How your Galaxy S21 Ultra was handicapped by Samsung for no apparent reason

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When the Galaxy S21 Ultra debuted at the beginning of 2021, it was almost perfect. It was also one of the most beautiful Samsung phones ever, and it still has one of the best-looking camera housing designs. It looked so good that it really made the S20 Ultra look outdated in comparison.



However, even back then, despite the phone's many qualities, the Galaxy S21 Ultra couldn't reach perfection, partly due to a strange Samsung decision. Arguably, it remained one of the company's weirdest choices, and even today, we're still wondering: What was Samsung thinking?



Downgraded to 25W charging for no apparent reason



Those who still own the Galaxy S21 Ultra today probably know how Samsung dropped the ball in 2021. But they don't know why. Nobody does.



For reasons that never became clear, the Galaxy S21 Ultra was limited to 25W charging. This really stuck out like a sore thumb. It still does, considering both the past and the present.



You see, older phones like the Galaxy S20 Ultra already had 45W charging. And every Ultra sequel after the S21 Ultra also brought back 45W capabilities.



But the S21 Ultra was limited to 25W. Why? Samsung knows. But it still remains one of the company's weirdest decisions to date. And it is a shame, given how near-perfect the Galaxy S21 Ultra was at launch.



The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra also suffered



Interestingly, the Galaxy S21 Ultra wasn't the only phone to suffer from this unusual downgrade. Samsung also disappointed fans in a similar way when it launched the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which came out a few months before.



Even though the previous model, the Galaxy Note 10+, boasted 45W charging, the Note 20 Ultra that followed a year later was limited to 25W.



Unfortunately, unlike the Galaxy S Ultra, the Note series never recovered from this. Not because it continued to be limited to 25W charging, but because the Note 20 was the last Note phone ever.



Looking back at this whole deal, we're still wondering why Samsung made these choices. Samsung sometimes gets criticized for cutting costs, but many times, these accusations are unjustified.



Such was the case with the upcoming S26 Ultra and the rumor that the Infinity-O selfie camera cutout may be bigger than ever. It turns out that Samsung has a good practical reason to make the cutout wider — improved field of view.



However, in the case of these 25W capped charging speeds for the Galaxy S21 Ultra and even the Note 20 Ultra, it does feel like Samsung was perhaps trying to save a few bucks. And it totally wasn't worth it. Thankfully, the company came back to its senses a year later in 2022.



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The post How your Galaxy S21 Ultra was handicapped by Samsung for no apparent reason appeared first on SamMobile.



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