OnePlus 10 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G: The Ultimate Showdown
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G edges out the OnePlus 10 Pro thanks to its superior display brightness, more versatile camera system, and longer software support. However, the OnePlus 10 Pro offers significantly faster charging and a more competitive price, making it a compelling alternative for budget-conscious users.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | OnePlus 10 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, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66, 71 - International | 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 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78 SA/NSA - International | 2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - SM-G998U1 |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (4CA) Cat18 1200/200 Mbps, 5G | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL) |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 3, 5, 8, 28, 40, 41, 78, 79 SA/NSA - India | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - SM-G998B | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2022, January 11 | 2021, January 14 |
| Status | Available. Released 2022, January 13 | Available. Released 2021, January 29 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 163 x 73.9 x 8.6 mm (6.42 x 2.91 x 0.34 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 | 201 g (7.09 oz) | 227 g (Sub6), 229 g (mmWave) (8.01 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant - T-Mobile only (not for use underwater, liquid damage is not covered under warranty) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Stylus support | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3216 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~525 ppi density) | 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~515 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.7 inches, 108.4 cm2 (~90.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 112.1 cm2 (~89.8% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | LTPO2 Fluid AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 500 nits (typ), 800 nits (HBM), 1300 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak) |
| Always-on display | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510) | 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 | Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 (4 nm) | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - InternationalQualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - USA/China |
| GPU | Adreno 730 | Mali-G78 MP14 - InternationalAdreno 660 - USA/China |
| OS | Android 12, upgradable to Android 14, OxygenOS 14 (International), ColorOS (China) | Android 11, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB 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 | UFS 3.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, color spectrum sensor, Hasselblad Color Calibration, Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Quad | - | 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 | 32 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µm | - |
| Triple | 48 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1/1.43", 1.12µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/2.4, 77mm (telephoto), 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3.3x optical zoom 50 MP, f/2.2, 14mm, 150˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.76", 0.64µm | - |
| Video | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, Auto HDR, gyro-EIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µm | 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.7µm, PDAF |
| Video | 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | No |
| 35mm jack | No | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 24-bit/192kHz audio | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1), GALILEO (E1+E5a) | 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 | 80W wired, PD, 100% in 32 min (International) 65W wired, PD, 58% in 15 min (North America) 50W wireless Reverse wireless | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Po 5000 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Volcanic Black, Emerald Forest, Panda White (Extreme Edition) | Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, Phantom Titanium, Phantom Navy, Phantom Brown, Navy |
| Models | NE2210, NE2211, NE2213, NE2215, NE2217 | SM-G998B, SM-G998B/DS, SM-G998U, SM-G998U1, SM-G998W, SM-G998N, SM-G9980 |
| Price | $ 264.39 / C$ 349.99 / £ 360.00 / € 399.99 | $ 240.01 / C$ 353.20 / £ 202.99 / € 264.99 |
| SAR | 1.16 W/kg (head) 0.70 W/kg (body) | 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 107h | Endurance rating 114h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -25.2 LUFS (Very good) | -25.5 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 886248 (v9) GeekBench: 3447 (v5.1) GFXBench: 48fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 657150 (v8) GeekBench: 3518 (v5.1) GFXBench: 33fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
OnePlus 10 Pro
- Faster Charging (80W wired)
- Competitive Price
- Clean OxygenOS
- Excellent Performance
- Less Versatile Camera
- Lower Display Brightness
- Shorter Software Support (potentially)
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
- Brighter Display
- More Versatile Camera System
- Longer Software Support
- Premium Build Quality
- Slower Charging (25W wired)
- Higher Price
- OneUI can be bloated for some
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G takes the display crown with a measured peak brightness of 1023 nits, significantly brighter than the OnePlus 10 Pro's 780 nits. Both offer excellent contrast ratios (infinite nominal), vibrant colors, and smooth 120Hz refresh rates, but the S21 Ultra's brightness advantage makes it more visible in direct sunlight. The S21 Ultra also has a slightly higher resolution, contributing to a sharper image.
Camera Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G boasts a more versatile and advanced camera system. Its 108MP main sensor, multiple telephoto lenses (3x and 10x optical zoom), and impressive software processing capabilities provide exceptional image quality and zoom capabilities. The OnePlus 10 Pro's camera is still very good, but lacks the S21 Ultra's zoom range and overall versatility. Both capture excellent photos in good lighting, but the S21 Ultra excels in low-light conditions.
Performance
Both phones deliver flagship-level performance. The OnePlus 10 Pro's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is a powerhouse, while the S21 Ultra utilizes either the Exynos 2100 or Snapdragon 888 5G depending on the region. While benchmarks might show slight variations, real-world performance is generally excellent on both devices, handling demanding games and multitasking with ease. The OnePlus 10 Pro's OxygenOS is known for its speed and customization options.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G has a slight edge in battery endurance, with an endurance rating of 114 hours compared to the OnePlus 10 Pro's 107 hours. However, the OnePlus 10 Pro's 80W wired charging is significantly faster than the S21 Ultra's 25W, allowing for a much quicker top-up. The OnePlus also offers 50W wireless charging, while the S21 Ultra is limited to 15W.
Buying Guide
The OnePlus 10 Pro is ideal for users prioritizing fast charging, a clean software experience, and a more affordable flagship price. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G is best suited for those who demand the best possible display, a top-tier camera system with advanced features, and a longer software update commitment.