Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Specs Comparison

Display

Size
6.8-inch	6.1-inch
Resolution
3200 x 1440 px, 20:9 ratio, 516 PPI	2340 x 1080 px, 19.5:9 ratio, 422 PPI
Technology
Dynamic AMOLED	Super AMOLED
Refresh rate
120Hz (adaptable)	120Hz
Screen-to-body
89.33 %	88.57 %
Peak brightness
1500 cd/m2 (nit)	1750 cd/m2 (nit)
Features
HDR support, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor	HDR support, Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SM8350 (5 nm)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SM8550-AC (4 nm)
Processor
Octa-core, 1x 2.84GHz Kryo 680 + 3x 2.42GHz Kryo 680 + 4x 1.80GHz Kryo 680, 64-bit	Octa-core, 1x 3.36GHz Kryo Prime + 4x 2.8GHz Kryo Gold + 3x 2.0GHz Kryo Silver
GPU
Adreno 660	Adreno 740
RAM
12GB (LPDDR5)	8GB (LPDDR5X)
Internal storage
128GB (UFS 3.1), not expandable	128GB (UFS 4.0), not expandable
OS
Android (13, 12, 11), Samsung One UI	Android (14, 13)
Device type
Smartphone	Smartphone

Battery

Capacity
5000 mAh	3900 mAh
Type
Li - Polymer, Not user replaceable	Li - Ion, Not user replaceable
Charging
Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, USB Power Delivery, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging, Qi and Powermat wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging	Fast charging, Qi wireless charging, Reverse wireless charging
Max charge speed
Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 15.0W	Wired: 25.0W Wireless: 10.0W

PhoneArena Battery Tests

Battery Life Estimate

6h 15min

Browsing

14h 43min

Video

8h 52min

Gaming

8h 40min

Battery Life Estimate

6h 3min

Browsing

15h 21min

Video

8h 6min

Gaming

8h 1min

Find out more details about battery and charging for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Battery Score page.

Camera

Rear
Quad camera	Triple camera
Main camera
108 MP (OIS, Laser and PDAF) Specifications: Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 24 mm Sensor size: 1/1.33" Pixel size: 0.8 μm	50 MP (OIS, PDAF) Specifications: Aperture size: F1.8 Focal length: 23 mm Sensor size: 1/1.56" Pixel size: 1.0 μm
Second camera
10 MP (Telephoto, Periscope, OIS, PDAF) Specifications: Optical zoom: 10.0x Aperture size: F4.9 Focal Length: 240 mm Sensor size: 1/3.2" Pixel size: 1.22 μm	10 MP (Telephoto, OIS) Specifications: Optical zoom: 3.0x Aperture size: F2.4 Focal Length: 69 mm Sensor size: 1/3.94" Pixel size: 1.0 μm
Third camera
10 MP (Telephoto, OIS, PDAF) Specifications: Optical zoom: 3.0x Aperture size: F2.4 Focal Length: 70 mm Sensor size: 1/3.2" Pixel size: 1.22 μm	12 MP (Ultra-wide) Specifications: Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 1.4 μm
Fourth camera
12 MP (Ultra-wide, PDAF) Specifications: Aperture size: F2.2 Focal Length: 13 mm Sensor size: 1/2.55" Pixel size: 1.4 μm
Flash
LED	Dual LED
Video recording
7680x4320 (8K UHD) (24 fps), 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (960 fps) Features: OIS, HDR, Hyperlapse, Video light, EIS	7680x4320 (8K UHD) (30 fps), 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (960 fps) Features: OIS, HDR
Front
40 MP (PDAF, HDR), Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps)	12 MP, Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps)

PhoneArena Camera Tests

N/A

Overall

N/A

Photo

N/A

Video

137

Overall

139

Photo

134

Video

Find out more details about photo and video scores for all phones we have tested on our PhoneArena Camera Score page.

Design

Dimensions
6.50 x 2.98 x 0.35 inches (165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm)	5.76 x 2.79 x 0.30 inches (146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6mm) thickness with camera 0.36 inches (9.02 mm)
Weight
8.04 oz(229.0 g)	5.93 oz(168.0 g)
Materials
Back: Glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus) Frame: Aluminum	Back: Glass (Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2) Frame: Aluminum
Resistance
Water, Dust; IP68	Water, Dust; IP68
Biometrics
2D Face unlock, Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint	2D Face unlock, Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint
Keys
Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key	Right: Volume control, Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Phantom black, Silver	Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender

Cellular

5G
Bands n2, n5, n12, n25, n41, n66, n71, n77, n260, n261, SA, NSA, Sub-6, mmWave	Bands n1, n7, n25, n28, n41, n66, n71, n78, n258, n260, n261, SA, NSA, Sub-6, mmWave, 5G Ready
4G (FDD)
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 14(700 PS), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 30(2300 WCS), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)	Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)
4G (TDD)
Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 46, 48(3600)	Bands 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 46, 48(3600)
3G
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900)	Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900)
Data Speed
LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS	LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s
SIM type
Nano SIM	Dual Nano SIM + eSIM

Multimedia

Headphones
No 3.5mm jack	No 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Earpiece, Multiple speakers	Earpiece, Multiple speakers
Features
32-Bit DAC, Dolby Atmos, aptX, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus
Screen mirroring
Wireless screen share	Wireless screen share
Radio
FM, Stereo, RDS
Additional microphone(s)
Noise cancellation, Video recording	Noise cancellation

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
5.1	5.3
Wi-Fi
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,ax(Wi-Fi 6),dual-band MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot	802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,ax(Wi-Fi 6),Wi-Fi 6E Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
USB
Type-C (reversible), USB 3.2, Features: Charging, Headphones port, OTG, Video out	Type-C (reversible), Features: Charging, OTG
Hearing aid compatible
M3/T3
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Hall (for flip covers), Barometer	Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass
Other
NFC, ANT+	NFC, Ultra Wideband (UWB)

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Dec 22, 2020 FCC ID value: A3LSMG998U	Date approved: Jan 17, 2023 FCC ID value: A3LSMS911U
Measured SAR
Head: 0.77 W/kg Body: 1.02 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 1.59 W/kg Wireless Router: 1.16 W/kg Phablet: 3.15 W/kg	Head: 0.95 W/kg Body: 0.88 W/kg Simultaneous Transmission: 1.58 W/kg Wireless Router: 1.24 W/kg

Buyers information

Price
$ 1200	$ 800
In The Box
C to C Data Cable, Ejection Pin	USB-C cable, SIM Tray ejector, Paperwork

Availability

Officially announced
Jan 14, 2021	Feb 01, 2023

Links

Full specifications
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Specs	Samsung Galaxy S23 Specs
PhoneArena Review
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Review	Samsung Galaxy S23 Review
User Reviews
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra User Reviews	Samsung Galaxy S23 User Reviews