SAMSUNG Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G - Smartphone 128GB, 12GB RAM, Dual Sim, Silver

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The biggest area where Samsung are consistently great at is the display. The 6.8-inch, Dynamic AMOLED display with QHD+ resolution (1.440 x 3.200) is certainly a sight to behold. It has vibrant colours, very high peak brightness, high pixel-per-inch count and a super-smooth refresh rate at 120 Hz. The refresh rate especially makes a massive difference in how responsive the device feels. Combined with the Exynos 2100 chip that powers the device, navigating the UI is just a breeze. The content on display is super sharp too. The 515-PPI display is perfect for high-res multimedia consumption. The Advanced Camera System There’s no microSD, however storage options go up to 512GB and RAM maxes out at 16GB, so storage won’t be an issue if you opt for the top specced version On T-Mobile, things got interesting. T-Mobile's network forced my S21 into "standalone 5G" mode. Most 5G connections in the US right now are at least half 4G. Standalone 5G, which eschews 4G, gives you lower latency and less chance of overloaded networks in crowded conditions, but you end up with slower overall speeds because you're losing the add-on 4G components. Sitting at the top of Samsung’s new flagship trio, the Galaxy S21 Ultra has everything you could want from a top-end flagship phone, including a gigantic 6.8in screen, a smattering of rear and front-facing cameras, up to 512GB of internal storage and the option to upgrade to a – frankly bonkers – 16GB of RAM. It’s also the first Samsung phone to come with Android 11 pre-installed, and it can record 8K video, just like last year’s Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review: Price and competition

With up to 16GB RAM, 512GB of storage, a 120Hz WQHD+ display and a 108-megapixel camera, this is Samsung’s no-compromise attempt at delivering the best Android phone ever. I’d certainly say that the Galaxy S21 Ultra is up there with the best when it comes to design too, although you really need to appreciate big phones to enjoy using this beast. It weighs 228g, which is the same weight as the iPhone 12 Pro Max – and it will only get heftier upon adding a case. Model Octa core (2.73 GHz, Dual core, M5 Mongoose + 2.5 GHz, Dual core, Cortex A76 + 2 GHz, Quad core, Cortex A55) As with any flagship Android phone with a 120Hz display, you might feel that a lot of benefits of this are wasted. It won’t feel dramatically faster unless you’re upgrading from a phone that’s three/four years old and these days even mid-range chips have enough grunt to push Android games to their limits. I tested the S21 on AT&T and T-Mobile. (Our Verizon SIMs are fried right now.) 4G and 5G performance on AT&T was very similar to last year's flagship devices. AT&T will, in the future, use the X60 to enhance nationwide 5G performance by adding new channels of 5G. In the meantime, there's not much new to see here. Over 11 locations, the S21 Ultra averaged 113Mbps down and 20Mbps up on AT&T's "nationwide 5G" network, while an iPhone 12 got 111Mbps down and 20Mbps up.

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That means even if you’re a heavy user it should get you through even the busiest of days – this is with the default 1080p resolution and adaptive refresh rate enabled. Up things to 1440p and you get roughly an hour less. No matter the task, the powerful Exynos 2100 chip that comes with the S21 Ultra crushes it with ease. In addition, it is also more energy-efficient than the S20 Ultra's chip, so what you get with this 5,000 mAh capacity battery is nothing short of impressive. With approximately 5 hours of on-screen time, you get around 34 hours of battery life. This easily means nearly 2 days of use, which only a few smartphones on the market could claim to offer at this level of system performance. And finally, the phone supports 5G connectivity and expectedly still has the beloved USB-C port for fast charging and data transfers. S21 Ultra 5G: Price UK Of course, I can’t pass any judgement on the Snapdragon 888 model so all my thoughts on performance and battery come from the Exynos 2100 model with 12GB RAM, which proved suitably fast and power efficient during testing.

In a move that shows the degree to which Samsung is positioning this handset as the ‘true’ S21 flagship, this is the only phone of the trio to ship with both an adaptive refresh rate that can move between 10Hz and 120Hz and maintain a 1440p WQHD resolution. The icing on the cake is that both of these features can finally be used together, something that wasn’t possible with any of Samsung’s 2020 phones. The new design is a huge improvement, and for such a sizeable phone I found it feels comfortable to hold, more so than the iPhone 12 Pro Max It’s a similarly annoying story if you’re trying to connect accessories. There are multiple apps and drivers required for something as basic as pairing a smartwatch and many things require a Samsung account. Bloatware is a big issue too, with Samsung pre-installing apps from Microsoft, Google and itself – many of which offer the same functionality. There are also some minor bugs in the software, causing random bouts of slow-down. Hopefully, these will be ironed out in future updates. Battery lifeThe Galaxy S21 Ultra is the first main flagship device from the brand to ditch expandable microSD support in a number of years, meaning you need to choose wisely when you buy the phone. This feels like more of an issue on the S21 and S21 Plus, as they don’t offer the 512GB option you can get with the Ultra. Samsung's Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 all have 5G connections, with the Galaxy S21 having a 6.2" screen and the Galaxy S21+ having a 6.7" screen. The Galaxy S21 Ultra's display panel is identical to that of its smaller siblings, except that it is somewhat larger at 6.8". Storage: The S21 phones are the first US models with Qualcomm's new X60 modem. The X60 lets phones combine non-contiguous channels of 5G, which earlier devices couldn't do. In theory, that improves 5G performance. In practice, the networks aren't quite ready for it yet. The Ultra also supports UWB, a new wireless technology that I can't find a use for yet. UWB adds a directional element to short-range wireless, so you can eventually get, say, a virtual car key app that opens your car door when you're pointing at the car, or a Smart Tag that tells you not only whether you're near it, but which direction it's in. For now, its only use is in a "nearby share" function that shares files between two phones, and honestly, that works just fine using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. The camera system on the Galaxy S21 Ultra seems quite intimidating at first, but there’s every chance it could one of the best camera phones by the end of year. There are huge numbers floating about, four distinct lenses and a whole host of software features hyped up by Samsung. See the table below for a breakdown of the specs: Model