Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Vs Z Fold 3 – Which Samsung Phone Will Be Best?
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has established itself as the ultimate phone from Samsung this spring, offering the best features that the electronics giant packs into its phones. But the S21 Ultra is about to get some company.
Samsung has planned a new Galaxy Unpacked event for August 11, which is expected to launch its fall phones. And unlike previous years, when a new Galaxy Note model was the highlight of the last half of the year, rumors suggest that this time Samsung is switching to new versions of its foldable phones to grab buyers’ attention. In particular, the rumors about the Galaxy Z Fold 3 sound like it will be Samsung’s big release in a few weeks.
Rumor has it that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 could challenge the S21 Ultra’s place at the top of the Samsung pyramid. Many of the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s high-profile features — a powerful processor, a display with a dynamically adjustable refresh rate, even S Pen support — are expected to make their way to the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
This roundup of Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Vs Z Fold 3 examines the expected similarities between the two flagship devices and how Samsung plans to differentiate two of its more versatile offerings.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Vs Z Fold 3: Price
Although Samsung took $200 off the price tag of the 2020 Galaxy S20 Ultra when the S21 Ultra was released this spring, you’ll still pay a starting price of $1,199. This makes the Galaxy S21 Ultra one of the most expensive Samsung phones on the market.
Until you get to Samsung’s foldable phones. The Galaxy Z Fold 2 debuted last year for $1,999, although Samsung subsequently cut the price of that device by $200 as well. Still, a Galaxy Z Fold 2 at $1,799 costs $550 more than a Galaxy S21 Ultra that takes up 256GB of storage.
Samsung is reportedly looking for something about the high cost of its foldable device, with the company rumored to have a price tag of $1,599 for the Galaxy Z Fold 3, which it originally cost. Whatever happens, the Galaxy S21 Ultra will remain the relatively cheaper option of these two high-end versions from Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Vs Z Fold 3: Design
The strongest contrast between the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy S21 Ultra is Samsung’s approach to designing both phones. The S21 Ultra is a fairly conventional smartphone, albeit with rounded edges and a contoured design that places the rear camera array on the side of the phone. The Galaxy Z Fold takes on a completely different shape – it’s a bit thicker, but this allows the phone to open up and reveal a larger screen inside.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 could introduce a design innovation never seen before on a Samsung phone. The foldable device can use a camera below the display for the selfie camera on the interior display. That would allow for a screen that runs from one edge to the other without an intrusive camera cutout like the one in the top center of the S21 Ultra’s screen. Cameras below the display are only visible when needed to take a photo.
Samsung is also said to improve the durability of its foldable phones. With that in mind, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is rumored to have IPX8 water resistance, which matches the S21 Ultra’s ability to withstand diving in about 1 meter of water without damage.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Vs Z Fold 3: Display
The pride and joy of the Galaxy S21’s 6.8-inch screen is the ability to change the refresh rate based on activity. When you’re doing something that benefits from a faster refresh rate, such as a game, the S21 Ultra can go up to 120Hz for a much smoother experience. If your activities are more static in nature – for example when viewing still images – the refresh rate of the S21 Ultra can be reduced to 10 Hz to save battery.
We’re mentioning this because that fast refresh rate will likely hit the Galaxy Z Fold 3 too – and not just on a screen. Both the outer cover display and the inner display should be able to go up to 120 Hz is required.
The Z Fold 3’s cover display should be 6.23 inches. While it’s smaller than the S21 Ultra’s screen, keep in mind that the Z Fold opens up to provide a tablet-like display. This inner screen is expected to be somewhere between 7.5 and 7.7 inches, whatever rumor you believe.
Samsung Galaxy Z S21 Ultra Vs Z Fold 3: Cameras
The Galaxy S21 Ultra is one of the best camera phones and should remain Samsung’s camera king even after the release of the Galaxy Z Fold 3. For control, the S21 Ultra has a 108MP main camera, which is complemented by a 12MP ultra-wide angle lens and a pair of 10MP telephoto lenses. The S21 Ultra is definitely the phone to go to when you need to magnify your subject, also thanks to a zoom lock feature that keeps those shots calm and noise-free.
In terms of volume, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 can at least keep up. Like the Galaxy Z Fold 2, which was released earlier, the Z Fold 3 is expected to have a triple camera array (the main shooter plus ultra-wide-angle and telephoto lenses) on the back, complemented by selfie cameras on both the cover screen and the front. interior display. (The latter should be a camera below the screen, as mentioned earlier.)
In fact, the number of lenses isn’t the only thing the Z Fold 3 has in common with its predecessor – a recent rumor has it that the rear cameras will feature the same trio of 12MP sensors found on the Z Fold 2’s inner-display selfie camera. , presumably from 10 MP to 16 MP.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Vs Z Fold 3: Performance and 5G
In terms of performance, there is not much to distinguish between the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Most Samsung viewers expect the new Galaxy Z Fold to use the Snapdragon 888, Qualcomm’s main chipset (at least until the Snapdragon 888 Plus appears in phones). The Snapdragon 888 also powers the Galaxy S21 series, including the Ultra, so we’d expect similar performance for both phones.
In fact, the phones must also have the correct memory. The standard configuration of the Galaxy S21 Ultra has 12 GB of RAM, which can optionally be expanded to 16 GB. The leaked specs of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 suggest the same options.
Like the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 supports 5G connectivity. (A 5G modem is included in the Snapdragon 888 system-on-chip.) We assume Samsung’s foldable phone can connect to both sub-6GHz and faster mmWave-based 5G networks, just like the S21.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Vs Z Fold 3: Battery Life And Charging
Even with 5G and an adaptive display, the Galaxy S21 Ultra lands on the list of the best cell phone battery life. A 5,000 mAh battery can do that for you. With the adaptive refresh rate turned off, the S21 Ultra lasted 11 hours and 25 minutes in our battery test, which saw phones surf the web continuously. This is a great time. But even enabling the adaptive feature reduced the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s battery test time by just over an hour and is still ahead of the average smartphone.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is going to struggle this time around, and not just because it has multiple screens that need to be powered. The new foldable device will reportedly have a 4,380 mAh battery, which is actually smaller than the power adapter in the Galaxy Z Fold 2. It’s possible that Samsung downsized the battery to make room for an S-pen dock (more on this in a moment) ), but we’d expect the Z Fold 3 and its smaller battery to struggle to match the Z Fold 2’s 10-hour results in our battery test.
Initial reports suggest that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will support 25W charging, the same speed as the S21 Ultra. Samsung hasn’t included a charger with any S21 model, but you can imagine that this isn’t a good fit when people are already spending more than $1,500 on a phone.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Vs Z Fold 3: Software And Special Features
Like the Galaxy S21 Ultra, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 will debut with Android 11 installed. Because the new version of Google’s Android 12 software is still in beta. In addition, Google usually reserves the first steps in its software updates for its own Pixel phones. We expect both the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and S21 Ultra to get their Android 12 updates by the end of this year.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy S21 Ultra should have something in common. When it debuted earlier this year, the S21 Ultra was the first phone outside of the Samsung Galaxy Note family to support the S Pen. This is presumably also the case with the Galaxy Z Fold 3, although in the case of the foldable official documents point to the device that supports Samsung’s S Pen Pro. This version of the pen has Bluetooth connectivity so you can use it as a remote control. (The S Pen Pro, announced in January but not yet released, may also work with the S21 Ultra.)
There may be one more important difference between the two phones. The S Pen is an optional accessory for the Galaxy S21 Ultra – you can buy it or skip it, but when you buy it you’ll also need to grab a bag with a slit to hold the pen. There are indications that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 may come with an included S Pen. If so, imagine that the Z Fold 3 has a slot for the pen, much like the Galaxy Note models have done over the years.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs. Galaxy S21 Ultra: Specs
| Galaxy Z Fold 3 (rumored) | Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
| Screen size | 6.23-inch cover, 7.5-7.7-inch interior | 6.8 inches |
| Refresh rate | 120HZ | 10-120Hz |
| CPU | Snapdragon 888 | Snapdragon 888 |
| RAM | 12GB, 16GB | 12GB, 16GB |
| Storage | 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Rear cameras | 12MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto (2x zoom) | 108MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto (3x zoom), 10MP telephoto (10x zoom) |
| Front cameras | 10MP (cover) 16MP (interior) | 40MP |
| Battery size | 4,380 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| S Pen support | Yes | Yes |
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Vs Z Fold 3: Conclusion
While the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy S21 Ultra seem to have a lot in common, their differences point to the two different audiences Samsung aims to serve. With its conventional design and powerful cameras, the S21 seems to be courting a more traditional consumer who wants the best of everything, especially when it comes to mobile photography. The Galaxy Z Fold 3, on the other hand, is still the device of choice for people who need the largest possible screen to do their work on the go.
That, of course, depends on Samsung sticking to the rumored Galaxy Z Fold 3 specs. We’re looking forward to seeing our Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Vs Z Fold 3 to revisit once the new foldable device hits the market and we can see how the two phones actually measure up.
Via: tomsguide
