsung for saving my digital life
Anonymous –
I replace my phones every two to three years, unless some kind of ridiculous bump in technology warrants a faster upgrade. I currently have the S10 5G with 512 GB of storage, and it has been a fantastic phone. I have never run out of storage space even when freely taking photos and long videos on vacation preCV19 or while at the pool and even underwater with my kiddos. It has been 2 years, so I was considering the S21 5G as an upgrade, but I was completely put off by the lack of the 3.5mm earphone jack. This is an absolute dealbreaker. In similar price points, most wireless headearphones do not compare to the sound quality of wired alternatives. And even if an argument could be made for a specific wireless earbud, I highly prefer wired in general. I am not completely put off by the lack of expandable storage, but of course I would prefer it. If the S21 5G had a 3.5mm port and expandable storage, I would have upgraded IMMEDIATELY. Now, Ill either consider an alternative brand or wait to see what Samsung does with their next offering.
weege001 –
I bought mine unlocked with the titanium color and I havent looked back. Its such an outstanding device, there is no parallel.The camera setup is great, the pics that you can take are so good, my girlfriend has designated me as the official photographer of our trips.I have the S21 Ultra 5G and even though it looks big, you really feel like its an extension of your hand.The apps flow seamlessly from one to another, the speakers are really good loud and clear. The integration of Bluetooth features is super quick.I see other phonesdevices that try to compare, but there really isnt one out there. The value that you get owning an S21 Ultra pays for itself with just the features alone.The Android updates and all the different ways you can customize every nook and cranny make it stand out even more.My girlfriend wants me to get her one for Christmas, and Santa will be sure to deliver.
Kalibria –
I am awaiting my third phone today. The first one I bought brand new on May 10th began to overheat as soon as I activated the camera. I called about the issue the end of Mayearly June and they told me I would have to go in store to get it looked at. Im a nurse who works 12 hour shifts. The first chance I had to get to the store was June 14th. Because I was now out of my 30 day window, I had to get a refurbished replacement phone instead of a new one. Im wasnt happy about that. I asked if maybe I could at least get the color phone I wanted as they were out of stock when I got the original phone, but I was told that is impossible for some reason. Anyway, I received my second phone on June 15th and went through the setup and transfer process again, applied my otterbox film for protection… again and everything was okay for a day. The phone was a tad slower than the first and seemed a little more glitch. Then yesterday I went to open the camera and I continued to get a warning message that simply stated that the camera failed. I took it back to the store where instead of an agent helping me, I was placed on the phone there where I waited on hold for 30 minutes and then stood there for another 30 minutes while the person on the other line tried to troubleshoot my phone. Again this was unsuccessful and I am being issued another refurbished replacement phone. Again I asked for the other color and again for some reason thats too much to ask. So now again I await my second used phone to which I will have to setup and transfer my data to… along with going through the warranty process on my otterbox protector to await another of those because the last was wasted in a used, defective phone. Im not thrilled with Samsung or Verizon at this time. Never have I considered switching to an iPhone until this recent experience. Not happy at all.
Snkrkarma –
So I upgraded some would argue it wasnt from a Note 20 5G Ultra. Now I have been a fan of Note series for 1 thing and 1 thing only…the S Pen it just makes what I do everyday that much easier for me. So I decided to with the S21 Ultra, and wow its a great phone. The camera wasnt something I used a lot in the past, but now I actually am taking more photos daily. The size is perfect, its lightweight, but the only reason Im giving it 4 out of 5 stars, is that since I am a 247 S Pen user, the case makes it a little bulky since there is no internal slotholder for the S Pen sold separately. But at the same time it gives the phone some durability if I drop it or knock off my nightstand. Do I recommend the Phone I would say yes, but with a tradein or promotion running. The initial price tag is a bit steep, still, but overall I am very satisfied with the phone and learning new features as I go along I feel like was almost a test run to see the followers of the stylus user market, without having the Note name attached to the device. May not fit everyones expectations, but as an avid Note lover, I would buy again if this is the experience I knew it wad going to be
Jonel M –
Phone itself is fine, great improvement coming from an S9 but current software is unoptimized. Some glitches occur and some minor features from older generations seem to be missing, or inferior. ATT bloatware isnt as bad as it once was but still seems to suffer from lacking featuresupdates that other carriers get. 5G option in settings is available to others Ive seen on YouTube, but nowhere to be found on my device. Other than software issues, phone is great, battery life was meh at first but evened out and phone occasionally gets hot when charging and stuff but not as bad as when it was new. Easy to accidentally press things on screen edges when not using case, but practically any case would remedy this. Hope to see frequent updates and improvements made to the software. Lack of SD card slot is unfortunate but the cheap upgrade from 128gb to 256gb is worth it and fixes the issue.
Ian C –
TLDR Great phone unless you need the Samsung Pay MST. If you dont need that feature, then Id definitely recommend this phone.After preordering, I received the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 512GB about two weeks ago, and I loved everything about it except for one thing. After coming across an article mentioning that the new S21 series in the US does not have MST the ability to emulate the magnetic signal of a credit card to make payments at credit card terminals without NFC, I decided to return the device. This was a deal breaker for me, as many of the places I go still do not have NFCenabled payment terminals. Samsungs justification for removing this killer feature was that NFC is more ubiquitous now than it was years ago. While true, it is not completely ubiquitous, as again there are still many places which dont have NFCenabled terminals. Most major retailers have NFCenabled terminals, but a lot of smaller shops and businesses do not. And since the only reason a large swath of people are using Samsung Pay is for the MST feature, there is now no reason not to switch to Google Pay. Within the next five years, Id expect most if not all places in the US to have NFCenabled terminals. But until then, MST should be included in all Samsung model phones or at the very least, in the flagship models. I think once enough people stop using Samsung Pay due to this change, the MST feature will be reintroduced in future models despite Samsung saying it will not be included in new phones from the S21 onward.
Barry –
I have had Samsung smart phones since 2010. I purchased my entertainement centers TVs, soundbars, etc. and home automation Smartthings because of the ecosystem to the phone. I have all of the peripherals youve manufactured for the phones every single version of your smart watches, buds, Gear360, Gear VR, etc. All because you made the best, most innovative smart phone on the market regardless of the Apple cult saying otherwise. We had features in our phones long before Apple copied them and features that were exclusive to us like ear phone jacks, micro sd cards etc.So what did you do You eliminated your advantages and made yourself a weak copy of Apple.Bring back the micro SD. Bring back the head phone jack. Bring back Gear360 and Gear VR. Bring back me.
Senia –
I would say the pros outweigh the cons it just depends on what you prioritize first when it comes to picking out a phone.I appreciate that they lowered the price and its not crazy expensive like the Galaxy S20 Ultra because the S21 didnt include a charging block, nor Bluetooth earbuds. I already have all that stuff, so it was nice to be able to only pay for the phone. It allows you to choose from the different earbuds from Samsung, or even earbuds from a different company that is drastically cheaper if you wanted to. If you dont like finding all these things separately, then this could be an inconvenience for you.I gave the style 4 stars because they only had certain colors for certain phones I wanted Phantom Silver, but they only had that for the 128GB, and I wanted the 256GB which only came in Phantom Black. The phone is huge. If you take lots of selfies, you may need to start lifting some weights. You get used to it though I always get the plus versions, so Im used to a big phone, but if you are really switching things up, it might be really heavy to you. I was able to find some camera lens protectors that cover the whole camera which was nice there were also some cases that slide and cover the camera which I thought was cool.The phone does not come with a micro SD slot, but its 2021 and cloud online storage services are being used more, and its not hard to transfer data over to a portable hard drive. I have stacks of micro SD cards that I havent looked at in forever, or I have already transferred that data to my portable hard drive. I use them for my Nintendo Switch now. Also, I would only be able to store certain things on to the SD card anyways. Removing the micro SD slot is kinda like going paperless if you think about it. Its one of those things where its nice to have the option, but its not an issue, unless you use use them for a specific purpose and absolutely need that feature. In addition, the missing aux port isnt great either, but I can live without it I dont really use it anymore anyways. You can get a USBC to aux for fairly cheap if you need it.The reason I like Samsung over Apple is because you are able to customize it in greater detail. Im glad they got rid of the Bixby button and you are able to disable the app so it doesnt bother you although, I do wish we could uninstall it. There are only volume buttons and a power button which you can customize super simple. I use widgets a lot. Changing all these settings and displays can be timeconsuming, but its nice to be able to set up your phone to fit your wants, needs, and personality. I believe Samsung phones cater more towards techsavvy people not that people with iPhones arent techsavvy, just when people make the switch from an iPhone to Android, it can be overwhelming and there is a lot to learn. They do have an easy mode you can switch to if you want it to be simpler though.No issues with overheating. The battery isnt as amazing as I thought it would be its still good and better than my old phone. Your battery life will depend on how much you use your phone and your phone display settings. However, it does charge incredibly fast.The camera definitely needs a review of its own. In a nutshell, they fixed the focusing issues they have had with their previous phones at least for me it seems that way, and it does have a focusing sensor. My pictures come out insanely well and I feel like it has elevated my Instagram. Theres a lot you can do with the cameras, so I believe this would be great for content creators. You can tell the video stabilization is better as well. Although the ability to shoot in 8K isnt necessary, it is a nice feature to have when 8K TVs are the norm making this phone more relevant for the long run.Overall, very happy with this phone and glad I took advantage of the preorder specials. If youre picky, thinking of switching from Apple to Samsung, or this phone is a big financial investment for you, I would maybe go over some YT videos on people doing tests or comparisons to see if they have what youre mostly looking for. Hope this helps.
DYR Photography –
Ive had this S21 Ultra 5G for just over a month and I can say Im impressed with it. Its miles better than my LG Phones, which is what I upgraded from.I do wish Samsung offered more control of Manual Exposure Settings, when being used by 3rd Party Apps like Filmic Pro. A few more options in the 24 FPS would be nice for Video. Other than that, the 4KUHD, Hyperlapse, and Slow Mo Settings to name just a few really are incredible. I run multiple DSLRMirrorless Cameras and Video Recorders but its Phones like this are the reason why Camera Companies passed peak sales years ago. Yes, Depth of Field is important but this S21 Ultra 5G moves in and out of focus quickly.If youre using a Gimbal, I recommend you get a bigger unit than the Zhiyun Smooth 4. I have one and I needed to add a clamp to bring the S21 into proper balance so the motors werent overworked.Other than that, its Top Notch Kit. I look forward to seeing what the next 2 to 3 years will bring. Its not about 6k, 8k or 12k, because of File Sizes, but more about what we can do with those files. Its an exciting time. This phone has enough features to keep you happy for 3 to 4 years.
FiggieBB –
I puchased this device in January, shortly after its release and havent looked back since Such a fun, useful, powerful and professional device I started many years ago with the Note 4, upgraded to the Note 7, jumped to Apple, and was so happy to come back to Samsung when the Note 20 Ultra came out. I was really liking the new Note until the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G phone came out and it was a perfect fit for me. I like the freedom Samsung provides and the security of the device. It is very hard to combine both and Samsung has done an awesome job completing thisThe camera on this device outshines any device I have ever used. The pictures and video are beautiful and very professionally done. The zoom takes you to a whole new level as well as the filters and controls.If you need a phone that will meet your every need for a long time, this is IT
Zach –
I bought this phone back in the beginning of March, and I absolutely love it. I went from a Galaxy s10 to this beast. Now, normally Id wait until either my phone would quit working on me, or a minimum of 3 years before buying a new one but the camera on the s21 Ultra looked amazing. So I decided to take a leap of faith, and the camera has not disappointed me. Not only that, the phone charges super fast from 20 batter to 100 within 40 minutes I dont even have to charge it over night anymore, which will prolong the lifespan of this battery. The phones processor itself is really good, switching between apps and games without any troubles. The display is vibrant as you would expect of a Samsung. And the back is no longer made of glass, rather than a smooth plastic dont worry, it doesnt feel cheap so if youre worried about dropping your phone, thats one less thing to break. Now for the only complaint that I have the screen is still curved which makes for one heck of a time finding a good tempered glass screen protector. Now Im a repair technician myself, and I have experience with these types of phones and the UV adhered tempered glass, but the average consumer does not hence the widely negative reviews on the UV tempered glass, which boils down to installation mistakes So I hope one day Samsung will give us a premium phone thats a flat screen one more, seeing as the curve really doesnt suit a purpose rather than to look nice. That one small complaint aside, I absolutely love this phone, and just take a look at these few pictures to see what this amazing camera is capable of
Ciel –
I feel I made a good upgrade from my Note 9 to a S21. I really wanted this phone because of the flat screen please Samsung, make all your future phones flat screen. I would have upgraded to the S21 Ultra but the curved screen is what turned me off. Other than that, I think this is a pretty solid phone. The display is great and the range of customization is always awesome.If I had to say another con about this phone, it would be the speakers. Not the greatest as I have to turn the volume up pretty loud just to hear YouTube videos. The volume controlssound is a little wonky.I would have loved to see the white or phantom white if thats what its called color in this phone instead of the silver or at least have the option of getting a white phone. I see in other countries they have a choice of getting the white coloured phone but not in North America. If for your next phone, Samsung, make a pure white color premium phone and I wouldnt hesitate to purchase it
Adi bar –
I was actually pretty disappointed with the new phone.Last version I had is galaxy s8, which I was very happy with it until the battery got very weak to a point that it doesnt last more than 4 hours after 2 yearsDidnt have enough use yet to see how the battery in the new phone, I hope it is much much better.Advantage Nice, big screen but still almost the same small size as the versions before I love the design and colors like the extra options on the quick access Probably do not relate to the phone but transfer all the data was super quick and easyThe reasons I was disappointed are the follow Feels too much like imitating iPhone I dont appreciate the fact that you cannot add external SD card or another SIM card as that was great option I was also not aware of this before buying, else I would not get it, also the fact that the phone does not come with regular earphones anymore and there is no specific place to connect the earphones. now I need to get new earphones and a adapter so I can talk on the phone and of course charge at the same time One of the things that this phone was all about is the camera. I honestly dont see the photos looks better the overall pic look nice, but if getting a little bit closer the quality does not look so good I expected a lot more in the standards of today The fingerprint sensor many times does not read the print well, with the galaxy 8 it happen mostly when moisturewetness was involved. now it happens all the time. Received cable type C on both sides without adapter to the wall This is ridiculous that you dont get it with the phone and insulting for me as a customer with the price of the phone. now I need to get a new cable or special adapter
Sabzi –
Im super super impressed with this phone. I upgraded from the s10 to the s21 ultra and Im amazed at the difference of the device. The fluidity on screen due to the adaptive display along with the wqhd resolution really makes this screen great to look at. Theyve updated the finger print scanner which is alot more easier to use coming from the s10 model, still getting used to the height of it but Im not noticing any delay and the unlock is instant. The way the volume rocker on screen appears is much more cleaner and I love the notification bar when you scroll from the top and how its somewhat translucent and separates the notifications nicely. The cute animoji update so I can have my dancing self as my lock screen is super fun. And the camera is absolutely brilliant I csnt even explain how amazing it is, I took a picture of my hand and all the creases and lines were so visible, I cant even see those clearly with my naked eye. So all in all, I absolutely love this device. Thank you samsung, truly makes my life abit better when a tech freak like me has a device that actually is worth the hype.
Aramos –
I bought this great phone when it fist came out. I really like the features this premium phone has. It is the best phone I ever had. One thing that I really miss from this phone is the micro sd card slot that Samsung decided to remove. The high quality videos requires lots of memory space and this phone has limited memory. I hope Samsung brings this back on the next phone. I had one problem with the charging port less than a month after a purchase the phone and could only charge the phone with the wireless charger. Samsung care staff were giving me problems to honor the manufacturers guarantee and they stated that I have to pay more than two hundred deductible. At the end Samsung fixed the phone without any charges since the brand new phone was defective. I was without a phone for about two weeks, very inconvenient.
UltraPudding –
Ive been a Samsung Galaxy user ever since the s5. Im quite a picky person and usually if I spend 1000 on a phone Id like it not only to perform amazing, but to have that ultra premium look as well. I thought up until s20 my personal opinion that Samsung phones just didnt look and feel that premium, considering the price. Ive just got the s21 ultra and it completely changed my mind. The phone looks unreal it feels as expensive as it actually is. Its not a light phone, but I guess thats because of the battery and all the cameras, etc. Id recommend youd get yourself a decent case for it and the best part is you dont need a screen protector, because it comes with one already applied on the screen, straight from Samsung I loved that as Im the worst person to apply screen protectors on any display, let alone a slightlycurved onesPerformance wise the phone is, if not, the best then amongst the best which to be honest is the price range of 1100 anyway, but that ultra premium look and feel I mentioned I think only Samsung does have it at the moment. The 120hz display is just something youd fall in love with straight away The only downside is the battery going down kind of too quick, but then again it takes around 5 minutes from 20 to 50, yes you read that right 5 minutes, with the 45w superfast charger You can charge it for less than 56 minutes, if youve got it on airplane mode with wifi turned off. Considering phones used to charge for an hour and 30 minutes, Id say thats incredibleI havent been playing around with the camera that much, but the few pictures I took looked as if a professional photographer has taken them.Overall Id say its definitely not a cheap device, but then again the competitors are capped at the exact same price range. The design is outstanding, as well as the performance, so I would recommend this phone to anyoneThank you Samsung, for finally making the absolute perfect phone in my opinion
Eneret –
I bought this phone in the middle of May 2021 and Im now wishing I had just bought another s9.Why is the little flashing LED notification light no longer there How hardexpensive was it to include this I miss it alot.Quite disappointed about the lack of an headphone jack. Didnt samsung mock apple when they removed theirsAnother missing feature, removable storage. Not to mention you dont get a charger, or obviously headphones anymore.This model is not as hardy as the s9. I bought a pricey, recommended cover for this new s21 ultra and a month ago, after the phone in its slippery as case not many options available when I purchased, I normally went for leather backed or rubber backed cases for grip dropped to the ground, its first and only fall so far the s9 took an absolute, literal hammering and never broke anything and now it has a smashed AF lens. I take 100 or more photos a day for my work so this is not great. The cameras are quite unprotected in this cover.I am regretting this massive, super expensive upgrade. Wishing I had just bought another s9 to replace my trusty, hardy, tough, capable previous one that lasted me since I got it when it launched. Only replaced because battery was very tired.
Petpower –
Upgraded from s10.I love Display clearly consumes much less and is even cooler temp wise. Same goes for the phone itself. Lasts more than 24 hours for me. The camera is even better and 30x zoom looks like optical even though its semi digitalAI beyond 10x. Exynos got quite good, more fps in games and generally much faster experience than s10.Some dislikes Exynos still throttles sometimes due to high temps after gaming some heavy 3d games and then settles on a bit lower fps, Snapdragon is better here. It could fast charge over Wireless Qi using a 25w Mi Qi certified charger, until the last update, now it only slow charges 5w, Samsung says you need a Samsung certified original charger to fast charge wirelessly from now on. How could you do this SamsungIf they dont revert this downgrade through a new update I might switch to Iphone next upgrade, it just feels too sour.Some observations Exynos got half as much L2 cache in its CPU compared to Snapdragon, maybe it doesnt matter, maybe it does, but usually the more the better. If I pay 1600 for a phone I should not be getting a worse product depending on in which country I buy it, right So give me a Snapdragon or charge less to compensate. It has the best camera, and its overall probably the best Android phone you can get in europe right now I think despite its flaws.
Kingslayer –
I bought this phone a little while ago qnd immediately fell in love. Its fast, has a beautiful display, the 120 hz mode is magic to my eyes. My girlfriend is a professional photographer even she is amazed and the camera quality My only 4 issues I have with this product is how consuming the 120 hz and the vivid option for the display has on the battery, along with the pretty noticeable camera bump. The camera bump isnt a huge issue if you get a good quality case.I got the black silicone case with the spen One of the other things Im not a huge fan of is having the spen in the case itself. I switched from the galaxy 10 having the spen slide into the phone to charge was one of my favorite features Regardless of where the spen is stored, it works amazing with this phone I enjoy using it to take notes, draw on pictures, doodle when I get bored. My last issue with this phone would be the default sms app seems to lag when sending receiving texts. Normally this wouldnt be a huge deal as I switched to Google messages, but I use my galaxy watch 3 often to send texts when I cannot use my phone there is no Google messages app I can download on this watch. Other than those 3 cons I believe this is an amazing phone I cant wait to see how elsewhat else samsung will do to push the mobile market forward to its limit Overall I would give this phone a solid 4.55
McMcbrad –
The device itself is very well built. Its speedy, it has a nice, premium feeling. The nonshiny finish of the back doesnt accumulate fingerprints and skin oil. Havent played too much with the camera, but it does what it says. The display is an assassin. Its big, bright, smooth and colours just pop. For users who prefer a more truetolife view, there is a setting to make colours less vivid and processed. The sound quality of the speakers is not great however, it just feels too thin compared to iPhone which I had previously. There are extra settings and adjustments available, but none of them outputs better bass, which is a bummer. The software experience has definitely evolved, but is still awful. First, no music app can display a progress bar on lock screen… this is probably the worst drawback. The Samsung Pass app is great, but I have no more than 4 apps supporting it. Samsung should be doing more for the autofill adaptation. When switching between 2 apps, for example Chrome and Settings, every time you tap the settings icon, it wont take you where youve been, but it will take you to the settings main menu. The edgeswipe gesture to go back doesnt work at all sometimes. Overall, OneUI needs a lot of polishing.
royb –
Upgraded from Galaxy S9. Comparisons are with that phoneVery happy with new phone. Screen is larger, sharper, and brighter than the 9 and the unit is noticeably faster. In spite of this, the battery life is much better. I am a heavy user and would run down the battery in 6 hours or less, making a battery case a necessity. Not so with the S21 Ultra on which the battery lasts nearly the full day. Touch sensitivity is improved so no more missed touches but also no false responses.The only issues I have encountered are 1 the case is slick and sometimes difficult to grasp securely and 2 the raised lens area means the phone does not rest stably on a flat surface such as a table.I havent used the camera much yet and so cannot effectively comment on it and its many new features. One strong positive for me is that the sensor is faster and I no longer have problems with blur due to tremors.
Double Diamond –
An amazing phone with great performance and excellent cameras. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is super fast, with smooth animations and packed to the gills with all the latest bleeding edge technology Samsung has to offer. The display on this phone is nothing short of amazingThe 120Hz AMOLED screens high refresh rate, coupled with its 1440p QHD resolution and High Dynamic Range HDR colors, makes everything appear as close to real life as possible. Its like looking at the world through a crystal clean window. This display is also great for watching movies thanks to is widescreen 209 aspect ratio.This is a true flagship phone made by Samsung. The CPU and GPU in this phone, can handle any game you throw at it very well, thanks to the Snapdragon 888 SoC that powers the S21 Ultra.And the S21 Ultra cameras are clean, bright, focused and sharp 99 of the time, under most everyday lighting conditions. And this is thanks to improved AI and 1x 10x optical lenses, which is a superior way of zooming compared to just digital Zoom, which most smartphones rely on. The selfie camera also is sharp, focused, bright and very clean and detailed. So thats a big plusThe S21 Ultra also uses a larger image sensor that has a native 108Mp resolution. By using a 9 to 1 pixel binning technique, this allows the main camera to create sharper, brighter 12Mp photos, by capturing more ambient light in the surrounding environment.So all in all, a great top of the line phone. The only thing that I wish it had, was a small insert to hold the optional SPen just like on the Galaxy Note line of phones.But otherwise I cannot complain. Battery life seems good and the phone fits well in the hand.
EdR2 –
I was an early adopter of the Samsung S21 Ultra 5G. I preordered this model primarily for the camera upgrade. I owned a great Samsung Note 20 Ultra but read about the improvements on the camera, camera zoom and focus and went for it. I have to say, I found this cell phone to live up to all the hype and more. It has great battery life. The camera gives you professional quality photographs both in regular modes and macro. The Zoom is beyond my best expectations. I have 4 or 5 cameras for about every kind of photo but I find myself using my phone almost exclusively when traveling. It is that exceptional. The phone has excellent connectivity and voice quality. My only concern was the lack of the microcard slot but with the cloud and the storage available I havent touched 25 of the storage in the first 6 months.
Christos Z –
I have had each of the upgrades each year since the S7 Edge and this is rather predictably the best phone so far. Having moved from the S20 Ultra, I find a much more refined implementation in the S21 Ultra. The black is rich and deep, retaining much of the light that his it. The design bold and striking….a real improvement on last year. This is driven by the camera, which this year really owns the space on the phone…it feels like the phone was built around the cameras and the screen… Again an improvement on last year, where the camera felt like it was such on at the least minute. The improvements arent simply cosmetic though, they make a difference in the usability of this device. The screen is, as we have come to expect, very much at the cutting edge. Rich vivid colours, which really pop from the black. Silky smooth in use thanks to the adaptive refresh rate, which can now be used with the phones full resolution switched on. This gives a fantastic user experience when using the phone. We also find an improved fingerprint reader, which means far fewer failed attempts to unlock the screen although there may still be the odd occasion where this still happens. Finally for me, this years addition of Wacom support to the S21 Ultra has been very welcome. I have been using the silicone case and S pen since getting the phone a week ago and couldnt be without it although I think its like Note like integration of the pen, rather than the case. The case itself is ok, although the black isnt as deep as that on the phone itself, and it does add some width to the phone itself. I hope we start to see third party cases which incorporate pen storage. Important to note that third party Wacom pens can be used with the phone. There are already some great options out there, and who knows, perhaps we may get a Parker option one day The cameras here are a very clear and marked improvement. Zoom is far more usable and the images are fantastic. This phone which not disappoint those who are interested in mobile photography. My battery life is about the same as it was on the S20 Ultra, but I am a heavy user, with most of the home media and automation being read from my phone. I have still noticed some heating, but I am using the phone in the silicone case. My phone was preordered through EE, I have claimed my Buds pro, and tag and waiting for them to arrive claiming isnt too difficult, but I do wish that they would arrive with the phone. To sum up, a great phone that delivers in most areas. Model used S21 Ultra 512 GB With 16 GB RAM
CellPerspectives –
The goodI appreciated that the S21 Ultra was about the same width and only a bit taller than the S8.Wow the camera zoom is incredible even if it is a bit pixelated at full zoom.I love having the special lenses to improve pictures for various distances.I love the document detectionscanner feature in the photo software that will detect, square, and adjust photographed images for use.I still appreciate the voice activated photo feature.Ive enjoyed having the added functionality of the Spen.The improved brightness, resolution, and full screen usage capability makes daily use enjoyable. Audio and speaker volume are noticeably better, too.Wish it were betterAlthough I got the 512GB storage option, after just over 3 months of usage the memory is already 30 used between apps, system, photos and videos. Im really missing the removable microSD card feature.Although the camera is amazing, Im finding I will need a better camera for my travel photography needs.Good luck finding much selection on cases that includes securing the Spen especially if youd like a combination with any other capability or would like one thats slightly fashionable.The S21 Ultra is noticeably heavier from the S8 and due to the lenses and other internal components noticeably off from a centerofbalance perspective when you hold it.Overall Im happy with the upgrade and hope this phone will be usable for the next 4 or more years. I started using Samsung phones with S3 and havent seen a reason to change since.
AlaBala –
I have 1 month since I bought this new Samsung, my very first one. I am very happy with the camera, indeed it takes amazing pictures and videos.However, compared with my 2 year old LG, the battery seems to last only for 1 day only. I am charging it religiously over the night, it shows 100 charged, then after 2 min of looking only to see if I have new emails, the battery drops to 98. If I would listen to any music, using Spotify, battery indicator is already at 85. If I play any game, for 30 min max, then battery drops to 35. With older phones LG, Huawei, when I did exact same things, I could charge the phone after 3 days. Also, it looks like when I play a game like Solitaire, not anything fancy the phone is very, very warm.Also, recharging the battery is not as fast as it was advertised.Now I am mostly at home, but I wonder if I would travel and not being able to charge my phone in time, what would happen Would it die in 1 day Not the best user experience.Overall satisfied, but the ad is better than the product itself.
PeterSam –
You could be forgiven for thinking that phone designers gradually build on previous designs and continually better the product. But, they dont. This phone has an incredibly good camera but, the file size is very large. Therefore the only option that you would really consider is the 512GB and it isnt currently available in the UK. Never mind, you can have a lower memory option of 128 or 256GB and store photos on the micro SD card, except you cant because they decided not to provide one with this phone.The conclusion is that its an excellent phone with a lovely screen, superb image quality and many good features. It is perhaps one of the very best but, the features that would have set it substantially ahead of all the competition and score 5 stars are not available yet namely, the micro SD card and the 512GB option for the UK. The performance is excellent and it is capable of running 5G which is useful if you happen to be in an area offering it. Much of the UK struggles to operate 3G, let alone 4G or 5G. You need to be careful when purchasing because many of these phones offering the 512GB option are available but, they are not the UK version. They are International or US versions and this fact is rarely included in the advert but, will generally be supplied if you ask the question before purchase. The design would be worthy of 5 stars if the 512GB option was available in the UK now and if the micro SD card available on earlier phones had not been omitted from this model. The cost is similar to other major competitors with the same or similar features,
Lynusann –
I love my s21 ultra honestly. As a dedicated Galaxy Note user for many years, I had a hard time swallowing that they were coming to an end. But I held out and waited for the new ultra to drop and Im glad I did.The phone is the fastest Ive owned and the cameras are amazingly high quality.The only con Ive found is that the screen scratches if you even look at it funny. For a phone in this price point, the screen really should be more durable. My old galaxy phones took real beatings and never even so much as scuffed. My Ultra has a huge scratch right across the center despite extreme care.I would still absolutely recommend my ultra but I would say double up with your screen protectors because Samsung didnt seem to put much into the glass for this phone.
girl –
I went away on a camp so didnt take the new phone. But Im set to go now as I ordered a Armorx waterproof shockproof case with a carabiner from the USA. I also bought a 45w Samsung charger half price for 35 which is good. I have just bought 2 x 45w Belkin chargers for 28 each on special for my sons.What I like about the phone the smoothness of the touch display the choice of buttons and ease of access to use fingerprint or passcode, your choice, any time. the preloaded apps in folders eg Samsung Outlook etc ie the organisation. I havent really used the camera so I cant comment. Though my S8 camera even though only 8 mp was and is still gr8. love the sharing link to the TV it is very easy and user friendly. I got pro earbuds with the ultra as a bonus. This is something I have never felt I needed, I must admit….. I love the ear buds and the cool fancy case….. very cute.What Im getting used to the larger heavier size. I think the case I ordered will help as I can clip it. Not having extra storage will be a pain but I will just have to transfer photos to an external hard drive or USB. Im not interested in the Cloud. I never used an external jack in the S8 so I wont miss thatI havent given a 5 star as I havent used the camera much yet. I am a photographer enthusiast and this was my main reason for spending the tag.Ive had a Samsung for ever so I dont want disappointment now.
JDUB –
This phone has a stunning display. Absolutely clear and brilliant, its the best display I have ever seen on any phone, ever. I love that about it. Though it feels a little heavy, it also feels solidly built. The camera on the back looks bolted on and doesnt really integrate well with the overall design, but I think the cover will take care of that issue.The only downsides so far1200 for a phone and no charger included Come on Samsung, thats ridiculous.Facial recognition stopped recognizing my face after 1 day. No, I have not altered my appearance or had cosmetic surgery in the last 24 hours.Bluetooth does not stay connected to my cars audio system.Well see if I can work out the kinks with the facial recognition and bluetooth, and if so I will happily keep the phone because it seems to do everything well otherwise. But if not, maybe I will switch back to iPhone. Never had any glitches with my iPhone.
Joeleo –
No charger. No expandable storage and with very limited options. I bought the S10 almost purely for excellent storage. The camera focus is plagued with bugs and is difficult to use. The software is glitchy and resulting photos are terrible quality for a flagship phone. 1X zoom will auto flick back and forth between fish eye and normal lense and there seems to be no way to turn it off.Whatever improvements have been made with this phone since the S10 are offset by a myriad of issues and huge backward steps.How has a phone touting one of the best cameras in the market not had these issues fixed yetThe first purchase from Samsung Ive utterly regretted and this was push I needed to move from the brand.Youve lost your way.
saspelletier –
Purchased 3 weeks ago to replace my S10. Phone looks great but the battery life ridiculous, making the phone unusable. At best with all features off and optimized, if I am lucky I can maybe just maybe get 12hrs, that is with power saving on, Bluetooth off so dont expect to use your galaxy watch, and sync off. All of this off and barely using the phone may get you home for dinner but dont take any detours. I spent a week with their support team, just enough to void my right to of 15 days to return it lesson learned, dont waste time trouble shooting, just return immediately. In the end support told me that this is as good as it get. So if you still want to purchase this phone, go ahead and turn all the features off and by an extra heavy battery power pack to carry with you. Very disappointed and stuck with a very limited expensive phone…Youve been warned.
Jonathan –
My Samsung journey started with the Note 4. Then we S7 Edge, S9, then Note 9. I was really hesitant to leave the Note 9, because the capacitive finger print scanner on the back was so great, the pen, and the haptic button on the front screen that you could press and get to the home screen. But after a few days with this phone, I dont miss any of it. The indisplay fingerprint scanner is excellent. Make sure you get SEVERAL different angles when you register your prints, and you will have zero problems unlocking your phone. The cameras are fantastic. The software just keeps getting better and better I honestly cant think of how Samsung could make their One UI any better at this point. Its perfect. Regardless of what other people say, S Pen support on the phone is excellent. I swap from my Tab S7 to this phone with the S Pen seamlessly, and I forget that Im not using a Note when I use the pen. The screen is flawless I love that Samsung has decided to go back to a flatter screen, with less aggressive curves. The screen no longer melts down the edges, but still has a gentle curve that keeps that traditional Samsung ergonomics that theyve worked hard to perfect. This phone is lighter than the Note 9, which was weird at first. I like my phone to have a little weight to it but I quickly adapted, and feel that the weight is perfect. The camera bump is not as bad as I expected it to be. I rarely notice it. It does interfere with my old standup style wireless charger. I will need to get one with a lower back to it so my phone will charge properly. I also love the matte back. As a user that prefers an uncased phone, the matte back is NOT a fingerprint magnet. THANK YOU SAMSUNG. THANK YOU. now I dont have to carry a cloth everywhere I go to wipe fingerprints from my phone all day. This is the best of the best.. do not hesitate to purchase this phone. It is worth the price tag.
MadDogFL62 –
After 3 weeks of using my S21 Ultra, I couldnt be happier. Fantastic features and runs Android 11 and Samsung One UI 3 like a champ. Files, etc. go to the cloud, so no expansion card is a nonissue. Never got close to 256 on my last 3 Samsung phones anyway. Lots to do and learn with this device I dedicated a few hours to YouTube reviews about the phone, how to optimize, and how to take advantage of all the cool things the cameras do. I have great battery life and I strongly believe that these setup and configuration reviews from the Pros on YouTube helped me accomplish that. Phone is no heavier than Note 10 or S20 the weight comes with the territory. Never really used my stylus on my Note either I am fine with Samsung taking that extra space for battery Getting about a day and a half off of a full charge. Runs great on LTE or WiFi. Charges fast on my Samsung Fast Charging Station. Works great with all of my Samsung watches and Samsung Buds too. I also get updates for my phone and Galaxy Wear frequently. Its good to see Samsung focused on finetuning the phone and peripheral experience.
Anonymous –
The s21 ultra is an impressive device. Great display which is arguably the very best out there. Its not a 5 star device unfortunately. I really considered returning mine and keeping my s10 for another year but that device is 2 yes old now and needed upgrading. My two main gripes with the device is the average battery life and camera performance. Battery Gets you through the day fine but nothing special. Bog standard in battery performance. Was expecting better given the battery capacity. The main weakness however, is the lowlight camera performance. Although improved with a software update still has serious issues. The focusing in lowlight isnt flagship level especially for a 1200.00 phone. The laser assisted focus just doesnt hold a candle to the dual pixel autofocus of previous Samsung units. The contrast levels are also stupidly high which also affects the quality of the lowlight images. I know its early days and the camera will improve with time but for a phone that costs this much the lowlight performance is a serious let down. Stops me recommending the device to anyone else. Samsung need to take stock and look again at their development cycle and strategy. Theyre releasing very expensive devices with beta software and fundamental flaws. You should be selling loads of devices because your offerings are compelling and not because folks dont have many other alternatives. After 6 years using Sony Xperia devices I switched to Samsung in 2016. Have bought the s7 Edge, s8, s10 and now s21 ultra but I doubt Ill be getting any others if something doesnt change soon.Message to Samsung, when you price a phone this high, make sure its pretty stellar all round before sending it to market. You will not be in a position of no competition forever. Alternatives will arrive and many will switch over if this continues.
Bimm –
Have been wanting to upgrade as my s9 was dying and on release of this phone was almost unusable at times. Was eyeing the s20 note but decided to wait on this. Love the pen and the length as it doesnt make my hand cramp like the note pen but hate that it doesnt have a convenient storage space for it unless you bought the pen and case bundle. Camera is great and the touch response is much better than the s9. Size is great. Wasnt sure how i would feel about the size at first but Ive grown to like it much more than the s9s awkward not small enough but not big enough size. Battery is great as I use it all day constantly on call games etc and it lasts. So far so good. Only problem was calls were great and still are but lately Ive had complaints from people I talk with that the mic when on speakerphone has been pretty weak so Im not sure if the mic has gotten weaker in performance since Ive purchased about 3 or 4 months ago or not. Can get hot but seems to cool pretty quickly in comparison to my older Samsung phones Ive had. Need more case options that include spen holders and in white please
AlexO28 –
I went with the S21 because I didnt want a huge phone. I didnt think too much about the fact that its the bottom end of the scale but there have been a few things Ive noticed. It heats up INSANELY hot when plugged into my car for Android Auto. So hot, I cannot touch the sides of the phone and need to hold it in front of the aircon. Its also become really hot when playing music while on charge. In terms of the camera, its brilliant BUT when switching from camera to gallery, the phone seems to have a little meltdown before allowing me to go to gallery. This did get better with the last update but is still an issue and finally the battery. Im a decent user but wouldnt consider myself a heavy user. Im not playing games, just the usual, music, phone calls and social media but I cant make it through the day without a full charge. When comparing to my almost 3 year old Galaxy S9 it was better on the heat and camera and about the same on charge but that is to be expected of a phone of that age. Not sure if I love the fingerprint reader on the screen, it seems to not be a sensitive as my S9Wondering if I should have just accepted a bigger phone and gone for the Ultra or Plus. It does have some other cool features that I like and the camera is VERY impressive.
still waiting –
Upgraded from Note 9 S21 512G. Its a good phone. As an Android phone it does all the usual stuff competently. I DO miss the head phone jack but I will note the Bluetooth connection to wireless headphones works better than my Note 9. I miss the extra storage capabilities. I had the 512GB Note 9 with a memory Card as well but Its useable some places I go there is no mobile network I also note that in marginal reception areas I dont find it works any better than the Note 9 either. Also the changing of the buttons each time I upgrade is annoying. Very I find the buttons far less well designed than the note 9. I really upgraded it for the camera although I note that the GPS works better than on the note 9 it it just me or do Samsung GPS seem to always get buggy after a few years or so having owned most of the Notes thats been my experience I can see they put a lot of effort into the cameras but I dont think they are quite there yet for what I want anyway. I still miss my note with 16 MP images and IM still waiting for Samsung to reach that base level again. 10 MP is NOT enough for a good image. I dont believe 12 MP is either myself. So the main camera is impressive but its frustrating because its the ONLY decent sensor and its quite wide. if the Ultra wide and the 3X had the 64 mb sensor and the 10 X had the current ultra wide sensor I think this would actually been real jump forward. As it is , its not enough for me to NOT carry my point and shoot as well. The cameras are ok for forgettable snap shots and the 10X camera isnt bad for using to read signs etc a fair way off but the only GOOD sensor is the wide one. I also realise that its still an impressive achievement BUT to me 3 of the camera sensors produce shots at quality levels that are pushed too far. Less camera sensors of better quality would have made for a better flagship product. Maybe Im not usual BUT I would prefer to trade off less cameras for better sensors images.
Romm –
Coming from a Galaxy S10, this is a major step forward. The phone feels very responsive due to its amazing hardware and 120 Hz screen. Its great that the high refresh rate can also be enabled when the maximum resolution is selected.The cameras are unbelievably versatile. All four sensors deliver sharp and crisp pictures, with great high dynamic range. The added zoom range, through the periscope lens, is very useful and provides new opportunities and perspectives for pictures.The battery has been excellent so far for me. I have the Exynos model and have been getting 67 hours of screen on time with heavy use, 120 Hz and 1440p enabled.Id certainly recommend this phone to any power user or photography enthusiast.
Whitty50 –
I upgraded to this from an S10 that I absolutely loved, that was probably one of the best phones Ive ever had so it took a lot to convince me to upgrade. I got a really good deal on this which is why I decided too.The phone is snappy, everything is very quick and runs without a hitch. Basically feels like my S10 but even better. The cameras are incredible and probably the top selling point of this phone. Im not big on taking pictures but I find myself taking a lot more simply because of how great they turn out.Not much I dont like about this phone, only being ability to add storage. Makes 0 sense why they dropped SD card support. I like using my phone as a gaming and movie device for trips with spottylack of wifi so I would store a lot of games and movies on my phone. I only have the 128gb model and probably should have went up the next level since no SD storage.
Christ0 –
I came from an S9 to the S21 Ultra. It makes more sense than the s21. Simply the best phone on the market. Everything about it screams quality. However, Samsung left this range open to criticism. They should have stuck with the 45watt fast charging though I understand the reason for not going for the insane speeds others are doing and given the customer the option to have the charger or not. The SD memory should have stayed, a basic requirement for a device this expensive. However I mainly miss the iris scanner in these mask wearing days tho unlocking with my Galaxy Watch Active 2 is pretty slick. I have not had much need for an sPen but I still love that the Galaxy S now has that capability. I got one with my S6 Tab Lite and its nice to have that seemless integration. On a side note, the kickstand on the tough Samsung case is made of play dough. Seriously, it cant support the weight of the phone. Its terrible. I have However swapped it for the stand from the S9 case which is much more durable. Also with this case on, its near impossible to align the GwA2 watch for reverse charging. I am also slightly underwhelmed by the camera. Im not sure what I expected to be honest, but pictures always feel over sharpened. This reads like a list of hate, but actually this is one of the best computers I have ever bought. DeX on board is the reason why I upgraded my phone and not my laptop. Octacore processor and 12gb RAM Thatll do nicely. If Windows 10 or a full Linux distro ever ran natively in DeX, I dont think Id buy another Computer again. Mind you, that would also make owning a tablet worthwhile too.
Hb13 –
I have my Samsung s21 for about a month now, I have used Samsungs for over 5 years and this by far the device I have liked the least. Yes the camera is great and the device is quicker and looks nicer BUT there really is no difference or major improvements compared to my S10 which is now over 2 years old. In all honesty I prefer my s10 device as it was lighter, had a jack for my headphones, came with with charger, had an SD card slot, when on speak the sound was extremely loud, when on speaker my microphone worked well and others could hear me well, when the phone was brand new my battery lasted 2 days.The battery on my s21 is shocking I can almost sit and watch the percentage go down, people struggle to hear me if i use speaker phone when on a call, many apps crashed and did not work when I transferred across all my data from my old phone most apps needed to be uninstalled and reinstalled to work again.I have always loved samsung and use many of there products including lots of home appliances and phones for many years. But now in terms of the mobile phone game I really dont see the benefit of using a Samsung compared to its competitors.Cheers
Anonymous –
I WANT MY S9 BACKI will start off by saying the cameras are amazing, the 120Hz display is beautiful and the UI is super smooth, FINALLYSince my wife and Is S9s would stop receiving updates the S9 is the last phone that applied for a trade in deal. Decided to get two S21 Ultras. Huge mistake. I have been with Samsung since the S3. Every year the glass is supposed to get better but only seems to get worse. Gorilla Glass Victus is actually softer than previous glasses. After 3 weeks my wife has a chip in her screen and has never gotten a scratch or chip from normal use. The insurance wont cover it either because its too soon. I have never used screen protectors and never had an issue. But I will no longer buy phones with curved displays because it seems like there arent any good protectors. Plus, the ultra sonic fingerprint reader doesnt work well with a screen protector. Also, I tried recording a memorial for the whole family and after 20 minutes of recording video, the phone overheated and stopped recording. I really wish I could return these phones. I really wish ATT sold Pixel devices. Im done with you Samsung.
Rrhyon –
Ive been using this phone for three months now, and overall my experience has been almost unanimously positive. Nothing is perfect, rightOverall, my devices performance has been stellar The Speed…amazing, Im able to multitask and swap between apps with near to zero delay Full disclosure sometimes it goes too fast, it must be my old age The screen quality…amazing, its Samsung, what more do you need The battery life…extremely amazing I sometimes will game heavily for 34 hours continuously, and only use maybe half of the juice The Camera…great, the photos and videos taken are generally exceptional but at the same time I rarely feel like they are perfect, but I might just be a terrible photographer, so keep that in mind. Speaking of the camera, this phone is TOP heavy. So make sure you have a good grip towards the bottom of the phone, otherwise it may take a tumble The SPen to me works just as good here as it did on the note series, minus a few features, and the inscreen fingerprint sensor still works great, even with a screen protector.My only complaint would be the lack of expandable storage potential. I can make 128Gb works, but Id rather store my clutter on an SD card rather than internal storage.
JTurn –
This is my first foray into Samsung Android phones, being a stock Android advocate and Pixel user for the past few years. Ill say up front, this phone blew away my expectations. I upgraded from a Pixel 3XL, which served me well but suffers greatly from Googles ridiculous decision to only include 4gb of RAM. The S21 Ultra feels like an ALMOST universal upgrade the screen is significantly better both in resolution and in refresh rate, which makes this feel unbelievable smooth, the performance is better, and the extras that Samsung provides are a nice touch. I cant help but miss some of the pixel features Ive come to rely on, though…You dont need me to tell you the areas where the phone excels, every review on the internet will focus on that. From my perspective, here are the areas where I wasnt as impressed as I expected…The cameras are very versatile, but being honest, the main shooter isnt much of an upgrade over the Pixel 3xl. In fact, the pictures seem objectively worse in some situations. This is a disappointment and probably speaks more to how amazing the Google Camera app is. The zoom functions are unmatched here, but the day to day shots feel like Ive actually taken a step back which is very disappointing. Many shots are coming out blurry and generally not great. This is contrary to what all the reviews have said and was a surprise to me.Some of the software aspects of OneUI are lacking compared to vanilla Android and Pixel in specific. The most glaring omission here is call screening. Anyone thats used this on a pixel knows how amazing it is. This cant be enabled on the S21. Ive scoured xda and the like for a solution but Ive found none.Another missing feature is a seemingly small one, but its annoying to me. Android 11 added a feature to visual indicate which notification was the just recent to come in. This was a hugely useful feature for anyone that has a persistently large amount of notifications like me. This isnt available on the S21 which is disappointing. At least notification history is there.Next, the split screen experience is objectively worse on the S21 than on vanilla Android. On vanilla Android, you can lock an app on the top half of the screen and then freely switch between apps for the lower half of the screen. On OneUI, you have to specify which two apps are split screen and if you hit the home button, both apps close. This is annoying for me since I like to keep Nest open on top and use the bottom for various other apps. Ive gotten around the by using Nest in pop up mode which works well but its not quite as good.Finally, the navigation on this phone frustrates me compared to the Pixel 3XL. On the pixel, there was a hybrid navigation option where you could have actual home and back buttons on the bottom while also having gestures for app switching, multitasking, etc. There is no equivalent on the S21 either you go all gesture or all button. The hybrid approach was far superior in my opinion.Overall, theres no doubt in my mind this is the best phone you can get overall right now. I just wish it didnt have the downsides outlined above.
Ebzz –
Its nice quality and size. Picture clarity is also very good. Wish the fingerprint sensor had remained on the back of the phone though. Downside is that the charger and earphones have been removed. Samsung have said its to reduce plastic but it seems to me as just another avenue to make extra money. Of Im paying over 1000 for a phone I expect to have a charger in the pack. The logic of people using their old chargers is stupid because not everyone is upgrading from the same brand. I last used my S9 2yrs agonajd no longer had the charger. There will be a lot of people similar to me orbthose that are using Samsung for the first time and dont have a charger from their precious phone to use. So I pay 1000 nearly 2000 if on contract for a phone without a plug adapter or earphones. Including the cable only is also useless because beyond the S20, all other Samsung phone charging cables are not USB C on both ends so those costumers will still need to buy a new adapter plug that will fit the USB C cabke mouth or whole charger set on their own if they compare prices. It is also common sense that earphones do not last like some chargers do some chargers also last only for a few months. Expecting someone to still have their old earphones from their purchase or contract 2yrs ago is nothing short of stupidity to be honest. Also how can you expect people to use their old earphones if the end of the earphones has now been changed to the USB C mouth Again not everyone is getting the S21 after already preciously having the S20 and even if they do, 80 chance the earphones dont work anymore. If Samsung really want to save plastic they should include options to add or remove a charger and earphones to their basket when purchasing and that too FREE OF CHARGE. Making your costumers spend 50 extra on basic accessories in the guise of saving plastic is good costumer service at all.
Louper –
I upgraded from the s6 a week ago I know, big leap. Obviously the first thing I noticed was the increased speed, no more lagging, yay. However, the second most noticeable difference between this phone and the s6 was the extremely toned down colour. Ive owned the s3, s6, and s9 and funnily enough this phone, nearly twice the price of its predecessors, has an almost greyscale saturated color to it. To test and make sure I wasnt imagining things I transferred photos from my gopro to both the s6 and s21, the colors popped out on the s6 where the s21 just doesnt have that vivid feel youd expect, almost like the pictures are coated with a slight mist. Ive noticed others posted this issue in forums hoping for a firmware update to fix but I thought it was worth mentioning here as this is the official product website. Samsung, if you can hear me, please update the firmware to include colour options from previous generation
TheOneInYellow –
My beloved S10 Ceramic Black was my favourite Galaxy phone of all time, and Ive owned many Samsung phones since the Omnia SGHi900I was saddened to trade that in towards the brand new S21 Ultra 5G 512GB Phantom Silver, but the new phone is LEAGUES superior to my previous one, which was a workhorseI do a lot of amateur photography, mostly based around my watches, and my S10 taught me lots in pro shooting.The S21 Ultra ups this on a big scale, from 12bit RAW pictures for editing later in Photoshop Lightroom and Express, to the extra 16GBs of RAM for more grunt.The gorgeous 2K screen with adaptive 120Hz refresh rate is obscenely beautiful to look at and enjoy, and makes my editing very precise.Extra battery capacity, better camera modules, super slick One UI 3.1, Bixby routines macro level automation with Smart Things, …I can keep listing away the various features I enjoy.Though not yet used my other big draw was finally Spen support for an S series phone.My first stylus phone was the Omnia SGHi900, then years later Note II 3. Ive missed pen support, especially with my style of photography and editing, but now that this is available and with official and third party stylus support I can finally do accurate and precise work on my phone.Im waiting for the Spen Pro release but just happy that this is something available for the S21 Ultra.Theres so much to discuss but my time thus far with my new phone, and the joy of working on it, especially on photography, has made me extremely happy.Wonderful hightech product and a worthy title for Ultra
Meg98 –
So impressed with the S21 Ultra, Ive never gone for a latest edition of a phone but Im so happy I did. The phone itself preforms amazingly. The phone is so responsive, quick to react to your touch and just so smooth with it. The camera is honestly out of this world for a phone camera and one reason I actually brought the phone. Only downside was my selfies are now so good its bad, basically catfished myself through my previous phones bad camera quality… Only downside relating to the camera is Snapchat but that is at a fault of their own and not with Samsung, if you take a video youll see how bad the quality is. The video will be grainy and lags but you know your camera is better than what it produces via snapchat. Battery life is incredible it lasts me all day and if I forget to charge it at the end of the day ill still wake up the next morning with enough charge. Features to the phone havent blown me away but thats because theyre familiar Ive used a Samsung for both my personal and work phone for the last 5 years but do find on the S21 ultra the features run smoother due to the great performance of the phone and you can use everything longer without draining battery life. Finally… lets just appreciate how beautiful the design of this phone is. I dont think id give up on the curved display and so glad this version of the S21 range offers that. I usually go for a black phone but due to it being out of stock from the place I brought the phone I had to go with sliver but I dont regret it because it looks so smart. So happy with this phone would highly recommend as it is worth the price you pay.
Junior –
why would they not send the necessary equipment to charge it Im glad I read all the reviews on time so I can cancel my order. the headphone is another deal breaker for me. As a student I use this all day long keeps me from having to charge any Bluetooth device. As far as the memory goes, I dont understand why they would make a phone that records 8k which will clearly run through memory a lot faster than the older phones recording at lower resolutions and then limit our ability to expand the memory, now that we need it most. looks as if it was all a plan to sell cloud storage plans. And even if cloud storage was free, not all of us want to have our stuff in the cloud.I can probably figure out the headphone jack with an adaptor but hopefully the next one has at least a memory expansion slot which in my opinion is a must for 8k video recording. and stop being cheap and throw in a charging block
S117 –
I recently got my Samsung galaxy S21 a month ago and I was always against Samsung about how there software is.That has completely changed. I totally believe Samsung listened to their customers and has addressed their previous issue with there software. One UI is not a heavy skin on Android now. Its actually really goodThe stand out feature I really enjoy is the tight integration with windows 10. Being able to use my apps on my computer to send quick messages and actually use my apps is brilliant.There is still work that needs to be done in the link to windows like a tighter integration with Microsoft to do.Overall the phone is great. Battery life will get you through the day and more if you are a light user. Screen is bright and the high refresh rate is really good.If you have a phone thats is 2 or 3 years old this phone is definitely a good upgrade.
Pink Flamingo –
Just had to replace a phone, in an emergency, for our Daughter. Purchased the Samsung GalaxyS21. Price was, what we consider, in our opinion, outrageous We felt rippedoff and disappointed Further, Samsung has not included a charger, or headphones and has deleted the slot, to insert a Micro SD Card, for expandable memory. Saying they didnt think it was necessary, is akin to Ken Olsen saying that he saw no reason for a person to have a computer in their home. If you already have an USBC charger, that you think youre going to use, you might want to think again. It will work, but as slow as molasses Its not designed with the power rate, desired by the S21 and new line of phones. We only discovered this, when we brought it home and tried to set it up. They went back to a flat screen, which is better than the rounded infinity screen and the colour we bought her, is pink. So, shes happy about that. We still had to also buy a phone case and a separate screen cover and insurance, to protect the investment. Now were looking for a new charger We have been buying Samsung devices for years It appears our loyalty has been betrayed. We, currently, have 3 Samsung phones and 3 tablets. Time to start looking at other manufacturers Its a nice phone, but its not the Crown Jewels, for the price
Flipper –
I was a very happy Google Pixel4 owner. I mistakenly thought that smartwatches were ready for primetime so I bought a LTE Galaxy Watch 3. I spent a week, many calls to Samsung and my carrier, and countless hours attempting to get the watch to work with the Google phone but it just wouldnt work. If I were smarter, I would have returned the watch and been done with it. Instead, I upgraded my phone to a new Samsung Galaxy S21. The watch connected properly but, unfortunately, the Watch stinks. The two things I needed it for, podcast listening and exerciser monitoring, barely work together. The software is so clunky, unreliable, and difficult to use. Im an IT consultant so Im not a technoidiot. How Samsung doesnt have an easy, reliable podcast player is beyond me. Ive been forced to invent crazy, inconvenient workarounds to get it to work at all. In fact, I usually bring my phone with me which makes the stupid watch completely redundant. The phone might be fine but in my particular situation it was a total waste of time and money that Ill be paying for for the next two years.
DPerk –
95 of the phone is awesome. Fast, responsive screen, great size, awesome battery life, and the people whining about the headphone jack or microSD clearly do NOT have this phone, or bought it, stupidly, without researching it at all first or are just whining.My only real complaints are that I am always getting a that last shot might be blurry when using the camera. Maybe it is because my toddler is fast, haha, but generally I find myself doublechecking that I wiped the lens clean and trying several more times to get the shot correct. Never really had that problem on my Pixel XL, and not much on my Note 10 before this.The other complaint is that this purchased directly from Samsung, unlocked, along with my Note 10 purchased at Best Buy, locked to Verizon, will drop the audio from my mic when Im talking for any extended period of time. My mom, my brother, a coworker… sometimes it is after 1015 minutes, other times it is after only 4 or 5 minutes… SUPER annoying, and I cannot find a fix, and Samsung has not been able to help me at all about it. Never had any issues with my Pixel XL that I had for like, 3 years, prior to getting the Note 10, trading that in for this mostly BECAUSE of the audio failures… Really frustrating. I dont see a TON of complaints about this from other users, either, but it is recurring with me, and only on Samsung devices, but I cannot figure out what the common denominator is, aside from it being a Samsung. Happens on wifi and cellular data, always the same carrier, no similarities with the people that it happens with… I think theyre all Verizon, but it doesnt happen when Im talking to businesses that, I believe, are on land lines… Super strange.
Galaxy man –
This phone is powerful fast with amazing wireless reception. Its easy to operate if you have had previous versions of galaxy phones. However, I still regret replacing my Galaxy S9 plus with this new S21 Ultra. The phone is really heavy. There is no notification lights on it to let you know if new calls or messages had arrived. My S9 had a green flashing light coming on whenever phone was locked and screen was off, indicating that a call was missed or new messages had arrived. The S21 doesnt have it. You have to push the power or unlock it to see if anything has arrived. Also its an expensive phone without micro SD slot, same mistake Samsung did with S6. The finger print and face recognition is really below expectation. The S9 had the finger print spot on the back of the phone, in a perfect location right in the middle. All you needed was to grab the phone and touch your finger to the back of the phone. And by the way, it would never miss my fingerprint no matter what.weight of the phone is not balanced because of the several cameras on the top left. The body of the phone to the bottom is way lighter than the top like a hammer. When you hold it to read, attend a meeting, talking over the phone, you feel the discomfort of this unbalanced overall weight distribution. Be careful Or you may drop your phone as you drop the hammer while holding it softly from the bottom side. I cant understand why so many cameras are needed. I need a great smart phone not a compact Canon SDR camera. You will have serious problems with your hands and wrist if you hold this phone for a while. Another future missing for a really long time after galaxy s5 is the video playback single shot or picture by picture. Before, you had two buttons forward and backward that enabled you to see your taken videos picture by picture to save a nice and clear snapshot of your kids who was running or dancing but not anymore. If I hadnt traded in my Galaxy S9 phone, I would have got rid of this smart hammer.
RenegadeCoder –
Ive been exclusively purchasing Samsung Android phones for nearly as long as youve been selling them, but over the last couple years youve not only been systematically removing the features which distinguished your products from their competitors, but even going so far as to copy the negative elements which drove your customers away from those competitors in the first place.As an audiophile and a publictransit commuter, there is absolutely ZERO chance that I will ever want or use wireless earbuds I see somebody nearly lose one on the train weekly, but you bafflingly decided to copy Apples universally hated removal of the 3.5mm jack. So not only am I unable to charge my phone while listening wireless charging doesnt work through waterresistant phone cases, but Im expected to walk around with an adaptor sticking out of the charging port in my pocket, as if that wont break when I sit down Its a blatantly anticonsumer design which encourages damage to the charging portThen youve made this S21 Ultra model centered around its overpowered camera, but removed support for expandable storage, so whats the point of taking photos at 40108 MP and 8K videos that I wont be able to store Cloud storage for that kind of volume is not cheap, or even particularly available for most people.Have you ever heard even one consumer react positively to these changesI love my S10, but it needs to be replaced and unfortunately, everything youve released since have been steps backward. For the first time in over a decade, my next phone will NOT be a Samsung.
MikeBM –
Bought a new S21 on the deal with free galaxy buds.Phone meets my expectations, a few little quirks that I had to get familiar with but overall a good experience. At the same time I bought the Samsung LED View Cover. Its a good cover for protecting the phone, great idea to put a card slot on the inside, it now leaves me somewhere safe to carry my card without carrying my wallet. However, the LED function is just a gimmick and rediculously expensive for what you get. LED display only shows for a very short period of time and is pretty pointless. You can create a LED image for your contacts or create your own. The create your own facility is piintless, its basic and just about impossible to write draw anything clearly. Theres a nice LED clock which shows when you close the cover but this goes off aftet a few seconds. If you want to see the time you have to open the case to activate it so you may aswell look at the screen, Id suggest you buy a far cheaper alternative.Camera is pretty good but theres not a simple Macro operation specific for close ups, you use an associated setting that dosent work well at all. Regarding tbe battery although a greater capacity than my S8, I havent noticed much of a distance.Overall a great phone and camera, buds are great but stay away from the gimick cases
Chucklebuck –
Specwise, the Galaxy S21 is a great phone. Runs games well, has a good camera, is easy to operate and the rumble feature feels nice.However, the screen, while displaying nice and clear visuals, damages extremely easily. Despite using several cases including two official Samsung ones and never using the phone for anything other than light use, both my original phone and the replacement I was sent via Amazon developed scratches and dents that discolour the screen. Despite being placed on tables face up and in my pocket with front covers on, the screen was still damaged even through the preinstalled screen protector.Very disappointing for Samsungs expensive flagship phone, especially when it works so well in other areas. Great phone to use, but being so fragile despite it using the toughest Gorilla Glass yet makes it hard to fully recommend.
Smithybow01999 –
If you are looking for a no no nonsense phone with a high quality camera, for all the pictures you want to take. Then this is the phone for you. If you are looking for a phone that is powerful, if that is for mobile gaming, or for multi tasking, this is also the phone for you. The power this phone has makes it so easy to do everything you want it to. But one issue you will have is the fact that it does not support micro SD, but it does not have to be the kicker that you think. You can get around that issue by backing up images to the cloud and then removing them from your system storage. This phone also supports the S Pen if that is something that may interest you, you do not have a place to doc the pen on the phone. So you will have to get a case for it. But the fact that the S series of phone now supports the S Pen is amazing it opens up the eco system just that little bit more for everyone that keeps it Samsung.
Crimsonrainsoughtflower –
I got this phone on my birthday a week and a half ago.In comparison to my old Samsung A8 2018, it seems to be much faster but I also have had that phone for some time, and it was kind of being tortured because I was constantly reaching the storage limit and I used it 247, so Im not throwing shade at all, it was and still is a good phone. I have yet to check for any nifty tricks it can do. I am very happy with the cameras. Also, this was the first time Ive been able to take a picture of a starry night Im excited to take more pictures in a lightpollutionfree town next time I visit my home country.Overall, it seems to handle storage pretty well. Ive transferred everything and installed what I had uninstalled on my other phone and it all takes up about 50GB. However, the phone seems to still be very fast. I am of course pleasantly surprised by this. Still, this is 15 of its full capacity so I guess it would have been concerning if it wasnt working well.The original layout was a bit too big for me fonts, app icons, but that is of course adjustable, so I cant really complain. I even adjusted my keyboard to be more narrow, so that it suits my small fingers better.The phone is also significantly heavier than the a8, but its fine, its good workout for my noodle arms haha just kidding, its not that heavy, but I guess with a screen protection and a phone case it could be too much. Definitely doesnt casually fit in pockets like my other phone, but thats fine by me, I can just take the other one outside and switch when I feel like it.About the screen itself.. I must say, I am in love. It might be a bit hard to get used to if you have small hands, but watching a 4kI havent tried bigger resolutions video in full screen is an experience. The volume is also crazy loud I was joking to my parents of how I dont need a speaker with this phone, the phone itself is a speaker. It has the main speaker on the bottom, but it also has a small or two I cant tell if its a microphone hole or not speaker hole on the top I was watching a tiktok in the first day after getting it, and I felt like I was tripping, cause there was sound coming sometimes from the top and sometimes from the bottom, switching like some songs do with headphones, and I found that really cool.I of course tried filming in 8k however, I havent gotten out of my room much to be able to test it out with a really nice view. I noticed that the camera is sliding really smoothly, with a slight delay, so even if you move it a lot in 8k it does not do those really small shakes. At first when my sister pointed it out when comparing her IPhone, I thought it was odd, but now Im glad that it is this way. My hands can be unsteady sometimes and I would rather it have delay then have a blurry mess for a video.When taking selfies, because of the big camera resolution on the front camera at least in my opinion it is big, okay, all pores and whatnot are visible of course. This can fortunately be fixed or not, you do you, you can make your skin smooth directly in the camera app, and also make it lighter or darker, which is a plus for me since my face skin tone is uneven and it always looks kind of dark on camera. It looks like I have good lighting even though I dontYes, the phone does have a 30 zoom at least when you take photos, I cant remember if its an option for videos too, but they arent that clear, which is fine. I guess you could use it to just make out something you cant on your own, but it isnt really the most optimal for taking clear pictures of faraway objects.I also noticed that with the night mode on, there is little to no noise in a picture. Thats really awesome I cant wait to take pictures at night in the future, maybe on new years eve or something.The battery is also very decent. I already mentioned how much I already took up of the total storage, and still the battery is going strong and lasting me for a good while. I have no complaints.Overall, do I think the phone is worth its price Hmm.. maybe. The cameras are very good, it has a bunch of space, and I havent tried any cool games yet but I think it would hold out just fine. No more getting annoyed at how much it takes for apps to start up again, no shade to the a8, it lived a rough life, no more getting stressed over having nothing more to delete to make space because it was constantly full. I now also have all the Microsoft apps so that I can do homework and the like on my phone. I would say, if you want to buy it, maybe dont do it with a heavy heart holding onto the money and counting any cents and pennies, because then you will probably not get to enjoy the phone because you constantly think of how this and that isnt how you wanted even though you paid so much. Its just a phone, and its a pretty good one at that, so just forget about the budget for a small amount of time if you want quality, its probably something you use most of the time anyway so in my opinion its worth investing into. Im going to take good care of my phone, and I honestly hope that it will last me for a long time.
Anonymous –
I bought a black S21 Ultra 5G at launch, Verizon model. Traded up from my Note 9 and overall, I really enjoy the device. Feels great in the hand, quick and responsive. A worthy upgrade.Ive enjoyed the camera, though I dont take enough photos to make it worthwhile, thats my fault. The build quality seems top notch, I immediately cased it with a Spigen case and screen protector so Id expect it to handle most drops without damage now.My current complaint is the connectivity. Im in Nashville on Verizons 5G network and Ive experienced occasional slow loading times and failures to upload files to Discord, or buffer 4K YouTube. If I didnt also have issues on my home wifi, Id chalk it up to Verizon…. Im not sure whats going on, but it happens just enough to be a nuisance. Perhaps this can be addressed in a software update.Aside from the occasional connectivity issue, its a solid device with a multitude of excellent features that I dont fully take advantage of, but intend to.
Bad Bas –
I returned my Galaxy S21 5G yesterday. Why are you crazy No. After using an old iphone I found the operating system just too much. I had the phone for 7 days watched You Tube tutorials but never figured out how to shut the phone off or deinstall annoying features. The camera was great and lots and lots and lots and lots of apps many competing to be on my phone. so many choices. Too many choices . It is said that humans are only able to make 1000 choices in a day afterwhich their brains shut down, essentially. I prefer less apps and ones that are more user friendly. Great camera but the buttons dont work for selfies only the virtual button in the front middle so dropping your phone is an option. Could not get rid of SMS home either to instal or uninstall . I have an old old iphone that I got for nothing and I am so happy. Everything was up and running easily and no tutorials needed. A week on the Galaxy and not bad but so many things I couldnt figure out, I just dont have time . Sorry Samsung. Batter was amazing though…..
DPpitts –
I bought this phone 4 months ago. I had a samsung galaxy s9 before this phone. there features i like about this phone and dont like about this phone. I like the camera i think this phone has one of the best cell phone cameras in the market. overall look and feel is very good. even with curvy edges it doesnt feel slippy. Edge to edge screen and the screen resolution is very good. I watch some of the games on my phone and i dont miss watching it on TV its that good. Phone processor is very good and feels upgraded, very fast switching between apps and the response time to open apps is awesome. Now the downsides, one big draw back is there is no way to increase memory. some of the previous versions has this feature and now its gone. dont like it. no headphone jack. If I run out of charging on my bluetooth headphone i cant use my wired earphones as a back up. i have to make sure i charge my bluetooth earphones. very heavy and bulky. even though it feels safe in the hands because of the weight and size sometimes you dont feel safe handling it with one hand.
Jordan G –
I have had my S21 for 3 months now. So gar this phone has frozen and restarted on its own more than any phone I have ever owned. It will freeze, then restart, then ill unlock it and it will restart again. Very frustrating. The screen fingerprint reader is painful to use as well, especially if you use a screen protector. And as if we wouldnt use a screen protector. The behind the screen ear speaker is not very good either. If your in public you will have to cram the top of the phone into your ear to hear a phone call. I do like things about this phone like the beautiful screen and the phenomenal camera. Unfortunately, even with that in mind, constant restarts and having to repress my fingerprints multuple times every time i want to unlock the phone makes me regret being locked into this phone for another 21 months.
Flossome –
I made the first jump to the Galaxy with the S10e, and was happy with it, but I needed something that would allow me to express myself a little more, and would assist in other activities in the future.So I made the even bigger leap straight to the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G.Granted, for now, I cant take advantage of the 5G capabilities, since I dont live near a compatible city for it, but I was able to trade in my old Galaxy which had a cracked screen and was able to get it at a discounted price, which was radThe cameras on this thing were the big selling point, but I have yet to find a personal situation where I can take advantage of its full capabilities.However, the S Pen and future S Pen Pro work wonderfully with the phone, and Ive attempting to jot down notes, either at work or whenever I possibly can.The only things I have to knock it for, is getting rid of the 3.5mm audio jack, and reading up that the battery is not userservicable. I wouldve appreciated the idea of having a Samsung phone in 2021 where the battery could still be fixed or replaced by the user especially not forgetting stories of the Note 7.And overall, the value of this phone is about onpar with flagship phones in its price range. My hope is that feature phones are able to come down in price over time.Overall, the phone feels very nice to use, and is filled to the brim with features. However, if userservicability is an issue for you, and youre on a budget, maybe the S21 line itself isnt for you. Stick with the S10 line, or even get a previous gen Note phone. They might hold a little more value in the long run.
Starhunter –
I bought this on the early promotion back in March, wondering if it was worth moving up from the S20 5g. SHORT answer, an emphatic YES The thumb print recognition is vastly superior, I only have the very occasional failure to recognize the first try vs the older phone that seemed to be a constant battle. Pictures and videos are way better, and it handles multiple apps simultaneously with no problems. Only two things I dont like….1 no headphone port and 2 no memory card slot. With the headphones, I also bought the Galaxy pro buds thinking theyd be great. Not so much…. they randomly drop bluetooth connection when on calls or when listening to music, forcing me to take them out, put them in the case, close the case then take them out and put them back in my ears. Fairly useless if you ask me and not worth 200. The memory card thing is personal preference and Im only half full on the internal memory so probably not going to be a big deal. Five star on value because of early deal with trade in brought cost down to 600, otherwise this would be maybe a 3 star for value.Overall, love the phone and would highly recommend
medic05 –
In my opinion this is not a flagship.I usually go back and forth between iOS and Android. When I do, I try a different brand Android each time. So far Ive tried 4 different brands and 5 android phones, this is my second Samsung Galaxy S series. This is one of the worst performing phones Ive owned on the android side of things. The worst was my other Galaxy S phone. Im stuck with this for 2 years The face unlock takes a long time to read your face with very little chance it will recognize you. I think within the 6 weeks of ownership I have reprogrammed the face recognition about 4 times. The fingerprint scanner does not work with a glass screen protector, and the screen protector provided by Samsung scratches so easily you almost need to get a foam sheath to put it in.The battery will give you a day, but thats it. You are not squeezing another day out of it. The positives about the camera are the ability to put a hand up to take a picture. The ability to quickly remove some objects out of the background and not be noticed. The one take feature is nice as well. However, The selfie camera is not as good as my older phones, as it is only 10MP, and the ever so boasted 64MP rear camera on the back is useless unless you have great lighting. So you are actually stuck with a marginal 15mp camera that over exposes most things. The camera also freezes too much. So if you are trying to get a picture of something quick, you probably wont. Out of the box there is so much setup for the cameras it crazy.Certainly there is so much setup for this phone out the box I wouldnt even consider it smart. Maybe it is too smart for me Not a brand or line of phone Ill be buying again. In order to get what they say is the best of the S21 series with the best camera and features you have to get the ultra. Just as well to get a tablet I feel. Certainly I have a 7 tablet and I wouldnt carry that around on the daily. Not everyone wants a huge phone to get the features, and we shouldnt have to. Maybe an S21 and an S21 premium in the various screen sized would be the ultimate selection for people.Notifications are abysmal. Samsung kills apps with its software to force better battery life. Lots of information to back up that statement with a little google search.Because of the app killing, notifications are suppressed until you unlock the phone again. Ive done all of the suggestions Ive found on youtube and other forums to make sure the critical apps do not go to sleep, but no luck. Im not getting any notification from my security cameras multiple brands until my phone is unlocked. In the event of a break in, I certainly wouldnt be able to catch anyone on the property. Not that it would matter in Canada Anyway.The side buttons either control the ringer or the media. You have to open the volume menu to adjust the notification volume. I could say this is good and bad. Its good that I can keep my ringer on but notifications and text messages off. Its bad that I have to open all the volume sliders to do it. Maybe we could have more option of what the side buttons control.With all of that said it does work as an everyday smartphone if you dont have high expectations. If you are a techy person, like myself you probably wont like this phone. You may like the ultra, but shouldnt have to buy something so big if you dont want to.The design is really nice. It is thin, and the perfect size for me. It fits well in my pocket and the screen vs bezel is perfect. Its light, but its also plastic. Which I like. Everyone hated it when Samsung went glass. Then they got mad when they switched back. Well, pick what you like. Plastic is cheaper to fix. Thats a bonus and I like it.It did not come with a charging block because of the manufacturers trying to save on wastage. For some reason the phone manufacturers think people are buying these expensive phones every single year and only provided people with a new style block for one year. So unless you buy a phone every year you probably didnt end up getting one and the cable they provide us useless from the get go. Thank god for third party products.The sound is also not very good on this device. Not as good as I would have hoped or wished for. Unfortunately I didnt outright buy this phone and am stuck with it for 2 years. Fortunately what I did pay for it makes the next two years with it more palatable. Sorry Samsung, I consider this phone a fail. I really was excited for it and wanted to love it. I just cant.
Cregtech –
…however I have issues with the focus on the middle 2nd lens that require me to refocus manually. It causes moments to be missed when you go for a quick photo. Its the same with video which is frustrating as I use it or for filming.Once that manual set up is done the quality is second to none and some of my videos have drawn attention as to what camera I was using such was the quality.I am also able to run my entire buiness from the device too. Its powerful enough for video editting on the fly and the flow and documtnet sharing features mean I can quickly put my files to my PC quickly and easily.The purchase experience was simple enough buying direct from Samsung but quite why I had to varify and claim my ear buds I dont know. They knew I had bought the phone so why not just bundle the ear buds in rather than a 6 week process to apply, be varified and then waitThe free 3 month YouTube premium doesnt work as you need to sign up for it via the ore installed you tune app. If this isnt your first Samsung device you will likely restore apps and setting from a backup so YouTube wont recognise the new devicepromotion.
brandle –
I bought this phone about a month ago, and I have loved using it every day since then. Before buying the phone, I was concerned that OneUI wouldnt be as good of an experience as stock Android, but I was incorrect. OneUI adds so much more to stock Android and nearly everything added on is useful and pretty. I enjoy being able to theme this phone. Multitasking is a cinch with either the new Android 11 chat bubbles or Samsungs own pop up windows which blur the lines between this phone and an actual computer. The line is nearly erased when using this phone with Samsung DeX, which gives you a desktoplike UI on an external monitortv. Just download the app on your computer, and you can run DeX wirelessly.Overall Im very impressed with this phone and have absolutely no complaints
Jonboy1984 –
I upgraded to the new S21 from my previous longlived S8 which I loved. Its a much heavier phone but obviously extra components, a slightly bigger screen and far, far superior battery made me expect that. Functionality is very similar but frequent misplaced letters when typing which has never been an issue before. Also had a few occasions where an incoming call cannot be answered as the swipe on the screen would not work.I understand the move to wireless connections but still feel a jack for headphones would have been nice, even if only for occasional use. I feel when you are charging what Samsung are for their galaxy buds it effectively increases the cost of the phone my buds were free in an offer but my partners were not.Looks and feel is great, as ever. Slight bugs at the start which I hope will be resolved in updates soon. Fantastic camera, needs work on signal retention but some of that may be my carrier. Plenty of capabilities for what I want. I just feel I was expecting a bit more than Ive got for the cost. Feels very much like a very small boost on my S8, rather than multiple generations later jump I thought Id get. Still like it though. Great phone
Joe3 –
I have been buying Samsung phones since the very beginning not only for myself but also for my company employees. Thankfully, I always research new products before making purchases. After reading these reviews, I will be delaying the upgrade of a whole lot of company phones. As much as I like and buy many Samsung products, I will not be buying New Samsung phones unless they bring back the headphone jack and SD Card slotreader. In my business like many, employees need to take a lot of photos to document things for records. This Apple iPhone approach dosent work for me or many other Samsung buyers as proved by so many negative reviews and Comments. Samsung better bring out the next phone with these issues rectified or they will be losing many dedicated buyers to Apple who I Hate and possibly other Android devices. Get back to Work Samsung, remember why we buy your phones to begin with
Dravensmom1007 –
I have had my galaxy s9 for a while now, since it was the newest galaxy phone. So, i finally decided to upgrade to the s21. Its a good phone, but not a huge improvement over what i had, in my opinion. The battery life is awesome, that i will admit. It can last me all day still only be a bit under 50. Although if i watch a lot of YouTube on a particular day or something it will get closer to around 20. Still its a huge improvement over the battery life of my old phone that would get down to hardly any battery every day or die on me some days. The picture quality is good. Maybe its because im no photographer but i dont see a huge improvement there from my old phone, maybe just a slight improvement. Other than that I feel like its basically the same phone i had with some slightly different button commands. It is a bit irritating to have to buy the adapter port to use my old headphones aux cord, but the adapter was only 10 so I wont complain too much about that. Just be aware youll need it unless you want to go wireless. Its not a bad phone by any means, but Im not wowed.
Anonymous –
On the good side the phone is better than I have expected it to be. For years I have deliberately avoided Samsung Galaxy series and S21 Ultra is my first one. But I have been convinced to be loyal to the brand. The phone is filled with Samsung bloatware apps, but what bothers me the most is the night time photography quality. I have had before 3 magnificent Huawei phones. Compared with them, the night mode and the night stills on S21 Ultra are just rubbish, completely unusable. The night sky is grainy and noisy, the moon is a shapeless, devoid of details, white messy spot. And overall, the pictures are lacking in clarity and details. I have expected so much more, considering the quality of the hardware for the camera system. I am very disappointed and if the problem will not be resolved soon, I dont think I will keep the phone, although I havent had it for more than a month.
Ce2002 –
Had this phone for coming up to two weeks now and its really impressing in every way I use it for. I definitely feel I have made the purchase worth it. Here are some of the reasons why The camera Excellent quality videos and pictures, stunning night mode also. Its very versatile and never fails to impress me I have found the ultrawide incredibly useful when taking photos and videos, and the quality across the whole picture is consistent in this mode. Battery life Even with a lot of use, the battery has easily lasted me the whole day, and this is without having to use powersaving mode or having to turn off other powerhungry features. Display The large screen has a great display despite only being a 1080p display, I dont notice a difference from my previous S9s QHD display which is very good for watching video services such as Youtube on, and the 120hz refresh rate is silky smooth when scrolling or changing between apps. These are the main reasons for me, but this phone is an impressive allrounder for me. I would definitely reccommend it to anyone wishing to upgrade.
N355 –
Own it for 3 months. I use my phones with my Mavic Mini 2. Previous I own a OnePlus7 Pro. After lots of research the S21 Ultra was a good upgrade. With in the first 3 days I notice the S21 Ultra WiFi RangeStrengthPenatration was 14 of the OnePlus7 Pro. The GPS Signal was the same as well Vs OnePlus7 Pro. With my WiFi 6 network on my farm with no other wifi around for miles. My OnePlus7 Pro would be at 12 bars on WiFi 6 AX 2.4 ghz at 500ft and 1 wall. Also depending on weather I was getting 1 bar which was useless WiFi at well over 1500 ft and 5 walls. With the S21 Ultra no WiFi until I was with in 50 ft of the router.Flying my drone on my property I now start loosing signal Vs the OnePlus7 Pro. The rangesignal stabilityreliability has been cut down by 14 due to GPS signal lost on the phone or low signal strength. In the city I have full strength cell signal with no issues. In the country the modem lacks the reach, I would never have notice it if I wasnt coming from the OnePlus7 Pro.Researching S21 Ultra GPS and Weak Signal Strength shows that many other S21 Ultra users are also experiencing this same issue.Those are the only Cons for the S21 Ultra. Everything else on the S21 Ultra is 1010 CPU, GPU, Storage, Cameras OMG its awesome.
dembow –
If you want a phone that can do it all and more without compromising features or quality, then Galaxy S21 Ultra is a phone for you. Other manufacturers will sell you intangible privacy propaganda in a limited sterile ecosystem. Samsung recognizes that its customers need an actual smartphone that will effortlessly learn how you use your phone and adapt to your lifestyle, therefore giving you unlimited possibilities in an ecosystem that makes sense to the user, not to companys financial gain. The amazing display will immerse you into beautiful One UI thats a pleasure to interact with, while crystal clear stereo speakers envelop you into content youre watching with its expansive sound stage. I would not consider giving this amount of money to any other company except Samsung. With their amazing customer support as well as frequent software updates, I will be using this device for years to come causing envy all around everywhere I go.
Morokei –
I love this phone, I really do. However, Im going to start off this review with the only negative Ive found so far, the lack of SD card support. With a phone costing this much and it being an Android phone, it shouldnt have this feature missing. Even if its a feature only a minority use which I highly doubt is the case, but I think it should still be a feature, especially since it can record up to 8k video, and not everyone likes using cloud services to store photos and videos. Other than this negative, Im absolutely loving the phone, the screen is beautiful like always, the battery so far is good, no issues there. Everything about this phone is premium, but the lack of SD card support almost had me switch to Google and at one point over to iOS as the SD card support was one of the reasons I loved AndroidSamsung phones. Id love to see the return and the continued support for SD cards. Keep features the competition doesnt have, dont lose them.
Rishi –
I would like to start of by saying this is an excellent phone which provides great features and an amazing quality experience to the users of this phone. I would like to point out however that SPens should be included in the box because at an additional 34, the cost of the phone should be increased by 34 and then be shipped in the same box as the phone. I would love to use an spen however I dont have one. It should be included with the phone to decrease costs. Also, the battery performance has not been as good as I would have predicted on my Ultra phone. Turning on all of the battery saver features can sometimes improve the battery life a bit but overall there is no point in owning this feature packed phone if I dont get to use the features. However, overall I would like to finish off by saying how much I love this phone. It is amazing with all good features and an absolutely stunning prograde camera.
Babishko –
This phone is a genuine hardware marvel and possibly the most advanced phone ever built to date. At least on a hardware level. It is a blazingly fast phone with remarkable features especially in the camera department. When taking photos this phone is incredible. Night mode is superb as are photos taken with any of the four cameras especially the zoom cameras which are brilliantly stabilized and take great pictures even up to 30x. How it has the stabilization and hardware to genuinely take non blurry and quite passable pictures at 100 x is astonishing and really brought a smile to my face. The phone can get a little hot when using the camera though I feel. Video is not good to be honest. Yet. I love shooting 4k 60fps video and on my old Note 9 this is a joy but on my Exynos 512Gb S21 ultra the low light video quality is poor in comparison with much more noise and there is a stabilization problem on the 10x camera when recording 4k 60fps video on it. To me these are all fixable software problems that the right updates can rectify. I have faith in you Samsung and I believe you will get the video problems sorted and make this phone a genuine piece of perfection. I really look forward to this.
DOCHAL –
I buy Samsung for the water resistance. Here is my question why dont you guarantee your phones against water intrusion and of course each case should be based on its merits but no warranty for what makes the phone essentially more expensive than possibly better special phones albeit not waterproof. In saying that my friends all have Vivo and Oppo phones at a quarter of the price and there speakers and sound leave Samsung for dead even when I am sure make sound systems.Now I realise phones have a shelf life or like expectancy, bad business if you make a phone that can last for ever but I recall many moons ago throwing my Nokia 101 for the older folks who remember buttons at a cat windscreen. It shattered by windscreen but not a mark on the phone and it worked perfectly. Sure I deserve it but my question is with all your technology and innovation and established customer base why can I throw a cheap phone and break a windscreen but if I drop a top shelf phone from 2 or 3 feet complete with a quality phone case and additional screen protector your screen cracks and even after repair is no longer waterproof alas my S9. Some techies may love all the features to launch a space shuttle but a majority of your customers would rather you focus on technology which I am sure you have to make the screen rack or shatterproof at reasonable heights For all your great features why not be a leader and finally give your loyal average customers a phone with a screen that wont crack when simply falling out of your pocket. We all know the technology or resources exist to apply it so why not be an industry leader in the glass screen or back on some models and finally give us some quality speakers and whats the go with no memory card option even if it was an option at a slightly higher price.
Makasoul –
This phone is worse than a s20 ultra, i guess they hoped no one would compare the 2. It has a huge heat problem, and ubderclocks it self to s9 levels after 10 min. I tested them both with wild life stress and runescape. The main test i wanted was runescape , the s21 can only hold its clock for like 30 seconds than it drops below s20 speed. This phone is incapble of doing gaming, after 10 mins its below 15 fps on runescape. No way is it worth 1200 or even 1000 it literally is worse than a razer phone 2, minus it has a oled.They are scaming people hard core with this garbage. They are literally hoping u use ur phone for 30 seconds than let it cool down, or they are hoping no one notices i guess. It is legit worthless, a s10 regular would be better.The speakers on this are terrible garbage, i couldnt even hear the game on the highway, it is atleast 50 percent quiter than a s21.The camera is slightly better , but its almost not noticeable.
Gerben Liv –
I find it a little hard to get excited over my new preordered phone. Needed to get an upgrade even though I was a huge fan of the S8 design, the phone which had been my companion since its year of release. However, it isnt just the SDcard or edge screenlighting that I am missing. As an advocate of Samsung, this purchase let me down overall and heres whyConstructive feedbackI knew there was no charger included, but it feels unwelcoming even as a Samsung fan and frugal when I cant charge my newest purchase with a charger from previous generations. The Samsung website stated in text format that a USBC cable is included in the box as in the attachment. However, I learned this was not the case after discovering the CC cable. The only things I can charge it with at the moment is my laptop or using my cable and charger from the S8.Moreover, the battery drops quite fast compared to Samsung Galaxy S8 and warmed up quite a lot on day 1 without really utilizing any app or charging it. I hope this stabilizes and isnt because of the Exynos 2100 chip. The selfie camera also feels a little underwhelming since I use it quite often for personal video calls. The person on the other end doesnt notice any difference with the camera. Camera focus is not always accurate and cumbersome to correct.Personal preferenceBixby button has also been removed the small added benefit of having a customizable button would have been nice. The design at the back decent the front decent enough for a flat screen the sides firm but not appealing. The grip feels rather cheap and lacking smoothness. I understand that no charger is included supposedly for SDG goals, but the plastic waste on the phone can be replaced with foam for a more premium unboxing experience. Willing to give Samsung Free a try, but I doubt it will prove useful enough to integrate into my daily life.PositiveWhat I am a fan of is the Samsung Dex Windows integration and the wireless Windows connection. The fingerprint scanner under the screen is quite nice and fast, I grew fond of it very quickly. Splitscreen preserved, great Samsung passwordSmart Switch saved me some time.OverallAs someone that got people to purchase an S9 and S10 and got an SD card as a Christmas gift, this purchase feels rather ungrateful. I might have been better off with an alternative like S20 FE if it wasnt for the Exynos chip.
C0DE –
Overall this phone is great, but I am missing some features from my old hwauwei p20 had.On the bottom set of navigation buttons the p20 had an extra button to make the drop down menu extend. I know Samsung has a similar feature to swipe down, but thats only available on the home screen.Another navigation feature is the gestures are different than of the p20. Plus using those gestures has a very small limited hit box.And finally the battery life is just not as good as the p20, Ive turned on the battery saver, and turned off all the extra features that drain it. But Ill be lucky to get a full day and a half use coming off a full charge. Its not the end of the world, but the p20 had a better battery life while still able to use the phone heavily all day.S21 ultra is still a great phone, but there is room for daily use improvement of features.
Kd35 –
I really like this phone, its fast, smooth and an excellent camera. Very responsive to my touch. My dislike is how responsive it is to my touch, lol the screen is soo large that its hard to hold the phone and nagivate without touching another part of the screen you dont intend to. I have accidentally closed things several times because there is no free space to touch the screen while you search for what youre looking for. Secondly the fingerprint built on the screen is mostly accurate but you have to hold the phone very flat and place your finger exactly the way you scanned your finger the first time. I upgraded from a note 9 and I liked my fingerprint scanner on the back of the phone where I would naturally hold it. This phone is very heavy especially in a case and I notice my thumb and hand tires after texting because of the support I have to give while holding this phone. My overall impression is if only it werent soo heavy I could comfortably enjoy it, but my wrist and fingers get tired from taking the weight of this phone while texting or surfing the web. Looking apart from that, its an excellent phone Even better for a person with bigger hands. Like my husband has very large hands he likes the weight and size of it. I just hope my carpel tunnel doesnt come back. Honestly the way i hold this phone naturally to type, im thinking the z fold 2 would be better suited for me, albeit i would be giving up the powerful processor or camera for comfort. Welp i guess it comes down to how much the weight and size bothers me. I think my case exacerbates it because its like a storybook case so when i have the opened piece all the way to the back it feels bulky and unsteady, so that could be the problem as well. I think i will exchange this case for one that covers the back of the phone and start there. But i really like this phone upgrade.
Anonymous –
Mainly Video calls, this phone will go to untouchable temperatures within span of minutes. And eventually shut off all things… Tried Video calling using Google Duo and Whatsapp. Issues prevail even after I gave my phone to inspect in Samsung Sydney. They said no issues found where clearly they format the phone and test it. How on earth samsung wants to reproduce thw real world issue in a formatted phone. And then they send me a screenshot of their test where they check the thermometer reading when camera is on. They dont even check the front camera…I bought my phone from samsung retail parramatta got neglected there. Went to samsung city and they said no isssues.I am now stuck with unhappy feeling and 2100 overheating comfort for upcoming winters in australia in few months.Phone all updated and tried all anyone can think of. My friend also bought and he is unhappy too cause of same reason.I hope samsung hears me outOtherwise PHONE is BeastMy first nightmare with samsung in last 10 yearsBeen with Samsung since Samsung Star 3G but now
VanHelsing69 –
I bought this phone as soon as I had the opportunity to do so. I have used the Samsung Galaxy flagship phones since the 6 and this is simply the absolute best phone I have ever owned…or, I believe, on the market today.Battery life is unbelievable. I am a heavy phone user…both work and personal. Even after an extremely busy day at work my battery has never been less than 25 so far. Signal strength stays awesome…both 5G and wireless. Graphics are intense. And the camera…Not only is the camera the absolute best anywhere, hands down, but the inboard software is incredible. The image manipulation features, both for still and video, you typically only find in paid, highend appsprograms. Picture and video quality are incredible, depth of field is unheard of in this type of package. More than with whatever price they charge for this device.No idea how they may ever beat this phone, but Im looking forward to the next attempts.
ILoveKD –
I purchased this phone because I take a lot of photos and some video. I wanted the storage as I am not a big cloud person. The 512 GB of storage is great but I really wish I could still add a memory card.The display is nice but I really am not into gaming so I dont use the best display settings as it kills the battery.The display, storage, and camera are my main reasons for purchasing this device, however, it is extremely prone to breakage. That camera bump needs protection immediately The moment I took it off because it was full of sunblock my wide angle lens glass broke. I really wish there was a good screen protector out there. I put the Zag fusion it is literally a piece of flimsy plastic on the phone and some not too heavy item fell on my screen and it broke in three places.All in all I am happy with the phone but I wish there was better breakage protection available.
JOCYFER –
Loving the phone so far, upgraded from s10 plus and the 1st thing I noticed was the smoothness of the new 120hz display. 10 days later, this is still the biggest differtiator for me. Being one of those users who prefer qhd over fhd on my old s10, it was important to me that my new phone was not a step down and hence the s21ultra was my only option. Pleased to say the display has more than delivered for me. On the camera front, while Im happy with them in veneral, the biggest upgrade for me has been the incredible macro capabilities on the main lens rather than the advertising hyped zoon lens which is decent by its own right but the macro adds a new dimension to by pics and Im more pleased for that. The haptic rumble seems much improved which Im pleased about as well. The only negative so far for me is the weight I wouldve preferred it to be a tad lighter coming from s10 . but oh well… Overall pretty pleased so far..
MBS21happy –
I replaced a Galaxy S9 with a new, unlocked S21 ultra several weeks ago. We were concerned about the price, of course but not so much after we were able to take some amazing pictures with the camera. E.g. a taking 30X zoom pictures of a doe at 60 yards or so in the late dawn cleaning her two newly born fawns in a meadow and encouraging both to trust their legs, b using the night mode to capture some beautiful landscapes under moonlight partially muted by scattered clouds, and c great totheindividualhairandwhisker of our 2yearold cat at night with no ambient light other than the television. If I capture a closeup of a butterfly or a landscape at no zoom, i can zoom in on the photograph and see unpixelated images that amaze anyone to whom I show them.As a bonus, its battery life far surpasses the battery life of my older S9. That makes me more comfortable taking it with me on long hikes.
CharlesA –
So much power but it is hindered by bad design. Very very powerful processor but unfortunately all that horsepower is wasted since it thermal throttles almost immediately in everyday use. Combine that with the constant Bluetooth issues and crappy cameras and it is a none starter. I really regret switching from my old phone to this. I could almost live with these issues but the nail in the coffin is the wireless radio. Because it is a garbage 5g device it is always hunting for the faint 5g service around here and basically means I never have mobile data connection despite a strong 4g signal. It wasnt a problem when I could manually turn off 5g and only use the 4g signal. Never had a problem after turning off 5g. Now Verizon patched out that ability to turn off 5g and it never has mobile data connection because it is always connecting and dropping the signal but refusing to stay on 4g. So congratulations to me for buying a way too expensive phone that takes terrible out of focus pictures and doesnt work on Bluetooth half the time and rarely has mobile data. Yay me.
cjk2021 –
I bought this phone in May 2021 and the cameras were pretty impressive. Until suddenly in June out of no where I kept getting a CAMERA FAILED error message on the rearfacing camera the side with the five lenses. I tried all the troubleshooting Verizon offered as well as other online troubleshooting found out a lot of people who have S20s and S21s are having the same problem. I took it into UBREAKIFX and they replaced the camera but said they were still getting the CAMERA FAILED message and that they have noticed this a lot on S20s and S21s. They think the motherboard failed for an unknown reason. Now I have to have Verizon send me a new phone. Ive had Samsung phones for years and they all worked fineno problems at all. Until this one. Sad because I couldnt take photos during a vacation. Its not Verizons faultSamsung has to fix this ongoing problem that a lot of people are experiencing with this phone. Hope it doesnt happen to the replacement phone. First time Ive ever questioned about having a Samsung phone.
Zioina –
Samsung is going backwards, their flagship is missing more and more each year. They just feel the need to follow Apple and dont care about their customers or android in general. Sure the cameras are better and the specs are newer, but in chasing Apple and price points they are getting worse.Things that are gone nowNo chargerNo headphonesNo headphone jackNo IRNo wallet or digital card supportNo SD expansion slotNo more Note seriesNew old old problemsBattery life worse and charging still slowHeat worse, phone overheatsCPU throttles badly under gaming or video loadsScreen refresh rate liesSoftware just keep getting worsePay to play cloud systemSamsung software full of adsPhone features behind paywalls and dlcoffer 8k video and no space to save itTo those defending the removal of the sd card slot, you most likely never used it or had a need for it. But for those who do use it, really need it, and the cloud and network based solutions are not an option. Why 1. They cost money 2. They are slow 3. Data is not free or unlimited 4. Does not work without data access 5. Is not secure or private 6. Your data is At the mercy of cloud providers.Im a power user, I store video, huge music local library, photos, and documents on my phone. I use it for work, gym, play, and creative endeavors. I dont have access to the cloud everywhere I go, and SD card storage is a must for me. I miss IR, I miss the headphone jack, I miss the charger, I miss nearfield for wallet. These are features found on other flagships and not on Samsung.If you are a power user, and you need more features, more space and more options this is not the phone or phone brand for you anymore. If Samsung does not change course I wont be supporting them anymore, and I will not recommend them anymore.Samsung please stop removing features, I want a Samsung phone not another Iphone clone.
Subisti4 –
I preorder this phone about a month before it released via tmobile. Was excited moving from the S9 to this phone, loved the previous device. Coming from previously being an iPhone user to Samsung their products won me over. The S21 ultra was no exception full of features and good battery life. The multi cameras it has are amazing. Takes extremely high quality pictures and videos. Battery life can be drained fast if using multiple apps that run data,video and audio, other wise one charge can last about 1.5days. The screen is very responsive and amazing resolution. Audio is perfect very loud if playing music or using speaker phone. Mics capture voice clearly. Down sides is that for a phone of this price you will only get few things with it. Expect to open a thin box that will only contain the phone, instruction manual and a charger cord. No head set especially since they removed the regular audio Jacks at least the S20 Ultra gave you that. And no electrical plug in for for you to charge the phone, considering this phone uses the new super fast charging box. So you will have to spend more money on those a head set if you dont own any Bluetooth ones and on a charger box. Last complain about the phone and it may be the biggest is the 5G reception. Indoors the phone will lose 5G and go into 4G or completely lose signal. May be the carries in part, the phone or combination of both. Over all I would recommend the phone to anyone looking for a new device to upgrade to.
MandiniS21 –
I switched from the iPhone X to Galaxy s10 3 years ago, and I have not looked back. Since then, I purchased my Galaxy S21 Ultra 5 months ago, and knew I was in for a pleasant surprise, and I was rightThe performance is incredible, and the integration between the phone and my other Samsung products is truly next level, and the integration of the S Pen has made my work life easier and made gathering notes at meetings incredibly easy.My battery lasts me throughout the day without a problem I use my phone pretty heavily throughout the day for work. After a 13 hour day out on the road, my phone will still have about 15 battery.The camera has features that takes my photos to the next level. Single Take photos and the 108 MP camera capture so much incredible content to the point that youd think a professional took the photos.DEX Mode The last favorite feature Ill touch upon is Dex mode. This allows you to connect your phone to a TV and turn it into a mobile computer. This single feature has revolutionized how I conduct my meetings for the better.These are only a few of the features that Samsung has incorporated into their devices, there are plenty others like Power Saver, multi window, and much more that really make the phone amazing.I recommend this phone to anyone who wants to truly get the most value out of their phone, and with Samsungs deals the phone can be purchased by anybody.I cant wait to see what Samsung comes out with next NotGoingBackToiPhone
hgoldman77 –
Its stateoftheart in terms of camera, sound, speed, HD screen all great. Its a tiny desktop computer in your hand. I got the silvercolor back so slippery its like its covered in lube. The black matte finish is nicest and not as slippery. The silicon case wstylus is also slippery but much less than the silvery S21. If you get the metallic finish you will drop this phone. Its also big, bulky, heavy to the point of stressing your hands if you hold it too long. So, if you want state of the art tech with a large screen to watch vids and take great pix, go for the Ultra. Also, the stylus is nice but its kind of a pain in the neck. I use it for more precision when Im typing text, but I dont use it very much. Writing with it is silly. Pen and paper make more sense to me. So, if you just want a great phone that you can grip in your hand and slip into your jeans pocket, and you dont care about screen size, or you dont need the absolute fastest operating system you can buy, you should consider a different phone.
kely –
Purchased the phone as a gift. Paid full price for an unlocked 256gb phone. The speed and camera were fantastic. Due to the lack of a jack and a removable sd card, I almost opted for the IPhone.The recipient partially uses it for business but really liked the camera and the 5g.Since the phone was so expensive, it was treated with extreme care and with kid gloves.After 6 weeks while deleting some emails, and while having a 64 charge the screen went black. Tried several soft resets but to know avail. Per Samsung, It was taken to the local Samsung repair shop. They said they may be able to replace the phone. Unfortunately it was back ordered by a couple of weeks….Remember, this is also used as a business tool. They said they could order a new screen, but it would still be a few days for them to receive it. I am not happy spending top dollar for a phone that will now have to be disassembled after only 6 weeks in use. It seems after a repair, the phone is never the same as factory assembled. In the meantime, the recipient who spends a lot of time on the road is without a replacement phone. Customer service at Samsung was very good. However, after reading dozens if not hundreds of reviews from several sources, and with similar problems I cant say I recommend this phone. Additionally, I wanted to purchase the 512gb version of this phone. I was really looking forward to getting one. Fortunately it wasis, not yet available. If it had been available, I would be wondering how long until mine failed. One final note. If available, there was the possibility of replacement with a refurbished phone…I dont want a phone that an unknown someone else has owned. I purchased NEW and if there is a replacement, I expect the replacement to be a NEW phone.
Brooke83 –
So Im no techy I use my phone for basic purposes, so this means exactly how wonderful this device is, is probably lost on me. However I probably represent a large demographic of your phone users and im so disappointed that Samsung have followed suit with iPhone in removing chargers I appreciate a lot of people may reuse accessories but should this not be an option What if your charger is damaged, wore out etc no option other than to buy one to be able to use the device Apologies but this looks like money making not eco friendly decision making. What if its your first Samsung Your accessories is now unsafe… are you not pushing consumers to use cheaper products that may impress performance. If this was an eco choice the charger should be an option OR you should be able to trade old chargers in. I wouldnt buy any other electrical device and expect to purchase a key component of use separately. And to be told when I raised this that I should of done my research…again Im not a techy, BUT I actually did research this time. Even spoke to a Samsung adviser and at no point was this mentioned. Well done for aligning yourself with iPhone and money grabbing at any opportunity
Antonio –
This is a large phone and not easy to carry if you wish to hang it on your belt. Overall it works as expected but I have to say that the cameras are not all that sharp as they tout it to be. If you enlarge one of the pictures, you will see a loss of sharpness and blurring of the images, not good or professional if dealing with faces. I thought about sending this to Samsung but I expect that they will not see it as a problem. Since I do a lot of photography using a Canon camera, This is very disappointing as I can not sample my images using this phone. Colors are fine but nighttime photos are too saturated and dark. Slow videos are limited to one setting and can not enlarge the frame. You need to do this using an editing program and then you see the lack of sharpness. For a 1400 phone it is not as good as its well known competitor.
SLM0710 –
Ive this morning received a delivery of my new S21. Ive rated everything poor as I am currently unable to use the device. I was aware of Samsungs policy of no longer issuing new devices with headphones or a plug due to environmental concerns and this was a huge draw for me to your company.Upon opening the box, I was surprised to notice the charger wire requires a different plug to normal. Not only have I now got a phone I cannot charge until a further delivery with a plug arrives, I would like clarification as to how my purchasing another charger is helping the environment Surely this is counter productive Not only has my purchasing another charger done the opposite with regard to the environment, it has also cost me 17 This just seems like a way for Samsung to make more money and is a disappointing start to my transition over to Samsung having been a loyal Apple user for the last ten years. Ive sent a complaint direct to Samsung with this feedback.
JonE UK –
Camera is unbelievable and general user interface has improved on what was market leading anyway but and it is a big BUT 1 The DEX mode is completely not fit for purpose anymore to the point it should be removed and customers offered refunds if that is what they want. The full front back glass makes the phone too hot within a few minutes and DEX just cuts off. Pointless if you are doing some work or a PowerPoint presentation using the screen as a pointer. This is as bad as much as the cameras are good. If you have the screen on for more than 20 minutes the phone gets very hot indeed. Are you using up old Note 7 batteries2 The FAQ section of the main sales page states the Galaxy S21 have hybrid sim slots allowing a microSD cards. This is a lie and misleading advertising. Again give money back if mislead. This would save Samsung pence when it cost us pounds to buy it within the phone. Please dont follow anymore Apple ideas.3 The SPen compatibility on the Ultra is great but to effectively use it you have to spend an enormous amount more on a Samsung case and dumb basic pen then when eventually Samsung sells a similar smart Bluetooth SPen to those given as standard on the latest Galaxy Notes you have to throw away the dumb SPen and I assume based on the expensive dumb SPen in the region of 4050 to get a proper SPen. Unless you off a free or reduced upgrade from a dumb SPen you have had to spend well in excess of 100 for what comes as standard on a Galaxy Note. Cheaper for the almost empty box but the extras quickly rack up the price.In summary, a brilliant and world leading hot mobile phone but with a useless DEX feature, no as advertised hybrid Sim slot for a memory card and a hundred pound plus SPen optional extra.
griff –
I owned a refurbished Galaxy S6 for years. I loved it but broke the glass beyond repair. I decided I would invest in the best possible replacement. Exhaustive research ensued and based upon the features, price probability that I would not be upgrading for some time to come the winner was the Galaxy S21 Ultra.There were too many positives to ignore. Now in regards to price, I had decided that paying a several hundred more was not a negative. The reason for this is the incentives that Samsung offered. I received a student discount, another discount because the phone could not be delivered on time due to situations beyond Samsungs control and a discount from them directly. I had planned to buy it on Amazon, but they could not get the phone to me for at least one month. Samsung, despite the problems in Texas with the snow, had it delivered within 10 days. An amazing feat it being that all other alternatives were 1 month and beyond. Their customer service along the way was truly outstanding.The features on the S21 Ultra are mind bending. The telephoto zoom lens at 100X rivals those found on top of the line stand along DSLs. The rear wide angle lens has 108 Mega Pixel capabilities The quality of the photos video are extraordinary. As for the video, I could literally make a film using the Directors View mode Simply astonishing.The display resolution is top of the line. One thing about the S6 that I loved was its 500 PPI screen resolution. There are very few phones out there that can rival this even now. The S21 Ultra is a much bigger screen and better at 3200 X 1440. It boasts crazy good Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10, 1500 nits peak. This was something that was essential and it was a major factor in my decision to purchase it.In regards to why I was in the market for a new phone, I wanted the best specs on safety for the device. It comes with scratch resistant Gorilla Glass Victus which is as good as it gets. It also has top of the line IP68 dustwater resistant up to 1.5m for 30 mins. The fingerprint scanner works great and is a big security plus.The processor American version is an insanely fast Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G 5 nm. There is zero wait time for the paces I have put it through so far. My needs are not massive, but it is a workhorse nonetheless. The LiIon 5000 mAh battery lasts all day easily and I am a heavy video user.The sound quality is excellent. The AKG tuned 32bit384kHz audio delivers big. Additionally, when I popped in my existing SIM card, my network activity was seamless. 5G connection within seconds I live close to a 5G source.There are so many features that I havent mentioned and really, I would have just put a link to their specs page if that was all info to offer. But this phone has become a rival to my custom desktop rig that I built myself. It is that good. The notion that the computer isnt required to be turned at the start of my day is unheard of in my routine for the past 20 years. Everything I use fits on the 512Gb internal storage.So I wholeheartedly recommend this phone. I am extremely pleased with it and it is the perfect upgrade to my 5 year old phone that had its screen crushed. I have no issues with paying a little more to move into an elite class. And you better believe I guard this baby like the treasure it is
Anonymous –
I got this phone late June and was disappointed that it had no charger included like my S10 had. Then I find that I can connect the phone to my computer but get a message This Folder is empty. This is not a great help when I need to download photos I have taken for work. My old S10 allowed me to copy the photos to my computer. When receiving calls the image on the screen is very faint making it near impossible to see who is calling. Also when I want to make a call I have to open the phone every time which is very time wasting. I want my phone to be open and ready to make a call or take a photo, check a SMS or email and not to have to slide it open every time. I think Samsung have gone backwards with the functionality of this phone.I was very pleased when I found that Samsung were giving additional value with a smart watch for everyone who bought the S21 from Telstra during June. While I completed the claim form for this I have heard no more whatsoever from Samsung so am wondering if this was a sales ploy with no substance to it.
Nwints –
Moving up from the A70 to this was a big step, even though I loved the A70. This just has all the things I used and enjoyed about that phone but better and quicker.Love how I dont have to worry about anything working. It all just does. All apps, websites, accessories work a treat with no problems.Sound and picture quality are fantastic.Performance when doing anything is amazing.Love my new device.Only one hiccup so far but Im sure this will be resolved with a future software update. I get a notable lag on the camera when taking pictures but not so bad that it causes me to worry or make it unusable.Also wish they had left the expandable storage as this was a major bonus on my previous device. But I suppose with all the other upgrades I get with the s21, I cant have everything.Great phone, easy to use and I would recommend to anyone looking for a flagship.Great support from Samsung too if needed. Happy customer all round.
MrPrince –
I just spent what I thought was a small fortune one this phone because we were a Samsung family from TV, to appliances to phones.I upgraded this phone from my Galaxy Note 8.I am very disappointed that Samsung got rid of the microSD slot, and the 3.5mm jack. I thought I could adapt without them, but I cannot.The screen, pictures and battery life are okay, but in trying to do a 1 to 1 comparison with my iPhone SE 2nd Gen, the only thing that Samsung S21 Ultra does better is only having a bigger screen. Speed is okay. Battery life is not that great.I am ditching this phone giving to my wife and unfortunately switching over to Apples iPhone SE 2nd Gen even if the screen is smaller.Why stick with Samsung if they took away all the things that brought me to that brand of SmartphonesIf I wanted Apple like features or lack of features, then Ill just stick to the Apple iPhone.
Anonymous –
As I heard the news that the S21 series would be launched earlier than conventionally I waited to upgrade my phone. And the wait is worth it. When all the videos on YouTube started to share leaks and later on the launch and reviews from the S21 series the anticipation for being able to get it started growing more and more. As I have been using the S10 1TB for over 2 years and always loved all my pictures and videos I made from all the greatest moments in my life I wanted to make sure to have the best of the best with the Galaxy S21 Ultra 512GB. Using all its power and going to a 120Hz display is just such a big improvement.Now I have been able to use the phone for a week I noticed, that even though I have been skeptical of all the prelaunch review, non of the anticipated specs and camera functions have let me down. The one thing which I was afraid of having a exynos processor was fast battery drainage compared to a snapdragon device. I noticed that for my daily usage on highest resolution my phone has enough power to support me the full day.There is one thing that I do miss the charger as I update my phone every 2 years my charger has max 10W output so fast charge is still slow charge. So I will have to wait for my new charging brick to arrive before I can fast charge my device.This for me is a tiny spec on a otherwise perfect product. Using all its cameras and new features like single take and directorsview have made all my days using the S21 Ultra truly Epic Thanks Samsung for this awesome product
aleks2001 –
Ive been using Samsung smartphones for a long time because they have always been the perfect overall phone for me. What USED to be unfortunate though, was that they would oftentimes be slightly lacking in only certain fields, like camera and overall smoothness. And this year it feels like that has been resolved. The camera on the S21 Ultra is amazing with unique features like Directors View that allows to make full use of all the lenses while taking a video. The UI provides you with options and you can easily customize your camera app to facilitate your personal needs. From photovideo size and quality to the different camera modes that you do or do not use. The overall smoothness, connectivity and ease of use with connected devices like the Galaxy Buds Pro just finally feels as integrated as it should. My only complaint would be the social media app integration with the most popular social media apps you are still unable to make full use of the great camera picture and video quality still appears to be much lower than it is when using the Samsung camera app.
Cosmin –
Samsung finally made a fast phone, which coupled with a 120 Hz screen has really nice results. I only gave 4 stars to performance because even iPhone 11 seems to be faster at some points, and the GPU is still not strong enough, but I got it at a promotion and I am really satisfied. Dont get me wrong, its super fast, but hopefully with the introduction of AMD GPUs they will close the gap with Apple. Cameras are really good, and I really like that Samsung decided to put the same CPU and GPU on all S21 devices. I wanted to switch to Apple because of speed, but with the new S21 speed is not an issue anymore. Moreover, the screen is superb, even if its not QHD. I cant really tell the difference and I dont feel like I need a QHD screen. It would probably drain the battery too fast anyway so it would end up on FHD most of the time.The things I dont like are that one doesnt get a charger and headphones in the package, and the fact that they removed the SD card capability. I really liked the AKG headphones. What Samsung should do is give a package at a low price for those who still want them.
Anonymous –
Straight out of the box this phone strikes you with its awesome design. The camera bump merges into the body of the phone which for me gives it that luxury flagship phone feeling. Talking about cameras it does live up to the hype. Thing that impressed me the most was how good the night mode is It can see things that even my eyes cant. Coming from the Galaxy Note 10, the first thing you notice is the display, the 120hz is truly amazing it gives it that next generation feeling.But as anything in the world, the S21 Ultra does come with its flaws. Although having a very nice design, coming from the Note, I instantly noticed how thicker and heavier the S21 Ultra is. Its still comfortable to use but its something you need to get used to. Another thing that bothered me a little is the fact that the phone can get a little hot by doing simple tasks as watching a 1080p YouTube video or playing games. Talking about games, noticed that when playing Wild Rift if you accidently pull the notification bar down, when you send it back up the bar will stay there, covering essential parts of the game. But this is something that can eventually be fixed with a software update.Overall this is a great phone, with amazing features and good performance. Its not perfect but one of the best phones you could by right now.
Mike –
Blown away by this phone , was on edge about upgrading and not really messing with the phone at all in the store. And decided to make it happen and got to tell everyone what Amazing phone, I know people look away because no SD card slot but mostly everyone doesnt need that amount of storage. I thought I needed more with my note 9 with 512gb my SD card with 126gb to begin with.. and I looked at the amount of storage I used before upgrading and I didnt even budge 150gb with the phone and SD card combined and thats owning it for since it came out… and I heavy use it for my work for photos. So just take a second and evaluate your usage.And for the headphone jack…. you can buy an adapter for the charger port to make it work with wired headphones. Simple and easy. Most people now and days have Bluetooth headphones anyways though so I dont see the problem. And the phone already comes with a USB cord to better assist with transferring from your computer or charging it.Overall the phone has satisfied me to its specs and convenience. I highly recommend
AnnC –
Ive always had a Samsung smart phone ever since it came out. I had the SG8 cut the years with no issues and just recently got the SG21 Ultra. I absolutely love the features including the cameras. Even taking pictures at night is awesome. In know people are complaining about the storage issue which I do agree with, but I just just transfer what I need onto my external HD. I have found the phone plans very expensive and it would have been nice to either have recieved free Samsung ear buds or a smart watch since I did go straight away for the top end model. Having been with Samsung for so long, it would have great to have this as a free bonus especially when its your birthday coming up in May My partner recieved a Samsung smart watch when he got the SG S9 Edge for free. Please Samsung I would love a smart watch although I do have small wrists. I have other Samsung appliances in my house too yes a loyal fan indeed