Home Phone comparison Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy A17 4G - Which is better?

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy A17 4G

67 out 100
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
VS
56 out 100
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G

Compared 2 smartphones : Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Manufactured in February, 2021, with display 6.8 with chipsetSamsung Exynos 2100, vs Samsung Galaxy A17 4G, Manufactured in September, 2025with chipsetMediaTek Helio G99. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
  • Larger display: 6.8in
  • Higher pixel density: 515ppi
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Supports newer USB: 3.2 vs 2
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose Samsung Galaxy A17 4G
  • Lighter design: 190g vs 227g
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.3 vs 5.2

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 12/128 GB
- 12/256 GB
- 12/512 GB
- 16/256 GB
- 16/512 GB		 - 4/128 GB
- 8/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy A17 4G
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
Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
Customize your score
Function
Importance (Weight)
Display:
Camera:
Performance:
Gaming:
Battery:
Connectivity:
Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

Tests & specs

Specs & test comparison
Smartphones:
Galaxy S21 Ultra
vs
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G

Display

Display quality comparison
Type Dynamic AMOLED Super AMOLED
Size 6.8 in 6.7 in
Resolution 1440x3200 pixels 1080x2340 pixels
Aspect ratio 20:9 19.5:9
Pixel density 515 ppi 385 ppi
Refresh rate 120 Hz 90 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate Yes (10-120 Hz) No
Max brightness 1500 nits 800 nits
HDR support Yes HDR10+ No
Screen-to-body ratio 89.5 % 86 %
Features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display		 DCI-P3
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
1019 nits
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G
n/a
Sources: NotebookCheck [Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 165.1 mm (6.5 in) 164.4 mm (6.47 in)
Width 75.6 mm (2.98 in) 77.9 mm (3.07 in)
Thickness 8.9 mm (0.35 in) 7.5 mm (0.3 in)
Weight 227 g (8.01 oz) 190 g (6.7 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP54
Back panel Glass Plastic
Frame Metal Plastic
Colors - Black
- Silver
- Gray
- Blue		 - Black
- Gray
- Blue
Fingerprint sensor Yes In-Display Yes, In-Button
Screen-to-body ratio
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
89.5 %
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G
86 %

Performance

Testing Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and Samsung Galaxy A17 4G In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Samsung Exynos 2100 MediaTek Helio G99
Max Frequency 2900 MHz 2200 MHz
CPU Cores 8 (1 + 3 + 4) 8 (2 + 6)
Architecture - 4/2.2 (Cortex-A55)
- 3/2.81 (Cortex-A78)
- 1/2.91 (Cortex-X1)		 - 6/2 (Cortex-A55)
- 2/2.2 (Cortex-A76)
Process Samsung TSMC
Transistor Size 5 nm 6 nm
Neural Processor Yes Yes
Graphics Mali-G78 MP14 Mali-G57 MP2
GPU Cores 896 64
GPU Frequency 854 MHz 1000 MHz
FLOPS 1530.4 GFLOPS 128 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
1449
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G
729
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
3892
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G
2009
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)1449729
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)38922009
Geekbench Compute (GPU)n/a1257
Sources: Geekbench v6 [Samsung Galaxy A17 4G]
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
843008
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G
n/a
CPU232358n/a
GPU256356n/a
Memory163007n/a
UX191217n/a
NanoReview Score843008n/a
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
5221
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G
n/a
Max Surface Temp.40.8 °Cn/a
Stability69 %n/a
Graphics Test31 fpsn/a
Graphics Score5221n/a
Sources: 3DMark [Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra]

Memory

RAM
RAM Size - 12 GB
- 16 GB		 4 GB
Memory Type LPDDR5 LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency 2750 MHz 2133 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 128 GB
- 256 GB
- 512 GB		128 GB
Storage TypeUFS 3.1n/a
Memory CardNoMicroSD

Software

OS Android 11 (Upgradeable to Android 14) Android 15
OS Size 26.4 GB 22.2 GB
UI Skin One UI 6 One UI 7.0

Battery

Volume 5000 mAh 5000 mAh
Max Charging Power 25 W 25 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (15 W) No
Reverse Charging Yes (Wireless) No
Fast Charging Yes (54% in 30 min) Yes (44% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 1:11 h 1:28 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
22:05
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G
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 8160x6120 pixels
Zoom Optical, 10x Digital
Flash Dual LED LED
Stabilization Optical No
8K Recording Up to 24FPS No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) No
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
Slow Motion 960 fps (720p) 120 fps (720p)
Wide-angle lens 120 ° n/a
Lenses count Standard: 108 MP
Telephoto: 10 MP
Telephoto: 10 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP		 Standard: 50 MP
Ultra-wide: 5 MP
Macro: 2 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support		 - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
Main lens
Matrix108 MP50 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/1.8
Focal length26 mm64 mm
SensorSamsung S5KHM3n/a
Sensor size1/1.331/2.76
Pixel size0.8 μmn/a
AutofocusLaser autofocusPhase autofocus
StabilizationOpticalNo
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 MP5 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.2
Focal length13 mmn/a
SensorSony IMX563n/a
Sensor size1/2.551/5
Pixel size1.4 μm1.12 μm
StabilizationDigitalNo
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
121
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G
n/a
Video quality
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
100
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G
n/a
Overall camera score
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
115
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G
n/a
Bokeh70n/a
Preview67n/a
Zoom106n/a
Sources: DxOMark [Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra]

Front camera

Matrix 40 MP 13 MP
Photo resolution 7864x5200 pixels 4160x3120 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.0
Focal length 26 mm 26 mm
Sensor Samsung S5KGH1 n/a
Sensor size 1/2.65 1/3.1
Pixel size 0.7 μm 1.12 μm
Autofocus Phase autofocus No
Stabilization Digital No
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor No No
Selfie camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
133
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G
n/a
Video quality
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
140
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G
n/a

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5.2 5.3
Bluetooth features LE, A2DP LE
USB type USB Type-C USB Type-C
USB version 3.2 2
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 Varies by region
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*22
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM ModeDual SIM StandbyDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *YesNo
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHzGSM850, GSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900
3G BandsWCDMA Band 1, 2, 4, 5, 8UMTS B1(2100), B2(1900), B4(AWS), B5(850), B8(900)
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/B13/B17/B26/B28/B38/B40/B41/B66)
LTE category24n/a
5G SupportYesNo

Sound

Speakers Stereo n/a
3.5 mm Jack No No
FM Radio No Yes
Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
88 dB
Samsung Galaxy A17 4G
n/a

Other

Class Flagship Budget
Announced January, 2021 yr September, 2025 yr
Release Date February, 2021 yr September, 2025 yr
Launch Price ($) 1200 n/a
MSRP ($) n/a 169
Sensors - Hall Sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor		 - Proximity Sensor
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included n/a No
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

After analyzing the data, we consider Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra the clear winner in this comparison.

Survey

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Total Votes: 1

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