Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
VS
Head to head
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $274 | $280 |
| Our rating | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Battery | 4,500 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 25W | 25W |
| RAM (max) | 12 GB | 16 GB |
| Storage (max) | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Screen size | 6.9 in | 6.8 in |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 108 MP | 108 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 208 g | 227 g |
| Released | Aug 2020 | Jan 2021 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is ahead on screen size, weight (lower is lighter). Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is ahead on battery, ram (max).
★ Which should you buy? Specs are close to an even split here, so Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the better buy — the extra cost of the other one isn't matched by a clear spec advantage.
Display
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz@FHD/60Hz@QHD, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak), Always-on display | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.9 inches, 116.7 cm2 (~92.5% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches, 112.1 cm2 (~89.8% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3088 pixels (~496 ppi density) | 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~515 ppi density) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Features | — | Always-on display, adaptive 10-120Hz refresh rate |
Platform
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Android 10, upgradable to Android 13, One UI 5 | Android 11, upgradable to Android 14 |
| Chipset | Exynos 990 (7 nm+) - Global, Qualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 5G+ (7 nm+) - USA | — |
| CPU | Octa-core (2x2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 & 2x2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) - Global; Octa-core (1x3.0 GHz Kryo 585 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 585) - USA | — |
| GPU | Mali-G77 MP11 - Global; Adreno 650 - USA | — |
| Chipset (International) | — | Exynos 2100 (5 nm) |
| Chipset (USA/China) | — | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) |
| CPU (Exynos) | — | Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| CPU (Snapdragon) | — | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| GPU (Exynos) | — | Mali-G78 MP14 |
| GPU (Snapdragon) | — | Adreno 660 |
Memory
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) | — |
| Internal | 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM | — |
| Type | UFS 3.0 | UFS 3.1 |
| Internal Storage | — | 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM |
| Card Slot | — | No |
Main Camera
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Triple | 108 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.33", 0.8µm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; 12 MP, f/3.0, 120mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.6", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom, 50x hybrid zoom; 12 MP, f/2.2, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm | — |
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Video | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
| Quad | — | 108 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.33", 0.8µm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS; 10 MP, f/4.9, 240mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom; 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video |
Selfie Camera
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF | 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.7µm, PDAF |
| Features | Dual video call, Auto-HDR | Dual video call, Auto-HDR |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
Battery
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 4500 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | Fast charging 25W (50% in 30 min - advertised), USB Power Delivery 3.0, Fast Qi/PMA wireless charging 15W, Reverse wireless charging 4.5W | 25W wired (PD3.0), 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless |
Body
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1 mm (6.49 x 3.04 x 0.32 in) | 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm (6.50 x 2.98 x 0.35 in) |
| Weight | 208 g (7.34 oz) | 227g (Sub6), 229g (mmWave) (8.01 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), stainless steel frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame |
| SIM | Single SIM (Nano-SIM and/or eSIM) or Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) | — |
| Protection | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | — |
| Stylus | 9ms latency (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) | — |
| Water & Dust Resistance | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX | 5.2, A2DP, LE |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | — |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | FM radio (Snapdragon model only; market/operator dependent) | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
| UWB | Yes (Ultra Wideband support) | — |
| Positioning | — | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
Launch
| Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2020, August 05 | January 14, 2021 |
| Status | Available. Released 2020, August 21 | Available. Released 2021, January 29 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra or Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — 4,500 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra versus 5,000 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Which has more RAM, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra or Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — 12 GB for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra versus 16 GB for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Which is lighter, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra or Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra — 208 g for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra versus 227 g for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra or Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — Aug 2020 for the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra versus Jan 2021 for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra or the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra rated higher?
We rate the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 9/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 9/10.