The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the phone that the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra should of been. Last year's phone was a massively powerful handset that, in some areas, was coarse around the edges – and as such fell from grace in terms of receiving a perfect score.

Stunning 6.8-inch 120Hz WQHD+ screen; Powerful flagship-grade hardware spec; Feature packed camera system; S Pen Digital Stylus support; Large; long-lasting 5,000mAh battery; 5G network compatible

Expensive; despite a price drop; Doesn't come with S Pen Digital Stylus

Surprise, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is launching a month earlier than anticipated, and that’s good news if you’re eager to own the very best of what Samsung can pack into a smartphone. It wowed us with a huge screen, five cameras and the best zoom on any readily available Android phone.

The best camera zoom; Mesmerizing design; S Pen support

Expensive at any level; No microSD card slot; Just 128GB of storage to start

The clear flagship in the S21 family - and a better performer than the smaller S21 and S21+ models, thanks to its better cameras - the Ultra is the pick for those who want all the best that Samsung offers.

Great new finish and improved design; Powerful internal hardware; Adaptive refresh rate; S Pen stylus support; Camera performance; Stands apart from rest of S21 range

No microSD card slot; Undeniably expensive; Camera setup more confusing than it needs to be; Battery life isn't great under pressure

An Android that earns its “ultra” title with an incredible camera array allowing you to capture moments other phones will simply miss

Awesome camera zoom capability; Smooth; ultra-bright screen; Supports the S-Pen like a Galaxy Note

No charger: a cheap move; Some alternatives last longer between charges; UK Exynos version not as powerful as upcoming Snapdragon phones

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is Samsung’s latest big, heavy and expensive superphone that makes meaningful improvements to both the camera and general usability. All the usual top-quality elements are there.

big 120Hz screen; 5G; great and flexible camera; 3x and 10x optical zoom; dual sim; One UI; wireless charging and powershare; good performance; long battery; fast fingerprint scanner.

huge; heavy; very expensive; no headphone socket; only three-plus years of software updates.

Pockets beware, the giant smartphone is back with a sleeker camera and a super processor...

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is a well-made evolution of its predecessor with a great design refresh. The new OLED display is capable of supporting a high resolution and a high adaptive 120 Hz refresh rate at the same time, and it is also the brightest display that we have ever seen in a smartphone.

extremely bright OLED display; 120 Hz and WQHD+; high system performance; good camera setup; Wi-Fi 6E; dual SIM with 5G and eSIM; good call quality; S Pen support

storage not expandable; VHT160 Wi-Fi not particularly fast or stable; games are FPS-bound; missing Bluetooth audio codecs; 5G without mmWave

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra is more affordable than last year’s flagship, has more cameras, and adds an S Pen: on paper, at least, what’s not to love? Setting the bar for smartphones in 2021, the daddy of the currently three-strong Galaxy S21 family promises more of that monstrously effective Samsung...

Fantastic 120Hz display makes no resolution compromise; 108MP camera is capable of great photos; More affordable than last year's flagship phone; Potent performance and long battery life; S Pen functionality is a welcome addition from Galaxy Note

No microSD; no Samsung Pay MST; and slower charging than the S20 Ultra; 100x Space Zoom still feels like a gimmick; S Pen implementation feels half-hearted

The Galaxy S21 Ultra delivers a high-quality superzoom camera that truly works, supports Samsung's excellent S Pen, and sets the bar for smartphone features in 2021.

Beautiful design and solid build; Excellent photo quality at up to 10x zoom; Equipped for next-gen C-band and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity

Heavy; Expensive; Some of those next-gen networks don't exist yet

Samsung shifted its annual Galaxy S series launch about a month to the left this year, and given the challenges we all faced in 2020, it is nice to see 2021 start off with some fresh phones from Samsung with a significant price drop.

Lovely design with matte finish back; 5G support for all bands; Advanced multiple cameras; S Pen support; Competive pricing; High end internal specifications

No MST support