The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G is a camera phone colossus with mighty amounts of power

We’re not even half way through January yet and contenders for phone of the year are already stacking up – first the Xiaomi Mi 11 and now the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (from £1149). As expected its a camera colossus, with a completely new 108MP main sensor, a 12MP ultrawide that doubles as a macro lens, and dual 10MP telephoto lenses with optical zoom (one 10x, one 3x). And even if you can’t get outside, the 100x Space Zoom will help you get a closer look at things that are really far away… although not, sadly, the end of lockdown 3. A variable refresh rate 120Hz 6.8in WQHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display is joined by an Exynos 2100 chip claimed to be 15% faster and boost graphics performance by 33%. Chuck in Wi-Fi 6E support for super fast downloads, a new Note-style S Pen stylus, up to 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, 8K video recording capabilities, a Wireless DeX mode for desktop computing smarts, a monstrous 5000mAh battery, and ultra-wideband for things like digital car keys, and you’re looking at a phone that very much lives up to its Ultra moniker.

James Day

About

You’ll find me covering every area of consumer electronics and technology alongside new and inventive ways to campaign for the return of the MiniDisc. A borderline audiophile, I DJ digitally to a mildly acceptable standard at weekends and tend to surround myself with smart home tech at all other times. In short, I’m hackable and likely to be wearing headphones and distracted while it’s happening.

Areas of expertise

Consumer electronics, audio kit, smart home devices and fondly remembered forms of removable media