Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs. Note20 Ultra: Which Samsung Flagship Reigns Supreme?
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For most users, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G is the superior choice. The Exynos 2100 (or Snapdragon 888) offers a significant performance boost over the Note20 Ultra’s Exynos 990, coupled with a brighter, more efficient display. While the Note20 Ultra retains the S Pen, the S21 Ultra’s overall refinement and future-proofing make it the better long-term investment.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 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, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 | 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 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G (5+ Gbps DL) |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| CDMA2000 1xEV-DO | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 - SM-G998B | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2020, August 05 | 2021, January 14 |
| Status | Available. Released 2020, August 21 | Available. Released 2021, January 29 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), stainless steel frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1 mm (6.49 x 3.04 x 0.32 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 + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM + eSIM (max 2 at a time) |
| Weight | 208 g (7.34 oz) | 227 g (Sub6), 229 g (mmWave) (8.01 oz) |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) Stylus, 9ms latency (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) | 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 3088 pixels, 19.3:9 ratio (~496 ppi density) | 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~515 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.9 inches, 116.7 cm2 (~91.7% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 112.1 cm2 (~89.8% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+ | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak) |
| Always-on display 120Hz@FHD/60Hz@QHD refresh rate | Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 & 2x2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) - GlobalOcta-core (1x3.0 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A77 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - USA | 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 | Exynos 990 (7 nm+) - GlobalQualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 5G+ (7 nm+) - USA | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - InternationalQualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - USA/China |
| GPU | Mali-G77 MP11 - GlobalAdreno 650 - USA | Mali-G78 MP14 - InternationalAdreno 660 - USA/China |
| OS | Android 10, upgradable to Android 13, One UI 5 | Android 11, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) | No |
| Internal | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB 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 3.0 | UFS 3.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, LED flash, auto-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 |
| Triple | 108 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.33", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/3.0, 120mm (periscope telephoto), 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom, 50x hybrid zoom 12 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm | - |
| Video | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF | 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.7µm, PDAF |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps | 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 | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent) | FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent) |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, 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, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) ANT+ Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | 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 | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless | 25W wired, PD3.0 15W wireless (Qi) 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Type | Li-Ion 4500 mAh | Li-Ion 5000 mAh |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, Mystic White | Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, Phantom Titanium, Phantom Navy, Phantom Brown, Navy |
| Models | SM-N985F, SM-N985F/DS | SM-G998B, SM-G998B/DS, SM-G998U, SM-G998U1, SM-G998W, SM-G998N, SM-G9980 |
| Price | About 1250 EUR | $ 240.01 / C$ 353.20 / £ 202.99 / € 264.99 |
| SAR | 0.57 W/kg (head) 1.02 W/kg (body) | 0.77 W/kg (head) 1.02 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | 0.32 W/kg (head) 1.47 W/kg (body) | 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) |
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
- Integrated S Pen for enhanced productivity
- More affordable price point (especially used)
- Classic Note design aesthetic
- Older processor and less efficient performance
- Less vibrant and less efficient display
- Inferior camera performance in low light
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
- Significantly faster processor and improved performance
- Brighter, more efficient, and adaptive 120Hz display
- Superior camera system with better low-light performance
- Higher price tag
- Lacks integrated S Pen
- Can run warmer under sustained load
Display Comparison
The S21 Ultra boasts a significantly brighter display, reaching a measured 1023 nits, compared to the Note20 Ultra’s (spec not provided, but generally lower). More importantly, the S21 Ultra utilizes a dynamic 120Hz LTPO panel, allowing it to scale refresh rates down to 10Hz to conserve battery life – a feature absent on the Note20 Ultra’s fixed 120Hz display. While both offer 'Infinite' contrast ratios, the S21 Ultra’s improved brightness and adaptive refresh rate translate to a more vibrant and efficient viewing experience, especially outdoors.
Camera Comparison
Both phones are equipped with versatile camera systems, but the S21 Ultra edges ahead. While both offer excellent photo and video capabilities, the S21 Ultra’s larger main sensor (spec not provided, but generally larger) and improved image processing algorithms result in better low-light performance and dynamic range. The S21 Ultra also benefits from enhanced zoom capabilities, offering more detail at higher magnification levels. The Note20 Ultra’s 2MP macro camera is largely superfluous, while the S21 Ultra focuses on delivering quality across its primary lenses.
Performance
The jump from the Exynos 990 (or Snapdragon 865+) in the Note20 Ultra to the Exynos 2100 (or Snapdragon 888) in the S21 Ultra is substantial. The S21 Ultra’s CPU features a Cortex-X1 prime core clocked at 2.9 GHz (International) or 2.84 GHz (USA/China), a significant upgrade over the Note20 Ultra’s Mongoose M5 core. The 5nm process node used in the Exynos 2100 and Snapdragon 888 also provides better thermal efficiency, reducing the likelihood of throttling during sustained workloads. The S21 Ultra’s GPU also benefits from the newer architecture, delivering improved gaming performance.
Battery Life
Both devices share a 25W wired charging capability and 15W wireless charging. However, the S21 Ultra’s more efficient processor and display, combined with its 114-hour endurance rating, translate to better real-world battery life. While the Note20 Ultra is capable of a full day of use, the S21 Ultra offers more headroom for power users. The 0-100% charge time will be similar given the same charging wattage, but the S21 Ultra will likely last longer on a single charge.
Buying Guide
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra if you absolutely require the integrated S Pen for note-taking, sketching, or remote control functionality and are seeking a more affordable entry point into the Samsung flagship experience. Buy the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G if you prioritize raw performance, a superior display, and a more modern camera system, and are willing to pay a premium for these advancements.