The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G marks a new era in smartphone design for the company. But with one of its major competitors challenged by a Google services lockout, has Samsung chosen to innovate or rest on its laurels?

The Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, unveiled alongside Samsung's Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus phones, proves that sometimes you have to do something twice to get it right. While just as bold as last year's Galaxy S20 Ultra, the S21 Ultra is a refined second take on the concept. There's still the 100x Space Zoom, but it's easier to use. There is still the "big for the sake of being big" design, but it looks more appealing. And there's still a high price, but at $1,200 (£1,149, AU$1,849) it costs $200 less than the S20 Ultra in the US.

With an elegant design, lower price and S-Pen support, the second time's the charm for Samsung. The Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G earns a CNET Editors' Choice Award.

Gorgeous phantom black finish; Two telephoto cameras; The screen is spectacular; S-Pen support;

It's heavy; Lacks a microSD card slot; $1,200 is still expensive;

After what I considered to be a year of disappointing phones for Samsung in 2020, the company seems to have redeemed itself with its first flagships of 2021. The Galaxy S21 Ultra, much like its smaller siblings, is $200 cheaper than its predecessor, and it hardly makes any compromises to get there -...

Design and finish, Excellent display and sound, Great zoom capabilities, Solid battery life for Exynos, $200 cheaper than last year

Camera's night mode could, be better, Disappointing Wi-Fi reception, No charger in the box

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G offers not only a 3x telephoto lens, but also a 10x telephoto lens. As long as you don't use the additional digital zoom, then results can be very good.

New 10x telephoto camera, Consistant results from all cameras, Excellent colour, Excellent range of cameras, Speedy performance and snappy responses

No MicroSD memory card slot, Night mode images can have issues, High price

It's like an anime title: "Galaxy S: Redemption." The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is, by and large, what the Galaxy S20 Ultra should have been. It's a solid and premium-feeling phone with a unique (for the US) superzoom camera, a gorgeous screen, and future-forward network chops. The S21 Ultra sets the bar for Android performance in 2021 and its superzoom camera will lead you to look at the world in new ways. Now that we've closely compared it with the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max and the OnePlus 9 Pro as well as Samsung's own Note 20 Ultra, we can say with confidence that the S21 Ultra is our Editors' Choice.The Top of the Galaxy S Line Samsung has three models in its 2021 flagship Galaxy S series: the small S21, the medium S21 Plus, and the large S21 Ultra. They all have the same basic processor and modem. The S21 and S21 Plus are similar, other than their screen and battery sizes. The S21 Ultra pours on features the other two lack: a 108-megapixel main camera, a 40-megapixel selfie ca...

The Galaxy S21 Ultra delivers a high-quality superzoom camera that truly works, supports Samsung's excellent S Pen, and sets the bar for smartphone features in 2021.

Beautiful design and solid build; Excellent photo quality at up to 10x zoom; Equipped for next-gen C-band and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity

Heavy

While not perfect, I think the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G is pretty close. It’s missing some features that I’ve grown accustomed to with my previous phones, mainly expandable storage, and an AUX jack, but I believe the additions make up for the subtractions.

So all in all, yes, we do feel that the Enhanced Game Booster did bring some improvements to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G. As mentioned, the RAM allocation and processing speed directed to some mobile games proved useful.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is a no-holds-barred uber-flagship with sizeable proportions and a high price, but for your money, you get the most uncompromisingly capable smartphone on the market right now

Best camera phone to date; Excellent performance; Lighter than expected; Great battery life; Beautiful display;

No charger may irk some; Loss of microSD slot; It's big; Price;

As we’re wrapping up the review, I’m left with quite a few different views on the new S21 series, all depending on the model, with also some value considerations depending on the price you’re able to get the new phones at.

Android phones often try to market specs, with companies throwing everything but the kitchen sink at their flagship phones. But the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra may be the first phone that’s throwing the right specs at you — right, in the sense that they go a long way in justifying the price.