Today, we review the Samsung S21 Ultra 5G smartphone. Powered by the Exynos 2100 (5 nm) – International and runs the Android 11, One UI 3.1, the Samsung S21 Ultra 5G is one of the fastest smartphone available in the market. In terms of photography it also focus on some interesting features like 8K video recording and taking 33 MP pictures from video recordings (more details below).
Samsung S21 Ultra 5G comes in two colours, Phantom Black and Phantom Silver. Measuring 161.5×75.6×7.8mm and weights 200g, it is quite heavy compared to other phones in the market.
The S21 Ultra 5G has a curved screen on the bezel and has a 6.8″ edge Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen displaying Infinity-O Display (3200×1440) at 515 ppi. It is HDR10+ certified and have a refresh rate of 120 Hz.
In terms of photography, the phone has a front 40 MP selfie camera at F/2.2. There are 4 rear cameras –
12MP Ultra Wide Camera
Super Speed Dual Pixel AF
Pixel size: 1.4μm
FOV: 120˚
F.No (aperture): F2.2
2 108MP Wide-angle Camera
PDAF, OIS
Pixel size: 0.8μm (12MP 2.4μm)
FOV: 83˚
F.No (aperture): F1.8
1/1.33″ image sensor size
3 10MP Telephoto Camera
Dual Pixel AF
Pixel size: 1.22μm
FOV: 35˚
F.No (aperture): F2.4
4 10MP Telephoto Camera
Dual Pixel AF
Pixel size: 1.22μm
FOV: 10˚
F.No (aperture): F4.9
Space Zoom
The 10 MP telephoto supports Space Zoom Dual Optical Zoom 3x, 10x Super Resolution Zoom up to 100x.
There are various camera modes which includes single take, Food, Night, SUper Slow-Mo, Director’s view etc. To make photo taking simplier, it has intelligent scene optimizer which picks the right mode for you.
As for video recording, Samsung S21 Ultra 5G can record up to
Resolution of up to :
8K video recording at 24 fps (7680×4320)
4K UHD video recording at 60 fps (3840×2160)
1080p FHD video recording at 60 fps (1920×1080)
720p HD video recording at 30 fps (1280×720)
Shooting speed
Super Steady 1080p video support at 60 fps
Super Slow-mo 720p video support at 960 fps
Slow motion 1080p video support at 240 fps
Hyperlapse 4K video support at 30 fps
You can also take 33MP still photos while playing 8K video. Zoom-in MIC (Audio zoom) feature is available and is good for focusing the audio if the person is some distance away from you.
In terms of battery, the phone comes with 5000mAh (typical) which can last you more than a day without a recharge. The phone supports USB PD 3.0 (PPS) wired charging.
As for 5G supports, it supports both NSA and SA networks. LTE wise, it supports up to 7CA, LTE CAT 20 or up to 2 Gbps downlink and 200 Mbps uplink.
In the following pages, we will take a look at the various features of the phone.
[nextpage title=”Unboxing and Features”]
In the following video, we go through some of the features of the phone in terms of photography.
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[nextpage title=”Photo shot with Samsung S21 Ultra 5G”]
One of the key features of the phone is it’s 108 MP camera. In our test, the same object was shot twice, in 12 MP and 108 MP mode.
The photo on the left is shot in 12 MP mode and the one on the right is shot in 108 MP mode.
It is very apparent that the 108 MP captured more details when both pictures are viewed in photoshop.
Space zoom
Another interesting feature is Digital Zoom 100X – Space Zoom. The zoom can selected on the sidebar of the viewfinder or pinch zoom by fingers. from 0.6X to 100X.
Other photos
I like the colours captured using the main 12 MP camera. The colours are not over saturated like some other phones even though Auto mode was being used.
The 108 MP camera does capture more details but it tends to have a fading effect on the sides of the object which makes it a bit unnatural as we are not taking a portrait shot.
[nextpage title=”8K Recording”]
As for video recording, Samsung S21 Ultra 5G can record up to
Resolution of up to :
8K video recording at 24 fps (7680×4320)
4K UHD video recording at 60 fps (3840×2160)
1080p FHD video recording at 60 fps (1920×1080)
720p HD video recording at 30 fps (1280×720)
Shooting speed
Super Steady 1080p video support at 60 fps
Super Slow-mo 720p video support at 960 fps
Slow motion 1080p video support at 240 fps
Hyperlapse 4K video support at 30 fps
You can also take 33MP still photos while playing 8K video. Zoom-in MIC (Audio zoom) feature is available and is good for focusing the audio if the person is some distance away from you.
As 8K video recording is only in 24 fps, do expect some shakiness if you don’t use it with a gimbal. The only mode that supports Super Steady is HD recording at 1080p 60 fps.
[nextpage title=”5G speedtest”]
Tested at near Bugis Junction using Singtel SIM running on the n78 band. It achieved a high speed of 1.14 Gbps and uplink of 129 Mbps.
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[nextpage title=”Benchmarks”]
PCMARK
One of the stable benchmarking tools to test out your new smartphone. The result we get is close to the test results on the PCmark database. The Exynos 2100 is clearly one of the top contenders for performance.
Geekbench
Summary of the Single and Multi core score 
Processor information
Single Core 
Multi Core 
Computational performance
In Geekbench benchmarks, it can eb clearly seen that this device performs exceptionally well in Single core tests. At the point of test, Snapdragon 888 isn’t tested so we are unable to do a comparison.
From the multi core performance test, the Exynos 2100 outperforms the Galaxy S20+ and OnePlus 8 / Pro with a narrow margin for the OnePlus 8.
As for Compututational test, the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (7556) maintains a lead of close to 250 points against the S20+ and double that of the OnePlus 8 Pro (3133)
[nextpage title=”Conclusion”]
Finally, after 3 weeks of continuous usage and testing the various functions of the smartphone, we feel that the Samsung S21 Ultra 5G is a smartphone that deserves our praise for it’s performance and features. Performance wise, it is on par with most Snapdragon 865 based smartphones in the market as seen in the benchmarks tested.
In terms of design, I like the curved AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate. Colours looks brilliant and there is no lag at all during our test run. In fact, in our 5G speedtest, the phone still runs warm but it will not drop the 5G connection.
The only complain would be the weight and the thickness of the smartphone. The protruding camera system at the rear is quite annoying as the phone will never be able to rest flat on the desk.
In terms of features, the Samsung S21 Ultra 5G features the 100X Space Zoom and 8K Video Recording as their main selling point. We tested the Zoom (digital) and it turns out to be pretty sharp at 50X, anything beyond that may not be as clear but the visual contours of the object can be easily identified. Moon shots can be taken without a tripod.
In our night shot test, the Samsung S21 Ultra 5G is capable of capturing much more light as compared to the Pixel 3 XL that we commonly reference in our test. In fact, in a pitch dark environment, the amount of light captured on the Samsung gives a better view of the object in the dark. There is less visible noise in the pictures took using night mode as compared to the Pixel.
As for 8K video recording, videos shot tend to be a bit shaky as it records at 24 fps. 4K/60 fps seems pretty fine. The best would be to film at Super Steady 1080p video support at 60 fps if you just need a 1080p recording as you won’t need a gimbal for sure.
The S21 Ultra 5G comes with a Dual SIM slot which you can use 2 physical SIM or 1 physical SIM + 1 eSIM (both in active mode). As in most chipsets, it supports a 5G/4G configuration. Thus, if you are using a 4G sim card, it might be better to select 4G for both SIM/eSIM profile.
We tested the 5G on Singtel and also on M1. Both SIM works in 5G mode (e.g Bugis Junction) in supported estates or high density areas which the telco enabled 5G.
This model supports most of the sub 6 bands. Bands N1 and N78 are deployed by the three telcos Singtel. Starhub and M1.
The Samsung S21 Ultra 5G comes with a huge battery at 5000mAh. Unfortunately, Samsung didn’t bundle any charger with the phone. You will need to source for your own charger that supports the USB PD 3.0 for Fast charging at 25W. The phone also supports Fast Qi/PMA wireless charging 15W. Reverse wireless charging 4.5W. In general, most 5000 mAh battery should be able to last you more than 1 day of continuous of usage.
In Conclusion, the Samsung S21 Ultra 5G which scores a DXO mark of 121 remains one of the better camera phones out there. With it’s high upload speed over 5G, it is definitely a good work phone for anyone who works on the move. You can also use Samsung DEX, pair it with your smart tv and do a presentation with ease.
Priced at S$1498, we find it a bit steep but if you need a functional all in one device, it is well worth it. It is now selling at Qoo10.sg at S$1498.
Pros :
- 120 Hz screen
- 5G NSA/NA bands
- Quad Camera system
- 5000mAh battery
- 8K Video Recording
- Samsung DEX
Cons:
- Weight 200g
- No charger provided
- No 65W quick charging
Ratings
- Performance 10
- Design 10
- Features 9
- Usability 9
- Value for money 8
- Score : 9.2 / 10
