Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra First Look
Samsung launched the Galaxy S21 series on 14th of January 2021. While the S21 will be a popular device all eyes are on the Galaxy S21 Ultra which apart from being a flagship, shows off what the company is not only capable of, but, also what direction it is heading in.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra starts at a price of Rs. 105999 for the 12 GB variant with 256GB storage and costs Rs. 116999 for the 16 GB variant with 512 GB storage. There are discounts however, during preorder a Rs. 6000 instant discount and Rs. 10000 discount using HDFC cards.
Unboxing Experience
The box of the Galaxy S21 Ultra resembles the iPhone 12 series boxes. Its a slim box and it is missing a charger. But the box is also missing earphones and the standard back protection case. Apart from the phone box has some documentation, the USB C to USB C cable and a sim tool .
- Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Documentation
- USB C – C Cable
- Sim Tool
Design and Build
Samsung has focused a lot on making the design of the Galaxy S21 series a lot more refined. The new color choices paired with the new Gorilla Glass Victus finishes allows for the “phantom” colors to have a leather like effect. The Phantom black is a matte black finished back panel that simulated a very soft letter like feel in the hand. The phone is durably built and has a IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.
Samsung had already done away with the headphone jack so all you see is a water sealed USB C port which is used for charging and data. The display has subtle curves on either side making the rather large and unwieldy Galaxy S21 Ultra comfortable to hold with side grip.
The camera bump is now a part of the frame and looks more natural. overall first impression from the design and build are good.
Display and Cameras
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has a massive 6.8 inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display which has a WQHD+ 3200 x 1440 px resolution. This gives the device a 515 ppi pixel density. The display also has a peak brightness of 1500 nits and is protected by the same Victus glass that is seen on the back of the phone. The display has an ever so slight curve that makes it look premium and also improves the viewing experience as it simulates an edgeless display.
120 Hz on the display has been a standard for a while but the Galaxy S21 Ultra is capable of that at maximum resolution. even though on Samsung’s adaptive refresh rate mode.
Samsung has included 4 cameras on the back of the S21 Ultra . The main 108MP camera which has an f/1.8 aperture. will shoot 12 MP shots in the auto mode. two telephoto cameras with 3x and 10x zoom allow for a more versatile zoom experience. while the 3x has an f/2.4 aperture the 10x has an f/4.9 aperture which means that low light performance will be abysmal on the 10x.
There is an ultra wide 12 MP sensor which has an f/2.2 aperture. The rear camera is also capable of 8K video 24fps and 4K video at 60fps. The S21 Ultra is also capable of slow motion video at 1080p at upto 240fps and at 720p at upto 960fps.
The front facing camera sits in the centre punch hole on the top of the display and is a 40 MP sensor with an f/2.2 Aperture and is capable of 4k video at upto 60fps.
Hardware and Performance
The Galaxy S21 Ultra will not disappoint with respect to performance. And even though India still gets the Exynos based devices. The Exynos 2100 is pretty well matched with the Snapdragon 888 chipset. Both are built on the 5 NM process and offer up an octave core CPU experience. However Samsung’s Exynos 2100 is clocked much higher with a 2.9 GHz top clock. The GPU lacks behind on the Samsung chip, but they are well matched for AI computation capabilities and ISP performance with the 888′ spectra 580 providing computational HDR video capabilities which the Galaxy S21 Ultra misses out on.
Benchmarks are up there and performance from the device for the couple of days we have tested is irrefutably smooth. However, the Exnos 2100 when pushed seems to be getting the top back corner of the Galaxy 21 Ultra uncomfortably hot. We are using a pre release device with pre release software. So the clocks may be adjusted for the final release.
Battery and Connectivity
The 5000mAh battery does justice to the phone. Samsung continues to include 25W charging as that seems to be sweet spot for battery charging speeds. No charger is included however, Samsung will happily sell you one for Rs. 2000.
The phone supports USB PD3 and wireless charging upto 15W. You can also reverse charge in case of emergencies for upto 4.5W.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Series is 5G capable whether you get the Snapdragon 888 or the Exynos 2100 variant. Both have Sub 6 and mmWave 5G bands. However, India is yet to fully roll out 5G for the next year or so and by that time S22 series will be out.
The phone has 2 sim slots and no microSD expansion. Bluetooth 5.2 along with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO for location mapping. The fingerprint sensor is located under the display and is an ultrasonic sensor which makes for super quick unlocks.
If you are a business user the Galaxy S21 Ultra also offers Samsung DeXand Samsung Wireless DeX for on the go productivity.
Samsung seems to have ticked all the right boxes, however our testing has just begun and if first impressions are something to go by, The Galaxy S21 Ultra will be tough competitor for upcoming phones of 2021.
