Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Galaxy S20 Ultra: Should you upgrade?

The successor to the Galaxy S20 series is finally here, and leading the pack for the Galaxy S21 series is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. How much improvement does it bring to the table compared to its predecessor, the Galaxy S20 Ultra? Find out in the specs comparison below.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra specs:	Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra specs:
6.8-inch (3200 x 1440) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display	6.9-inch (3200 x 1440) Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
120Hz Dynamic refresh rate	120Hz Dynamic refresh rate
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus	Corning Gorilla Glass 6
Samsung Exynos 2100	Samsung Exynos 990
12GB, 16GB RAM	12GB, 16GB RAM
128GB, 256GB, 512GB storage	128GB, 26GB, 512GB storage
	MicroSD up to 1TB
Quad-rear cameras: • 108MP Phase Detection F1.8 (wide) • 12MP Dual Pixel F2.2 (ultrawide) • 10MP Dual Pixel F4.9 (10x tele) • 10MP Dual Pixel F2.4 (3x tele)	Quad-rear cameras: • 108MP F1.8 (wide) • 12MP F2.2 (ultrawide) • 48MP F3.5 (telephoto) • Depth Vision
40MP Dual Pixel F2.2 front camera	40MP F2.2 front camera
Dual-SIM	Dual-SIM
5G, 4G LTE	5G, 4G LTE
WiFi 6E	WiFi 6
Bluetooth 5.1	Bluetooth 5.0
NFC	NFC
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo	GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo
USB Type-C	USB Type-C
Fingerprint scanner (in-display)	Fingerprint scanner (in-display)
Face Unlock	Face Unlock
AKG Stereo Speakers	AKG Stereo Speakers
IP68 water and dust resistance	IP68 water and dust resistance
S-Pen support
OneUI 3.1 (Android 11)	OneUI 3.1 (Android 11)
5,000mAh battery w/ 25W fast charging, wireless charging, reverse wireless charging	5,000mAh battery w/ 45W fast charging, wireless charging, reverse wireless charging

Starting with the display, the two are pretty much identical with just a minor 0.1-inch difference in the screen size. Both have Dynamic AMOLED 2X screens with QHD+ resolution with up to 120Hz dynamic refresh rates. What’s different though is the glass protection used, as the S21 Ultra has the new Gorilla Glass Victus, while the S20 Ultra has Gorilla Glass 6.

For the processor, the S21 Ultra gets the newer Exynos 2100 versus the Exynos 990 on the S20 Ultra. We can expect better performance on the former in this case.

For the memory and storage, both are also almost identical with 12GB or 16GB of RAM and 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB of storage. However, Samsung dropped microSD card support on the S21 Ultra, which the S20 Ultra has. This can be a disadvantage if you’re planning to use a microSD card.

Camera-wise, both have quad-rear camera setups with 108MP main sensors and 12MP ultrawide. The two differ in telephoto lens though has the S21 Ultra uses two 10MP sensors for improved zoom capabilities, while the S20 Ultra has a single but higher-resolution 48MP sensor. The latter also has a Depth Vision sensor, which the former lacks. We’ll know more about the S21 Ultra’s camera capabilities once we’re done with our full review.

Looking at connectivity and other features, the two are also almost identical. Both have 5G connectivity, AKG stereo speakers, in-display fingerprint scanners, and IP68 water and dust-resistance. However, the S21 Ultra uses the improved WiFi 6E and supports Samsung’s S-Pen for users who want to use it as some sort of a Galaxy Note.

In terms of battery capacity, both have the same 5,000mAh battery pack. However, the S21 Ultra uses a slower 25W charging compared to the S20 Ultra’s 45W. Not to mention, Samsung has also removed the charging adapter in the package of the S21 Ultra.

Lastly, the price. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is at PHP 69,990 for the 12GB + 256GB and PHP 79,990 for the 16GB + 512GB. For comparison, the Galaxy S20 Ultra was priced at PHP 69,990 for the 12GB + 128GB upon launch.

If you already own an S20 Ultra, we don’t see a need for you to upgrade to the S21 Ultra. The display is almost the same, the cameras are still powerful, it also has 5G and a big battery. But if you’re thinking of getting it for the S-Pen support, we recommend that you wait for the new Galaxy Note instead.

One Comment

Yohei Takagi says:

4 years ago

S21 differs in screen adaptive refresh which means 120Hz only in 1080 while adjust to lower refresh rate to 60Hz when QHD+
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