Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra camera scores lower than the Galaxy S20 Ultra in DxOMark review

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Image: Pranav Hegde)

The Samsung Galaxy S21 series arrived earlier this year in January. The lineup included the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra. Of the three smartphones, the Galaxy S21 Ultra arrived as Samsung’s camera monster for 2021, with impressive new upgrades in the camera department. But just how well did those upgrades fare; not so good, according to DxOMark.

In its review of the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s cameras, DxOMark only gave the phone an overall score of 121 points. Not only is that less for a 2021 flagship, but it is lower than the 126 points awarded to last year’s Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. It is worth noting that DxOMark tested the Exynos version of the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

While the Galaxy S21 Ultra matched its predecessor’s 128 points in photography, the former scored 76 points in Zoom and 98 points in Video. For comparison, the Galaxy S20 Ultra scored 88 points in Zoom and 106 points in Video.

In video, the Galaxy S21 Ultra was only tested in 4K at 60fps and was on par with the Pixel 4a. The review noted that video stabilization was the issue and was the underlying reason 8K video wasn’t tested. In the zoom test, the 10x periscope and additional mid-range zoom module couldn’t keep pace with the original zoom setup on the Galaxy S20 Ultra.

You can check out DxOMark’s full review of the Galaxy S21 Ultra here. You can also check out our review of the Galaxy S21 Ultra for a second opinion.