Samsung Galaxy S21 & S21 Ultra hands-on review

19 Jan 2021


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  • D
  • AnonD-973296
  • GYi
  • 19 Jan 2021

the photos look...fine, i dont see whats bad there, i would love someone to explain to me why they look so bad

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • 0xU
    • 19 Jan 2021

    Well, didn't expected that quality.. It's way more worse. Look at the corners of sample photos.. The grass foliage, any texture nowhere to be seen.
    I really hope this is early software bug. And gets fixed from the base.
    For example compare to Mi 10 Ultra samples. No details are missing there.

      • N
      • Neph
      • dM8
      • 19 Jan 2021

      I don't know if the units you received here at GSMArena are invalid, but all of those photos look certainly bad. Foliage is blurry and lack details, both on vanilla and Ultra model. And that's strange as the the Ultra images from the main camera lacks details as well and that's strange as it should shine with details having such a huge sensor.

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • r3a
        • 19 Jan 2021

        Samsung has finally come with a major upgrade in their s series line up there you get a next gen chipset of 5nm and also a1600 nit of brightness that we have not seen in any smartphone but this one and also a great screen protection for the ultra, which is a little bit cheaper than the the predecessor. S21 has everything you need in a smart phone with great value for your money so I am anticipating to see a comparison with their competitors when the embargo day emergies.

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • 0p}
          • 19 Jan 2021

          Outdoor photos are disgusting. All plants are mushed. Buildings look like sketch.
          Indoors are acceptable.

            • D
            • AnonD-973296
            • GYi
            • 19 Jan 2021

            Anonymous, 19 Jan 2021Same, usual bad camera quality from Samsung (that looks so ... morejust so u know, no company cares about their users, they just want to make it seem that way... they just want to make money

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • nw}
              • 19 Jan 2021

              Either GSM Arena have a bad unit or it is pre release software. But those 10x zoom images look awful with horrid pixelated quality

                • H
                • HOMELESS PUPPY
                • 0p}
                • 19 Jan 2021

                Anonymous, 19 Jan 2021Same, usual bad camera quality from Samsung (that looks so ... moreExcelent comment.

                I remember in 2018 when gsmarena posted the hands-on of note 9 not much after the event.
                Photos samples were horrible. I thought I was looking at raw files. Too grainy.
                Coincidentally, samples posted bt dxomark were 100x better ( let the naive ones believe that site).

                Youtubers are not silly, they know if they point too many bad things about galaxy and iphones they lose viewers. Also free devices to make propaganda instead of review.



                  • m
                  • mario
                  • SXm
                  • 19 Jan 2021

                  Anonymous, 19 Jan 2021Same, usual bad camera quality from Samsung (that looks so ... moreI agree 100%. I was all warmed up last year over S20 Ultra and this year with a lot scepticism but still interested in maybe purchasing S21 Ultra, but again it is a great dissapointment.
                  Samsung engineers don't know how to or don't want do do the camera right so it is usual terrible image quality. You should dismiss the whole camera developing team and hire a new one. Camera does a much better focusing (still not great), but images it produces are still heavily and badly post processed, everything still looks like melting and like it is made of plasticine. Now I'm pretty sure I am giving up on any hope that Samsung will make a great camera hi end phone in the following years. Such a shame for them and for the customers.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • gBV
                    • 19 Jan 2021

                    Gsmarena, can the periscope camera take photos in raw and in manual mode?

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • xDq
                      • 19 Jan 2021

                      Same, usual bad camera quality from Samsung (that looks so clean it obliterates all fine details, while increasing sharpness and contrast for unnatural looks). Terrible heavy post processing, look at foliage, wooden floors, details around objects indoors, etc.. Most probably the phone will be the same as the previous ones, fun software, yet slightly slow in some areas, but with a higher price tag and less components (farewell 3.5mm, notification LED, MicroSD card). Great speakers but both are not outputting the same quality and are slightly lower than competitors. Take a look at LG, Sony, and other makers who still care about their users. This is the correct future review by someone not paid by Samsung.

                      Someone paid by Samsung: Clean shots as you expect from Samsung, spectacular speakers, price similar to competitors, amazing specs, solid build quality, buy it now with our affiliate links!

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