- The OnePlus 9 Pro
versus the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
it's the comparison everybody wants to see.
What's up guys,
Saf here on SuperSaf TV.
And I posted a camera comparison
between these two a couple of days ago,
following on from that a lot of you guys
wanted me to do a detailed comparison
looking at all of the other features.
So that's exactly what we'll be doing in this video.
We're going to look at all of the different categories,
display, build, battery life.
We're going to put them up against each other.
I'll tell you the differences,
the advantages, the disadvantages.
And I'll also give you my opinion
on which I think is better personally, in each category.
And hopefully that will help you decide
which one of these is right for you.
So I've been using the S21 Ultra
as one of my daily drivers for around two months.
And my sim card went from the S21 ultra
into the OnePlus 9 Pro a couple of weeks ago.
And I want to say straight away
that both of these are really, really good smartphones,
some of the best out there.
Let's initially start off with the displays.
I think both of these have some
of the best displays in the market right now.
They are quite similar because we've got
small bezels, slight curves on the edges
with a punch outs.
Now, of course, we've got a center punch out
on the S21 Ultra.
We've got a side punch out on the OnePlus 9 Pro.
Honestly speaking, I don't mind either of these.
They both are quite small
and you forget about them very, very quickly.
Both devices are using Amoled technology.
So we've got amazing colors, deep blacks,
both also have a quad HD plus resolution
so things are very, very sharp.
And both also supports a 120 Hertz refresh rate
making things very, very smooth.
Both are also LTPO displays
which means they can adapt the refresh rate to save battery.
The OnePlus 9 Pro can go all the way down to one Hertz.
Whereas the S21 Ultra can go all the way down 10 Hertz.
And we've also got always on displays on both devices.
This is something that OnePlus devices
haven't traditionally had
and they introduced this finally from last year.
Now the similarities do stop there.
The S21 Ultra is slightly larger
but it's really not that much of a big difference.
And it also has a higher peak brightness.
Something that you might not notice on the day-to-day
but if you're like me and you always wear sunglasses
and if you are out on a sunny day
then this is an edge that the S21 Ultra will have.
The OnePlus 9 Pro however does have a higher
touch sampling rates.
And this can make it feel more responsive
especially if you are playing a supported game.
And finally, on the displays
the S21 ultra does have gorilla glass Victus.
Whereas on the OnePlus 9 Pro
you do have the older gorilla glass five.
Making the S21 Ultra a little bit more durable.
Now, moving on to the fingerprint scanners
both devices do have an in display fingerprint scanner.
We've got an optical-in-display
fingerprint scanner on the OnePlus 9 Pro.
We've got an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner
on the S21 Ultra.
Now, in terms of speed, honestly speaking
both of these have very, very fast
really can't pick one or the other.
But I would say that the S21 Ultra
has the overall better fingerprint scanner.
First up, it's using ultrasonic technology
which means it's more secure.
And it also doesn't rely on a light to unlock
which is a big advantage.
If you use your smartphone a lot in the dark.
With the OnePlus 9 Pro,
it could be dark but as soon as you activate
the fingerprint scanner it shines a bright light
in order to be able to read your fingerprint.
With the S21 Ultra
it doesn't mess around with the brightness of the display
when you are trying to unlock.
It's also got a larger area
and the positioning is also a better
it's a more reachable compared
to the very low down fingerprint scanner
of the OnePlus 9 Pro.
So for the fingerprint scanner
it is a win for the S21 Ultra.
Right, now moving on to the size, built and designed.
So both devices are pretty big,
but the OnePlus 9 Pro weighs quite a bit less
compared to the S21 Ultra.
It's also thinner and just more compact.
So the OnePlus 9 Pro is definitely
the more comfortable device to use overall
especially for longer periods of time.
Now for the design, obviously it's subjective
but the OnePlus 9 Pro
there's lots of other devices that do look like this
with the camera module.
I would say that the S21 Ultra is a lot more unique
with this camera module that kind of blends
and bleeds into the edges.
The S21 Ultra also only comes in matte finishes
which I'm definitely glad about
because they don't attract as many fingerprints.
The OnePlus 9 Pro the version I've got here is very glossy.
And although it can look really good,
it only looked good until you actually pick it up
and put it in your hands
because you get so many fingerprints on here.
Both devices are IP68 water and dust resistant
and we've got a metal frame with gorilla glass.
The S21 Ultra however,
once again, does have gorilla glass Victus
making it more durable compared to the gorilla glass five
on the OnePlus 9 Pro.
Now I'm not somebody who does drop tests
but gorilla glass Victus,
as we've seen time and time again
is definitely more durable.
So if you are after something
that's more compact and comfortable
then the win would go to the OnePlus 9 Pro.
But if you are after something that's more durable
and it looks more unique
then the win would go to the S21 Ultra.
Right now, before we move on to the cameras,
if you're enjoying the video
then do smash that like button
it really helps out with the YouTube algorithm
and also consider subscribing
if you want to see more content like this.
Okay, cameras.
Now as mentioned I have done a detailed
SuperSaf style camera comparison between these two.
I'll link that video in the cards
and down in the description.
So do go ahead and check that out
but to give you a brief summary
we have very good overall cameras on both devices.
We have an ultra-wide, a primary,
as well as a telephoto camera.
However, the S21 Ultra does have two telephoto cameras.
Now we do have this huge Hasselblad partnership
that OnePlus has been going on about
what that results in is much more natural colors.
They've worked a lot with Hasselblad
to tune their color science and this really does show.
The S21 Ultra tends to go
for some more vibrant, punchy colors,
which some of you may actually prefer.
Now for the primary camera.
It was pretty much neck and neck,
I think both do a really good job.
For the ultra-wide camera,
the OnePlus 9 Pro does have less distortion
because it has a free form lens
but the S21 Ultra does give you a wider field of view
with better dynamic range.
Now for zoom,
I would say it's a pretty easy win for the S21 Ultra.
We've got three times optical zoom at the first stage.
The OnePlus 9 Pro has 3.3 times zoom.
But even at that stage,
I did prefer results from the S21 Ultra
just giving you overall cleaner images
and then anything, 10 times or above
the S21 Ultra does have Periscope zoom technology.
So you do get optical zoom at 10 times.
You can even get some usable results out around 20
possibly even 30 times.
Now it does go all the way up to a hundred times
but it's something that I wouldn't use,
but yeah zoom clearly went for the S21 Ultra.
Now the OnePlus 9 Pro also
has a two megapixel monochrome camera
which is supposed to help with black and white images.
I really don't think it makes much of a difference.
I think it's there just for the sake
of having an additional camera.
Now for video,
both devices do film great quality 4k video.
Although I did find that the S21 Utra was more stable.
However, the OnePlus 9 Pro
you can film at 4k 120 frames a second
which gives you some really nice
high quality slow motion footage.
Also both devices do film at 8K.
However, the S21 Ultra
you can only film at 8K from the primary camera.
And it has a significant crop
which really my experience makes it unusable.
The OnePlus 9 Pro you can film 8K video,
not only from the primary camera,
which doesn't crop in massively
but also from the ultra wide camera
giving you a lot more flexibility.
So for 8K video,
the OnePlus 9 Pro gets the win.
Now for the front facing cameras
it's a very one-sided story.
The S21 Ultra gives you just better colors
and better details from the front facing camera.
I found the OnePlus 9 Pro
all of that color science that we talked about
kind of goes out the window for the front facing camera.
Also for video, the OnePlus 9 Pro,
you can only film at 1080P up to 30 frames a second.
The S21 Ultra, you can film at 4K up to 60 frames a second
and the difference is quite significant.
This is one area where OnePlus I think really did fail.
It was very much an afterthought,
the front facing camera.
And I think for a flagship device in 2021
not having 4k is a big, big downside.
If you are somebody who takes lots of selfies
and vlogs from your camera
then the S21 Ultra is the clear choice here.
Right, for the speakers.
We do have stereo speakers on both
one in the EPS on one bottom firing.
And both of them sound really, really good.
I am not an audio experts.
However, my friend Thunder E from Bored at Work is,
so if you are very much interested
in which one of these is slightly better
then do go ahead and check out his speaker test
which I will link down in the description.
Right now Let's talk about software.
So both of these are based on Android 11
but we have different software skins.
We have One UI on the S21 Ultra,
we have OxygenOS on the OnePlus 9 Pro.
Now, honestly speaking, I like both skins.
The OnePlus 9 pro has been inspired by One UI recently
and has improved one handed usage which I do like
but overall, this will come down
to personal preference I believe.
Now when it comes to updates
OnePlus has promised two years of software updates,
three years of security updates,
where Samsung has promised
three years of software updates,
with four years of security updates.
So if you are thinking of keeping your device
for quite some time,
then the S21 Ultra will be giving you updates
for a longer period of time.
However OnePlus does have a really good track record
for bringing updates very quickly, compared to Samsung.
So something to keep in mind.
Now, I want to talk a little bit about
the additional features that you get with the S21 Ultra
which really go with the whole Samsung ecosystem.
So firstly, you do have support for the S pen.
This is something that you would have to buy separately
but if you are somebody who likes to use a stylist
on your smartphone
maybe to do some quick doodles signed documents
then this is something you'll be able to do
on the S21 Ultra.
The S21 Ultra also has support for Samsung Dex
which will allow you to connect
your S21 Ultra to a display
and have a desktop experience.
The S21 Ultra also comes with ultra wide band technology
which will allow it to easily connect
to lots of different accessories.
Also things like your car, maybe some smart tags.
And it also comes with wifi 6E.
So if you do have a compatible router
you will be able to get fastest speeds on the S21 Ultra
compared to just wifi 6 on the OnePlus 9 Pro.
Okay, now let's talk about the batteries and battery life.
So the S21 Ultra does have a larger 5,000
milliamp power battery.
And in my day-to-day use,
I did find that the S21 Ultra
does have better battery life overall.
I would say around 15% better battery life
I'm getting on the S21 Ultra.
Now, obviously usage varies, and so does screen on time.
But if I give you my personal screen on time for reference
I'm getting around six hours of screen on time
on the S21 Ultra.
Whereas I'm getting around five hours
of screen on time on the OnePlus 9 Pro.
Now, I do want to say that the S21 Ultra
the Exynos version when I initially got it
the battery life was really not that good,
but after a software update,
it actually improved quite a bit.
So I do want to give OnePlus a chance
to make some software updates
to improve the battery life of the OnePlus 9 Pro.
Now, when it comes to charging,
it's an easy, easy win for the OnePlus 9 Pro.
Firstly, the charging speed
the S21 ultra can only do 25 Watts
which is pretty fast for most people
but the OnePlus 9 Pro supports 65 watt charging.
Not only that, it comes with the charger
included out of the box.
The S21 Ultra does not come with a charger
included out of the box.
The OnePlus 9 Pro can charge from one to 100%
in around 30 minutes, which is very, very fast
and so-so convenient.
Both devices also support wireless charging,
but once again the OnePlus 9 Pro
can charge much, much faster
50 watt wireless charging.
Now to get those speeds you will need a specific charger
that costs around 70 pounds,
but it's nice to have that option on there.
The S21 Ultra can only charge at around 15 Watts.
Both devices also have reverse wireless charging
where you can charge other devices
or maybe some ear buds on the back of each device.
Now let's talk about performance.
So both devices do come with
the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip set
which is currently the fastest chip sets
on the Android side of things,
depending on your region however,
you may get the Exynos version of the S21 Ultra.
But you will be pleased to know
that the Exynos version of the S21 Ultra is quite comparable
to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 this year.
However, the overall edge for performance
I would say does go to the OnePlus 9 Pro.
They've got a vapor chamber
and generally after using the device
for a longer period of time
the temperatures are lower on the OnePlus 9 Pro
compared to the S21 Ultra.
Also, you do have that higher touch sampling rate
which can have an impact on compatible games.
If you are interested in a detailed performance
in gaming comparison between these two
then I'm going to link to my buddy once again,
to Thunder E from Bored at Work,
who's done a separate video
looking at temperatures and everything.
But generally speaking
I think performance is very, very good on both devices.
Now when it comes to storage and Ram,
the S21 Ultra gets the advantage
because you get a higher base Ram of 12 gigabytes
and you can go all the way up to 16.
Also, you do have an option of 512 gigabytes,
which you will of course be paying more for,
but that option is there.
The OnePlus 9 Pro does come with a base
of eight gigabytes of Ram
with the 128 gigabyte storage version.
And if you do want 12 gigabytes of Ram
you will have to go for the 256 gigabyte option.
Now, finally, let's look at the pricing.
So if we look at the launch pricing
then the S21 Ultra did come in quite a bit higher
compared to the OnePlus 9 Pro.
But you have to remember
that the S21 Ultra has been out for a couple of months
which means you can get some better deals for it.
If we look in the UK,
you're still looking at around 200 pounds more
for the S21 ultra
I've just had a look on Amazon,
the S21 Ultra based model is going for around 1050 pounds.
But the story is quite different in the U S
because the S21 Ultra has gone down all the way to $999,
which makes it just $30 more
compared to the OnePlus 9 Pro.
So here's what I think.
I think both of these overall are great devices.
If you're based in the UK,
then I would say that the OnePlus 9 Pro
is the overall better deal.
You are saving quite a bit compared to the S21 Ultra.
However, if you're based in the U S
then I would say the S21 Ultra
with all of its additional features,
potentially for just $30 more
when it comes back on offer is the better overall option.
And I would definitely go for the S21 Ultra
if I was based in the U S.
That's what I think anyway,
what do you guys think?
Do drop me a comment below.
Let me know your thoughts.
I hope you enjoyed this video
and found it useful if you did
then do smashed the like button for me.
And if you haven't already
then you should subscribe and hit that bell icon
so you don't miss video coverage like this.
Thanks for watching.
This is Saf on SuperSaf TV
and I'll see you next time.