Which Phone is Better OnePlus 9 Pro Or Galaxy S21 Ultra?

Look at how the upcoming OnePlus 9 Pro stacks up against the best of android that is Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. OnePlus has officially revealed it all, they're done with the flagship killer stuff because OnePlus 9 Pro is challenging. The likes of Galaxy S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max with some crazy features that even make Samsung look a bit outdated.

 

So let's start off with pricing OnePlus 9 Pro will cost roughly around $950, it's touching that absolute premium price but still not too close to the fire unlike Samsung and Apple with their environmental decisions. You do get a 65W fast charger with the OnePlus 9 Pro right out of the box.

 

Now, let's first take a look at design I’ve been using the Galaxy S21 ultra since the day it came out. I have to say this is by far the best black color phone I've ever owned, love the matte finish and the look of the camera. It is clearly a proper definition of an ultra phone.

 

OnePlus on the other hand has created a pretty unique look for their phone that is on the same level as the S21 Ultra. In addition to the traditional black color we have a super unique morning mist color that has a dual finish, it's glossy towards the bottom, it has a matte finish on the top honestly. It looks really good and then we have the third color that is close to nature it's called pine green. Honestly, OnePlus takes the cake when it comes to the colors. Samsung reserved most of its color range to S21 and S21 Plus with the S31 Ultra. They just maintained sort of a mature look.

 

Now, when it comes to the display both phones are on their absolute pinnacle. We've got a Quad HD 120s refresh rate on both phones that is variable to conserve battery. Both displays are slightly curved. Samsung display does have a slightly more peak brightness coming at 1500-nit compared to 1300-nit of OnePlus 9 Pro but I think the main factor that separates the screen of both of these two phones is that Galaxy S21 Ultra actually has a support for S-Pen. The S21 Ultra is the first phone that combines the element of the note and that flagship phone. So if you want to, you can actually use stylus on the screen which is something that is just not possible on the OnePlus 9 Pro. Also there's a difference between the bunch hold positioning I personally prefer it in the middle but it's going to come down to personal preference.

 

Now, under the hood we have Qualcomm's Fabric and Tripoli on both phones if you're in the US. For international markets you're going to see Exynos 2100 inside the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

 

Now, unlike last year things are much better. There are a few differences, the GPU on Sniper Elite III is still a bit faster but for the most part these phones are neck and neck.

 

Now, OnePlus says that they have a 300% bigger vapor chamber system inside the OnePlus 9 Pro which has allowed this phone to have better heat dissipation compared to the S21 Ultra.

 

Both phones are rocking, plenty of ram for multitasking up to 12 GB of ram. Same thing can be said with software android 11 on both phones with absolute feature packed skins with so many customization options, Google's feed integration, three years of software updates they are proper long term flagships.

 

Which Phone Better, OnePlus 9 Pro, Galaxy S21 Ultra

Now, let’s check out cameras. This is where it's all about. OnePlus has been going pretty crazy on the whole hype. The main reason behind their collaboration with Hasselblad is to correct their color science with the past OnePlus flagships. There's always been a difference between the colors from the main and Ultraviolence when you take photos. This time it is apparently fixed, thanks to Hasselblad stepping in. They may just look consistent. This is something that we see on Samsung and Apple already. While OnePlus is going towards more of a natural side of things Samsung on the other hand has a different kind of processing. One of the best dynamic range I've ever seen on a smartphone camera. Now, when you look at the main camera on both phones we have a 48 megapixel IMX 789 sensor on OnePlus 9 Pro. We're seeing this sensor for the first time. Samsung has the ISOCELL HM3 which is a 108MP sensor. Both phones can shoot videos up to 8k but OnePlus can do something else which is 4K videos up to 120 fps. Samsung can only do 4K up to 60 fps.  So in my opinion 4K 120 is a lot more exciting option than 8K video recording.

 

Now, when it comes to the portrait mode Samsung isn't famous for being the number one. That title definitely goes to iPhone series but OnePlus has apparently improved the game, they've shared bunch of different portrait mode images with really good skin tones and good background separation. There's one shot where we have four subjects and still doing a pretty good job. Again, this is not a camera test comparison but as I've used the S21 Ultra there are two things that I'm really looking forward to see on the OnePlus 9 Pro which is skin tones and portrait mode images. The OnePlus 9 Pro is rocking a 50MP free from lens which looks pretty promising. It can correct perspective, we've actually seen the same sensor on the Find X3 Pro. It doesn't bring a huge upgrade over S21 Ultra's 12MP Ultra wide angle lens. Samsung software processing does make up for a lot of things.

 

Now, one thing where Samsung is completely unbeatable is the extreme zoom option. OnePlus can only do zoom up to 3X which is definitely nothing in compared to S21 Ultra which can go up to 10X without losing any quality and then all the way up to 100X. It is just absolutely insane. The reason why I love Samsung zoom a lot is because it has a zoom lock feature with software meaning, you don't have to use a tripod to get a stable shot. So zoom definitely goes to Samsung. Again, it comes down to whether you want that extra zoom or not.

 

Most smartphones can take macro photos as well. I feel like it's going to be a very tough competition.

 

Samsung does edge out OnePlus when it comes to its versatility but I'm looking forward to that 4K 120 fps video plus some software-based enhancement that OnePlus 9 Pro brings to the table and of course that portrait mode.

 

Now, when it comes to the battery both phones are rocking pretty big battery sizes but the big difference here is the charging speed. OnePlus 9 Pro has a ridiculous fast charging speed of up to 65W that is the wired charging. It can go from zero to 100 in just 29 minutes, what's even more crazy is that it has a hugely powered. Samsung when it comes to wireless charging 50W wireless charging promises 0 to 100 in just 43 minutes. Honestly, I feel like Samsung is getting a bit outdated. I mean they have to update their fast charging standard. All phones are offering 30W fast charging as like default standard. So all in all I think OnePlus 9 Pro is packing a lot of amazing tech.

 

It loses on periscope camera system but it does have a 4k 120 fps video option natural color science which actually looks pretty promising. So similar to last year is once again going to be a good alternative to Samsung's absolute best flagship phone the S21 Ultra.

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