
Samsung announces Galaxy S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra with new design
Samsung announces Galaxy S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra with new design
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Real life Samsung Galaxy S21+ in purple captured on photo
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Press renders finally show the Samsung Galaxy S21+
The Samsung Galaxy S21 is the entry-level model in the S21 series that Samsung announced in early 2021. The device gets a lower price, more powerful performance and a redesigned appearance. Furthermore, there are many similarities with the S20 from last year. But there are also some things missing. Which ones exactly and whether they justify the lower price we will explain to you here.+Plus points Samsung Galaxy S21* New design style
* More powerful performance
* 5G and Dual SIM
* New camera functions
The Galaxy S21 5G features a 6.2-inch display up front, just like the S20. This year, the screen is flatter. Ideal for if you're not a fan of curved screen edges. It's still an Infinity-O Display so there's a punch-hole for the same 10MP selfie camera. There is one big difference and that is the resolution. It goes down from 3200x1400 to 2400x1080 pixels. In popular speech, this is also called Full HD+. We often see this resolution in these types of phones, but we do not often see a manufacturer provide a successor with a lower resolution. The S20 could not handle the smooth 120Hz in the highest resolution, which is why many opted for a lower resolution. So you can ask yourself if this lower resolution is a bad thing. The screen does have another plus; the fingerprint scanner is 77% larger. This means you don't have to be so precise to unlock your S21.
On the camera front, there seems little new under the sun as well. We still find a 12MP main camera with wide-angle lens, 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera with a 120° angle of view and a 64MP telephoto camera with 3x hybrid optical zoom. Digitally, you can even get 30x closer, something Samsung calls 'Space Zoom'. New to this is 'Zoom Lock' that keeps a subject in focus while zooming, no matter how much you move around. The appearance of the camera is also new. Samsung calls it 'Contour Cut Camera', and we will probably see this style more often. Furthermore, Samsung has improved the Portrait Mode, you can cut photos from an 8K video (8K Snap) and there is now the 'Director's View' with which you can edit images into a story.
Perhaps the biggest innovation is deep under the hood. It's the processor that provides powerful performance and fast operation. You get the same processor as the more expensive S21 Ultra. This one has access to 8GB of RAM memory which is more than enough for almost all cases. The Galaxy S21 is available in 128 or 256GB of storage memory. The latter is a new addition, and not without reason. You cannot expand the memory yourself anymore. A memory card slot is missing. A major break with the past. Still, 256GB (and maybe even 128GB) will be more than enough for most people. Another thing that is missing is a headphone port, but that was also missing from the S20. And while we are at it; the box lacks a charger. This trend started by Apple has now reached Samsung. Just like last year, fast charging is possible with a maximum of 25 Watts. If you still have that charger lying around, then at least you do not need to buy a new one.
Apart from the few improvements, the S21 is very similar to its predecessor. But it does have a memory card slot, a higher screen resolution and a glass back. If you can't live without that, it's always an idea to buy a S20 instead of this S21. The price will also be lower than this S21 in most cases.
Dimensions | 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9 mm |
Weight | 171 grams |
Item ID | SM-G991 |
Codename | Samsung O1 |
EAN code | 8806090892776, 8806090892349, 8806090892189, 8806090891229, 8806090887550, 8806090886751, 8806090886669, 8806090886638, 7423403668654, 7423403665653, 7423403654664, 7423403568572, 7423403566554, 7423403548574 |
Fingerprint recognition | |
Android | 11 |
Color display | 6.2 inch, Infinity-O Display, hole-punch display |
Camera | 12 MP, 12 MP, 64 MP |
Dirt and waterproof housing | |
Processor | 2.4 GHz, 2.8 GHz, 2.9 GHz, Samsung Exynos 2100, octa core |
Secondary camera | 10 MP |
Dual SIM | |
5G | |
LTE (4G) | |
Internal memory | 8 GB (Size (RAM)), 128 GB (Storage), 256 GB (Storage) |
Memory card slot | |
Battery | 4000 mAh |
Fast charging | |
Wireless charging | |
Audio jack plug |
Finally! The Samsung Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy S21+ have been officially unveiled. What do they have in store? This video shows you
Meet the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. The best Samsung has to offer. And the fact that it takes just over 3 minutes to do so says it all
Can't decide between the Samsung Galaxy S21 and the S21+? Maybe this video will help you decide
It doesn't get much more premium than this. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra only has the best of the best. Time for a closer look in this hands-on
The entry-level Samsung Galaxy S21 is the smallest of the S21 series. The box is also smaller this year. You can see why in this unboxing video
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Current product | |||||
Fingerprint recognition | |||||
Android | 11 | 10 | 8.1 | 10 | |
Color display | 6.2 inch, Infinity-O Display, hole-punch display | 6.2 inch, Infinity-O Display, hole-punch display | 6.67 inch, Fluid AMOLED | 6.4 inch, FullVision OLED QuadHD+, notch | 6.55 inch, Fluid AMOLED, notch |
Camera | 12 MP, 12 MP, 64 MP | 12 MP, 12 MP, 64 MP | 16 MP, 48 MP, 8 MP | 12 MP, 12 MP, 16 MP | 12 MP, 16 MP, 48 MP |
Dirt and waterproof housing | |||||
Processor | 2.4 GHz, 2.8 GHz, 2.9 GHz, Samsung Exynos 2100, octa core | Octa core | 2.84 GHz, Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, octa core | Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, octa core | 2.96 GHz, Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+, octa core |
Secondary camera | 10 MP | 10 MP | 16 MP | 5 MP, 8 MP | 16 MP |
Dual SIM | |||||
5G | |||||
LTE (4G) | |||||
Internal memory | 8 GB (Size (RAM)), 128 GB (Storage), 256 GB (Storage) | 12 GB (Size (RAM)), 128 GB (Storage) | 12 GB (Size (RAM)), 6 GB (Size (RAM)), 8 GB (Size (RAM)), 128 GB (Storage), 256 GB (Storage) | 6 GB (Size (RAM)), 128 GB (Storage) | 8 GB (Size (RAM)), 128 GB (Storage) |
Memory card slot | |||||
Battery | 4000 mAh | 4000 mAh | 4000 mAh | 3300 mAh | 3800 mAh |
Fast charging | |||||
Wireless charging | |||||
Audio jack plug |
Complete comparison between the Samsung Galaxy S21 and these alternatives or compare with other models