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Introduction
Ultra vs. Ultra, the very obvious working title of this one was. The Galaxy S21 Ultra marks the third iteration in Samsung's pursuit of the ultimate cameraphone so we figured a comparison was in order.
We limited it to just two contenders - the new model against the Galaxy Note20 Ultra from some 6 months ago. A three-way with the S20 Ultra crossed our minds, but maintaining our sanity prevailed over curiosity. As the number of samples in this simpler head-to-head grew exponentially (due to the sheer number of cameras, changing weather, reshoots because of software updates), we appreciated our conservative choice of participants.
Since the Note20 Ultra was in many ways an improvement over the S20 Ultra, and the now a-year-old last-gen S-series is less of an enticing purchasing option, we reckon our choice has merit beyond our own convenience. Plus, with the S21 Ultra's S Pen support, is it not really a new Note in disguise?
Okay, with our choices already rationalized, let's go over what's inside these phones.
Hardware
The latest Ultra comes with a whole bunch of new hardware, including the identical at first glance main camera. In fact, it's entire camera setup is unseen before.
That primary unit now uses a second generation Nonacell 108MP sensor, the Isocell HM3 (the smaller-pitch 0.7µm HM2 doesn't count in our book). Its key improvement over the HM1 is Smart-ISO Pro, which leverages the imager's dual native ISO capability by using both gain levels within the same shot - Samsung explains it clearly in a video.
It's not just the sensor that's changed, though - the lens is now wider at a 24mm equivalent (26mm on previous Ultras). Its aperture remains f/1.8 and it's still fixed - we miss the dual aperture capability of older Galaxies. Optical stabilization is, of course, still present.
Another new addition on the Ultra v.3 is autofocus on the ultra-wide angle camera, this one we've been rambling on about for at least a couple of generations of Galaxies. It uses a 12MP 1/2.55" sensor with 1.4µm pixels, same as on the Note, only these new pixels now have dual pixel AF capability. Samsung quotes a 120-degree field of view on both lenses while the aperture is f/2.2.
Which brings us to the teles. The S21 Ultra has two of those, each equipped with a 10MP 1/3.24" sensor with 1.22µm pixels. One is a mid-range 3x tele (around 70mm focal length equivalent, f/2.4 aperture), the other uses a dual-fold periscope lens design to get to 10x zoom (240mm, f/4.9) . Both lenses are stabilized.
The Note20 Ultra, on the other hand, has a single telephoto camera at an in-between 5x zoom level - around 120mm equivalent. The 12MP 1/3.4" sensor it uses has 1.0µm pixels, while the lens, stabilized, has an f/3.0 aperture.
This discrepancy in the offered native zoom levels made for a really nice and simple comparison. Not. The camera app barely helped in this respect either. How so?
Camera app UI
The camera app doesn't have a preset button for 3x zoom on the Note, nor is there a 5x shortcut on the S21 Ultra. Yet, both have a 4x button for an unknown reason - which we didn't use because it's not on either phone's list of native zoom magnifications.
Realistically though, outside of comparative reviewing, the lack of a particular zoom level preset shouldn't be held against Samsung's otherwise mostly good camera app. The fact that the secondary zoom level buttons get in the way of switching modes, however, has been an annoyance in general use, so there's that.
The basics will be familiar though - swiping left and right will switch between available modes, and there's an option to re-arrange, add or remove some of the modes from the viewfinder. A lot of the modes you'll want in there are not present on the S21 Ultra out of the box (like Night and Portrait mode), but let's say that it's Samsung's way of encouraging you to set up the camera app to your own liking. Speaking of, it's indeed 'Portrait' mode starting with the S21 generation - previous Samsungs used to call the faux bokeh mode 'Live focus'.
Vertical swipes in either direction will switch between front and rear cameras. Weirdly, not every phone out there supports this simple gesture - Galaxies do.
The familiar tree designation for zoom control is here too - on the Note that means three threes for ultra wide, two trees for main cam (moderately wide) and single tree for telephoto. The S21 Ultra adds another single tree (but a more detailed one) for its 10x tele.
As before, once you hit the tree toggle, an extra set of buttons show up, with additional preset zoom levels. These include the ultra wides (0.5x on the Note, 0.6x on the S, because 'x' means slightly different things on the two) and the 4x we mentioned and go into the extremes (up to 50x on the Note, 100x on the S). Pinch zooming works too, of course.
The viewfinder has the customary set of icons with the settings cog wheel located in the upper left corner of the screen. The Galaxy S21s get the video resolution relocated to the viewfinder, on the Note you need to go into settings to change that. Minor tweaks on the new phone include extra settings for Single Take mode, bokeh effects for Portrait mode, and a Director's view mode for video where you get to see what all cameras are capturing at the same time.
Pro mode is where you can select ISO and shutter speed, focus manually (with peaking), and select the white balance, as well as choose the metering mode and AF area. A major development on the S21 Ultra is that you can now access the ultra wide camera in Pro mode, the Note can't. Then again, neither can use the tele(s) in Pro mode.
Perhaps that will do for a preamble - we can now move on to looking at some sample images.
Image quality: daylight
We mentioned already how the both primary cameras may be 108MP but they aren't identical. Indeed, there's more than one difference in how the Note20 Ultra and the S21 Ultra's main cameras capture the world.
Daylight samples, 1x: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
On a global scale, the slight coverage mismatch between the 26mm equivalent lens of the Note and 24mm one of the S is fairly easy to spot and we'd say we're fans of the wider FoV on the new phone, particularly given the ample number of zooming options available.
We're seeing a certain toning down of color saturation, so the S21 Ultra veers a little closer to reality than the Note. It's anything but 'dull', the S phone's rendition, so fans of the Samsung pop shouldn't be worried. However, the Note's reds and greens (a bit hard to find in nature, but we did spot some grass here or there) are so much more in-your-face than the S'.
We wouldn't say there's any notable difference in dynamic range and tonal development between the two - this much appears to have remained the same. Or rather, to have been made the same - the Note's had its share of updates since release.
Daylight samples, 1x: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Circling back to where the two do, indeed, differ, we need to look up close at 1:1 magnification. The S21 Ultra's shots are consistently sharper with better defined straight lines, the occasional extra crack in the stucco, more pages in a notebook. Some of it has to be due to tweaked sharpening algorithms, we gather, as the S does show signs of extra sharpening, compared to the Note.
Another shift in approach to processing sees the new phone go in the opposite direction - towards less of it. We're talking about the noise handling and there's a notable disparity between the Note's almost flawlessly clean images and the somewhat grainier S ones. No big deal, it's not a lot of noise, just comparatively more noise, and we wouldn't be bothered at all by it, if it weren't for the side-by-side examination.
Daylight samples, 1x: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Since we're pixel peeping already, let's have a quick look up close at some full-res 108MP images too. Somewhat weirdly, given all of the above, the Note has a substantial advantage in sharpness, detail, and local contrast here. We're not sure what that's about, but since we don't normally shoot 108MP images, we won't make too big a deal out of it.
Daylight samples, 108MP: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
It's this 108MP camera that's in charge of zooming in up to 3x, so we shot a comparison at an intermediate 2x magnification level - the pioneering zoom level in smartphone 'tele' cameras. The Note doesn't convert its full-res 108MP advantage into a 2x advantage and it's mostly a toss up in this particular comparison, and neither is particularly likeable for detail level and rendition. The S21 Ultra is still noisier in the skies and applies stronger sharpening, but whatever minor differences there may be, they're mostly immaterial.
Daylight samples, 2x zoom: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Switching to 3x, it's a battle between the S21 Ultra's dedicated mid-range zoom cam and the Note 20 Ultra's main module, though the Note may throw in some center detail from the tele cam when the stars align (we haven't been able to figure out when the fusion works and when not). For three out of four samples here, the merging has kicked in (not for the balcony blinds in the second shot), though we do have a shot from the first scene with no contribution from the tele.
Note20 Ultra (center of image comes from the tele) • Note20 Ultra (main cam only)
Now, since we equalized the 'x' designation and not the actual coverage, you'll notice that the Note's FoV is slightly tighter and objects are slightly bigger in its images - that's understandable, given that 3x here should technically be a 78mm equivalent focal length, while the S21 Ultra's telephoto camera is about 72mm. This will be a common theme going forward too, so let's accept it and move on.
So when the Note does actually put both its cameras to work it will get you sharper results in the center than what the S21 Ultra can muster. Naturally, with the periphery of its images filled in by the main cam, the Note loses there. In a lot of scenes, that's good enough - most of the time your subject is in the center of the frame anyway. However, with the Note's proven unreliable behavior in these situations, the consistent dedicated 3x of the S21 Ultra seems like the better option.
The new phone's lax attitude towards noise does show in these as well, with notably more grain in uniformly colored areas. The Note's aliasing jaggies in the periphery can be even more annoying though.
Daylight samples, 3x zoom: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
At 5x zoom, where the entirety of the Note's frame is covered by its tele camera, it snatches an easy win for sharpness and detail. It's practically noise-free, too, and has better micro-contrast as well.
Daylight samples, 5x zoom: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
The S21 Ultra bounces back at 10x where it has the dedicated camera advantage. Its images are sharper and with better contrast - nothing surprising, after all.
Daylight samples, 10x zoom: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Having already established the new phone's long-range zooming superiority at 10x, we figured we'd explore the next few steps in three additional scenes. Starting with 10x shots just to give you a sense of distance.
Daylight samples, more 10x zoom: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
The S21 Ultra does have a sharpness and contrast advantage as we climb up the zoom ladder. There's definitely better fine detail in its 20x images than what we're seeing in the Note's.
Daylight samples, 20x zoom: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
At 30x it gets a little hard to tell what's detail and what's noise when it comes to random textures, but the S21 Ultra does maintain an edge when it comes to straight-line definition.
Daylight samples, 30x zoom: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
At 50x neither phone's photos are passable when viewed at 1:1 magnification, but the S21 ultra's heavily sharpened take on distant reality can still hold its own at fit to screen... on a small-ish screen.
Daylight samples, 50x zoom: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
The S21 Ultra goes all the way to 100x. We wouldn't go there. Thankfully, the Note doesn't bother trying.
Daylight samples, 100x zoom: S21 Ultra
Rapidly taking you to the opposite end of the zoom range, let's now look at some utlra wide angle shots. Shooting distant subjects, the new phone's ultra wide has a sharpness advantage though the Note's photos are cleaner when it comes to noise.
Daylight samples, ultra wide: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Both exhibit some color fringing along contrasting edges - perhaps the S21 Ultra controls that a little better. Hardly anything sets them apart in terms of dynamic range and color reproduction.
Daylight samples, ultra wide: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
But where the new phone excels is close-up subjects. The S21 Ultra's ultra wide has autofocus and that lets it get nearby subjects sharp, a task outside the scope of the Note's capabilities. That feature alone could be enough for some folks to pick the S21 Ultra over any other Galaxy.
Daylight samples, ultra wide, closeups: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Image quality: Low light
On to some low-light shooting. Comparing 1x photos from the two phones' main cameras, we're inclined to give the Note20 Ultra the win. It's got an advantage in detail and clarity and manages to retain textures better. Its output is also noisier than the S21 Ultra's. However - the two have flipped positions in this respect, and now the S has less grain to show. Then again, it also has less detail to show and is missing the definition in straight lines or fine textures that the Note has.
Low-light samples, 1x: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
The S21 Ultra also renders color more neutrally. The difference is particularly pronounced with warm street lighting, which will give the Note's images a heavy orange cast. We prefer the new phone in this respect. The two phones meter and expose identically and generally have a similar dynamic range.
Low-light samples, 1x: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Opting for Night mode makes the photos from the two handsets virtually indistinguishable in terms of detail. They both get that heavily sharpened look characteristic of Night mode processing, but behind it, it's the same level of texture.
Low-light samples, 1x, Night mode: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
What remains different is the color reproduction - if anything, the gap between the orange Note and the now further bleached S21 Ultra.
Other than that, the two maintain parity in dynamic range, with Night mode producing similar results in toning down the highlights and giving the shadows a modest lift. It's not a massive difference, mind you, and Night mode isn't going to bring outlandishly bright shadows or miracles in highlight detail. We don't mind that subtlety one bit here.
Low-light samples, 1x, Night mode: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
With the 2x zoom level sourced from the main cameras on both phones, the differences mentioned above remain - the Note is a bit sharper and more detailed, the S21 Ultra has more realistic colors. Outside of the head-to-head comparison, the 2x images are very usable, if not quite as detailed as the 1x ones, when viewed at 1:1 magnification. Ultimately, you shouldn't have to worry that your short-range travel photography will suffer at night.
Low-light samples, 2x zoom: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Logically then, 2x zoom photos in Night mode exhibit the same characteristics as those in 1x Night mode, albeit with less per-pixel detail.
Low-light samples, 2x zoom, Night mode: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
At 3x zoom level, the Note may still do some of that tele-main-cam composite action. Still, it's typically harder to spot - you can see the noise around the lettering in the first sample change pattern and intensity going from center to periphery, same for the friezes in the fourth sample. We're not seeing that in the other two images, so let's trust that Samsung knows better when to engage it and when not to.
In reasonably well-lit and in darker scenes alike, the S21 Ultra's 3x shots are significantly more detailed, even when comparing center vs. center areas in the cases where the Note does its fusion. Dynamic range is appreciably better on the new phone too.
Low-light samples, 3x zoom: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Night mode at 3x further complicates things on the Note. It simply won't kick in most of the time, and even when it does, it will bring extra softness but little benefit. It works a lot more reliably on the S21 Ultra, where it will clean up noise nicely and significantly improve shadow development.
Low-light samples, 3x zoom, Night mode: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
5x zoom photos at night don't really look particularly appealing on either phone. In darker scenes, the Note's images can become littered with noise (chroma noise, too - that one we hadn't seen in a while), though the S21 Ultra is anything but clean too. Still, the Note will generally deliver sharper shots in scenes with some light in them, but it's not a game-changing difference.
Color rendition is different between the two once more - so that the more neutral and less orrange look of the S21 Ultra applies to more than just its main camera.
Low-light samples, 5x zoom: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Night mode brings the gap in quality further down, to a point where it becomes a toss-up for detail between the two.
Low-light samples, 5x zoom, Night mode: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
At 10x zoom in relatively dark scenes, both phones will put out photos with muddy textures and fine detail, but the S21 Ultra will still be superior when it comes to more regular shapes and will get you better defined straight lines. However, present them with some light, and the new phone will capture detail that the Note can't even come close to. The S21 Ultra's dynamic range here is also much wider.
Low-light samples, 10x zoom: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Night mode helps the Note a little with dynamic range and reveals some detail in the tonal extremes, but the S21 Ultra remains superior.
Low-light samples, 10x zoom, Night mode: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
In the battle of the ultra wides, the Note20 Ultra starts with an early lead in Photo mode, where its shots are noisier, but more detailed - particularly in the shadowy regions, but throughout the frame, really. Dynamic range is comparable between the two, while the color reproduction continues to follow the warm-Note-neutral-S theme.
Low-light samples, ultra wide: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Low-light samples, ultra wide: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Particularly dark scenes shot on the ultra-wide cameras benefit greatly from Night mode. It's a properly massive difference on the S21 Ultra, where the shadows were mushier than the Note's - they're looking very much alike now. The older phone gets a boost, too, mostly in noise performance - it cleans up very nicely. Save for the Note's orange cast - a very similar performance overall here.
Low-light samples, ultra wide, Night mode: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
You may have picked up on it already, but we'll mention a caveat with the S21 Ultra's Night mode shots on its ultra-wide cam. It introduces a crop of its images in this mode - not huge, but not insignificant either. So if you're framing your shots to align the edge of the photo to a subject, don't trust the viewfinder - look at the end results, adjust and repeat as necessary.
Ultimately, the new phone's ultra wide images shot in Night mode will be slightly less ultra wide.
Low-light samples, ultra wide, Night mode: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Enough with the streets, on to some people now.
Portraits
Both phones have faux bokeh modes, but only the one on the Note20 Ultra is still called 'Live focus', while the S21 Ultra adopts the more common 'Portrait' name.
Naming aside, the two modes behave similarly. There are two magnifications to choose from, and both are captured on the main camera - one is its native field of view, the other is a zoomed-in 2x-ish magnification. The latter is the default on both phones, and it offers a better perspective and shooting distance.
It doesn't help with detail, however - as we already showed, the 2x zoom level is about the least likable for daylight shot detail, so it's no surprise that these images don't quite stand up well to pixel-level scrutiny. An S21 or an S20 non-Ultra take more detailed zoomed-in portraits.
The Note's images have warmer skin tones, with a faint pink-red tint to them, while the S21 Ultra is a bit more conservative and realistic. That approach continues into the skin texture, where the new phone maintains a more detailed, grittier rendition, whereas the Note20 Ultra prefers smoother, more flattering cheekbones. Both phones do a great job with subject detection and separation, and the default blur level is just right, in our opinion.
Portrait mode samples, crop mode: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
The wide mode leverages the camera's full resolution potential, and the shots are consequently sharper and more detailed. The apparent parity in subject detection remains, as do the differences in skin tones and texture.
Portrait mode samples, wide mode: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Low-light portraits turn out to be a difficult task for either phone, be it in crop mode or in wide mode. Still, the Note manages to deliver slightly sharper results in both scenarios.
Portrait mode samples, low light, crop mode: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Portrait mode samples, low light, wide mode: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Subject detection is generally competent with non-human subjects as well. The Note appears to be slightly better - it's defined the street sign's left edge where the S21 Ultra hasn't managed to, and hasn't failed the torture test with the flower quite as badly.
Portrait mode samples, non-human subjects, crop mode: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
In wide mode, it's hard to point a difference in the two phone's results.
Portrait mode samples, non-human subjects, wide mode: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Selfies
As part of this year's shift in facial features processing, the S21 Ultra applies the same closer-to-reality take to selfies. You'll get more detail and texture in your pictures (yeah, wrinkles too), and we ultimately like the level of detail.
The Note's approach brings smoother skin (with all the beautification turned off to the best of our ability) and a bit less detail. The S21 Ultra handles backlit scenes with a lot more grace and will expose your face properly, the Note - not so much.
Selfie samples: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra • Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Portraits have a comparable level of subject separation competence between the two phones. That is to say, if you look closely, you'll find imperfections around clothes lines and stray hair can look unnaturally blurred on occasion, but neither camera will clip your ear into blurry oblivion.
Selfie portrait samples: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra • Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Low-light selfies have never been a strong suit for Samsungs, and we're not loving the ones we're getting out of the Ultras - in our admittedly pretty demanding scene, that is. The Note managed to deliver a sharper photo, albeit pretty noisy, and it also got the colors right. Meanwhile, the S21 Ultra's sample is soft and with a pink color shift.
Selfie samples, low light: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Things are looking a little better in Night mode, with both phones producing similarly sharp results.
Selfie samples, low light, Night mode: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Portrait mode, in the dark, why not? The Note has a minor advantage in this test, with the S21 Ultra still not managing to deliver a sharp photo. The new phone has a Night Portrait mode, however, and that improves its result, though we'd still pick the Note's image out of the three.
Selfie samples, low light, Portrait mode: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra • S21 Ultra (Night portrait)
Daylight video quality
8K is the top video resolution for the main cameras on both phones, and the S21 Ultra still supports 24fps only - we expected a 30fps frame rate to be added this year, but that's not the case. So, in principle, we get the same video capabilities across the two Ultras, but with slightly different end results.
A rather common theme with the S21 Ultra, noise is more prominent in this one's 8K footage. It may pose for texture and detail in areas where you'd expect random detail like grass and foliage, but ultimately we think that both phones resolve the same amount of detail in this mode. And we'd probably pick the cleaner footage of the Note.
Screengrabs, 8K24: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Neither is spectacularly sharp, though, and we remain of the strong conviction that 8K video capture isn't really a useful feature so much as it is a marketing device.
To maintain the volume of the video section at least somewhat manageable, we shot mostly in our go-to 4K30 mode, only dabbling in 4K60 on the main camera.
In 4K30, we're seeing the Note beat the S for noise suppression, as in 8K. On top of that, the Note's clips are ever so slightly more detailed - a small and largely inconsequential advantage, but it's there.
Screengrabs, 4K30: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
Dynamic range is practically identical between the two, and it's nicely wide. Color rendition is very similar too, save for a slightly different take on the blue in the sky - both look good in isolation, yet the Note's is a tiny bit more realistic when the two are viewed side-by-side.
The Note has a somewhat more pronounced advantage in 4K60. Going from 30fps to 60fps has only a small negative impact on the picture quality on the older phone, while the drop in the S21 Ultra is more easily visible. The S21 Ultra also loses some saturation here - the first time we're noting such a difference between the two phones.
Screengrabs, 4K60: Note20 Ultra • S21 Ultra
The color reproduction differs between the ultra-wide cameras too. The Note is ever so slightly greenishly cold, the S phone is leaning more towards a faint red tint. Additionally, the S21's footage is contrastier with deeper shadows, the Note's is flatter. Detail is comparable between the two, the S21 Ultra is a bit more aggressive with the sharpening, the Note is a bit cleaner when it comes to noise.
We'll start zooming in at 2x magnification, where both phones rely on the 108MP cameras for capture, making these clips fairly comparable in terms of detail, though we'd still award the Note a narrow win. It does apply heavier sharpening, obvious in thin tree branches, for example, which could annoy fans of more natural processing.
At 3x zoom level, the dedicated midrange zoom camera of the S21 Ultra takes over, while the Note stretches the capabilities of its 108MP sensor beyond reason. It's really no contest for detail here, with the S-series phone snatching an easy win.
The tables turn at the 5x zoom level, where it's now the Note with a dedicated camera, while the S21 Ultra needs to zoom in from the 3x module. So, predictably, the Note reigns here. However, the difference isn't quite as dramatic as in 3x, and we'd be okay with the 5x footage out of the S model, not so much with the 3x from the Note above.
It's a similar story at 10x zoom, only with yet another reversal - the S21 Ultra regains the lead here thanks to its second tele camera. Even so, the Note's doing alright at this level.
To sum up the zooming behavior, it's mostly a tie at 2x, the S21 Ultra wins by a wide margin at 3x, loses at 5x, but wins again at 10x. Basically, if you often find yourself shooting video in the range above 2x but below 5x (roughly 50mm to 125mm equivalent focal lengths), the S21 Ultra will be a better fit. But if it's the 10x reach capability you're after, the Note's footage is decent enough.
Low-light video quality
We shot our low-light samples at two light levels around dusk. In the earlier scene, the Note20 Ultra returned better results in 8K with finer detail and superior sharpness level. The S21 Ultra is a bit on the soft side, but it's not too bad. Both have similarly wide dynamic range and color reproduction with no loss of saturation.
The Note doesn't maintain that advantage as the light level drops, and the S21 Ultra takes the lead. It remains relatively sharp even in these conditions and has a wider dynamic range with better-developed shadows than the Note's. Saturation does suffer on the S21 Ultra, but we'll take the bad with the good.
Moving on to 4K30, we see a reiteration of the daylight results in terms of noise performance - the Note's footage is notably cleaner. Detail is about the same, though once again the S21 Ultra's grain could be mistaken for detail. Dynamic range is again respectable, colors are ever so slightly colder on the S phone, but both phones don't stray too far from reality.
One annoyance we had with the Note here was a tendency to hunt for focus, whereas the S21 Ultra remained unaffected.
That issue didn't manifest in the darker scene, which was a welcome if surprising development for that phone, but here the S21 Ultra wasn't as rock-solid with its auto focus. However, the S21 Ultra's footage is cleaner in such circumstances, once again proving the new phone is superior as night settles in. The S model also maintains color saturation well in 4K, unlike in 8K.
For zoom action in challenging light, the S21 Ultra wins overall, though it takes a bit more explaining and, of course, looking at the samples. The clips coming out of the two phones are comparable at 2x in the late afternoon, but the Note takes the lead when it gets darker.
At 3x, the S21 Ultra remains victorious in both light levels.
At 5x in the lighter samples, the S21 Ultra wins for detail, not to mention it's more stable with its focusing, while the Note is already exhibiting issues. In the darker scene, that only gets worse while the S21 Ultra maintains its composure. Despite a different rendition, detail is comparable between the two, but we'd still go with the S.
At 10x, the Note20 Ultra's footage is already unusable in the late afternoon - little detail, shaky focus. The S21 Ultra's capture in these circumstances is just barely passable unless you try to find detail in the shadows. At night and at 10x, the S21 Ultra will still be able to record a so-so video, unlike the Note20 Ultra, which is apalling.
The ultra-wide cameras on the two phones don't particularly enjoy shooting videos in low light. Neither will give you usable footage at night, though the Note will still prioritize getting some light in over noise reduction, so its clips are a little better. In less extreme situations (late afternoon, early twilight) the two do cope reasonably well.
Video stabilization
Stabilization is available across all modes, including 8K, and there's a toggle in settings to turn it off if you're using some other type of support (tripod, beanbag, gimbal). We walked around with a side-by-side rig for the two phones, ensuring a fair comparison.
In 8K, the Note will let some of the shakes from your steps make it to the video, whereas the S21 Ultra is a bit more proficient in canceling it out. Pans are smooth on both, with no abrupt transitions at the ends.
In 4K30 with the main cameras, both phones will do an equally fine job of stabilizing walking footage, and they'll also remain pointed in one direction if you're standing still.
The ultra wides are in that same boat, and it's one steady boat. We're seeing no shake and no jelloing; pans are smooth too.
Recording while running is also possible in SuperSteady mode. Both the wide and the cropped in magnifications are handled by the ultra-wide cameras on both phones; only the S21 Ultra now lets you record on 60fps (30fps only on the Note). We compared 30fps footage side by side at both magnifications, and we'd say the new phone is a little better in the cropped-in magnification, with little appreciable difference in the wide mode.
Zooming in, the S21 ultra delivers very stable footage at 3x next to a noticeably shakier Note20 Ultra. That gap widens further at 5x, though the S21 does exhibit some jelloing here, unlike the Note. At 10x, the S21 Ultra maintains its advantage while also dropping the jelloing, and the Note now adds focus hunting to its already shaky performance.
Selfie video
Looking at 4K30 selfie videos, the S21 Ultra has a few advantages. For one, its footage is sharper and more detailed. On the flip side, however, it is quite a bit grainier. The Note, on the other hand, applies stronger noise reduction and eradicates noise, but it does tend to smooth out textures along with it.
The S21 also has the upper hand in dynamic range, and it will retain detail in the highlights much better than the Note. In backlit scenes, the S21 also produces superior videos with less clipped highlights, and higher contrast.
The Note has more saturated and warmer colors, while the S21 opts for a more neutral look. We can get behind the latter's more accurate skin tones, and the Note20 has sometimes faced strong opposition in the office for its yellowish skin rendition, though we can understand how an extra bit of warmth may be appreciated. For everything that isn't faces, however, the Note's livelier colors are more to our liking.
Switching to 4K60 levels things out in terms of detail - there's a significant drop in it on the S21, less so on the Note, but the Note did start lower in the first place.
You will immediately notice that the Note doesn't have stabilization in this mode - a surprising development given that it did, in fact, stabilize 4K60 footage back at review time. It's also refusing to autofocus in this mode now. It's not inconceivable that Samsung messed things up with the Android 11 update or one of the other patches, and a fix could be on the way. But right now, if stabilized 4K60 selfie videos are for some reason a top priority for you, then S>N.
Speaking of stabilization, and looking at the first set of videos above, both phones are equally good at smoothing out 4K30 footage. A small caveat is that shooting in landscape at an arm's length results into a rather tight framing - the two-phone holder we used for this side-by-side helps add a few centimeters of camera-to-subject distance, and you can expect slightly tighter FoV if holding the phone with your bare hand.
Wrap-up
With the Galaxy Note20 Ultra having already been out for 6 months, we're not thinking we're helping a huge number of people in their purchasing decisions with this camera comparison - if you wanted a Note, you've probably gotten one. On the flipside, the Note's been out for just 6 months, so improved as the Galaxy S21 Ultra may be, it's not a giant leap forward that can make a compelling case to upgrade from the Note.
No, this whole venture was more of an exploration of trends in camera hardware and software. The growing number of camera modules we appreciate - nothing beats having a dedicated camera for the zoom levels you like, and people like a long reach. For that in particular, there's no beating the Galaxy S21 Ultra. The new phone with its 10x camera brings distant subjects closer better than the Note20 Ultra, though the latter isn't too shabby either.
The Note does fare better at more moderate zoom levels around the 5x mark where its own dedicated tele shoots. And depending on the scene and software decisions, the older phone might actually be able to take a better photo at the 3x magnification, though we'd prefer the S21 Ultra's consistency there. So zoom is pretty well covered then.
Having said that, we think that the implementations on both phones have limitations that we don't particularly enjoy. Neither takes very good photos at 2x, or what is a classic 50mm equivalent focal length. Neither takes very good portraits in the default zoomed-in mode either. These issues stem from the fact that these modes are handled by the main cam, which isn't doing a great job of demosaicking for anything else but a straight 108-to-12MP conversion in its native focal length. So, effectively, even with three or four cams on board, you still can't have proper 50mm shots on the Galaxy Ultras.
Then there's the crazy 100x zoom capability advertised on the S21 Ultra, a reiteration of the S20 Ultra's 'Space zoom' minus the text on the camera island on the back. It just doesn't work, and it's a good thing that the Note20 Ultra is limited to 50x.
We did like the low-light output from both phones as a whole. The main cameras take great photos, Night mode or otherwise, while the secondary cameras prefer Night mode to get the best results. Naturally, zoom level nuances exist here too, but the new phone is as good or better than the old phone pretty much across the board - that's a nice development.
Selfies are another area where new beats old. Samsung's tweaked the processing for those in a direction we like, and you now get much more detailed images with nicer colors and wider dynamic range.
Both phones are great for video recording, as long as you don't fall for the marketing hype around 8K. 8K isn't good on either one, that's just how it is. Stick to 4K, however, and things are looking great. If we're to point out a difference, that would be the S21 Ultra's superior stabilization as you climb up the zoom levels - the Note can't match it.
Countless samples later, we're willing to admit that the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the overall superior cameraphone. But it would be counterintuitive if it were otherwise, wouldn't it? A small improvement here, a bigger improvement there, and it all adds up to a more complete package. Of course, there are still areas that could use a little work, and we're happy that's the case - we'd be out of work the day they make the perfect phone.
Ultimately, if you're on the market for the Galaxy that takes the best pictures, it's the S21 Ultra. But if you've already got the Note20 Ultra, you're not missing out on all that much.
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