Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs OnePlus Nord CE5

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Manufactured in February, 2021, with display 6.8 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 2100, vs OnePlus Nord CE5, Manufactured in July, 2025 with chipsetMediaTek Dimensity 8350 Apex. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
  • Larger display: 6.8in
  • Higher pixel density: 515ppi
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 2.0
  • Supports Dolby Atmos
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose OnePlus Nord CE5
  • Lighter design: 199g vs 227g
  • Higher battery capacity: 5200mAh vs 5000mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.4 vs 5.2
  • Infrared port
  • Includes charger

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 12/128 GB
- 12/256 GB
- 12/512 GB
- 16/256 GB
- 16/512 GB
- 8/128 GB
- 8/256 GB
- 12/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and OnePlus Nord CE5
Display
Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
Camera
Main & front camera tests
Performance
App & system performance
Games
3D gaming performance
Battery
Battery life, charging speed & type
Connectivity
Connectivity features
NanoReview Score
Overall score by NanoReview
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Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison

Display

Display quality comparison
Type Dynamic AMOLED AMOLED
Size 6.8 in 6.77 in
Resolution 1440x3200 pixels 1080x2392 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 19.9:9
Pixel density 515 ppi 387 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (10-120 Hz) Yes (60-120 Hz)
Max brightness 1500 nits 1300 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10+ Yes, HDR10+
Touch Sampling Rate n/a 300 Hz
Screen-to-body ratio 89.5 % 89.3 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DC dimming
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
1019 nits
OnePlus Nord CE5
n/a

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 165.1 mm (6.5 in) 163.58 mm (6.44 in)
Width 75.6 mm (2.98 in) 76.02 mm (2.99 in)
Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 in) 8.17 mm (0.32 in)
Weight 227 g (8.01 oz) 199 g (7.02 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP65
Back panel Glass n/a
Frame Metal Plastic
Colors - Black
- Silver
- Gray
- Blue
- White
- Black
- Blue
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes, In-Display
Screen-to-body ratio
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
89.5 %
OnePlus Nord CE5
89.3 %

Performance

Testing Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and OnePlus Nord CE5 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Samsung Exynos 2100 MediaTek Dimensity 8350 Apex
Max Frequency 2900 MHz 3350 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (1 + 3 + 4) 8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture - 4/2.2 (Cortex-A55)
- 3/2.81 (Cortex-A78)
- 1/2.91 (Cortex-X1)
- 4/2.2 (Cortex-A510)
- 3/3.2 (Cortex-A715)
- 1/3.35 (Cortex-A715)
Process Samsung TSMC
Transistor Size 5 nm 4 nm
Neural Processor Yes MediaTek APU 780
Graphics Mali-G78 MP14 Mali-G615 MP6
GPU Cores 896 768
GPU Frequency 854 MHz 1400 MHz
FLOPS 1530.4 GFLOPS 2150.4 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
1449
OnePlus Nord CE5
1510
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
3892
OnePlus Nord CE5
3990
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)14491510
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)38923990
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
843008
OnePlus Nord CE5
1395425
CPU232358297568
GPU256356552451
Memory163007267441
UX191217277965
NanoReview Score8430081395425
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
5221
OnePlus Nord CE5
n/a
Max Surface Temp.40.8 °Cn/a
Stability69 %n/a
Graphics Test31 fpsn/a
Graphics Score5221n/a

Memory

RAM
RAM Size - 12 GB
- 16 GB
8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR5X
Memory Frequency 2750 MHz n/a
Channels 2 4
Storage
Storage Capacity- 128 GB
- 256 GB
- 512 GB
128 GB
Storage TypeUFS 3.1UFS 3.1
Memory CardNoMicroSD

Software

OS Android 11 (Upgradeable to Android 14) Android 15
OS Size 26.4 GB n/a
UI Skin One UI 6 OxygenOS 15

Battery

Volume 5000 mAh 5200 mAh
Max Charging Power 25 W 80 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-Po
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (15 W) No
Reverse Charging Yes (Wireless) No
Fast Charging Yes (54% in 30 min) Yes
Full Charge Time 1:11 h n/a
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
22:05
OnePlus Nord CE5
n/a
Web Browsing07:58 hn/a
Video Playback13:59 hn/a
Games05:14 hn/a
Standby Mode111 hn/a

Main camera

Matrix 108 MP 50 MP
Photo resolution 12000x9000 pixels 8192x6144 pixels
Zoom Optical, 10x Digital
Flash Dual LED LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K Recording Up to 24FPS No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion 960 fps (720p) 960 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens 120 ° 112 °
Lenses count Standard: 108 MP
Telephoto: 10 MP
Telephoto: 10 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Standard: 50 MP
Ultra-wide: 8 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
- Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
Main lens
Matrix108 MP50 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/1.8
Focal length26 mm26 mm
SensorSamsung S5KHM3Sony LYT-600
Sensor size1/1.331/1.95
Pixel size0.8 μm0.8 μm
AutofocusLaser autofocusPhase autofocus
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrix10 MPn/a
Aperturef/4.9n/a
Focal length240 mmn/a
SensorSamsung S5K3J1n/a
Sensor size1/2.65n/a
Pixel size1.22 μmn/a
StabilizationOpticaln/a
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix12 MP8 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal length13 mm16 mm
SensorSony IMX563Omnivision OV08D10
Sensor size1/2.551/4.0
Pixel size1.4 μm1.12 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
121
OnePlus Nord CE5
n/a
Video quality
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
100
OnePlus Nord CE5
n/a
Overall camera score
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
115
OnePlus Nord CE5
n/a
Bokeh70n/a
Preview67n/a
Zoom106n/a

Front camera

Matrix 40 MP 16 MP
Photo resolution 7864x5200 pixels n/a
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.4
Focal length 26 mm 23 mm
Sensor Samsung S5KGH1 Sony IMX480
Sensor size 1/2.65 1/3.0
Pixel size 0.7 μm 1 μm
Autofocus Phase autofocus No
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 60 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No
Selfie camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
133
OnePlus Nord CE5
n/a
Video quality
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
140
OnePlus Nord CE5
n/a

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5.2 5.4
Bluetooth features LE, A2DP LE
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.2 2.0
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- USB-Host mode
- OTG
- Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort n/a No
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS
NFC* Yes No
Infrared Port No Yes
Connectivity
SIM Count*22
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM ModeDual SIM StandbyDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *YesNo
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHzGSM (850/900/1800/1900)
3G BandsWCDMA Band 1, 2, 4, 5, 8WCDMA (850/900/1900/2100)
LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B32/B38/B39/B40/B41/B66)LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B17/B18/B19/B20/B26/B28/B32/B66)
LTE category24n/a
5G SupportYesYes

Sound

Speakers Stereo n/a
3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No No
Dolby Atmos Yes n/a
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
88 dB
OnePlus Nord CE5
n/a

Other

Class Flagship Mid-range
Announced January, 2021 yr July, 2025 yr
Release Date February, 2021 yr July, 2025 yr
Launch Price ($) 1200 n/a
Sensors - Hall Sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included n/a Yes, 80 W
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

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