Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra review: Distilled excellence

Note: This article was first published on 21st January 2021

Overview

With Samsung eager to start a new year on the right foot, the Korean brand has taken the initiative to launch its Galaxy S21 series phones earlier than their usual Feb-Mar cycle. 

Together, the three models (Samsung Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra) bring a combination of new flagship processors, pro-grade cameras, and incremental improvements alongside 5G-readiness.

Across the board, all three handsets sold in Singapore use the Samsung Exynos 2100 chipset, marking it the official transition over to 5nm chipset architecture, much like Apple's iPhone 12 range and Huawei's Mate 40 series smartphones. We're curious to learn if Samsung's own brew is able to hold up in such a competitive chipset and smartphone market, especially with Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 smartphones due to come later this year.

New features and major improvements were made to photography and videography despite having camera hardware similar to last year's Galaxy S20 series phones. There's Director's View with two more sub-features for more videography options, and then there's Cinematic 8K Snap for lifting still images out of 8k24fps videos. Single Take, Portrait Mode, and even Space Zoom got some upgrades.

While the three new Galaxy S phones didn't see too many changes, the phones come with the latest Android 11 operating system underneath Samsung's One UI interface out of the box.  What doesn't come out of the box is the charging adapter, which Samsung has decided to exclude in the Galaxy S21 retail package. 

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra gets a special mention here, because it received the further upgrades beyond the series-wide tweaks. S Pen support comes to the S21 Ultra. It also has two telephoto rear lenses, making its 100x Space Zoom more powerful. But are these enhancements enough to differentiate the Ultra from the regular models? 

Also, will the Exynos-backed Galaxy S21 series even hold up in such a competitive smartphone ecosystem? Is rushing the three phones for an early launch the right move? Let's find out.

Design & Handling

Across all three device models, Samsung kept most of its original Galaxy S design language without changing too much. The Korean brand took great care in showcasing its Contour Cut Camera housing design on the phone at its official launch, but the rest of the Galaxy S21 body is very similar to the Galaxy S20 series. 

Contour Cut Camera adds a dimension of premium finish to the camera housing because Samsung chose to make it merge with the Galaxy S21’s metal frame. The housing sits flush with the rear camera lenses, while the housing itself is a raised bump with chamfered edges. The S21 Ultra’s housing has the biggest bump between the three devices, while the regular S21’s bump was almost negligible. 

The real differences come in the handset’s finishing of choice, and the subsequent appeal it has for its users. Both Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ use a frosted Haze finish juxtaposed against a high-polish Contour Cut Camera housing and frame. At the same time, the Galaxy S21 Ultra has a matte finish complementing its half-polish housing. The different polish lends the “feature phone” look to the S21 and S21+, while the S21 Ultra adopted a corporate-friendly demeanour. 

The S21 has Phantom Grey and Phantom White if you want a muted look, while the S21+ has Phantom Black and Phantom Silver, the two plainer-looking colourways that are also on the S21 Ultra. Phantom Violet, the flagship colour for the S21 series, is only available on the regular S21 and S21+. We think it’s a lost opportunity for the S21 Ultra since you’re limited to its monochrome palette there. 

Phantom Violet has had a mixed reception among netizens, but we wouldn’t know for sure unless Samsung decides to put a flashy S21 Ultra out for sale. We think Phantom Violet is a good effort towards making two conflicting colours work together (rose gold and lavender), so Samsung wasn’t kidding when they said that the S21 phones in Phantom Violet would stand out - for better or worse.

On the handling end of things, the phones feel comfortable to hold and control. The S21 Ultra has an ideal grip and body even though it’s 0.1mm thicker and 7g heavier than the S20 Ultra. If we had any handling issues, it’d be how the volume and power buttons are positioned on all three models. The phones don’t have identical bodies, yet the buttons are identical in size and spacing across all three phones. The S21+ buttons are most awkward of the lot, with the S21 Ultra being the most natural.

Besides looking pretty, the phones all come with IP68-certified water resistance. Of course, we’ve not done anything more drastic than splash some water on them, but the S21 phones don’t have any issue dealing with droplets of rain or water, which is a typical use case than dunking the devices into the bathtub.

It’s a real shame that there’s no more microSD card expansion across any Galaxy S21 models. While the phones have sufficiently large internal storage capacities (256GB for all three variants and an additional 512GB model for the S21 Ultra), it will take a little bit of admin time to properly move and categorise your media files when switching over to the new Samsung flagships if you previously chose to save them on microSD. 

Display & Audio

The Galaxy S21 and S21+ have the same display sizes and panel quality as its predecessors. They sit at 6.2 inches and 6.7 inches respectively, with Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and an Infinity-O camera cut-out at the top. The displays are HDR10+ certified, have 120Hz maximum refresh rate, and Dynamic Refresh Rate that adjusts between 48 to 120Hz, depending on the content viewed. Like the S20 variants, the S21 and S21+ are flat display panels.

What did change was the pixel fidelity on these two models. Previously, the S20 and S20+ had 1440p (also known as QHD+ resolution). The Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ instead offer a lower FHD resolution at 2,400 x 1,080 pixels. During our hands-on session with Samsung, the brand said it went with 1080p panels since users of the regular and Plus variants aren’t actively switching over to 1440p in the display settings. So, if you’re a user who knows or cares about display resolutions and doesn’t mind the extra battery drain for better graphics, the option is no longer there for you.

Despite the lower resolution, Samsung’s AMOLED panels have been nothing but excellent to the eye. Choosing Dynamic AMOLED 2X once again for the panels isn’t lazy, and that’s because it’s highly rated for colour accuracy, as seen in the vibrant images. Again, we wished Samsung didn’t take away 1440p resolution option in the regular and Plus variants, because it did set the bar in display expectations for other Android phones that dared to compete.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has a 6.8-inch, curved Dynamic AMOLED 2X rated at 3,200 x 1,440 pixels resolution (WQHD+). It has all the panel perks from the S21 and S21+, although its Dynamic Refresh Rate can be as low as 10Hz for better battery efficiency. Also unique to the S21 Ultra is a new maximum peak brightness of 1,500-nits, up from the predecessor’s 1,200-nits. Sure, it’s going to drain your battery, but you can count on the S21 Ultra for clarity when it’s most needed, even under bright sunlight.

A new (or rather, improved) display enhancement is Eye Comfort Shield. That’s a snazzy name for automated blue-light reduction in the S21 phones. Samsung said that it auto-adjusts blue light output based on your usage patterns, which is different from blue light reduction based on the day's hours. This is helpful if you don’t necessarily have a typical day-night cycle because of work or personal commitments. Folks working in healthcare, logistics, and entertainment industries come to mind. It’s not something the majority would absolutely need, but it’s an inclusive feature that’s useful.

UI & Features

The new phones are functionally similar, if not identical to the preceding Galaxy S20 series. Still, there are some improvements to look forward to, like One UI 3 and the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s S Pen support.

One UI 3

The Galaxy S21 series uses the Android 11 operating system, but it’s cloaked under Samsung’s One UI 3 interface. One UI 3 is very similar to past One UIs in form and function, save for a few aesthetic changes. 

The lock screen is less cluttered than One UI 2’s. The pull-down notifications have a translucent background instead of opaque. The volume indicators are a chunkier, iOS-like bar instead of a thin blue slider with a dot indicator. 

Functionally, it’s like Android 11, so it’s a union between the latest Android operating system perks like Notification History and One-Time Permissions for apps, as well as Samsung’s software magic like App Pair. However, you’ll still get Android 11 and One UI 3 on slightly older devices like Galaxy S20 and Note20 phones, so it’s not solely reserved for folks who buy the Galaxy S21 phones.

Galaxy S21 Ultra with S Pen

With Wacom’s partnership, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra packs S Pen compatibility alongside support for some third-party styluses. According to Samsung, it’s compatible with any S Pen, including older models and the ones from Samsung’s tablets. 

We tested with an S Pen from a Galaxy Note20 Ultra device we had. True enough, the Galaxy S21 Ultra could capture all the basics, like swiping and annotating. The Galaxy S21 Ultra also has a translucent contextual menu that pops up only when an S Pen touches the display - it’s the same menu that appears on the stylus-native Galaxy Note phones. We further confirmed S21 Ultra’s S Pen support by taking the S Pen to the regular S21 and S21+, and those phones didn’t budge at all.

However, not every S Pen feature is available on the Galaxy S21 Ultra. For instance, Air Gestures requires Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and neither can you tag the S Pen button to launch a specific app (like Camera) on the Galaxy S21 Ultra without BLE. That, however, is more of a limitation of passive styluses and S Pens.

Samsung sells two Galaxy S21 S Pens separately - a regular Galaxy S21 S Pen which you can buy with an official cover (starts at S$88) or a standalone Galaxy S21 S Pen (S$58 in Black). There’s also a bigger, longer S Pen Pro active stylus with Bluetooth features that can offer Air Gestures and a remote shutter/trigger key. The Pro edition S Pen is however currently not available in our market until further notice. 

Not only is the S Pen sold separately, but the Galaxy S21 Ultra also doesn’t have a built-in S Pen slot. If you have every intention of moving from a previous Galaxy Note device and retaining your stylus mastery, you’ll need a cover that can store the S Pen for you. In a way, while the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s S Pen support is a nice perk and it helps the Ultra variant stand out a little more from the pack, the phone isn’t a true successor to the Galaxy Note series, since it’s not fully accommodating of an S Pen in more ways than one.

Photography and Video Capture Features

Photography and videography upgrades received the most attention in the Galaxy S21 series. While other components and software features were incremental, Samsung granted several new video-recording features and better photo-taking across all Galaxy S21 phones.

Director’s View is a semi-hidden option under the “More” tab in Samsung’s default camera app. It offers two sub-features. Live Thumbnails provide a preview of lens perspective before and during video recording. The thumbnails act as shortcuts for switching camera lenses to get a variety of angles within a single clip. These previews on the right don’t make it into the final footage. To the top left is a picture-in-picture footage of the cameraperson. Not only can it be repositioned, but the footage also records any repositioning of the frame. The other sub-feature is Vlogger View, which is the more conventional front-and-back recording found in Chinese mainstream phones of late.

The Galaxy S21 series also lets you take a high-quality 32MP photo from your 8K resolution footage if you so wish it. Called Cinematic 8K Snap, it’s available for any video recorded in 8K resolution at 24 fps. To grab a photo from the said video, head into the default Gallery app, find and play your 8k24fps video, and select the Snap icon on the top left to get the screen grab. 

If you bought the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro that launched with the S21 phones, the earbuds could double as a voice-only microphone for video recording, while the phone’s mics record environment-only sound. This is also a semi-hidden feature since it’s not listed in the Camera app under its marketing name (Multi Mic Recording). You can find it under the “More” tab, and go into Pro Video. The Mic icon at the bottom of Pro Video has an option called BT Mix when the Galaxy Buds Pro are connected. That’s Multi Mic Recording for you.

These three new features join a wider range of improved old features. For instance, Single Take is faster at processing all the different shots. Portrait Mode offers slightly more natural-looking, AI-powered lighting and bokeh. Space Zoom (30x for S21 and S21+, 100x for S21 Ultra) gets a new Zoom Lock feature that combines image stabilisation with focus-locking. 

Galaxy S21 Ultra has special upgrades, too

Specific to the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the ability to record in 4K resolution at 60 fps with any of its rear camera lenses - including the telephoto and ultra-wide-angle ones. After selecting “UHD 60” in the Video tab, you can proceed to swap lenses using the shortcut keys at the bottom.

Oh, if you shoot in RAW, there’s 12-bit RAW photo-taking on the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but it’s only for the primary camera and only if you choose to shoot using Pro mode (under the More tab).

With that, we can take a look at the imaging performance between the three devices.

Imaging Performance

Here’s a snapshot of the cameras available on the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 Ultra.

In essence, there was only one major change made to the S21 Ultra, while the rest of the S21 series is mostly on par with the S20 series camera offering. The quad-rear camera S21 Ultra swapped out a 3D depth sensor for a second telephoto lens and Laser AutoFocus sensor. That gives the phone two optical zoom lens at 3x and 10x, the ability to go up to 100x for Space Zoom, as well as faster autofocusing capabilities.

The following sample images indicate the Galaxy S21 series device it's from, along with the photo-taking settings. We've parked sample photos under each respective phone's section for easier assessment.

Samsung Galaxy S21

Main Camera

Telephoto (3x hybrid optical zoom)

Ultra-wide

30x Space Zoom

Samsung Galaxy S21+

Main Camera

Telephoto (3x hybrid optical zoom)

Ultra-wide

30x Space Zoom

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Main Camera

Telephoto (3x optical zoom)

Telephoto (10x optical zoom)

Ultra-wide

100x Space Zoom

Thoughts on Imaging for Samsung Galaxy S21 series

As a whole, the Galaxy S21 series are wholly capable of taking pleasing pictures, with software optimisation that's not overly aggressive at first glance. The cameras are all equally responsive and fast.

Some differences do crop up in quality and ease of use between each model. By far, the easiest for point-and-shoot, as well as using Zoom Lock during Space Zoom would be the Galaxy S21 Ultra. That's not to say the other two can't - the Ultra variant was simply much easier to control.

While it's not immediately clear how Samsung has made the imaging performance better as compared to the S20 series, it's still evident that any of the three can take highly accurate photos with their main and telephoto lenses. The fish-eye distortion in all of their ultra-wides is heavy, even with massively improved distortion correction built-in. But, that's the nature of things.

Where greenery appears, the Galaxy S21 series rear cameras have no issues in bringing out the vibrancy, even if a little detail is lost at times. Macro photography can be challenging under tough conditions, and once again the Galaxy S21 Ultra was the easiest to get a proper shot in.

You can't really ask for more beyond better detailing and fewer artefacts, so it's good to see Samsung coming strongly out of the gate in the photography aspect with their Galaxy S21 series handsets.

Benchmark Performance

The Singapore market gets Galaxy S21 series phones with Samsung’s latest 5nm chipset, the Exynos 2100. The chipset packs an integrated 5G modem, so you’re getting 5G compatibility (both mmWave and sub-6GHz) out of the box. According to Samsung, it has 10% higher overall performance and 20% less power consumption than its 7nm Exynos 990 found in the Galaxy S20 and Note20 series. If you want to dive deeper into Exynos 2100, the article’s here.

We would love to benchmark the Exynos 2100 phones against other handsets with 5nm chipsets, but the only Android-based one that’s out thus far is the Huawei Mate 40 Pro with its 5nm Kirin 9000 processor. Qualcomm already announced the Snapdragon 888 mobile platform, but a 2021 phone with that 5nm chipset has yet to arrive on our shores. That leaves us with the Apple iPhone 12 series since those iOS phones have a 5nm A14 Bionic chipset. We’ll also have to make do with comparing to previous flagships for now. Finally, we’re pitting it against the S20 series to look out for any visible improvements.

Note: the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra benchmarked here is the variant with 12GB RAM with 256GB storage. There’s also a variant with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage available for sale in Singapore.

JetStream 2.0

JetStream 2 is a combination of a variety of JavaScript and Web Assembly benchmarks, including benchmarks that came before like SunSpider and Octane. It primarily tests for a system’s and browser’s ability in delivering a good web experience. It runs a total of 64 subtests, each weighted equally, with multiple iterations, and takes the geometric mean to compute the overall score.

AnTuTu 

Note: As of 9th March 2020, all AnTuTu benchmarks were removed from the Google Play Store. This move likely arose from Google's attempts to relieve the Play Store of apps that violate their policies. AnTuTu is working with Google to restore their app listing. For this review, we used the APK file that was available on AnTuTu's website.

AnTuTu is an all-in-one benchmark that tests CPU, GPU, memory, and storage. The CPU benchmark evaluates both integer and floating-point performance, and the GPU tests assess 2D and 3D performance, the memory test measures available memory bandwidth and latency, and the storage tests gauge the read and write speeds of a device's flash memory.

Geekbench 5

Geekbench CPU is a cross-platform processor benchmark that tests both single-core and multi-core performance with workloads that simulate real-world usage. Geekbench 5 scores are calibrated against a baseline score of 1000, which is the score of an Intel Core i3-8100.

Note: The Geekbench 5 benchmark could not run on Huawei Mate 40 Pro, and its score is also unavailable on Geekbench's rankings.

3DMark Sling Shot Extreme and Wild Life

3DMark Sling Shot is an advanced 3D graphics benchmark that tests the full range of OpenGL ES 3.1 and ES 3.0 API features including multiple render targets, instanced rendering, uniform buffers and transform feedback. The test also includes impressive volumetric lighting and post-processing effects. The test's Unlimited mode ignores screen resolutions.

We’re also collecting scores with 3DMark’s new benchmark, Wild Life. Below are the test’s Unlimited Mode scores which showcase mobile graphics/gaming performance for apps using the latest APIs.

Performance Benchmark Remarks

Of the three phones, the S21 Ultra and S21+ had no issues with prolonged and demanding benchmarking. However, the regular S21 heats faster after each benchmark test and would give inconsistent results after the device reaches hand-warmer temperatures. If you have a habit of using demanding apps on your phone, like gaming or video recording, you might want to consider at least the Galaxy S21+ for extended, uninterrupted usage.

Additionally, the S21 had slightly lower performance scores than the S21+ and S21 Ultra. We couldn’t exactly pinpoint why that’s the case when the three phones have identical chipsets and processor clock rates. The lower scores are consistent, so we believe the S21 operates as intended despite having similar components to its pricier counterparts. This leads us to believe that the smaller frame of the S21 might probably not have enough surface area for an adequately sized heatsink to maintain the higher sustained performance seen in its larger siblings.

With the Galaxy S21 series using the 5nm architecture Exynos 2100 chipset, the scores beat last-generation 7nm chipsets soundly. They’ve generally scored even better than the Huawei Mate 40 Pro, which has a current-generation 5nm chipset (the Kirin 9000). Compared to previous S series phone debuts, the S21 series and its new Exynos 2100 chipset have a strong showing in performance increments and is a welcome change.

What’s left to observe are the benchmark scores of the competing Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, which reported even higher numbers via Qualcomm’s testing. We can say that the Exynos 2100 chipset seems promising with flagship-tier performance. Whether it’s competitive enough next to its rivals, remain to be seen as more 2021 flagships pop up over this year.

Battery life

Our standard battery test for mobile phones has the following parameters:

• Looping a 720p video with screen brightness and volume at 100%
• Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity turned on
• Constant data streaming through email

The Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Ultra had the same battery capacity as its predecessor (4,000mAh and 5,000mAh respectively) while the Galaxy S21+ saw an increase of 300mAh (to its new 4,800mAh total). Samsung managed to keep the S21 series’ battery uptime similar to its predecessors despite the leaps in performance. 

The phones’ 25W wired fast charging capability was snappy too. The Galaxy S21 took 70 minutes, Galaxy S21+ took 74 minutes, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra took 60 minutes to go from 0% to 100% with a compatible, third-party fast-charging adapter. It’s a pity Samsung has decided to leave out a charging brick in the phone’s packaging, especially when the phones already come at a premium price.

The phones are also capable of 15W wireless charging, and it works seamlessly. The constraints of time and not having a Samsung-provided wireless charger meant that we’d not had the opportunity to clock its wireless charging speeds at the time of publishing. 

Conclusion

At a glance, Samsung has made one of its better Galaxy S launches in recent years with the Samsung Galaxy S21 series. They put the phones out early, yet managed to deliver a powerful and beautiful trio. Each device - be it the regular, plus, or Ultra variant - were stylish in their ways, and cater very well towards everyday use.

Sure, the counter-argument here could be that Samsung didn't do very much outside of video-recording features to make S20 buyers pull the trigger on an S21 unit. But if we compared the S21 phones to older Samsung flagships, or even other Android flagships from last year, it's a compelling buy. A strong Exynos performance spells well for a market that's conscious about getting their money's worth, and the stunning imaging quality along with its robust imaging suite of features dispel any doubts about the Galaxy S21 series doing well in our little island.

If we look at each handset as individuals, the strongest draw would be the Galaxy S21 Ultra. It's not just the ease of use during photography, or the massive battery capacity, or the delicious 1440p display. The Galaxy S21 Ultra's S Pen support gives casual Galaxy Note users a reason to consider switching over to the Galaxy S series instead - more so if it's an ageing Note on hand. With a starting price of S$1,798 for 256GB and pre-order bonuses worth S$350++, it's irresistible next to the S20 Ultra (which launched with a higher sticker price for less storage). 

Rounding off the phone's overall polish are other Ultra-only niceties, like 4k60fps recording on all rear lenses and 12-bit RAW photo option, truly exalting the 'pro-grade cameras' marketing spiel peddled by Samsung.

While the Galaxy S21 seems like the financially savvy alternative out of the three at S$1,248 for 256GB, it also had lower performance despite having the same components. If you don't need HDR10, you could consider the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE instead, with similar-enough performance scores, equally1080p-quality panel, more battery life, and a compelling S$1,168 launch price for 256GB storage (or even the 128GB edition for just S$1,068). The Fan Edition alternative also comes in a wider selection of colourways, so you're not exactly losing out on funky appearances, either.

If a new Galaxy S21 series device is what you need, and you don't want to fiddle around with an S Pen, then there's the Galaxy S21+ that goes at a palatable S$1,498 for 256GB, simply because it's just 0.1-inch smaller than the curved S21 Ultra's display. It has better battery uptime than the regular version, stunning performance that matches or betters the S21 Ultra, and it still comes in Phantom Violet if you don't like boring monotones.

While it sounds like a lot of praise for the current batch of Galaxy S phones by Samsung, we're also not blind to the missteps that came with the Galaxy S21 series. If you ask us, the Koreans should've kept microSD compatibility instead of removing it, and bring back 1440p on to the S21 and S21+ for the people who actually know how to use them. The real shame is the removal of a charging adapter. Indeed, Samsung could've found it in them to at least give a universal fast-charging adapter, considering the sticker prices of these premium devices.

Trespasses aside, it's clear that Samsung managed to distil what was already excellent in their Galaxy S series, and started 2021 on the right foot. 

You can learn more about the availability, where to purchase and pre-order details of the Samsung Galaxy S21 series here.

	Design	Features	User-friendliness	Performance	Value	Overall
Samsung Galaxy S21	8.5	8.5	9.0	8.0	7.5
Samsung Galaxy S21+	8.5	8.5	9.0	8.5	8.0
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra	8.5	9.0	9.0	8.5	8.0