The Samsung Galaxy A54 has a decent camera and a good battery life housed in a glass body, but the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra offers a significantly superior camera setup with a telephoto lens that can achieve 10x optical zoom, along with a larger, higher-resolution screen that supports HDR10+, making it better for media consumption. Although the A54 is newer, the S21 Ultra, despite being an older model, includes advanced features like S Pen support and a higher-quality display. If camera and display quality are your priority and you're okay with an older model, the S21 Ultra may be the better choice despite being slightly less expensive than the A54. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Samsung Galaxy A54
Very good battery life
Advantages of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Good for taking photos
Good for recording videos
Very good display quality
Good performance
Key differences
Overall Camera Quality
6.2/10
7.8/10
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has good overall camera quality, while the Samsung Galaxy A54 has only fair overall camera quality.
The Samsung Galaxy A54 generally provides fair camera capabilities, particularly hindered by its poor photo dynamism and low light performance, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra elevates the experience with a versatile camera system that delivers very good low light performance and photo dynamism, as well as good overall photo quality. For selfie enthusiasts, the A54's selfie camera is satisfactory, but users looking for higher selfie quality would find the S21 Ultra's camera to be good, offering a noticeable improvement in this very important aspect.
Photo Quality
6.4/10
7.8/10
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra takes good photos, while the Samsung Galaxy A54 takes only fair photos.
The Samsung Galaxy A54 takes fair photos largely because it has lower selfie photo quality and a less sophisticated photo software experience compared to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, which not only has a better selfie score but also a very good photo software experience indicating a higher overall photo quality.
Video Quality
5.3/10
7.1/10
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra takes good videos, while the Samsung Galaxy A54 takes poor videos.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra takes good videos due to its higher resolution/framerate capabilities, better video software, superior stabilization, enhanced dynamic range, more effective low light performance, and better microphone quality compared to the Samsung Galaxy A54, which only takes fair videos because its performance in these areas is not as advanced.
Battery
8.9 Hours
6.7 Hours
The Samsung Galaxy A54 has 8.9 hours of battery life. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has 6.7 hours of battery life.
Screen Size
The Samsung Galaxy A54 has a screen size of 6.4 inches and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is 6.8 inches.
Cost
$450
$423
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
The Samsung Galaxy A54 has a price of $450 and the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra costs $423.
"As far as midrange phones go, the A54 has all the right stuff: a big 6.4-inch screen, very good battery life, a durable build to withstand water and dust, and a support policy promising security updates for five years. If you squint at that spec list, you can almost see a thousand-dollar flagship phone. Almost."
"The Galaxy S21 Ultra is a killer combo of great design, blazing-fast performance, a wonderful display, long-lasting battery life, and one of the most versatile camera systems you can get in a smartphone today."
Get a great deal on the Samsung Galaxy A54 or the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
About Samsung
Samsung is one of the most recognizable names in the smartphone industry, standing as the undisputed best-selling brand of Android smartphones in the United States for many years now. Samsung is known for offering a variety of smartphones in all available price points, as well as for implementing cutting-edge technology and innovative features in their flagship devices, ones that often shape the market going forward. The company offers its own unique spin on Android, called One UI, which focuses on offering a multitude of features and is heavily customizable, according to user preference.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec phones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest phone information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
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About the phone team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Phones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
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Phones Expert
Efthimis is a Greece-based product expert focusing on smartphones. He has been recommending phones for 4 years and his recommendations on Reddit have earned him over 35k karma.