Das Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra ist das ultimative Smartphone in Sachen Funktionen. Es ist eines der besten Android-Telefone, die Sie kaufen können.
Für 1.199 US-Dollar – oder 100 US-Dollar mehr als das iPhone 12 Pro Max – Sie erhalten ein dynamisches 6,8-Zoll-Display und zwei Teleobjektive für unglaubliche Zoomleistung. Außerdem unterstützt das S21 Ultra den S Pen, eine Premiere für die Galaxy S-Serie.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra-Spezifikationen
Display: 6,8 Zoll AMOLED (3200 x 1400); 10 bis 120 Hz
CPU: Snapdragon 888
RAM: 12 GB, 16 GB
Speicher: 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB
Rückfahrkameras: 108 MP Weitwinkel (f/1.8), 12 MP Ultraweitwinkel (f/2.2), 10 MP Tele (3-facher Zoom, 1: 2,4), 10 MP Tele (10-facher Zoom, 1: 4,9) , Laser-AF-Sensor
Frontkamera: 40 MP (f/2.2)
Video: 8K 30 fps/4K 60 fps
Akku: 5.000 mAh
Akkulaufzeit: 11 Stunden 25 Minuten (60 Hz), 10:07 Uhr (adaptiv)
Drahtlos: 5 G, WLAN 6E, UWB
Größe: 6,5 x 2,97 x 0,35 Zoll
Gewicht: 8,08 Unzen
Das Galaxy S21 Ultra kommt in einem schlankeren Design und bietet eine schnellere Leistung von Qualcomms Snapdragon 888-Chip. Und im Gegensatz zum regulären Galaxy S21 müssen Sie nicht annähernd so viele Kompromisse eingehen. Sie erhalten eine bessere 108-MP-Hauptkamera, eine Glasrückseite (anstelle von Kunststoff), mehr RAM und ein hochauflösenderes Display.
Wie Sie in meinem Galaxy S21 Ultra-Test sehen werden, gibt es einige Trades-offs, einschließlich des Fehlens eines Ladegeräts in der Box. Aber insgesamt ist dies eines der besten Telefone für diejenigen, die bereit sind, eine Prämie und eine zu zahlen der besten Android-Telefone insgesamt.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Test-Spickzettel
- Das dynamische Display des Galaxy S21 Ultra liefert eine gleichmäßige Bildwiederholfrequenz von 120 Hz und gleichzeitig die schärfste WQHD-Auflösung. Außerdem ist es erstaunlich hell und farbenfroh.
- Die dualen Teleobjektive (3-fach und 10-fach optischer Zoom) bringen Sie ganz nah an Ihr Motiv heran, und die neue Zoom-Lock-Funktion sorgt mit dem digitalen Space Zoom für mehr Ruhe.
- Die S Pen-Unterstützung ist nett zu haben, aber Sie müssen den Stift und ein Etui separat kaufen.
- Mit 1.199 US-Dollar ist das S21 Ultra nicht billig, aber 200 US-Dollar weniger als das S20 Ultra. Sie erhalten jedoch kein Ladegerät in der Box oder einen microSD-Kartensteckplatz.
- Der größere Fingerabdrucksensor ist willkommen und erleichtert das Entsperren des S21 Ultra.
- Die Akkulaufzeit von 11,5 Stunden ist für ein 5G-Telefon hervorragend.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Erscheinungsdatum und Preis
Das Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra ist ab sofort erhältlich und Sie können Mobilfunkanbieter und entsperrte Versionen des Telefons kaufen.
Der Ultra beginnt bei 1.199 US-Dollar und umfasst 12 GB RAM und 128 GB Speicher. Sie können auch auf 256 GB Speicher und auf ein Modell mit 16 GB RAM und 512 GB Speicher aufrüsten. Das 256-GB-Modell kostet 1.249 US-Dollar – im Grunde zusätzliche 50 US-Dollar –, während Sie für ein Galaxy S21 Ultra mit 512 GB Speicherplatz 1.379 US-Dollar bezahlen.
In Großbritannien beginnt das Galaxy S21 Ultra bei 1.149 GBP für die 12 GB RAM und 128 GB Speicher Basismodell. Dieser Preis steigt auf 1.199 £ für das 256-GB-Mobilteil und liegt bei 1.329 £ für das Modell mit 16 GB und 512 GB internem Speicher.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra im Test: Design und Farben
Das Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra ist ein Monolith eines Telefons. Ja, das konturgeschnittene Kameradesign verschmilzt den Kamerastoß mit der Glasrückseite, aber dies ist immer noch ein massives Gerät, das Sie mit zwei Händen verwenden möchten.
Mit seinem 0,35-Zoll-Profil und einem Gewicht von 8,08 Unzen ist das S21 Ultra dicker und schwerer als das iPhone 12 Pro Max. Das Display ist im Gegensatz zum völlig flachen Galaxy S21 leicht gewölbt, aber nicht störend. Ich habe nie versehentlich etwas auf dem Bildschirm angetippt, wie ich es beim Ultra letztes Jahr getan habe.
Das Galaxy S21 Ultra ist in nur zwei Farben von Mobilfunkanbietern erhältlich: Phantom Black und Phantom Silver. Ich könnte mich wegen seiner schlankmachenden Wirkung für Schwarz entscheiden. Samsung.com bietet jedoch exklusive S21 Ultra-Farben an, darunter Phantom Navy, Phantom Titanium und Phantom Brown.
Eines meiner liebsten Design-Upgrades ist der 1,7x größere Fingerabdrucksensor. Es erleichtert das Entsperren des Telefons, und ich habe festgestellt, dass mich das S21 Ultra nicht wie bei früheren Telefonen aufgefordert hat, den Sensor erneut zu drücken.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra im Test: Display
Das dynamische 6,8-Zoll-AMOLED-Display des Galaxy S21 Ultra ist einfach einer der besten Bildschirme auf einem Telefon. Es ist hell, lebendig und lässt Sie nicht wie beim Vorgänger zwischen der höchsten Auflösung und der höchsten Bildwiederholfrequenz wählen.
Ja, Sie werden fasziniert sein, wenn Sie sich Videos auf diesem Phablet ansehen. Die Farben sind so satt wie immer und die Blickwinkel schön weit, wenn man auf Netflix schaut.
Aber das Ultra übertrifft das iPhone mit seiner dynamischen Bildwiederholfrequenz. Sie erhalten nicht nur superflüssiges Scrollen und Gameplay, sondern auch 120 Hz und eine Quad-HD-Auflösung gleichzeitig. Sie müssen sich also nicht zwischen höchster Auflösung und höchsten Bildwiederholraten entscheiden.
Das S21 Ultra ist außerdem intelligent genug, um die Bildwiederholfrequenz automatisch bis auf 10 Hz herunterzuregeln, um Strom zu sparen.
Weitere gute Nachrichten, das Display des S21 Ultra ist im Freien gut ablesbar, weil es erreichen eine maximale Nennhelligkeit von 1.500 Nits. In unseren Tests erreichte das S21 Ultra durchschnittlich 821 Nits, was die 654 Nits des iPhone 12 Pro Max übertrifft.
The S21 Ultra’s screen proved plenty colorful in our lab tests, with the panel producing 81.4% of the demanding DCI-P3 color gamut, compared to 84.8% for the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The colors on the iPho ne were a bit more accurate, with its screen achieving a Delta-E score of 0.07, compared to 0.35 for the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Samsung says the S21 Ultra has a 3 million:1 contrast ratio, which is 50% higher than the S20 Ultra. And there’s an Eye Comfort Shield feature that’s designed to reduce eye fatigue by limiting blue light.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review: Cameras
It’s the cameras where the Galaxy S21 Ultra stands out the most against the S21 and S21 Plus. There’s a main 108MP wide sensor and 12MP ultra-wide camera, which is complemented by a laser auto focus sensor.
The Space Zoom is so good it should not fall in the wrong hands. #GalaxyS21Ultra pic.twitter.com/ONJPWtdUZYJanuary 15, 2021
The Galaxy S21 Ultra will make you feel like a secret agent as you zoom in. While the iPhone 12 Pro Max is stuck at 2.5x optical zoom, the S21 Ultra packs two telephoto lenses of 3x and 10x optical zoom.
I was amazed how close I got to this sign well across a highway. At 100x the zoom does get shaky but the new Zoom Lock feature can help you get a steadier shot with just a tap.
The 108MP main camera can capture 12-bit HDR photos with 64 times richer color data and more than three times the dynamic range of the S20 Ultra. Plus, there’s a 12-bit RAW file option in Pro mode.
I tested the camera out at a nearby store to capture a shot of produce, and the green peppers in the foreground look shiny and delicious. And you can make out a pretty amazing amount of detail when you zoom in. However, by comparison, the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s shot looks even more vibrant.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra is also a great partner to have when you’re outdoors. Take this photo of towering trees I took at a nearby park. You can make out fine detail in the bark, and the phone does a great job capturing the clouds against the blue sky even while dealing with all of the shadows in the foreground. I slightly prefer the S21 Ultra’s photo in this case to the iPhone 12 Pro Max, but it’s really close.
Samsung says it has also improved the Portrait mode on the S21 by leveraging AI to better separate the subject from the background. The S21 Ultra delivers a great bokeh effect here. My skin tone is warmer on the iPhone 12 pro Max, but overall the S21 shot looks great.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra also performs quite well in low light, thanks to a faster Bright Night sensor and 12MP nona-binning technology for reducing noise reduction. In this comparison you can make out more of the stones and bushes in the foreground in the S21 Ultra’s photo compared to the iPhone 12 Pro Max, although the iPhone’s colors look more natural.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max pulls ahead in this photo of a golden retriever. The S21 Ultra’s pic is overly bright and a bit washed out, while his fur his more golden and natural looking with the iPhone.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review: Video
On the video front, the Galaxy S21 Ultra can record 8K video up to 30 fps and all of its cameras can capture 4K video at up to 60 fps. But the coolest video upgrade is Director’s View.
There’s a new vlogger mode that lets you use the front and back cameras as the same time for recording video. And you can see live thumbnails of each camera while you’re recording video, so you can make a quick call if you want to switch.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra’s footage looks stunning. As I swept around a river with the S21 Ultra, it delivered near movie-quality results. The dark blue water, dock and puffy clouds all came through crystal clear.
And, yes, you can feel free to move around a lot while shooting. With Super Steady mode on the S21 Ultra engaged, I captured smooth footage even as I walked fast up a hill.
If you want to take photos and stills at once, the Single Take 2.0 feature on the S21 Ultra is pretty fun. It managed to capture my attempt at a reverse layup in slow mo and pick a pretty good photo at the top of the jump. However, the music Samsung chooses sometimes for its auto-generated video clips sounds cheesy.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review: Performance
The Galaxy S21 Ultra is one of the first phones powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chip, which is complemented by 12GB or 16GB of RAM.
And this is one fast Android phone. The S21 Ultra didn’t flinch as I sliced through multiple enemies in Grimvalor while delivering console-quality visuals.
This flagship backs up my experience with impressive benchmark scores. On Geekbench 5, the S21 Ultra notched 3,440 on the multi-core test and 1,123 on single-core. That’s behind the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which cleared 4,100 and 1,600, but it’s still the best scores we’ve seen from an Android phone.
The S21 Ultra also fared well on the 3DMark Wild Life graphics benchmark, hitting 34 fps. The iPhone 12 Pro Max averaged 54 fps.
On our video editing test using the Adobe Premiere Rush app, the Galaxy S21 Ultra took 1 minute and 2 seconds to transcode a 4K video to 1080p. That’s faster than the Note 20 Ultra’s 1:16 but still well behind the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s 28 seconds.
Unfortunately, while you have a range of storage options to choose from for the S21 Ultra — 128, 256 or 512GB — Samsung ditched the microSD card slot. So you can’t expand.
Galaxy S21 Ultra review: Battery life and charging
If you’re looking for a phone that can last all day, this is it. On our web surfing battery test over 5G, the S21 Ultra’s 5,000 mAh endured for 11 hours and 25 minutes. That beats the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s 10:53 and lands the Ultra on our best phone battery life list.
Note that this time is with the standard 60Hz display mode turned on and that you’ll see less battery life with adaptive mode (up to 120Hz) engaged. In this mode we saw a runtime of 10 hours and 7 minutes.
The biggest bummer is that you don’t get a charger in the box. Yes, it’s the green thing to do, but if you haven’t bought a phone in the last couple of years and don’t have USB-C, it will mean more money coming out of your pocket.
Using a 25-watt charger, the S21 Ultra reached 56% in 30 minutes and 31% in 15 minutes.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review: S Pen
For the first time ever, a Galaxy S device supports the S Pen, the S21 Ultra makes that happen with a Wacom digitizer built into the display. The S Pen, which is optional, lets you draw, sketch and take notes, just as you can on the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra. It also comes in handy for quickly signing documents.
Just keep in mind that the S Pen is sold separately, and you’ll need to spring for a compatible case if you want to store the stylus on the go when it’s not in use. Samsung sells a Silicone Cover with S Pen included for $69.99.
I tried out this case, and it adds bulk to already bulky phone. The S Pen functionality worked pretty well, and you can enjoy features like Screen Off memo for quickly jotting down notes. However, because Bluetooth isn’t built in, you can’t use the pen as a remote control as you can with the Note 20 Ultra. So you can’t skip tracks with a button press or control slideshows.
Samsung is developing a second stylus. The S Pen Pro ships later this year for an undisclosed price, which will include Bluetooth connectivity.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review: 5G, Wi-Fi 6E and UWB
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra supports all of the latest wireless standards, starting with 5G. The Qualcomm X60 modem inside this device is capable of carrier aggregation, which should result in higher peak speeds while delivering better power efficiency.
The performance was pretty solid in my neck of the woods on T-Mobile. I saw download speeds exceed 160 Mbps. It’s not fantastic, but the iPhone 12 Pro Max mustered only 100 Mbps in the same location when I popped the same SIM card in that phone.
In addition, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is one of the first phones to support Wi-Fi 6E, a new standard that delivers faster speeds and more overall bandwidth when you have a compatible Wi-Fi 6E router.
Lastly, the S21 Ultra has UWB (ultra-wideband), which makes it easier to share files with other UWB devices, like the Galaxy S21 Plus. And you’ll be able to use this phone as a digital key for select 2022 cars.
If you’re constantly losing stuff — like me — you’ll want to check out Samsung’s new Galaxy SmartTags. You can use this tag in combination with the SmartThings Find app to track down everything from your keys to your bag. You can also use the SmartThings Find app to locate other Samsung devices, including phones, smartwatches, tablets and earbuds.
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S21 Plus
We have a whole article dedicated to Galaxy S21 vs Galaxy S21 Plus vs Galaxy S21 Ultra, as there are many differences. But here are the key things to know. The Galaxy S21 Ultra has the highest resolution main camera (108MP vs 64MP for S21 and Plus), the most powerful zooms (100x vs 30x) and the sharpest display (QHD vs 1080p).
In addition, the screen on the Ultra is more dynamic, as it can scale from 120Hz all the way down to 10Hz, while the panels on the regular S21 and S21 Plus go down to 48Hz. This helps save on battery life. And the S21 Ultra has the largest battery at 5,000 mAh, compared to the S21 (4,000 mAh) and S21 Plus (4,800 mAh).
Lastly, the S21 Ultra has the most RAM at 12GB to 16GB, while the S21 and S21 Plus make due with 8GB. And only the S21 Ultra has a 512GB storage option. See our full Samsung Galaxy S21 review for more.
Galaxy S21 Ultra vs iPhone 12 Pro Max
The biggest competitor for the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Apple’s phone delivers faster performance from its A14 Bionic chip, and you get a strong Ceramic Shield front display that’s designed to be more durable. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is also thinner and lighter.
But the Galaxy S21 Ultra has plenty of advantages over the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Samsung’s phone offers more versatile cameras (especially when it comes to zooming), a 120Hz display, an in-screen fingerprint reader and longer battery life. I’d say that’s worth the $100 over Apple’s flagship.
For more, see our in-depth Galaxy S21 Ultra vs iPhone 12 Pro Max face-off.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review: Verdict
Samsung has nearly perfected the big-screen phone with the Galaxy S21 Ultra. The display is best-in-class, the cameras are much improved and you can even use this thing as a Galaxy Note if you want to.
Personally, I see the S Pen support as more of a bonus because of the added cost.
There are some things I don’t like about this flagship. It’s a bit big and heavy, and the lack of a charger and microSD card slot both sting. And while the S21 Ultra is fast, it’s still a step behind the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Then again, Samsung’s phone lasts longer on charge and lets you do more with its cameras.
Overall, if you’re looking for the pinnacle of Android phones, the S21 Ultra is it. It does, however, face stiff competition from the excellent OnePlus 9 Pro for the title of ultimate Android phone.
