Galaxy S21 Ultra gets a lower DxOMark camera score than Galaxy S20 Ultra

The Galaxy S21 Ultra has received great reviews around the world, thanks to its improved design, faster and more reliable performance, longer lifespan, and better cameras. The new phone incorporates two telephoto lenses (3x and 10x optical zoom), significantly improving the zoom range compared to the Galaxy S20 Ultra. However, the Galaxy S21 Ultra actually received a lower DxOMark score than the Galaxy S20 Ultra.

In DxOMark’s review of the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s camera, the phone received an overall rating of 121 points. In comparison, last year’s Galaxy S20 Ultra received 126 points after being reassessed with version 4 (the latest version) in the review process. Breaking down the score, the Galaxy S21 Ultra received 128 points in the photo segment, 98 points in the video segment and 76 points in the zoom segment. The Galaxy S20 Ultra received 128 points in the photo segment, 106 points in the video segment and 88 points in the zoom segment. According to DxOMark’s opinion, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is not as good as the Galaxy S20 Ultra in video quality and zoom.

We know the Galaxy S21 Ultra offers more reliable focusing, improved low-light images and videos, and a longer zoom range than its predecessor. But the phone still scores lower than the Galaxy S20 Ultra. So what is wrong? DxOMark wasn’t impressed with the dual zoom cameras, and according to them, the new zoom cameras aren’t worth much compared to the Galaxy S20 Ultra’s only 5x periscope zoom camera. DxOMark says the artifacts and noise in the images lower the phone’s score.

In terms of video recording, the Galaxy S21 Ultra received a similar score to the Pixel 4a. Apparently, video stabilization is the main problem with the phone. However, DxOMark only tested 4K 60fps mode, not 4K 30fps and 8K 24fps video modes. The company claims that it has not tested the 8K video recording mode due to its lower quality stabilization.

Overall, the Galaxy S21 Ultra not only received a lower score than its predecessor, but last year’s flagship smartphones as well. It scored lower than 16 other smartphones, including the Huawei Mate 40 Pro + (139), Huawei Mate 40 Pro (136), Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra (133), Huawei P40 Pro (132), Vivo X50 Pro + (131), iPhone 12 Pro Max (130), iPhone 12 Pro (128), Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (128), OPPO Find X2 Pro (126), Galaxy S20 Ultra (126), Honor 30 Pro + (125), iPhone 11 Pro Max (124), Huawei Mate 30 Pro (123), iPhone 12 Mini (122), iPhone 12 (122) and Honor V30 Pro (122).

Our own review of the Galaxy S21 Ultra found that it offers more reliable camera performance compared to the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Various other experts and critics share our point of view and say that the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the best smartphone camera right now, so it’s up to you to believe in DxOMark’s test methodologies. What do you think of DxOMark’s Galaxy S21 Ultra camera review? Let us know in the comments section below.