Samsung Galaxy S21 vs S20 Ultra
57
out of 100
VS
60
out of 100
Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.2-inch Samsung Galaxy S21 (with Exynos 2100) that was released on January 14, 2021, against the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, which is powered by Exynos 990 and came out 11 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Select the amount of RAM to evaluate performance and value for money more precisely
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S21
- More recent OS version: Android 15 versus 13
- 20% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (1081K versus 901K)
- The phone is 11 months newer
- Faster storage type - UFS 3.1 versus UFS 3.0
- More energy-efficient CPU – Exynos 2100
- Weighs 51 grams less
- 18% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 1484 and 1256 points
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
- The rear camera has a 4x optical zoom
- Has a 0.7 inch larger screen size
- Comes with 1000 mAh larger battery capacity: 5000 vs 4000 mAh
- Has 50% more RAM: 12GB versus 8GB
- Expandable storage via MicroSD card up to 1000GB
- 21% higher pixel density (511 vs 421 PPI)
- Supports higher wattage charging (45W versus 25W)
Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Scores with a red asterisk (*) are approximate and may change in the future as we gather more data.
Select your primary usage scenario to get a more accurate NanoReview Score
Value for money (Beta)
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED | Dynamic AMOLED |
| Size | 6.2 inches | 6.9 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels | 1440 x 3200 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 20:9 | 20:9 |
| PPI | 421 ppi | 511 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | Yes (48-120 Hz) | No |
| Max rated brightness | 800 nits | 800 nits |
| Max rated brightness in HDR | - | 1400 nits |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10+ | Yes, HDR10+ |
| Screen protection | Gorilla Glass Victus | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 85.9% | 90.6% |
| Display features | - DCI-P3 - Always-On Display |
- DCI-P3 - Always-On Display |
| RGB color space | 99.5% | 99.2% |
| PWM | 240 Hz | 240 Hz |
| Response time | 5 ms | 6.2 ms |
| Contrast | ∞ Infinity | ∞ Infinity |
Screen space comparison
Galaxy S20 Ultra
6.9″ (20:9 ratio) = 17.8 in2
Galaxy S21
6.2″ (20:9 ratio) = 14.4 in2
~23% more screen space
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 151.7 mm (5.97 inches) | 166.9 mm (6.57 inches) |
| Width | 71.2 mm (2.8 inches) | 76 mm (2.99 inches) |
| Thickness | 7.9 mm (0.31 inches) | 8.8 mm (0.35 inches) |
| Weight | 169 g (5.96 oz) | 220 g (7.76 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP68 | IP68 |
| Advanced cooling | - | Vapor chamber |
| Rear material | Plastic | Glass |
| Frame material | Metal | Metal |
| Colors | White, Gray, Pink, Purple | Black, Gray |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in-display | Yes, in-display |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Samsung Exynos 2100 | Samsung Exynos 990 |
| Max clock | 2900 MHz | 3020 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (1 + 3 + 4) | 8 (2 + 2 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 4 cores at 2.2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 3 cores at 2.81 GHz: Cortex-A78 - 1 core at 2.91 GHz: Cortex-X1 |
- 4 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 2 cores at 2.5 GHz: Cortex-A76 - 2 cores at 2.73 GHz: Exynos M5 |
| L3 cache | - | 2 MB |
| Manufacturing | Samsung | Samsung |
| Lithography process | 5 nanometers | 7 nanometers |
| Neural processor (NPU) | Yes | Yes |
| Graphics | Mali-G78 MP14 | Mali-G77 MP11 |
| GPU shading units | 448 | 352 |
| GPU clock | 854 MHz | 832 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~765.2 GFLOPS | ~585.7 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Compute Score (GPU)
| Compute Score (GPU) | 6754 | 4915 |
| Single-core score | 1484 | 1256 |
| Multi-core score | 3767 | 3232 |
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
| CPU | 418023 | 349166 |
| GPU | 191872 | 165228 |
| Memory | 170606 | 169183 |
| UX | 301277 | 217769 |
| Total score | 1081778 | 901346 |
| Samples | [17 tests] | [13 tests] |
3DMark Steel Nomad Light
| Stability | 72% | 75% |
| Graphics test | 2 FPS | 4 FPS |
| Graphics score | 328 | 493 |
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
| Stability | 64% | 72% |
| Graphics test | 10 FPS | 8 FPS |
| Graphics score | 1800 | 1417 |
PCMark 3.0
| Web score | 13238 | 9888 |
| Video editing | 7092 | 5933 |
| Photo editing | 29658 | 33478 |
| Data manipulation | 10433 | 9315 |
| Writing score | 15614 | 12578 |
Recent User Tests
Samsung Galaxy S21
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 📘 2026-09-30 (Luckyy) | AnTuTu 12 | 1281558 |
| 📘 2026-07-10 (TechNova0627) | Geekbench 6 CPU | 1446 / 3772 |
| 📘 2026-07-10 (TechNova0627) | AnTuTu 11 | 1115971 |
| 📘 2026-07-05 (Luckyy) | AnTuTu 11 | 1086158 |
| 📘 2026-06-28 (forneusgang) | AnTuTu 11 | 1087003 |
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 📘 2026-09-27 (Tomio.tomato) | AnTuTu 12 | 1064880 |
| 📘 2026-08-16 -> SamsungS8Hype | AnTuTu 11 | 1236527 |
| 📘 2026-07-09 (SamsungS8hype) | AnTuTu 11 | 1052348 |
| 📘 2026-06-24 (Yiannis Mihai) | AnTuTu 11 | 822306 |
| 📘 2026-06-20 (Rei Zero) | AnTuTu 11 | 972437 |
Memory
| RAM size | 8 GB | 12 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR5 | LPDDR5 |
| Memory clock | 2750 MHz | 3200 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| Storage type | UFS 3.1 | UFS 3.0 |
| Memory card | No | MicroSD |
| Memory card max size | - | Up to 1000 GB |
Software
| Operating system | Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 15) | Android 10.0 (Can be upgraded to Android 13) |
| ROM | One UI 7.0 | One UI 5.1 |
| OS size | 28.1 GB | 23.7 GB |
| OS updates | 2 years | 2 years |
| Security updates | 4 years | 4 years |
Battery
| Capacity | 4000 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Max charge power | 25 W | 45 W |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | Yes (15 W) | Yes (15 W) |
| Reverse charging | Yes, (wireless) | Yes, (wireless) |
| Bypass charging | No | - |
| Fast charging | Yes (55% in 30 min) | Yes (100% in 80 min) |
| Full charging time | 1:13 hr | 1:20 hr |
| Web browsing | 06:01 hr | 06:27 hr |
| Watching video | 11:06 hr | 11:23 hr |
| Gaming | 04:21 hr | 04:23 hr |
| Standby | 95 hr | 91 hr |
General battery life
Main camera
| Matrix | 12 megapixels | 108 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 12032 x 9204 |
| Zoom | Optical, 1.1x | Optical, 4x |
| Flash | Dual LED | LED |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| 8K video recording | Up to 24FPS | Up to 24FPS |
| 4K video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| Slow motion | 960 FPS (720p) | 960 FPS (720p) |
| Angle of widest lens | 120° | 120° |
| Lenses | 1) Standard: 12 MP 2) Telephoto: 64 MP 3) Ultrawide: 12 MP |
1) Standard: 108 MP 2) Telephoto: 48 MP 3) Ultrawide: 12 MP 4) Depth: 0.3 MP |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support |
| Image resolution | 12 MP | 108 MP |
| Aperture | f/1.8 | f/1.8 |
| Focal length | 26 mm | 26 mm |
| Sensor | Sony IMX555 | Samsung Bright S5KHM1 |
| Sensor size | 1/1.76" (≈ 0.57 inch) | 1/1.33" (≈ 0.75 inch) |
| Pixel size | 1.8 micron | 0.8 micron |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| Image resolution | 64 MP | 48 MP |
| Aperture | f/2.0 | f/3.5 |
| Focal length | 28 mm | 103 mm |
| Sensor | Samsung Bright S5KGW2 | Sony IMX586 |
| Sensor size | 1/1.72" (≈ 0.58 inch) | 1/2" (≈ 0.5 inch) |
| Pixel size | 0.8 micron | 0.8 micron |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| Image resolution | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | f/2.2 |
| Focal length | 13 mm | 13 mm |
| Sensor | Sony IMX563 | Samsung S5K2LA |
| Sensor size | 1/2.55" (≈ 0.39 inch) | 1/2.55" (≈ 0.39 inch) |
| Pixel size | 1.4 micron | 1.4 micron |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
DxOMark main camera tests
Photo quality
Video quality
Generic main camera score
| Bokeh | 70 | - |
| Preview | 61 | - |
| Zoom | 114 | - |
| Samples | Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy S21 from DxOMark | - |
Selfie camera
| Megapixels | 10 megapixels | 40 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 3872 x 2592 | 7864 x 5200 |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | f/2.2 |
| Focal length | 26 mm | 26 mm |
| Sensor | Sony IMX374 | Samsung S5KGH1 |
| Sensor size | 1/3.24" (≈ 0.31 inch) | 1/2.65" (≈ 0.38 inch) |
| Pixel size | 1.22 micron | 0.7 micron |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Video resolution | 2160p (4K) at 60 FPS | 2160p (4K) at 60 FPS |
| Depth sensor (TOF 3D) | No | No |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi MiMO - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
- Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 5 | 5 |
| Bluetooth features | LE, A2DP | LE, A2DP |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 3.2 | 3.1 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - USB-Host mode - OTG |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | 2 | 2 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | Standby |
| eSIM support* | Yes | Yes |
| Hybrid slot | No | Yes |
| LTE Cat* | 24 | 22 |
| 5G support | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
| Headphone audio jack | No | No |
| FM radio | No | No |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Flagship | Flagship |
| Announced | January 2021 | February 2020 |
| Release date | February 2021 | March 2020 |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $800 | $1400 |
| Successor | - Samsung Galaxy S22 | - Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra |
| SAR (head) | 0.46 W/kg | 0.32 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | 1.51 W/kg | 1.56 W/kg |
| Sensors | - Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
If the display, camera, battery life, and design are more important to you, then choose the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. But if the performance, gaming, and software are more of a priority – go for the Samsung Galaxy S21.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 732
