Update: The S21 Ultra did not in fact come out of the durability test unscathed. A few days after the water test, the camera lenses fogged up from the inside, ruining the camera system 😢 as such, the final durability rating is 5, not 10.
Ur 1st assessment was still correct. Yes it's an IP 68 but as the saying goes,you can't cheat mother nature. Regardless of an IP rating, a phone should be be dried immediately after being submerged for such a while.
I'm trying to convince myself it's time to retire my s21 ultra, 12gb ram 250 storage. This video is a reality check. The s21 ultra is still perfect for my needs and I can't really justify the upgrade to the s23 ultra. I'll wait at least till the s24 ultra.
same here ! my Note 9 was losing it's buttons after 5 whole years of active usage, so I got myself a refurbished S21U in Phantom Brown as definitive replacement a few weeks ago :D
I just bought an S22 Ultra after using a Note 9 for 5 years. A huge technological leap for me, but I still believe the Note 9 is the best ever Samsung device
I still have the Galaxy S21 Ultra. What I can say is that it's been a wonderful experience, I've never liked a phone so much in my life. The cameras, the screen and even the battery life are impeccable. The One Ui software is fantastic and has lots of tricks, customization, you can basically play around with the One Ui. I'm very proud to be a Samsung user and be the owner of this model 🙌.
@@csakarudik choose the Samsung, you wouldn't want to stay stuck with 60hz while having the blind illusion which apple gives you by making you believe you have a better product
Still using mine to this very day after 2.5 years. I opted for the phantom black with 16gb of ram and 512gb HD. I have a quad lock case I use with my motorcycle. Still like new underneath it all. Still a beast, won't get rid of it unless I see it slowing down, but not yet!
I have the 16 GB version too and it is still a beast for me too. Absolutely nos igns of slowing down and I doubt if there will be any in the next 2 years at least. The best phone I have had so far. I do not see any major reason to update to S23 Ultra or iPhone 15 Pro Max. In addition to that the 16 GB version is quite rarer than the other versions.
I bought the S21 Ultra (with Exynos since I live in Europe), and I still have it and it is still fast and snappy and works like a charm. Even though it will reach it 2 years mark since I got it in September I will keep it for likely another year if the S24 Ultra will have some great feature or comes at a great price but it is a fantastic phone. Also, your content is great so keep it up!
@@nikhil199029 Yeah it really sucks to get that deal when comparing with what we could have gotten. Even though I don't "suffer" because of Exynos, I would have liked the Snapdragon for sure.
now in 2024 I am gonna buy 21 ultra and it costs around 310-325 $ in my country , How many hours does its battery work today ? do you recommend it ? Others are encouraging me to buy iphone 12 pro or 13 pro for 350 $ -400 $
S21 ultra owner here, its been an amazing experience owning this phone, I can honestly say its never failed me in any way, everything I want it to do it does, for me its music & photography, I posess a canon slr which I have rarely touched since I bought the s21 ultra, I have won awards & recognition for my photos but some were taken with the samsung. One award was from the beatles museum Liverpool for photos taken that they used for their advertising & even universities have contacted me for permission to use samsung images. The only reason for me to want the s25 ultra is for the 200mp quality, but what will the s26 have?.
now in 2024 I am gonna buy 21 ultra and it costs around 310-325 $ in my country , How many hours does its battery work today ? do you recommend it ? Others are encouraging me to buy iphone 12 pro or 13 pro for 350 $ -400 $
I love my s21 ultra. I would say maybe the battery has dipped slightly? I can pretty much have 8 hours of screen on time watching RU-vid and Hulu still. So I'm not disappointed at all, especially since i was expecting it to be a lot worse. My phone is just as fast as the day I bought it and there's no difference. Cameras have gone down a little, but honestly they are still really good. The only reason they have gone down (I believe) is due to the amount of times I've dropped this phone...its still takes solid pictures. I would disagree with you on the speaker and charging side. My speakers are still flawless and sound very good. Idk why you knocked it off on charging because at the time 25w was huge....as long as it still charges at that speed like it's supposed too without any issues, it should 100% get a 10. We shouldn't compare it to new phones with faster charging, we are testing to see whether this phone has held up well in the several years its been out. I love my s21u and it's the best phone I've ever had. A close second is the s10+. I'm ready for a new phone though. Ready for even better cameras, speakers, charging, screen, s spen, and a non cracked screen lololol. Otherwise I thought your review was spot on! Thanks!
Iam using s21 ultra 512gb 16gb ram( exynos)variant from past 2 years. I can say it is still the best phone to me. Amazing display, awesome camera, good battery life. Getting around 5hrs screen on time now.
now in 2024 I am gonna buy 21 ultra and it costs around 310-325 $ in my country , How many hours does its battery work today ? do you recommend it ? Others are encouraging me to buy iphone 12 pro or 13 pro for 350 $ -400 $
Fantastic video! Can’t believe I fell upon it, I sold my iPhone 13 Pro Max and just bought the S21 Ultra on Amazon for $354! I’m tired of buying an iPhone every year, and getting the same phone. My fault, not Apples. Had a Samsung Note 20 Ultra and look forward to android again, just so darn board with Apple, and if I like the S21 Ultra, I’ll buy an S24 Ultra in February ‘24. You should have 2M Subscribers, you’re very good.
Purchased a refurbished silver S21 ultra a couple of months ago, 1 yr warranty and paid about £230 for it, fairly happy with it. Snappy, fast, decent cameras and got the latest operating system, cant complain.
now in 2024 I am gonna buy 21 ultra and it costs around 310-325 $ in my country , How many hours does its battery work today ? do you recommend it ? Others are encouraging me to buy iphone 12 pro or 13 pro for 350 $ -400 $
I got a 2nd hand S21 Ultra at a very good price of $320 last month. The phone was well taken cared by its user. It looks new, no scratches, battery life was still around 80% ( lasted me whole day no problem) . I am very happy with everything. The camera can take awesome pictures. I have no complaint at all. Not sure if i can get better brand new phone at this price. Hopefully this S21 ultra will last for some years to come
@patz668 i installed battery monitoring app to give rough battery health est. Now my battery still last me a full day w no charging on normal usage. Usually i would still have around 30% by bedtime. That is good enough for me. If i play game it will drain the battery faster of course. Its a wonderful phone w great camera. Enjoy!
@@patz668 so sorry to hear that. You might want to consider getting its battery replaced if it is too bad. How long does the battery last in ur day to day uses?
The S21 Ultra might actually be the first flagship that could be first turned on 5 years later and still feel like a beast. The lines separating flagships get thinner every year and for an overall package the S21 Ultra is the perfect phone for 9 people out of 10. Also, water resistance wears down through the years so any phone with any IP rating would not be as resistant as the first months of use.
Great phone indeed. But after the Android 13 update, I'm worried about the green line isuue that we are facing in the south asia region. The replacement display cost around 300$!!! I'll go for a pixel 6 pro or 7 in this price range.
S21 Ultra was my first smartphone that lasted 2 full years. I’m easily bored with gadgets and have soft spot for newer, shinier ones, especially those with better cameras. It is a testament of S21U’s cameras prowess and overall usability that I enjoyed using it for 24 months before upgrading to S23U.
Keeping my S21 Ultra until it runs out of security updates (or it dies on me). I love the design of the 22 and 23 Ultras, but no point giving up my 21 ultra while it's still working great.
I'm almost hitting the 2 year mark on my s21u exynos, and it still holds pretty well. And just for curiosity i did ran geekbench and it showed similar results (1472 single/3721 multi) Exynos variant is not as bad as some say.
Massively enjoyed my S21 Ultra 5G (512GB storage, 16GB RAM) since 2021, and remains amongst my favourite Galaxy phones I ever used, beating previous S10+ from 2019. Been using my S21U with both S Pen for S21 Ultra and S Pen Pro. However, though I still have my S21U, I'm enjoying my new Galaxy Z Fold5 immensely, and using folding phones might be my preferred choice of phone for the foreseeable future. Should I ever need to, I can always go back to my ol' reliable S21 Ultra 😊
When this phone was announced I preordered it despite just getting the S20 Ultra. It was the same phone but with the bugs and kind ironed out. Its served me well and I don't plan on upgrading until sometime after security updates stop. :D Edit, Battery is the same of that came with it, battery life is good, although I might have to turn off battery protection as 85% has been not enough for some days with heavier usage. I've only been charging it up to 85% for two years lol. all original parts minus the display that was replaced by Samsung. (I dropped it in a parking lot and despite not breaking the glass screen protector or the glass display it still broke the pixels underneath, figures.)
I am S21 Ultra user. I don't plan to change until a major upgrade happens, they have been using same design for S21-S24 ...hope S25 Ultra does something different.
What are you talking about with software update support? It should at least get an 8 for that. It is going to get android 15 and monthly payches until then. What more do you want?
Posting this from my S21U and it's all amazes me. I broke my display and paid 300 to replace it texture m rather than buying a new S23U. Though I was just getting a display by they replace the battery and frame rails as well. BTW no problems with my speakers they are just as rich and full as the day I bought it. I might kri it for another couple years and free the S25u or S26... patiently waiting for the 1 inch camera sensor
thx for the update. I usually buy top end phones a couple years after their release brand new. Last one I got was the s9+ in 2019 sept, 4 years later tomorrow I am getting this phone Samsung s21 Ultra 5G
I'm using my s21 ultra (exynos) for 2 years now and I don't see the reason to upgrade to newer models. I would still be using this until all software updates is done.
Got this as a second phone 2 weeks ago and I primarily use an iPhone 14 Pro. It was around $400 Korean refurb. It's overall better aside from the video quality (pro mode is a different story). I just made it my main phone after using it for my work and business. I mean, type c alone is a big win to me. Gonna keep this until the last major update or until there's a dramatic change in the Galaxy series.
One point to note mark. My friend has this phone and recently got a green line after updating it. The service centre says the display needs to be replaced.
I agree with most of what you are saying but really only giving it a 6 for software support when it is one of the best updates phones in the Android ecosystem even to this day?
Thanks for making this video. Recently decided to pass on the s23 ultra realizing that this damn phone is just still so good. That said, if the s24 ultra has a flat display as rumored, I'll be upgrading.
I believe the s21 ultra is not belong to note family, as the only one without pen. Even Samsung noticed that and they realize they made a mistake so they bring back the pen with s22/s23 ultra.
Mines just died outside of missing expandable micro SD this phone was a beast. It really came to life when I got the stylus case it felt more like a note series.
I came back to my Adorable S21U after getting the S23U. Even though the last I just a phenomenal phone. Did not gave the vibe of the s21u. So I gave to my wife the S23U . And here I am texting from My still super functional S21U.
now in 2024 I am gonna buy 21 ultra and it costs around 310-325 $ in my country , How many hours does its battery work today ? do you recommend it ? Others are encouraging me to buy iphone 12 pro or 13 pro for 350 $ -400 $
@@Aaronc_TV the S21U is a great choice,although people are whining about it,they are wrong and dont take care of it,im also gonna buy it in about a month and ive seen ALOT of videos about it,the battery would last 24h even when ur using it,when your not using it it drops to 10HZ to save a huge amount of battery,if you are in the EU then you get a Exynos 2100,US Snapdragon 888 5G,im EU but im getting a Snapdragon one,but i would recommend also taking care of it,such as cleaning the phone,the camera,the charging port,if you do all of these then you are good to go,the 12 Pro or 13 Pro is also a good choice since both phones are great,in my opinion,i think you should go for the S21U
Impresseed to watch that camera review xd because even comparing the cameras with the s22 ultra, objectively the s22 ultra is way better than s21U, night mode works way better, 1080 and 4k video looks a ton better and front camera S21 ultra front camera is really bad compared with s22 ultra, and i'm not even talking about Pixel 7 pro camera who is better in rear video, night mode and front video
Just purchased a refurbished s21 ultra, compared to the new mid-rangers (e.g a55) it's definetly the better choice. Really looking fdoward to recieving mine.
Good review, it's a great phone. I just dont agree on giving 6 for Updates. Many new phones dont get 2 more major updates + 1extra year of security updates..so 3 more years being 100% up to date. Thats 9 or 10 in my book.
Im buying the S21U in about a month,as far as i can tell,alot of people have told me that the S21U is a very great choice,im EU but the version is Snapdragon 888 5G? Because alot of people say EU gets Exynos 2100,still im not even complaining,ive seen alot of videos and as far as i can say i am 100% going to buy it,its just about 400 euro and its pretty cheap (in my opinion),alot of people have also recommended me for the S22U but to be honest,its literally just the same phone but with a S pen and only 1 year more of software support,dont get me wrong the S22U is also a really good phone,but by my budget,im buying the S21U.
I had to replace mine a few months ago for a 14 Pro Max but the S21 Ultra is an AMAAAZING device but battery life is the only knock it has but u can always replace that
Any fool will pay full price, but getting one in excellent condition for $325 now is smart. Just bought 2 on ebay comes with 1 yr warranty and still has 2 more yrs of android updates via Samsung.
I got my s21 ultra a few weeks ago (used but in great condition) but I accidently poked the sim ejector tool in the bottom mic. Coming from oneplus 9 pro, it was a big upgrade in term of software, battery, camera and overall design. Now I am selling it to get another s21 ultra (this time the phantom black) because the mic sensitivity has been greatly reduced even though I read many articles and experiences then poking the bottom mic does not damage it because it is at a 90 degree angle. In my case, I suspect that I pushed the mesh covering the mic so it is pressing the actual mic. Samsung said that we will have to open it but I dont want it opened. In your opinion, which one's better, the gloss phantom silver or matte phantom black?
Another S21 Ultra user here. I'm still very satified with it, the build quality and the design is still amazing to me, also the battery hasn't lost a lot or at all as it seems. I have the 16GB/512GB-Exynos version.
Me too iv been using the huawei p30 pro since its launch but the past few updates has ruined the camera and battery so I rehope the 21U will be way better
I still use mine till today and i still my favorite.. I had battery issues at 1st but then a update fixed it and has been amazing to me since. 💯. I got the phantom silver and looks beautiful
I insist this is THE phone to buy today if you want something under £250 (refurbished) that is still almost as good as a modern flagship. You get high-range quality for a low-range price point.
I've been thinking about giving Samsung another try with this model as opposed to the S23 or S24 and soon to be released S25 series BUT I still enjoy using my wired headphones and having a Micro SD Card slot. Yes, I still have and use wired headphones. My Motorolas and Redmi Note 12 also have FM Radios and if I wake up too early I like to listen to Bob & Sheri while still in bed.
DON'T trade it in! Bought a new Z4 as a replacement for my S21u. I kept it around though. Thank goodness I did. The screen crapped out in less than 4 months! Cracked right down the middle, lol. Using my S21u again and it's working flawlessly (almost 3 years old)
I "downgraded" from 23 ultra after acquiring a 21 ultra to flip. It felt better in every day use, camera and battery life was better and more consistent. literally I started doing a data transfer just to check it out and never put my sim back in my 23. I still hate the camera housing on the back but I've learned to ignore it lol.
After 3 years my battery performance has tanked, the screen is a bit scratched, and the USB port is on its last leg. Still a 10/10 fantastic phone for 2024 if you replace the battery.
now in 2024 I am gonna buy 21 ultra and it costs around 310-325 $ in my country , How many hours does its battery work today ? do you recommend it ? Others are encouraging me to buy iphone 12 pro or 13 pro for 350 $ -400 $
I've had the Exynos version of this for nearly 3 years and it's really starting to deteriorate. It's slowing down drastically and there's a graininess to night and zoom shots that were not there 6 months ago. I'd normally put that down to storage capacity, but the 256gb storage isn't even half full. It was my first non Huawei phone for 8 years and it's really putting me off buying another Samsung. Waiting to replace it with the Honor Magic 6 Pro when it finally comes to Europe.
