Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) camera review: Exynos front

We have already tested the camera of the

international version powered by Exynos

of Samsung's new S-series flagship, the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G. In this review, we take a close look at the S21 Ultra 5G version that uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset and is marketed primarily in North America and China.

Chipsets aside, the Exynos and Snapdragon versions are identical, with both supporting the S-Pen stylus and a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with a 20:9 aspect ratio, 3200x resolution 1440-

pixel

,

and flexible

frame

rate up to 120 Hz.

For the camera, both models combine two dedicated telephoto lenses (72- and 240mm equivalent) with a standard wide and ultra-wide camera. It's an interesting change from last year's S20 Ultra, which came with a single 103mm-equivalent periscope telephoto lens.

Let's see how the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) compares to its cousin Exynos and some major rivals from competing brands.

Key camera specs:

Main: 108MP 1/1.33″ sensor, 0.8μm, 24mm f/1.8- equivalent

opening

goal,

OIS

,

PDF

Ultra-wide: 12MP 1/2.55″ sensor, 1.4μm, 13mm f/2.2 equivalent-

opening

objective, double-

pixel

AF

Tele 1: 1/3.24″ 10MP sensor, 1.22μm lens equivalent to 72mm f/2.4 aperture, Dual Pixel AF,

OIS

Tele2: 10MP 1/3.24″ sensor, 1.22μm 240mm equivalent f/4.9 aperture lens, Dual Pixel AF, OIS

LED flash

Video: 4320p/24fps, 2160p/60/30fps (2160p/60fps tested), HDR10+

About DXOMARK Camera Tests:

For scoring and analysis in our smartphone camera tests, DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate over 3000 te first images and over 2.5 hours of video both in controlled laboratory environments and in indoor and outdoor natural scenes, using default camera settings. This article is designed to highlight the most important results of our testing. For more information on the DXOMARK camera test protocol,

Click here.

More details on how we rate smartphone cameras are available

here

.

Summary of the test

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (snapdragon)

123

camera

129

photo

78

zoom

102

video

With an Overall DXOMARK Camera Score of 123, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) scores two points higher than the Exynos model but is still far from the current best-in-class models and does not feature in our ranking current top ten .

Its photo score of 129 is one point higher than that of the Exynos device. This is mainly based on a better

texture

and

noise

as well as a slightly better preview image. However, autofocus performance is a bit worse with the Snapdragon chipset.

The Snapdragon model also scores two more points for Zoom, with slightly better results in the tele and wide categories. The score is four points higher for video, with the Snapdragon-powered camera delivering better results for autofocus, texture, and stabilization. On the other hand, the noise is a little worse than on the international Exynos version.

The S21 Ultra 5G with Snapdragon chipset produces pleasing images with vivid colors, natural skin tones and good levels of detail.

Stills captured on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) show good exposure in most conditions, and a fairly wide

dynamic range

means the camera handles difficult high-contrast scenes well. That said, highlight clipping

can often be seen in backlit conditions, and exposure may be unstable between shots, especially when shooting in

HDR

terms.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (snapdragon), good target exposure on face, highlight clipping in background

Huawei Mate 40 Pro, good target exposure, better background highlight retention

The camera delivers vivid colors and pleasing skin tones with color rendition

global

which is similar to the Exynos model, but there are more

white balance

casts in low light. In terms of texture/noise, the Snapdragon model is an improvement over the Exynos variant, with better detail rendering and lower noise levels. Fine detail is well preserved and noise is mostly only visible in low light.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (snapdragon) interior texture

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (snapdragon), crop, good details

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos), interior texture

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos), cropping: a little less detail

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, interior texture

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, cropping: a little less detail

The difference between the Snapdragon version and the Exynos-powered international version is even more noticeable in low light. In this scene, the Snapdragon device produces significantly lower noise levels than the Exynos version.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon), low light texture and noise

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G ( Snapdragon), cropping: a little noise

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos), low light texture and noise

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos), cropping: loud noise p>

Images

artifacts

are reasonably well controlled, yet powerful

aliasing

as well as

colored fringes

and

ghost images

can be found in some images captured under bright light outdoors.

Autofocus is one area where Snapdragon device performance drops slightly behind the Exynos-powered model, with occasional autofocus failures and noticeably slow focus in high contrast conditions. In this graph, you can see that the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) takes almost a second to capture an image after the

shutter

was pressed in daylight conditions. That's slower than the Exynos phone (which also doesn't offer zero shutter lag so isn't the fastest either).

Comparison of autofocus in daylight conditions (1000 lux) with 2

Images captured in simulation mode

bokeh

show a slight lack of detail, and there is some variation between shots in terms of the strength of the

vague

applied to the background as well as the shape of the spotlights in the background.

Bokeh simulation, slight lack of detail

Ultra-wide, good exposure, wide dynamic range

The preview image of the phone is very similar to that of the Exynos version, with very good zooming fluidity and exposure similar to the final capture.

The tele-zoom image quality is quite good across a wide range of zoom factors, but not quite on par with the best devices in this class, despite Samsung's dual-tele approach. In this close-range (about 2x) studio shot, the Snapdragon device does a better job of preserving fine detail than its Exynos counterpart. However, the two Samsung phones can't quite keep up with the Huawei Mate 40 Pro.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon), short-range TV

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon), crop: good detail

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos), short-range TV

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos), cropping: lack of details

Huawei Mate 40 Pro, short-range TV

Huawei Mate 40 Pro, crop: excellent detail

At medium range (around 3x), both Samsungs offer good detail but noise is visible too. The Huawei captures a noticeably sharper image.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon), mid-range TV

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon), crop: good details, noise

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos), mid-range TV

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos), crop: good details, noise

Huawei Mate 40 Pro, mid-range TV

Huawei Mate 40 Pro, crop, good details, low noise

At long range (around 12x) things change and the S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) delivers the best result, making the Samsung a good option for those shooting a lot of images at max tele settings.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon), long range TV

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon), crop: better detail than comparison devices

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos), long-range TV

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos), cropping: lack of detail

Huawei Mate 40 Pro, long-range TV

Huawei Mate 40 Pro, cropping: strong lack of detail

Like the Exynos version, we tested the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) in 4K resolution

and 60 frames per second. Video clips recorded on the Samsung in decent lighting conditions show good exposure but can be underexposed in low light. Dynamic range is good but not on par with the best in class.

As for still images, video color rendering is quite close to the Exynos version. However, our testers noticed unnatural skin tones on the Snapdragon device, caused by bluish white balance in indoor lighting, and slight color casts when shooting outdoors in bright light.

On the other hand, video autofocus works better than on the Exynos device and is one of the camera's strengths, thanks to good tracking and stability. However, the level of detail could be better for 4K recording and is far from the best devices in this category. A

excessive ringing

, more visible along high-contrast edges, also reduced texture quality.

Noise remains a weakness, as it is visible in all lighting conditions. In low light,

luminance noise

becomes more intrusive and coarse, and some chroma noise is thrown into the mix as well.

On the plus side, 60fps recording means smooth motion and the video stabilization is quite effective and counteracts camera shake well. Jello effects and

frame shifts

are better controlled than on the Exynos version as well, but a

sharpness

difference between frames can be quite noticeable, especially when recording in indoor conditions.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon), outdoor video

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos), outdoor video p>

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, outdoor video

Conclusion

When we reviewed the Exynos version of the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, we said that given the high-end specs of the device, we would have expected a higher camera score. The same goes for the Snapdragon version sold in North America, China, and a few other markets.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon) is capable of capturing great photos and videos in most situations. It's also marginally better than its Exynos counterpart in almost every test area, but still lags behind most direct competitors from competing brands.

Advantages

Accurate exposure and fairly wide dynamic range

Good detail in outdoor and indoor shots and videos

Vibrant color and lovely skin tones

Good image quality with the ultra-wide camera

Effective video stabilization

A high frame rate

provides smooth videos. p>

Disadvantages

Occasional autofocus failures, slow AF in HDR conditions

Noise in low light

Exposure instabilities under HDR conditions

Occasional underexposure in video, especially in low light or backlit portrait scenes

White balance fits videos, with occasional skin tones

inaccuracies

In the press

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Review

23april2021

Summary of the test

Conclusion