Update 28/12/2022
Something happened that excited me after installing UI 5 (android 13). The battery life has significantly improved and it seems to not drain easily! Bravo for that alone! Now I would like an upgrade to the camera... Hopefully that will come too! Happy New Year to everyone!!
07/07/2022
It's been 5 months with the s21. I still have complaints about the 5000 mAh battery. With dark mode and automatic brightness and summer usage, it barely lasts a day. Unfortunately, it falls short of expectations. Huawei, where are you to step up your game here?
Photos: They are generally good, but Huawei's premium smartphones are unbeatable in terms of photography (opinion based on mate 20 pro, mate 40 pro, p30 Pro). I speak objectively, having used devices from almost all brands (Sony, Htc, LG, Samsung, Huawei, Oneplus, and briefly Xiaomi) with their top devices at the time. I can say that the Note 8 I had once may have had even better photos.
I apologize to Samsung supporters, but the reason reviews are written should be for "potential" objectivity in evaluating such a product, regardless of the brand. Thank you. END OF UPDATE 07/07/2022
So, I've had this phone for about a month now and I will compare it to the mate 40 Pro that I had until recently.
SCREEN-FINGERPRINT: The screen of the s21 ultra is indeed wonderful. Here, the mate 40 Pro falls behind, being slightly inferior without being bad, of course. The s21 has great blacks and contrast. After all, Samsung is renowned for that...
The fingerprint sensor works under certain conditions and sometimes causes concerns, while on the mate it works flawlessly.
SIZE - ONE-HANDED USE:
I have no problem using the Samsung with one hand (as it is slightly larger than the mate 40 Pro), but without a case, it slips a lot! On the other hand, the mate 40 Pro, although thicker on paper, was easier to hold and didn't slip as much, even without a case. Objectively, the mate was more beautiful than the s21 ultra, with more harmonious lines, also due to its almost 90° screen. Of course, the S21 is not bad... in short, the mate feels better in the hand.
CALL-AUDIO-CONNECTIVITY
Great call speaker, clear voice, weaker connectivity both with WiFi and data-signal. When I'm in, for example, an underground parking lot, it doesn't catch a signal like the mate 40 pro, which had strong reception and calls were clearer.
FUNCTION-SPEED: The s21 ultra is smoother in its usage, probably due to the genuine Google operating system and its services. The one UI 4 skin is great, with many options and a beautiful feel and speed. The Exynos processor is very fast for Samsung's operating system, and scrolling is smooth and trouble-free, but more power-hungry than Huawei's Kirin 9000. The truth is that Huawei suffered quite a bit from the lack of access to GMS. The mate 40 Pro would have been an even better phone, perhaps the best of all, if it could use GMS services! Firstly, the Kirin 9000, besides being very fast, could manage the energy of its much smaller battery (4400 compared to the s21 ultra's 5000) much better. The s21 ultra should last at least 2 days, if not 3, with such a large battery and a battery level of around 20-25%! The mate lasted the same amount of time, even with a smaller battery (definitely 1 and a half days). The same applies to the s21 ultra but with more attention to detail in its usage... In a few words, the Samsung one ui 4 is very good, the Exynos is fast but has poor battery management for its 5000mAh battery - quite power-hungry. On the other hand, the Kirin is excellent in energy management (it took 10-15 minutes for the battery of the Mate 40 Pro to drop from 100% to 99% - it didn't easily drop from 100%). On the Samsung, it drops IMMEDIATELY to 99%!!... a little strange. Where the Mate lacked was in the ease of use of Google services that it didn't have. Due to this fact, and having to deal with an imitation Android from Huawei, the Kirin would occasionally freeze and it was a bit annoying...
SOUND-MUSIC: The sound of the s21 ultra is slightly better than the Mate 40 Pro, probably more balanced... in no way does the s21 ultra have bad sound... on the contrary, it is also very good!
PHOTOS: (I don't have enough opinion on videos because I don't take many): Without having bad photos, the s21 ultra falls behind in colors and low-light situations, but excels in zoom compared to the Mate. The Mate 40 Pro was EXCELLENT!! Incredible photos day and night...
It is famous for its photography system at Huawei...
The s21 ultra lags behind in night shots!
(Selfies are fine on both phones - however, the s21 ultra has 40MP while the Mate only has 13MP)!
IN CONCLUSION, I am quite satisfied with the experience of the s21 ultra, having a wonderful display and a very nice user interface (and the EMUI of Huawei was not bad, it was beautiful but not as beautiful as Samsung's). Where Samsung lacks is in the management of SUCH A LARGE battery (the percentage drops relatively quickly). If the Mate had a 5000mAh battery, it would easily last 2.5-3 days!
Lastly, in photography, it is clearly inferior to the Mate 40 Pro, but it doesn't mean that the s21 doesn't take good photos...
PRICE: The s21 ultra is worth quite a bit at 900 euros (12/256 version)...
If you can find the Mate for 700 euros now, it's a steal for what it offers.
P.S.: The Mate is more "readable" than the s21 ultra...
Sorry for the long review, but I tried to convey my experience with these two amazing phones...
(I miss LG [former owner of 2 of their phones] in mobiles because it was a very innovative company in phones. Maybe that's what ultimately "ate" it, too much experimentation. Many of the "tricks" of their phones are used by both Samsung and Huawei...).
Be the first to leave a comment!