Huawei P50 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: The Ultimate Showdown
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra takes the crown with its superior battery life, brighter display, and more versatile software ecosystem. While the P50 Pro excels in camera performance, the S21 Ultra offers a more well-rounded experience, especially considering its 5G capabilities.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Huawei P50 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 - China | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66, 71 - SM-G998U1 |
| 5G bands | - | 2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - SM-G998U1 |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL) |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / CDMA2000 / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - International | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - SM-G998B | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, July 29 | 2021, January 14 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, August 12 | Available. Released 2021, January 29 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 158.8 x 72.8 x 8.5 mm (6.25 x 2.87 x 0.33 in) | 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm (6.5 x 2.98 x 0.35 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 195 g (6.88 oz) | 227 g (Sub6), 229 g (mmWave) (8.01 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Stylus support | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | - | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Resolution | 1228 x 2700 pixels (~450 ppi density) | 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~515 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.6 inches, 105.4 cm2 (~91.2% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 112.1 cm2 (~89.8% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.13 GHz Cortex-A77 & 3x2.54 GHz Cortex-A77 & 4x2.05 GHz Cortex-A55)Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) | Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) - InternationalOcta-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - USA/China |
| Chipset | Kirin 9000 (5 nm)Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 4G (5 nm) | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - InternationalQualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - USA/China |
| GPU | Mali-G78 MP24Adreno 660 | Mali-G78 MP14 - InternationalAdreno 660 - USA/China |
| OS | HarmonyOS 2.0 (China), EMUI 14.2 (Europe), no Google Play Services | Android 11, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | Nano Memory (uses shared SIM slot) | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM | 128GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM |
| - | UFS 3.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, color spectrum sensor, Leica optics, dual-LED flash, panorama, HDR | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Quad | 50 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), PDAF, OIS 64 MP, f/3.5, 90mm (periscope telephoto), PDAF, OIS, 3.5x optical zoom, 7x lossless zoom 13 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), AF 40 MP, f/1.6, 23mm (B/W), AF | 108 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.33", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS 10 MP, f/2.4, 72mm (telephoto), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom 10 MP, f/4.9, 240mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video |
| Single | 13 MP, f/2.4, (wide), AF | - |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 1080p@960fps; gyro-EIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Panorama, HDR | HDR |
| Single | 13 MP, f/2.4, (wide), AF | 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.7µm, PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| - | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| Infrared port | Yes | - |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a+B2b), GALILEO (E1+E5a+E5b), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | No | FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent) |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 66W wired 50W wireless Reverse wireless charging | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Po 4360 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Golden Black, Cocoa Gold, Pearl White, Charm Pink | Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, Phantom Titanium, Phantom Navy, Phantom Brown, Navy |
| Models | JAD-AL50, JAD-LX9, JAD-AL00 | SM-G998B, SM-G998B/DS, SM-G998U, SM-G998U1, SM-G998W, SM-G998N, SM-G9980 |
| Price | $ 196.62 / £ 329.00 / € 473.13 | $ 240.01 / C$ 353.20 / £ 202.99 / € 264.99 |
| SAR | - | 0.77 W/kg (head) 1.02 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.71 W/kg (head) 1.58 W/kg (body) |
| Pricing | ||
|---|---|---|
| 128GB 12GB RAM | - | $ 384.99 |
| 256GB 12GB RAM | - | $ 998.00 |
| 512GB 12GB RAM | - | $ 1,179.99 |
| RENEWED | - | $ 459.00 |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 76h | Endurance rating 114h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -27.3 LUFS (Good) | -25.5 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 793876 (v8), 786215 (v9) GeekBench: 3145 (v5.1) GFXBench: 44fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 657150 (v8) GeekBench: 3518 (v5.1) GFXBench: 33fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Huawei P50 Pro
- Exceptional camera quality
- Fast charging (66W)
- Elegant design
- Good color science
- Shorter battery life
- Limited software ecosystem (due to Huawei restrictions)
- No 5G (Snapdragon version)
- Availability challenges
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
- Excellent battery life (114h)
- Bright and vibrant display
- Versatile camera system with great zoom
- Access to the latest Android features
- 5G connectivity
- Slower charging (25W)
- Exynos variant can experience thermal throttling
- Pricey
- Software can feel bloated
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra boasts a significantly brighter display at 1023 nits compared to the P50 Pro's 754 nits, making it easier to view content outdoors. Both offer excellent contrast ratios (nominal 'infinite'), but the S21 Ultra's higher brightness gives it a noticeable edge. Color accuracy is excellent on both, though Samsung's display tends to be more vibrant.
Camera Comparison
The Huawei P50 Pro is renowned for its exceptional camera system, particularly its color science and detail reproduction. The S21 Ultra offers greater zoom versatility with its dual telephoto lenses. Both capture excellent photos in various lighting conditions, but the P50 Pro often produces more natural-looking images, while the S21 Ultra leans towards more saturated colors. Video recording is excellent on both, with the S21 Ultra offering 8K recording.
Performance
Both phones pack powerful chipsets. The P50 Pro utilizes either the Kirin 9000 or Snapdragon 888 4G, while the S21 Ultra uses either the Exynos 2100 or Snapdragon 888 5G. Real-world performance is generally smooth on both, but the S21 Ultra's international Exynos variant sometimes faces thermal throttling under sustained load. The Snapdragon versions of both phones perform consistently well.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra dominates in battery life, achieving an endurance rating of 114 hours compared to the P50 Pro's 76 hours. This translates to significantly longer usage times between charges. Charging speeds are also faster on the P50 Pro (66W wired) than the S21 Ultra (25W wired), but the S21 Ultra's larger battery capacity compensates for this.
Buying Guide
The Huawei P50 Pro is ideal for photography enthusiasts who prioritize camera quality and are comfortable with Huawei's ecosystem. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is perfect for users seeking a premium all-around experience with excellent battery life, a vibrant display, and access to the latest Android features and 5G connectivity.