I upgraded from the Galaxy s8 to the S21 Ultra with 256 gb of storage and 12gb of ram. I will start off by saying go with the Ultra or the base, you pay $200 extra for half an inch of screen on the plus (this is called decoy price, you see this at movies where the popcorn medium is only 1 dollar less than the large, but is 3 more than the small, so you might as well go large.)
I'll give more detial at the end.
Camera is super high quality, zoom is incredible. Front camera even takes good pics (I mean I looked good, so should you)
Processor is as advertised, insanely fast, even at the standard limited benchmark (there is an enhanced processing mode to take away cpu 70% limit). Desktop mode is great, this phone is almost as fast in Dex as my actual Acer laptop.
Battery life is phenomenal, can get 2 full days out of 1 charge if you use the phone less than 4 or 5 hours a day at 1080p res.
1440p, super clear and one of the bargaining point for the Ultra over the base. The refresh rate of 120 hz is incredible, I spent the first 10 minutes just swiping on the phone in awe of this. The ultra is also the only version with the curved screen,, the s21 and plus have flat screens.. This phone does an excellent job of cooling, even witha case on. (FYI heat causes the major wear and tear on the internal components like the cpu, so better cooling means better lifespan and performance).
Customizable routines allow you to add features to your phone, from automatically silencing when you show up to work or school, automatically going into power save mode at certain times like when you are asleep, or even for when you turn on your Bluetooth headphones your phone can automatically switch to 1440p resolution and turn Dolby atmos on movie mode sound. Dozens of scenarios or time stamps for each feature.
If you are the friend that walks on the grass, don't worry about bringing that bulky charger for when your friends' phones are about to die, this phone can wireless charge other devices (will stop charging when the phone drops to 30% minimum).
If you are concerned about no color options, just remember, I had that beautiful orchid gray s8, and who got to see it? Nobody, because it was hidden behind a lovely teal case for 4 years.
If the fact that Samsung dropped their charging from the 45w of the s20 series to a 25w for the s21, rest assured, there is very little added time for charging, and the 25w is less volatile than the 45w. This means, charging does not get the phone as hot, and the battery will have a better lifespan since slower charging is better long term.
If you multi task a ton and/or save tons of files, consider spending the extra money to get the 512 gb edition, as it comes with an additional 4gb of ram (16gb total).
Ram is what is used to have tabs open, so more ram means more tabs open while still maintaining speed and smoothness. The s21 ultra also has Spen support (need a case that can hold it).
Why the ultra or base and not the plus?
The s21 has a better ppi (pixel density, higher the density, better the picture) than the s21 plus. They both have the same 8gb of ram, the same storage sizes, same resolution, same cameras, same material, same flat screen, the same backwards wireless charging capability (same for ultra), etc. The only difference is the screen size and that the s21 plus has a 4800 mAh battery while the s21 has a 4000 mAh. The ultra however, offers higher resolution, much higher ppi, the larger screen, larger battery than both (5000mAh). The ultra has much more powerful camera as well, the curved screen, camera features and settings. So if you want all the features and performance and screen resolution (I like the stream movies on my lunch breaks) then go with the Ultra, if you just want to upgrade to the newest and fastest phone, and you don't need to have 100000 tabs open, get the base s21.
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This Item  SAMSUNG Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G Factory Unlocked Android Cell Phone 128GB US Version Smartphone Pro-Grade Camera 8K Video 108MP High Res, Phantom Black |  |  | |  |  | |
| Price | — | -14% $449.79 Typical price: $527.88 | -14% $459.99 Typical price: $533.99 | $419.99 | $579.97 | $974.90 |
| Delivery | — | Get it Mar 21 - 22 | — | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Mar 20 | Get it as soon as Monday, Mar 25 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Mar 26 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Battery life | ||||||
| Fingerprint reader | ||||||
| Face recognition | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Macalegin Electronics | WirelessDistrict | MobileCart | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| display size | 6.8 inches | 6.8 inches | 6.8 inches | 6.8 inches | 6.7 inches | 6.7 inches |
| memory capacity | 128 GB | 512 GB | 512 GB | 256 GB | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| model name | Galaxy S21 Ultra | Galaxy S21 Ultra | Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G | Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 256GB | T2 | T2 |
| operating system | Android | Android | Android | Android | Android | Android |
| connectivity tech | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, USB | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi | Bluetooth, Wireless | Bluetooth, Wireless |
| display type | AMOLED | — | — | AMOLED | AMOLED | AMOLED |
| input interface | touch screen | — | — | — | touch screen | touch screen |
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Most amazing phone ever
This is the most amazing phone I've ever owned.. Up until this point there have been minor improvements on various functionality and speed and so on. This phone has all of that and the most amazing camera you can imagine. As you can see from the photos I posted the night vision is amazing. The picture of my pool area is at night with no moon. If you hold the camera steady enough it will take Photos as if it was daytime. But you can see from the lights on the building that we're in the middle of the night. There's a photo of A naval ship coming in to Naval Station Mayport over the horizon. It's miles away. But as you can see you can zoom in and almost see which ship it is. I also was able to put the camera phone on a tripod, and take that photo of an airplane flying a 30000' or higher. Just holding the phone, I snapped a photo of the moon where you can make out mountains clearly. Amazing! Samsung has really set the bar high on this one.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2021
Wireless Provider: UnlockedColor: Phantom BlackMemory Storage Capacity: 128 GBVerified Purchase
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Cliente de Amazon
El mejor smartphone de 2021
Reviewed in Mexico on November 9, 2021
Vishnu
I purchased product with snapdragon 888, they delivered exynos 2100 processor
Reviewed in India on January 18, 2022Wireless Provider: UnlockedColor: Phantom BlackMemory Storage Capacity: 128 GBVerified Purchase
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Reviewed in India on January 18, 2022
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Reviewed in Singapore on August 14, 2021Cliente de Amazon
Excelente celular con Excelente cámara
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