Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Long-Term
I've had the Galaxy S21 Ultra for three months and have written an in-depth assessment of the device. Is it better than Apple's, OnePlus', and Xiaomi's flagship phones? In this Galaxy S21 Ultra review, we'll discover out.
Many people remarked that the Galaxy S20 Ultra's design was quite dull. As a result, Samsung significantly improved the Galaxy S21 Ultra's appearance. The new design is quite appealing and distinct. Everything about it is new, from the matte-finished glass to the unique-shaped metal camera bump. The rear glass has a matte finish that helps to reduce fingerprints. The camera bump on the Galaxy S21 Ultra blends into the rest of the metal chassis. In the hands, the phone is substantial, and the buttons have a nice click.
The phone sports a bezel-less display on the front with a punch-hole-shaped cutout in the centre for the selfie camera. There's a fingerprint reader built inside the display. On the front and back, the phone is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus (the most recent version of Gorilla Glass as of 2021). The Galaxy S21 Ultra, like its predecessors, is dust and water resistant to IP68 standards. Although the phone does not have a headphone connector, it does have dual speakers. At the bottom, there's a USB Type-C port.
Yes, the phone is big and heavy, and not everyone will appreciate it. Even yet, it doesn't come close to the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra's chunkiness. In terms of build quality, strength, and appearance, it ranks among the best. Except for its size and weight, I don't suppose anyone would have anything to say about it.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Display & Audio Quality
The Galaxy S21 Ultra's 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display has a 120Hz variable refresh rate and a QHD+ resolution. The Galaxy S21 Ultra, unlike most other high-end smartphones announced in 2021, has a real variable refresh rate panel that can swing between 10Hz and 120Hz depending on the content.
Because of its LTPO (Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide) OLED display panel, which permits dynamically adjusting the refresh rate, the hardware-based variable refresh rate functionality is feasible. It means that the panel does not always use a 120Hz refresh rate, resulting in lower energy consumption as compared to fixed 120Hz screens. The refresh rate can dip as low as 10Hz when you're staring at a still image and not touching the screen, and it can shoot up to 120Hz once you start swiping and scrolling. The animations on the screen as you scroll and swipe are really smooth, although the screen does occasionally show a momentary stutter when the refresh rate is changed.
The screen's overall quality is as good as it gets right now in the world. It has the brightest screen, the best contrast ratio, the widest viewing angles, and the deepest blacks of any device. I couldn't identify any flaws with the display on the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Even the colour match was perfect. Samsung provides a variety of colour options and temperature settings from which to pick to customise the display to your liking. The S Pen is also compatible with the Galaxy S21 Ultra, although it is not included with the phone. It must be purchased separately. To store the stylus, you'll also need to spend more money on a S Pen-compatible case. On every other Galaxy Note series smartphone, the S Pen functions just as well.
The stereo speakers of the Galaxy S21 Ultra (one of which is the earpiece) are loud and crisp. There's also some bass, resulting in a rich audio quality. On the smartphone, listening to music, playing games, and watching films are all enjoyable activities. You can utilise wired headphones with a USB Type-C to 3.5mm DAC (Digital To Analog Converter) adapter or acquire USB Type-C headphones. If you want to listen to music wirelessly, the Galaxy S21 Ultra supports a variety of high-quality Bluetooth audio codecs, including AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Low Latency, and LDAC. During the evaluation time, I utilised the Galaxy Buds+ and the Soundcore Liberty Air 2 with the phone and had no connection issues.
Dolby Atmos has also been implemented into the Galaxy S21 Ultra. To make the audio a little more alive, switch on the function. You have the option of leaving it on Auto or selecting from Movie, Music, or Voice. The device's audio output is then fine-tuned via an equaliser. Depending on your age, the Adapt Seem feature amplifies specific frequencies to make music sound more full. However, it only works while using headphones to listen to the audio.
