Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Note 20 Ultra: Which flagship should you buy?

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Note 20 Ultra: Which flagship should you buy?

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra represents the absolute best Samsung has to offer in smartphone display and cameras. But the not even half-year-old Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is still plenty powerful, and since it’s almost certainly going to see discounts, it may be the better value for consumers who don’t need the absolute latest but still want something powerful. What are the key differences, what’s new in the Galaxy S21 series, and which Samsung flagship should you buy if you’re on the market today? Read more to find out.

Galaxy S21 Ultra (left); Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (right).

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Note 20 Ultra: Specs Comparison:

Specifications	Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra	Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Build	Aluminum mid-frame Gorilla Glass back Gorilla Glass Victus front	Aluminum mid-frame Glass front and back Gorilla Glass Victus front
Dimensions & Weight	165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9mm 228 grams	164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1mm 213 grams
Display	6.8″ QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display 120Hz variable refresh rate 20:9 aspect ratio 1600 nits peak brightness HDR10+ Always-On display	6.9″ QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display 120Hz variable refresh rate 1300 nits peak brightness HDR10+ Always-On display
SoC	International: Exynos 2100: 1x Core @ 2.9GHz + 3x Cores @ 2.8GHz + 4x Cores @ 2.4GHz USA and China: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888	International: Exynos 990 USA and China: Qualcomm Snapdragon 765+
Ram & Storage Options	12GB + 128GB 12GB + 256GB 12GB + 512GB	12GB + 128GB 12GB + 256GB 12GB + 512GB
Battery & Charging	5,000mAh 25W USB Power Delivery 3.0 fast charging 15W wireless charging 4.5 reverse wireless charging No charger in box in most regions	4,500mAh 25W USB Power Delivery 3.0 fast charging 15W wireless charging 4.5 reverse wireless charging
Security	Ultrasonic In-Display Fingerprint Scanner	Ultrasonic In-Display Fingerprint Scanner
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 108MP, wide-angle lens, f/1.8, 1/1.33″, 0.8µm, OIS, Dual Pixel PDAF Secondary: 12MP, ultra-wide-angle lens, f/2.2, 1/2.55″, 1.4µm Tertiary: 10MP, telephoto lens, f/2.0, 1/1.76″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS Quarternary: 10MP Periscope telephoto lens, f/4.9, 240mm, 1/3.24″, 1.22µm, OIS, 10x optical zoom	Primary: 108MP, wide-angle lens, f/1.8, 1/1.33″, 0.8µm, OIS, Dual Pixel PDAF Secondary: 12MP, ultra-wide-angle lens, f/2.2, 1/2.55″, 1.4µm Tertiary: 10MP Periscope telephoto lens, f/3.0, 240mm, 1/3.24″, 1.22µm, OIS, 5x optical zoom
Front Camera(s)	40MP, f/2.2, 0.7µm, Dual Pixel PDAF	10MP, f/2.2, 1.22µm
Port(s)	USB Type-C	USB Type-C
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.1 NFC0Wi-Fi 6 5G	Bluetooth 5.0 Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4GHz + 5GHz, HE80, MIMO, 1024-QAM 5G
Software	Samsung One UI 3.1 based on Android 11	Samsung One UI 2.5 based on Android 10
Other Features	IP68 S-Pen support (separate purchase)	IP68 S-Pen support (and included)
Pricing	Starts at $1,299	Starts at $1,399

Credit of this post: xda-developers.com