The Samsung Galaxy S21 range contains three of 2021’s first flagships, and even by the end of the year they’re likely to still rank among the best, so if you’re after a high-end phone then one of these is well worth considering.
But which one to buy? That’s a tougher choice. From the standard Samsung Galaxy S21, through to the bigger and slightly better Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus, and the super-premium Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, there are quite a few differences between these phones, and the best one for you won’t necessarily be the best one for everyone.
But that’s where this guide comes in. Below we’ll talk you through all the similarities and differences between the Galaxy S21 trio, so that by the end you’ll have a clear idea of how they compare and which one is the best for you.
| Model | RRP |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | £769 |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus 5G | £949 |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G | £1,149 |
The Samsung Galaxy S21 starts at £769, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus starts at £949, and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra starts at £1,149. So the price jumps by roughly £200 with each move up the range.
In all cases that’s with 128GB of storage, though versions with more storage are also available if you pay more.
Of course, the three phones are all available on contract too, which can take some of the sting out of the price, but whichever one you choose to buy and however you choose to buy it, you’ll certainly get a lot of phone for your money, as you’ll see below.
| Model | Dimensions | Weight |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9mm | 171g |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus 5G | 161.5 x 75.6 x 7.8mm | 202g |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G | 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9mm | 229g |
The Samsung Galaxy S21 and Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus look very similar to each other, as they both have an all-screen front with a flat display (more on which below), a single-lens selfie camera cut-out at the top, and a rectangular camera block on the back.
Really, the only obvious differences are in the size, as while the Samsung Galaxy S21 is 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9mm and 171g, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus is 161.5 x 75.6 x 7.8mm and 202g. So while they’re similarly slim, the Galaxy S21 Plus is a lot taller, a little wider, and significantly heavier. As such if you like to use your phone with one hand, consider the basic model.
One other less immediately obvious difference is that the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus has a glass back, while on the basic Galaxy S21 it’s plastic – though both have a metal frame.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the real odd one out though, as while it has a glass back and metal frame like the Galaxy S21 Plus, its camera block is completely different and much bigger. The whole phone is bigger too, coming in at 165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9mm and 229g. Notably that makes it the thickest of the three as well – this really is a monster of the phone. From the front it looks similar though, albeit with a curved display.
All three phones also have IP68 certification, meaning they’re dust and water resistant – the latter to depths of 1.5 metres for up to 30 minutes.
One final design difference is the colours they come in. You can get the basic Samsung Galaxy S21 in Phantom Violet, Phantom Grey, Phantom White, or Phantom Pink, while the Galaxy S21 Plus comes in Phantom Violet, Phantom Black, and Phantom Silver, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra is sold in Phantom Black and Phantom Silver. There are a few other shades too, but only if bought direct from Samsung.
| Model | Screen Size | Screen Resolution |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | 6.2 inches | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus 5G | 6.7 inches | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G | 6.8 inches | 1440 x 3200 pixels |
Each of these phones has a different screen size, and there are some other display differences too. The Samsung Galaxy S21 has a flat 6.2-inch 1080 x 2400 screen (with 421 pixels per inch), the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus has a flat 6.7-inch 1080 x 2400 screen (with 394 pixels per inch), and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has a curved 6.8-inch 1440 x 3200 screen (with 515 pixels per inch).
So the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s is the largest and sharpest of the three, though the Galaxy S21 Plus is almost as big.
All three phones use Dynamic AMOLED 2X though, so the core display technology is the same, and they all have a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, as well as support for HDR10+. The S21 Ultra can get a little brighter than its siblings, but there’s not much in it, so you’re mostly choosing size and resolution here.
| Model | Rear Cameras | Front-facing |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | 64MP telephoto, 12MP main and 12MP ultra-wide | 10MP |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus 5G | 64MP telephoto, 12MP main and 12MP ultra-wide | 10MP |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G | 108MP main, 10MP telephoto, 10MP telephoto, 12MP ultra-wide | 40MP |
Samsung’s flagships always have excellent cameras and the Galaxy S21 range look to have the best yet, especially in the case of the S21 Ultra.
That has a quad-lens camera, with a 108MP f/1.8 main snapper, a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide one, a 10MP f/2.4 telephoto one, and then a second 10MP telephoto one with an f/4.9 aperture. Those telephoto snappers allow it to get in close with up to 10x optical zoom.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 and Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus meanwhile both have a triple-lens camera, with a 12MP f/1.8 main one, a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide one, and a 64MP f/2.0 telephoto one (capable of 3x hybrid zoom). So they have a very different setup to the S21 Ultra, and much less zoom potential, but they should still be highly capable cameras.
All three phones can also record video in up to 8K quality, and they all have a wide assortment of shooting modes and options. However, one last camera difference is in the selfie snapper, as while the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus both have a 10MP f/2.2 one, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has a 40MP f/2.2 one.
| Model | Chipset and RAM | Storage |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | Exynos 2100, 8GB | 128GB / 256GB |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus 5G | Exynos 2100, 8GB | 128GB / 256GB |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G | Exynos 2100, 12GB / 16GB | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
The bulk of the core specs are the same across all three phones – you get a high-end Exynos 2100 chipset, 5G and Android 11. However, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra comes with up to 512GB of storage and 16GB of RAM, whereas the two other models top out at 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM.
All three phones are very powerful then, but if you want arguably the most powerful phone on the planet, then of the three it’s got to be the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra also benefits from supporting Samsung’s S Pen stylus, which the other two don’t – though this is sold separately.
| Model | Battery |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 5G | 4,000mAh |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus 5G | 4,800mAh |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G | 5,000mAh |
With the Samsung Galaxy S21 you get a 4,000mAh battery, while on the Galaxy S21 Plus the size jumps significantly, to 4,800mAh, and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra’s battery is even bigger at 5,000mAh.
However, the S21 Plus and S21 Ultra also have much bigger screens than the S21, so they’ll take more battery to run, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra also has a sharper screen, making for an even bigger drain.
As such, opting for a model with a larger battery won’t necessarily lead to longer life, but they should all perform well, and they all support 25W fast charging, 15W wireless charging, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging, so you can use them to charge other devices up.
There are a few different considerations when choosing between these phones, but the biggest is price – SIM free you’ll pay £180 more for a Galaxy S21 Plus than for the basic model, and to move from the standard S21 to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra will cost £380 more. And that’s just for the basic models of each.
So consider whether what each model delivers is really worth the extra money to you. As for what they do deliver – with the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus you’re mostly paying for a significantly bigger screen than the standard Samsung Galaxy S21, though it also has a more premium build and a bigger battery.
A lot more changes with the move to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra – it has a better camera setup, a sharper display, more RAM, S Pen support, and the biggest screen and battery of the trio. As such, its undeniably very high price can be somewhat justified, but if you don’t need those things then you might as well opt for a cheaper model, especially as the Galaxy S21 Ultra is also a big, relatively chunky phone.
Whichever model you opt for though you’ll be getting a very powerful phone with a great screen and great cameras, so you shouldn’t go too wrong with any of them.
