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New leak says Galaxy S21 Ultra won't make you choose between full resolution and high refresh rate

By Anam Hamid

Published: Jan 05, 2021, 4:03 PM

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New leak says Galaxy S21 Ultra won't make you choose between full resolution and high refresh rate

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The forthcoming Galaxy S21 Ultra will simultaneously support a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and WQHD+ resolution, claims revered insider Ice Universe, as reported by XDA Developers.

With last year's Galaxy S20, Samsung brought a 120Hz high-refresh screen to its flagships. Unfortunately for fans, the phone does not support the 120Hz mode at full resolution, which is why you have to choose between WQHD+ (3200×1440) and 60Hz, and FHD+ (2400×1080) and 120Hz.

It's not known why 120Hz is limited to FHD on the S20, but it probably has something to do with power consumption.

Galaxy S21 Ultra realizes WQHD+ resolution and 120Hz adaptive refresh rate can be turned on at the same time pic.twitter.com/FpiB8jAxyC
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) January 5, 2021

Things got a little better with the Note 20 Ultra, but not in the way you might have imagined. The phone features an adaptive refresh rate, which means it is automatically adjusted in response to the content being shown. This allows the phone to preserve battery life.

Conversely, on the Galaxy S20 series phones, you have to toggle manually between 60Hz and 120Hz.

120Hz at WQHD+ wouldn't be the only feature setting the Galaxy S21 Ultra apart from the rest of the range

The S21 Ultra is apparently going to be Samsung's first phone to let you use the adaptive 120Hz tech at WQHD+ resolution. This implies that the other two members of the family, the Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus, will be excluded from this upgrade. In fact, these two could be a step back, as a report says the South Korean giant has downgraded the resolution to Full-HD+ from Quad-HD+. Additionally, the standard and the Plus model may not get Note 20 Ultra's dynamic LTPO tech either.

The S21 Ultra will also seemingly be the only handset in the lineup to offer S Pen compatibility. Unsurprisingly, the specced-out model is also tipped to feature the best camera of the lot (108MP main camera + 12MP ultra-wide-angle shooter + 10MP unit with 3x optical zoom + 10MP module with 10x optical zoom).

Back to Galaxy S21 Ultra displays specs, leaks point to a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a pixel density of 515 pixels-per-inch and a peak brightness of 1600 nits.

The Galaxy S21 series will be unveiled on January 14. The new phones are expected to hit the shelves on January 29.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.