Oppo Find X3 vs. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: A Deep Dive into Flagship Choices
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For most users, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G emerges as the stronger overall package. Its superior camera system, brighter display, and wider availability (depending on region) justify the higher price. However, the Oppo Find X3 offers significantly faster charging and a compelling value proposition for those prioritizing speed and efficiency.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Oppo Find X3 | 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, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 66 - 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 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78, 79 - China | 2, 5, 25, 41, 66, 71, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave - SM-G998U1 |
| Speed | HSPA, LTE, 5G | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL) |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / CDMA2000 / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| - | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - SM-G998B | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, March 11 | 2021, January 14 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, March 19 | Available. Released 2021, January 29 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass), glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 163.6 x 74 x 8.3 mm (6.44 x 2.91 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 + eSIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 193 g (6.81 oz) | 227 g (Sub6), 229 g (mmWave) (8.01 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Stylus support | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass | 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 (~89.6% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 112.1 cm2 (~89.8% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | LTPO AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, BT.2020, 500 nits (typ), 1300 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak) |
| - | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x3.2 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 585) | 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 SM8250-AC Snapdragon 870 5G (7 nm) | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - InternationalQualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - USA/China |
| GPU | Adreno 650 | Mali-G78 MP14 - InternationalAdreno 660 - USA/China |
| OS | Android 11, upgradable to Android 13, ColorOS 13 | Android 11, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB 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 | Color spectrum sensor, LED flash, HDR, panorama | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Quad | 50 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS 13 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, 2x optical zoom, PDAF 50 MP, f/2.2, 16mm, 110˚ (ultrawide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF 3 MP, f/3.0, (microscope), AF, ring flash, 60x magnification | 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 |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps; gyro-EIS; HDR, 10‑bit video | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Panorama | HDR |
| Single | 32 MP, f/2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.8µm | 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.7µm, PDAF |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | - | 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, aptX HD | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5) | 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 | 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, 40% in 10 min 30W wireless, 100% in 80 min 10W reverse wireless | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Po 4500 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Gloss Black, Blue, White | Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, Phantom Titanium, Phantom Navy, Phantom Brown, Navy |
| Models | PEDM00 | SM-G998B, SM-G998B/DS, SM-G998U, SM-G998U1, SM-G998W, SM-G998N, SM-G9980 |
| Price | About 600 EUR | $ 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 114h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -25.5 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 657150 (v8) GeekBench: 3518 (v5.1) GFXBench: 33fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Oppo Find X3
- Significantly faster 65W wired charging
- More efficient Snapdragon 870 processor
- Competitive price point (potentially)
- Faster wireless charging (30W)
- Inferior camera system compared to the S21 Ultra
- Potentially limited regional availability
- Display likely less bright than S21 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
- Superior camera system with advanced features
- Brighter and more vibrant display
- Wider availability and Samsung ecosystem
- Potentially faster RAM (LPDDR5)
- Slower 25W wired charging
- Exynos 2100 potentially prone to throttling
- Higher price tag
Display Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra boasts a significantly brighter display, peaking at 1023 nits measured, compared to the Oppo Find X3’s unspecified peak brightness. While the Find X3’s panel quality is likely excellent, the S21 Ultra’s higher brightness translates to better outdoor visibility. Both likely utilize high refresh rate panels, but the S21 Ultra’s adaptive refresh rate (LTPO) technology dynamically adjusts the refresh rate to conserve battery life, a feature not explicitly mentioned for the Find X3. The S21 Ultra’s ‘Infinite’ contrast ratio suggests a superior OLED panel with deeper blacks.
Camera Comparison
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra dominates in camera capabilities. While both phones are described as having capable photo/video systems, the S21 Ultra’s sensor array (details not provided in context) is expected to be far more advanced, likely including larger sensors and more sophisticated image processing. The Find X3’s camera system, while competent, is unlikely to match the S21 Ultra’s zoom capabilities or low-light performance. The S21 Ultra’s advanced video recording features, such as 8K recording, are also absent from the Find X3’s specifications.
Performance
The chipset choice is a key differentiator. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra’s Exynos 2100 (International) or Snapdragon 888 (USA/China) are both fabricated on a 5nm process, offering theoretical performance advantages over the Oppo Find X3’s 7nm Snapdragon 870. However, the Snapdragon 870’s larger process node is offset by its more efficient design and larger cache, potentially leading to more sustained performance under heavy load. The S21 Ultra’s Cortex-X1 prime core offers peak performance benefits, while the Find X3’s Kryo 585 cores prioritize efficiency. Both devices feature 12GB of RAM in certain configurations, ensuring smooth multitasking, but the S21 Ultra’s LPDDR5 RAM may offer a slight speed advantage.
Battery Life
Both phones achieve an endurance rating of 114 hours, suggesting similar overall battery life despite the Oppo Find X3’s smaller battery capacity (not specified). However, the charging speeds are drastically different. The Oppo Find X3’s 65W wired charging can deliver a 40% charge in just 10 minutes, while the S21 Ultra’s 25W charging is considerably slower. The Find X3 also offers 30W wireless charging, significantly faster than the S21 Ultra’s 15W Qi wireless charging. The Find X3’s 10W reverse wireless charging is also more potent than the S21 Ultra’s 4.5W offering.
Buying Guide
Buy the Oppo Find X3 if you prioritize incredibly fast 65W charging, a more efficient processor for sustained performance, and are comfortable with potentially limited regional availability. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G if you demand the best possible camera experience, a brighter and more vibrant display, and the broader ecosystem of Samsung features and support.