Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
VS
Head to head
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Battery | 5,000 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Wired charging | 25W | 67W |
| RAM (max) | 16 GB | 12 GB |
| Storage (max) | 512 GB | 512 GB |
| Screen size | 6.8 in | 6.81 in |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Main camera | 108 MP | 50 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 227 g | 234 g |
| Released | Jan 2021 | Apr 2021 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is ahead on ram (max), main camera, weight (lower is lighter). Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is ahead on wired charging, screen size.
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.
Display
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits (peak) | AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 900 nits (HBM), 1700 nits (peak) |
| Size | 6.8 inches, 112.1 cm2 (~89.8% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.81 inches, 112.0 cm2 (~91.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1440 x 3200 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~515 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 | — |
| Secondary Display | — | 1.1" AMOLED, 126 x 294 pixels (rear) |
Platform
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Android 11, upgradable to Android 14 | Android 11, MIUI 12.5 (upgradable to Android 13, MIUI 14) |
| 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 SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) |
| CPU | — | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 680) |
| GPU | — | Adreno 660 |
Memory
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Internal Storage | 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM | — |
| Card Slot | No | — |
| Type | UFS 3.1 | — |
| Card slot | — | No |
| Internal | — | 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM (UFS 3.1) |
Main Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi Mi 11 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 | — |
| Features | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama | Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama |
| Video | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS | 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240/960/1920fps, gyro-EIS, HDR10+ |
| Triple | — | 50 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1/1.12", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, Laser AF, OIS 48 MP, f/4.1, 120mm (periscope telephoto), 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 5x optical zoom 48 MP, f/2.2, 12mm, 128˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF |
Selfie Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.7µm, PDAF | 20 MP, f/2.2, 27mm (wide), 1/3.4", 0.8µm |
| Features | Dual video call, Auto-HDR | HDR, panorama |
| Video | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps | 1080p@30/60fps, 720p@120fps |
Battery
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable | Li-Po 5000 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | 25W wired (PD3.0), 15W wireless (Qi/PMA), 4.5W reverse wireless | 67W wired, PD3.0, QC4, 100% in 36 min (advertised) 67W wireless, 100% in 39 min (advertised) 10W reverse wireless |
Body
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm (6.50 x 2.98 x 0.35 in) | 164.3 x 74.6 x 8.38 mm (6.47 x 2.94 x 0.33 in) |
| Weight | 227g (Sub6), 229g (mmWave) (8.01 oz) | 234 g (8.25 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), ceramic back, aluminum frame |
| Water & Dust Resistance | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
| SIM | — | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
Comms
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi Mi 11 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, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5) |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | — |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.2, OTG | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| Infrared port | — | Yes |
Launch
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | January 14, 2021 | 2021, March 29 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, January 29 | Available. Released 2021, April 02 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has more RAM, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — 16 GB for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra versus 12 GB for the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.
Which is lighter, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra?
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — 227 g for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra versus 234 g for the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.
Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra?
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra — Jan 2021 for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra versus Apr 2021 for the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra or the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra rated higher?
We rate the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 9/10 and the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra 9/10.