Samsung has officially unveiled the latest flagship Galaxy S21 series, and one of them is the top-tier Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G. In August 2020, Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which also came in the market with the telco-exclusive 5G option. Which Ultra smartphone packs better specs and can totally slay? Let’s find out!
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra specs: | Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra specs: |
|---|---|
| 6.8-inch Edge QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O Display (3200×1440), 515ppi, 120Hz Dynamic refresh rate, HDR10+ certified | 6.9-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O display (3088×1440) 496ppi, 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch latency, HDR10+ certified |
| Corning Gorilla Victus | Corning Gorilla Victus |
| Samsung Exynos 2100 | Samsung Exynos 990 |
| 12GB, 16GB RAM | 8GB, 12GB LPDDR5 RAM |
| 128GB, 256GB, 512GB storage | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB storage |
| Micro-SD slot up to 1TB | |
| Quad-rear cameras: | Triple-rear cameras: |
| • 108MP Phase Detection F1.8 (wide) | • 108MP F1.8 main w/ Advanced Hybrid Laser AF |
| • 12MP Dual Pixel F2.2 (ultrawide) | • 12MP F2.2 ultrawide |
| • 10MP Dual Pixel F4.9 (10x tele) | • 12MP F3.0 telephoto |
| • 10MP Dual Pixel F2.4 (3x tele) | |
| 40MP Dual Pixel F2.2 front camera | 10MP F2.2 Dual-Pixel front camera |
| Dual-SIM | Dual-SIM |
| 5G, 4G LTE | 5G (telco-exclusive), 4G LTE |
| WiFi 6E | WiFi 6 |
| Bluetooth 5.1 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| NFC | NFC |
| GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo | GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou |
| USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| Fingerprint scanner (in-display) | Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner (on-display) |
| Face Unlock | Face Unlock |
| AKG Stereo Speakers | Stereo speakers w/ Dolby Atmos |
| IP68-certified | IP68-certified |
| S-Pen support | S-Pen (9ms latency) |
| OneUI 3.1 (Android 11) | OneUI 3.1 (Android 11) |
| Samsung DeX | Samsung DeX |
| Samsung Knox | Samsung Knox |
| 5,000mAh battery with 25W fast charging, wireless charging, reverse wireless charging | 4,300mAh battery with 25W Super Fast Charging, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, Wireless PowerShare |
| 165 x 75.6 x 8.9mm | 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1 mm |
| 229g | 208g |
| Phantom Silver, Phantom Black | Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black |
Summary of advantages
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
• Higher screen resolution
• Advanced chipset
• Quad rear cameras
• Higher resolution front camera
• Advanced OS
• Larger RAM option
• Larger battery capacity
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
• Higher resolution for the telephoto sensor
• Expandable storage via MicroSD slot
• Included S Pen
Table of Contents
Display
The Galaxy S21 Ultra comes a little bit smaller than the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in terms of display. It sports a 6.8-inch screen, while the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has a 6.9-inch. Both smartphones sport a QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and both are also HDR10+ certified. The screen resolution for the Galaxy S21 Ultra upgrades a little higher with 3200 × 1440 resolution. The Galaxy Note Ultra, on the other hand, has a 3088 × 1440 resolution.
Camera
The Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G dominates in terms of cameras. Although both Ultra models sport 108MP main sensors, the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G comes with quad-rear cameras with 12MP ultrawide and double 10MP telephoto sensors. However, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G has 12MP ultra-wide and 12MP telephoto sensors.
Chipset and Memory
For the chipset, the latest Galaxy S21 Ultra boasts the newer and more powerful Samsung Exynos 2100 SoC, while the Note 20 Ultra 5G packs the previous Exynos 990.
Storage-wise, you may rely on both Galaxy S21 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra. However, the latest Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G has a higher RAM option of up to 16GB. Both have up to 512GB of internal storage. It is worthy to note that the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G does not have a MicroSD slot for additional storage, while the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has expandable storage of up to 1TB.
Connectivity & Other Features
The Galaxy S21 Ultra comes with an advanced WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.1 than the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra’s WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0. The two feature 5G and 4G LTE connectivity, NFC, dual-SIM, several GPS tracking, and IP68 certification. Even so, do note that the 5G option for the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is telco-exclusive.
For security, both sport in-display fingerprint scanner and face recognition. Both smartphones also come with a USB Type-C port for charging and data passthrough. Additionally, the two smartphones lack a 3.5mm audio combo jack like the other previous releases.
Moreover, for the first time for the Galaxy S — Samsung S Pen-support has been available to the latest Galaxy S21 Ultra. Although the S Pen is not included in its package, it now supports the optional S Pen, which was normally available only to Galaxy Note devices.
OS
The Galaxy S21 Ultra runs on the latest OneUI 3.1 based on Android 11, while the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has the previous OneUI 2.1 based on Android 10.
Battery
The latest Galaxy S21 Ultra has a larger 5,000mAh battery capacity than the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra’s 4,300mAh. Both feature 25W fast charging, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.
Price
The 5G-powered Galaxy S21 Ultra comes more affordable with a starting price of PHP 69,990. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G retails starting at PHP 72,990, while the LTE variant is priced starting at PHP 67,990.
Which one to get?
It seems like it is a landslide victory for the latest Galaxy S21 Ultra. The latest flagship Galaxy S21 Ultra sports an advanced and more powerful chipset, 5G connectivity, quad rear cameras, 40MP front camera, larger RAM option, larger battery capacity, and now supports the optional S Pen. With the smartphones’ close pricing range, the Galaxy S21 Ultra, packed with all the mentioned advantages, could be a great choice.
