As a brand, Samsung releases its flagship series every year and continually transforms mobile phones into a multi-functional device. The latest of these innovative technologies is the Samsung Galaxy S21 series, with the Galaxy S21 ultra remaining the premier flagship model of Samsung’s S range of smartphones. It succeeds the Galaxy S20 Ultra, but both smartphones have unmatched functionalities.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra leads the pack in several features to stake its claim as Samsung’s premier flagship. Although the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra receives a fair share of improvements over the Galaxy S20 ultra, from dual telephoto lenses to S Pen support, varying customer questions still arise on why the need to upgrade from the Galaxy S20 ultra to the S21 Ultra.
Individual preferences determine if you choose to upgrade to the Galaxy S21 Ultra or not; however, the following are insightful comparisons that provide additional information.
Samsung Galaxy S20 vs. Galaxy S21: Price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra comes at a price that is a little bit lesser than the Galaxy S20 ultra. The Galaxy s21 ultra starts from a fee of $1,199 that is $200 less than the Samsung Galaxy S20 that’s cost $1,399 when it got debuted a year ago. Samsung charges an additional $50 If you want the one with a storage capacity of 256GB instead of the standard 128GB. At $1,379 for the 512GB Galaxy S21 Ultra costs, it is still lesser than the Galaxy S20 Ultra base model. Although Samsung hasn’t announced new prices for its Galaxy S20 Ultra in light of the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s latest release, older phones’ prices do not drop after newer models come out.
Samsung Galaxy S20 vs. Galaxy S21: Design
For a sleek overall look, the Galaxy S21 Ultra uses a new contour cut design for its camera, providing better integration into the glass back. This new elegant look calls for an increased need to use a camera protective casing like the one manufactured by ESR. The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra also made a statement with the camera bump, but it was just way too big. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is heavier and larger than its predecessor. It measures 6.5 x 3 x 0.35 inches and weighs 8.04 ounces, while the S20 Ultra was a bit lighter and compact at 6.6 x 2.7 x 0.34 inches and 7.7 ounces.
Another essential design upgrade added to the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the on-screen fingerprint reader, which is now larger and makes it easier to unlock the device. In terms of colors, the S20 Ultra was available in Cosmic Gray and Cosmic Black compared to the Phantom Black and Phantom Silver, which the Galaxy S21 Ultra gets rolled out. Samsung also announces a plan to make exclusive colors for the S21 Ultra available at Samsung.com, including Phantom Brown, Phantom Navy, and Phantom Titanium.
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs. Galaxy S20 Ultra: Display
The Galaxy S21 ultras come with a 6.8-inch display, which is smaller than the 6.9-inch panel available on the Galaxy S20 Ultra but is better in a few key ways. The Galaxy S21 Ultra’s panel is dynamic, which means it can scale from 120Hz down to 10Hz, saving battery life, while with the Galaxy S20 Ultra, the 120Hz mode is on default on or off.
The S20 Ultra’s display is 1,200 nits of brightness than the S21 Ultra, which is rated for a peak brightness of 1,500 nits. With the new enhanced display features available on the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the need for a Screen case and protector cannot get overemphasized. One can read more about ESR cases and protectors to get quality protection for that Samsung S21 Ultra.
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs. Galaxy S20 Ultra: Cameras
The Galaxy S21 offers a few notable upgrades to the cameras when compared to the Galaxy S20 Ultra. The primary camera with a 108MP sensor can now capture 12-bit HDR photos with 64x richer color. There is even an enhanced 12-bit RAW file option in Pro mode for power users. The fantastic piece also provides an improved night mode for photos, thanks to the faster Bright Night sensor and other enhancements.
Zooming performances get boosted on the Galaxy S21 Ultra with a new Zoom Lock feature. When using AI, the S21 Ultra can identify the subject and keep it steadier, so fewer shake experiences than the S20 Ultra. Samsung also included a laser focus sensor for the S21 Ultra because the Galaxy S20 Ultra was slow to focus, especially when shooting video. The most significant camera upgrade on the S21 Ultra is the dual telephoto lenses, which offer 3x and 10x optical zoom, a way higher than a single 4x optical zoom lens available on the S20 Ultra. This camera lens massive upgrade requires extensive usage care and is partly responsible for smartphone camera protectors’ repeated introduction. One can read more about ESR case and protector to get the right-fitting protectors for the Samsung S21 Ultra.
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs. Galaxy S20 Ultra: S Pen
The Galaxy S21 Ultra is the first Galaxy S series phone to support the S Pen; however, you will have to pay an additional $40 for the S Pen as it is sold differently. With the S Pen, you can use a stylus to take notes, draw, and more on display like one can do on a Galaxy Note Phablet. Perks that the S20 Ultra doesn’t offer. You will likely want to pay for a case that comes with a holster for the pen accounting for an additional charge. Getting these types of cases is not difficult as one can read more about ESR cases and protectors for more information.
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs. Galaxy S20 Ultra: Performance
The Samsung Galaxy S21 comes with a new, improved Snapdragon 888 processor. That offers a boost to the CPU and graphics performance over the Snapdragon 865, which the Galaxy S20 Ultra is powered. The Ram and the storage options remain as before.
The S21 Ultra starts with a Ram size of 12GB and 128GB of storage, but the storage can get upgraded to 256GB. Instead, one can opt for the top-end S21 Ultra model that offers both 16GB of RAM and 512GB. This extra cost can be worth paying for as there’s no microSD card slot on the S21 Ultra. The S20 Ultra model came with a space that supported up to 1TB of extra storage.
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs. Galaxy S20 Ultra: Battery and charging
The Galaxy S21 Ultra battery has the same size of 5,000mAh as the S20 Ultra. Although not a good improvement. The good news remains that it is a massive battery and should last pretty much all day on a full charge. Samsung further claims that it is leveraging AI in the S21 Ultra to monitor usage patterns better and decrease power consumption. The S21 Ultra move from a 7nm processor to a more efficient 5nm processor should also help.
Conclusion:
The S21 Ultra offers comprehensive options for a more dynamic display and much more powerful and versatile cameras than the S20 Ultra. However, its inability to have a charger in the box and a lack of microSD card support make it worse. It’s S pen support is a bonus, especially when you are not willing to wait for the debut of the Galaxy Note 21 later this year. Overall the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is inarguably a superior phone when compared to the S20 Ultra.
