S21 Ultra camera - terrible quality

[JulianeM]

Edit: After researching about it, the problem is on S21 Ultra on Europe version only, I bought mine in the UK and unfortunately received a device with an awful camera. I contacted Samsung that promised to contact in 1 week time to give me a video support but this never happened. I had no choice but to return the phone and ask the refund. I expected more from Samsung.

A detailed side by side on US x EU versions video: https://youtu.be/rsLJLk3nx8k

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I really think my phone has a hardware problem is not possible that a phone ranked on top of pixel 5 and iPhone 12 max pro is not taking simple photos and videos indoor with good light, but that's what I'm experiencing. I tried to update the system and the camera configurations, but still the same thing:

• Photos: All modes are bad, normal photos are never focused, they don't have details even if I take a 108Mb on a static object like a bottle on top of my table 1 meter away, my old phone takes a incredible better photos. Also the portrait mode just blur the whole photo. The zoom takes photos with a veryyyyyy low resolution, looking more a abstract paint. Well I tried all modes, that's basically the problem present in all.
• Videos: The videos don't have any stabilization, we see jumps on movements, problems on frame rate giving the feeling you are watching a stream in a low connection, and the focus and blur just changes randomly.

Here is some examples, first my daughter playing, in a very slight movement but as you can see all the static points are also blurry, and second photo a button with 100x zoom with focus locked and my arm supported by the table:

Portrait photo100x photo with focus locked

[Darbis]

Now this is taken when it's pitch dark. No flash nothing. Its the back of the door

 

[Simmo71]

These look really nice! Do you have any before the update you received to compare with? Ps - object eraser, first time I used it allowed me to "draw" over an object in white, now it selects an area to remove, often not just the object I want, have you used object eraser?

[Darbis]

No I dont ,  I deleted them. No idea about object eraser.  I am actually happy with my phone. Coming from the note 9 this is better.

[Simmo71]

I will take some pics tomorrow and then the same after the update whenever it arrives, I'll be able to compare them easily then

[SimonTemplar14]

that's unlikely to be in pitch black conditions. there must be some light there. unless night mode was used.

[Darbis]

Night mode came on auto. No flash nothing. There is no light, it is the hallway.

[JulianeM]

It's saying the latest release was 31.01 and I'm up to date

[JulianeM]

I'm returning mine as well, I'm just waiting for the Vodafone's bag to arrive and meanwhile I'm waiting for a miraculous software update 🙏

[JulianeM]

You were right SimonTemplar14, seems that the Exynos is the cause of the camera been so awful, shame on you Samsung!!! Check this comparison video on US X EU version's: https://youtu.be/rsLJLk3nx8k

[SimonTemplar14]

a lot of the issues I've seen with the lowlight performance result from aggressive noise reduction and excessive compression. most of the pictures I've taken with file size above 3.5mb all look fine and very detailed. the problem is most lowlight and night shots are always less than 3mb and in many cases less than 2mb files. that's a lot of compression resulting in loss of fine details and textures. this problem will improve with time but I think over months of updates rather than weeks. expect no quick miracle fix. the exynos cpu just has a weaker image signal processor than the 888 so it'll take samsung more time to develop software to compensate for a lot of the bad decisions the ISP makes. it was the same with previous devices. got better with time but it's just the problem is so much worse with the s21 exynos variant. we're starting from a low base with lowlight performance that the risk is updates only improve things to acceptable levels and never quite hitting excellent quality which you'd expect from a device of this price. that's why I'm returning mine. we just need samsung if they can't get their exynos chip to perform at the same level of the snapdragon, to stop using it in theor flagship series. samsing uses the snapdragon in its own backyard of South Korea and the US but the rest of us get the inferior chipset even though we pay the same price if not more when exchange rate is factored in. we can't continue to be the guinea pigs for the underperforming exynos chip. it belongs in the mid range devices.