Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Recommended
26 sources analyzed
Buy on Amazon
8/10

Summary

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, released in 2021, remains a strong contender in 2026, offering a premium design, excellent battery life, and robust performance for its age. While its initial high price and large size were notable drawbacks, its current significantly reduced cost makes it an exceptional value proposition. Despite some reported software glitches and durability concerns, its powerful camera system and stunning display ensure a high-quality user experience. It's an ideal choice for users seeking flagship features without the flagship price, especially those who appreciate a large screen and S Pen support.

Pros

  • The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra boasts a truly premium and sophisticated design, featuring high-quality materials and a distinctive camera housing that seamlessly blends into the frame. This aesthetic appeal contributes to a flagship feel, making the device stand out in terms of build quality and visual elegance.
  • Battery life is a significant strength, with expert reviewers consistently highlighting its robust performance. Users can expect to comfortably get through a full day of heavy usage, which is crucial for a high-end smartphone packed with power-intensive features like a large, high-refresh-rate display and advanced cameras.
  • The device delivers strong overall performance, evidenced by benchmark scores such as an AnTuTu score around 646,482 and Geekbench single-core scores often exceeding 1,100, with multi-core scores ranging from 3,500 to 3,700. This ensures smooth multitasking, demanding gaming, and rapid app launches, providing a consistently fluid user experience.
  • The camera system is highly advanced, offering significant improvements over its predecessor and delivering versatile photography capabilities. With a quad-camera setup, including multiple telephoto lenses, it excels in capturing detailed photos across various zoom levels and lighting conditions, making it a top choice for mobile photographers.
  • The Dynamic AMOLED 2X display offers stunning visuals with vibrant colors, deep blacks, and excellent brightness, providing an immersive viewing experience for media consumption and gaming. Its high refresh rate ensures incredibly smooth scrolling and animations, enhancing the overall responsiveness and premium feel of the device.

Cons

  • The physical size of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is substantial, making it a large and somewhat heavy device that can be challenging for one-handed use or fitting into smaller pockets. While beneficial for media consumption, its dimensions might not appeal to users preferring a more compact form factor.
  • At its launch, the S21 Ultra carried a very high price tag, originally around $1,199, which positioned it as one of the most expensive smartphones on the market. This premium pricing made it less accessible compared to alternatives like the Galaxy S20 FE or OnePlus 8T, which offered comparable high-end features at a lower cost.
  • While the device offers excellent performance, it can experience thermal throttling during extended periods of intensive tasks such as prolonged gaming or heavy video editing. This can lead to a slight decrease in sustained performance, though it's a common characteristic among high-performance smartphones under extreme load.
  • The lack of a microSD card slot, a feature present in many previous Samsung flagships, means users cannot expand storage beyond the internal capacity. This can be a drawback for those who store large amounts of media or frequently transfer files, requiring careful consideration of the initial storage configuration.

Common Issues Reported

Some users have reported software bugs affecting default applications, keyboard functionality, and call/text reliability. These issues, while not universally experienced, can occasionally disrupt the user experience and require software updates to resolve.There have been reports from users regarding physical durability concerns, specifically relating to the back glass shattering more easily than expected. While not a widespread manufacturing defect, it suggests that the device might be more susceptible to damage from drops than some competitors.

Sources

1theguardian.com2pcmag.com3expertreviews.co.uk4techradar.com5sammobile.com6reddit.com7reddit.com8reddit.com9reddit.com10reddit.com1191mobiles.com12pcmag.com13unite4buy.com14klarna.com15walmart.com16swappa.com17newegg.com18backmarket.com19pcmag.com20techradar.com21tomsguide.com22sammobile.com23techradar.com24shacknews.com25Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra availability26Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra release date
Analyzed Mar 12, 2026, 05:33 PM
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