Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: a premium phone with great value, but mind the size and software quirks
Released 2021 · 26 sources analyzed · Also known as: S21 Ultra, Galaxy S21 Ultra
Exploring the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra's Enduring Appeal
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, released in 2021, remains a compelling premium smartphone in 2026, offering a sophisticated design, robust performance, and excellent battery life. It is designed for users seeking flagship features, including a powerful camera system and a stunning display, without the initial flagship price. Its current reduced cost presents an exceptional value proposition, balancing its initial high price and large size with significant present-day affordability.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
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
Sources
Should you buy it? Depends who you are.
A flat yes/no/maybe by buyer profile, instead of one universal verdict.
- For mobile photographers on a budget✓Yes
It offers an advanced camera system at a significantly reduced price.
- For users prioritizing a compact phone✕No
The S21 Ultra is a large and heavy device, challenging for small hands.
- For heavy media consumers✓Yes
Its stunning display and long battery life are ideal for videos and games.
- For those needing expandable storage✕No
The S21 Ultra lacks a microSD card slot, limiting storage to internal capacity.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: Still Worth It?
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra offers a strong combination of premium features and value, making it an ideal choice for users prioritizing a large screen, S Pen support, and a high-quality camera system. Its sophisticated design and excellent battery life contribute to a premium user experience, ensuring it comfortably handles a full day of heavy usage. While its physical size may not appeal to those preferring a more compact device, and thermal throttling can occur during extended intensive tasks, its overall performance remains robust for its age. Users should also be aware of reported software glitches and durability concerns regarding the back glass. Despite these minor drawbacks, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is highly recommended for individuals seeking flagship capabilities at a significantly reduced cost compared to its original launch price, making it a smart investment for mobile photographers and media consumers alike.
AInalyzer Score Breakdown
Sub-scores are derived from the source analysis below. See our scoring methodology.
It delivers strong performance for daily tasks, though thermal throttling can occur during heavy use.
Its significantly reduced price makes it an exceptional value compared to its original high cost.
Software bugs and back glass durability issues are reported, affecting overall reliability for some users.
The device largely lives up to its premium promises, but some software and durability issues temper expectations.
How the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra differs from the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra still offers a premium design and excellent battery life. However, the S23 Ultra brings newer camera tech and likely better long-term software support. If you prioritize the absolute latest camera features and sustained performance, the S23 Ultra is an upgrade, but the S21 Ultra remains a strong value pick for its current price.
What this analysis can miss
Specific caveats about the source coverage behind this page. Worth knowing before you act on the verdict.
Most reviews are from its launch year; long-term software support and battery degradation are harder to assess.
Thermal throttling observations are based on extreme load; typical daily use might not show these effects.
Durability concerns are user-reported and not universally experienced, making widespread impact hard to quantify.
What reviewers actually say
Themes synthesised across 26 sources — agreement % shows how aligned reviewers were on each point.
- Battery lifePositive90%
Reviewers consistently found the battery easily lasts a full day even with heavy use.
- Camera systemPositive85%
The quad-camera setup offers versatile and detailed photos across various zoom levels and lighting, a clear improvement.
- Display qualityPositive95%
The Dynamic AMOLED 2X display provides vibrant colors, deep blacks, and smooth high-refresh-rate visuals.
- Physical sizeMixed70%
Its large size is great for media but makes one-handed use difficult and isn't for everyone.
- Software stabilityNegative60%
Some users reported software bugs affecting default apps and basic phone functions, requiring updates.
Durability concerns are overstated
While some users reported back glass shattering, these incidents aren't widespread manufacturing defects. Many flagship phones are susceptible to damage from drops, and the S21 Ultra is likely no more fragile than competitors under similar stress. It's more about user handling than inherent design flaw.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: Common Questions Answered
What are the main advantages of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra's display?
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra features a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, providing stunning visuals with vibrant colors, deep blacks, and excellent brightness. Its high refresh rate ensures incredibly smooth scrolling and animations, enhancing the overall responsiveness and premium feel of the device for an immersive viewing experience.
Does the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra have good battery life?
Yes, battery life is a significant strength of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. Expert reviewers consistently highlight its robust performance, allowing users to comfortably get through a full day of heavy usage, which is crucial for a high-end smartphone with power-intensive features.
What are some known issues with the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra?
Some users have reported software bugs affecting default applications, keyboard functionality, and call/text reliability with the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. there have been reports regarding physical durability concerns, specifically relating to the back glass shattering more easily than expected.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra still a good value in 2026?
Yes, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra remains a strong contender in 2026, offering robust performance and premium features for its age. Its current significantly reduced cost, compared to its initial high price, makes it an exceptional value proposition for users seeking flagship capabilities without the flagship price.