Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
VS
Head to head
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $280 | $1,299 |
| Our rating | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 25W | 45W |
| RAM (max) | 16 GB | 12 GB |
| Storage (max) | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Screen size | 6.8 in | 6.8 in |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 108 MP | 200 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 227 g | 234 g |
| Released | Jan 2021 | Feb 2023 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is ahead on ram (max), weight (lower is lighter). Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is ahead on wired charging, main camera.
★ Which should you buy? Specs are close to an even split here, so Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the better buy — the extra cost of the other one isn't matched by a clear spec advantage.
Display
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak) | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1750 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.8 inches, 112.1 cm2 (~89.8% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.8 inches |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~515 ppi density) | 1440 x 3088 pixels |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Features | Always-on display, adaptive 10-120Hz refresh rate | Always-on display, adaptive refresh rate (1Hz-120Hz) |
Platform
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Android 11, upgradable to Android 14 | Android 13, One UI 5.1 (upgradable to newer Android versions) |
| 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 | — |
| Chipset | — | Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy (4 nm) |
| CPU | — | Octa-core (1x3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) |
| GPU | — | Adreno 740 |
Memory
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Internal Storage | 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM | — |
| Card Slot | No | — |
| Type | UFS 3.1 | UFS 4.0 |
| Internal | — | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM |
| Card slot | — | No |
Main Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.3", 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS; 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; 10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52", 1.12µm, PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom; 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, Super Steady video |
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama, Expert RAW |
| Video | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS | 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS |
Selfie Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.7µm, PDAF | 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF |
| Features | Dual video call, Auto-HDR | Dual video call, Auto-HDR, HDR10+ |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps |
Battery
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | 25W wired (PD3.0), 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless | 45W wired (PD3.0, 65% in 30 min advertised), 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless |
Body
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm (6.50 x 2.98 x 0.35 in) | 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm |
| Weight | 227g (Sub6), 229g (mmWave) (8.01 oz) | 234 g |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame |
| Water & Dust Resistance | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | — |
| SIM | — | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM and/or eSIM) |
| Other | — | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins), Stylus (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro) |
Comms
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE | 5.3, A2DP, LE |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG |
Launch
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | January 14, 2021 | February 1, 2023 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, January 29 | Available |
Frequently asked questions
Which has more RAM, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — 16 GB for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra versus 12 GB for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Which is lighter, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — 227 g for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra versus 234 g for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra — Jan 2021 for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra versus Feb 2023 for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra rated higher?
We rate the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 9/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 9/10.