OnePlus 9 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: Which Flagship Reigns Supreme?
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For most users, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G emerges as the stronger overall choice. Its significantly longer battery life (114h vs 86h) and brighter display (1023 nits vs 859 nits) provide a more consistently premium experience, even if charging isn't as blazing fast as the OnePlus 9 Pro.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | OnePlus 9 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) / 1800 / 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, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - EU | 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, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 78 SA/NSA - EU | 2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - SM-G998U1 |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL) |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 3, 28, 41, 78, 79 SA/NSA - CN | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - SM-G998B | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, March 23 | 2021, January 14 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, March 30 | Available. Released 2021, January 29 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 163.2 x 73.6 x 8.7 mm (6.43 x 2.90 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 | 197 g (6.95 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 5 | 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 (~90.3% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 112.1 cm2 (~89.8% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | LTPO Fluid2 AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak) |
| Always-on display | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 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 | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - InternationalQualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - USA/China |
| GPU | Adreno 660 | Mali-G78 MP14 - InternationalAdreno 660 - USA/China |
| OS | Android 11, upgradable to Android 14, OxygenOS 14 | 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 | 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 flash, HDR, panorama | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Quad | 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 (ultrawide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, AF 2 MP, f/2.4, (monochrome) | 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 | 16 MP, f/2.4, (wide), 1/3.06", 1.0µm | - |
| Video | 8K@30fps, 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 | 16 MP, f/2.4, (wide), 1/3.06", 1.0µm | 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, DLNA | 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 | 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 | 65W wired, PD, 100% in 29 min 50W wireless, 100% in 43 min 5W reverse wireless | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Po 4500 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Morning Mist, Forest Green, Stellar Black | Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, Phantom Titanium, Phantom Navy, Phantom Brown, Navy |
| Models | LE2121, LE2125, LE2123, LE2120, LE2127 | SM-G998B, SM-G998B/DS, SM-G998U, SM-G998U1, SM-G998W, SM-G998N, SM-G9980 |
| Price | € 246.17 / $ 264.95 / £ 287.00 | $ 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 86h | Endurance rating 114h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -24.1 LUFS (Very good) | -25.5 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 657150 (v8) GeekBench: 3518 (v5.1) GFXBench: 33fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
OnePlus 9 Pro
- Blazing-fast 65W wired charging
- Smooth and responsive software experience
- Hasselblad-tuned color science
- Shorter battery life compared to S21 Ultra
- Display not as bright as S21 Ultra
- Less versatile camera system
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
- Exceptional battery life (114h endurance)
- Brighter and more vibrant display
- More versatile camera system with superior zoom
- Slower charging speeds (25W wired)
- Exynos variant may exhibit more thermal throttling
- Software can feel bloated compared to OnePlus
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra boasts a significantly brighter display, peaking at 1023 nits compared to the OnePlus 9 Pro’s 859 nits. This translates to better visibility outdoors under direct sunlight. While both utilize vibrant AMOLED panels, the S21 Ultra’s ‘Infinite’ contrast ratio suggests deeper blacks and a more immersive viewing experience. Both phones offer smooth scrolling with 120Hz refresh rates, but the S21 Ultra’s adaptive refresh rate technology (LTPO) dynamically adjusts the refresh rate to conserve battery life, a feature absent on the OnePlus 9 Pro.
Camera Comparison
Both phones excel in photography, but approach it differently. While both offer versatile camera systems, the S21 Ultra’s larger main sensor and dual-telephoto lens setup provide greater zoom capabilities and flexibility. The S21 Ultra’s 108MP main sensor captures more detail, while its 10x optical zoom lens allows for significantly closer shots. Both phones are capable of recording high-quality video, but the S21 Ultra’s superior stabilization and dynamic range give it an advantage. The OnePlus 9 Pro’s collaboration with Hasselblad focuses on color science, but the S21 Ultra’s overall camera versatility is more compelling.
Performance
Both the OnePlus 9 Pro and the USA/China variant of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra utilize the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (5nm). However, international versions of the S21 Ultra ship with the Exynos 2100. While both chipsets are comparable, the Snapdragon 888 generally exhibits slightly better sustained performance and thermal management. The S21 Ultra’s CPU features a marginally higher clock speed on its prime core (2.9 GHz vs 2.84 GHz), but this difference is unlikely to be noticeable in everyday use. Both phones feature 12GB of RAM, ensuring smooth multitasking. The real-world performance difference will likely be minimal for most users, but the Snapdragon variant of the S21 Ultra has a slight edge.
Battery Life
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra’s 114-hour endurance rating significantly surpasses the OnePlus 9 Pro’s 86-hour rating. This difference is primarily due to the S21 Ultra’s larger battery capacity and more efficient display technology. While the OnePlus 9 Pro boasts incredibly fast 65W wired charging (0-100% in 29 minutes) and 50W wireless charging (0-100% in 43 minutes), the S21 Ultra’s 25W wired charging is considerably slower. However, the S21 Ultra’s longer battery life often negates the need for such rapid charging.
Buying Guide
Buy the OnePlus 9 Pro if you prioritize incredibly fast charging – reaching 100% in just 29 minutes – and a streamlined software experience. It’s ideal for users who frequently top up their phones and value simplicity. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G if you need all-day battery life, a more versatile camera system, and a brighter, more vibrant display. It’s the better choice for power users, content creators, and those who demand the most from their smartphone.