The Galaxy S21 was announced on January 14, 2021, and released to the market on January 29, 2021.
Galaxy S21 Price
Samsung was criticized for its decision to increase prices with the Galaxy S20 series, but it seems that an ear has been kept low to the ground. The Galaxy S21 series doesn't incur a higher price tag; actually, the pricing is a bit lower than what we expected. Here are the official starting prices for the Galaxy S21-series at launch:
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 128GB — $799
Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G 128GB — $999
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 128GB — $1,199
Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, S21 Ultra Specs & Hardware
What are the Galaxy S21 specs? The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset powers the Galaxy S21 models in the US, while the Exynos 2100 is used in the rest of the world. Both chipsets are based on the latest 5-nanometer process, which enables noticeable battery life improvements, and offer 5G network connectivity.
As standard, the S21 and S21+ come with 8GB of RAM, whereas you will find 12 or 16GB of RAM inside the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Samsung is betting on 128GB of storage as standard with the option of 256GB variants, as well as an extra 512GB model for the S21 Ultra. This would certainly be a welcome move because both the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy S20 settled for 128GB. Samsung has offered microSD card support on its flagships for years, but that is changing with the Galaxy S21 series. None of the three new phones come with microSD card slots on deck.
Circling back to the displays, the Galaxy S21 and S21+ are equipped with6.2-inch and 6.7-inch AMOLED panels, respectively. The Galaxy S21 Ultra, on the other hand, goes a little further with a6.8-inch screen. All three devices support a super-smooth 120Hz refresh rate, but there are some very important differences regarding the refresh rate. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is capable of switching its refresh rate in the range between 10 and 120Hz depending on the screen context, while the Galaxy S21 and S21+ can only do so between 48 and 120Hz.
Unlike the bland Galaxy S20 color options, the Galaxy S21 series comes in much livelier colors. Rumor has it that Samsung could introduce even more colors to the lineup down the line (these are likely Phantom Brown, Phantom Blue, Phantom Navy, and Titanium), but at launch, the phones are available in a few colors. You can read more about the colors right here.
New Galaxy S21 camera features: Brighter Night mode, Portrait mode with improved separation for selfies, Zoom Lock for clear shots at 30x
New Galaxy S21 video features: Super Steady video at 60fps, 8K Snap, Director's View and Single Take with Dynamic Slow-mo
While on paper the Galaxy S21 and S21+ are not very different from their predecessors in terms of camera hardware, their 64MP zoom sensors, 12MP main cameras, and the 12MP ultra-wide shooter have undergone an evolution in the arguably way more important software department. Thus, despite the unchanged megapixel count, we could argue that the new entrants will shoot better photos.
Part of this is thanks to the new 5nm chipsets, which allow for more powerful computational photography that allows for faster low-light and HDR capture, resulting in a brighter, sharper, better-exposed imagery. They also can crank the video recording up to 8K, if needed, or do wonders with 4K 120fps capture. Still, if you have the S20/S20+, you probably won't feel compelled to upgrade just for the camera set improvements alone.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is where most of the Samsung's camera R&D was invested and where most of the improvements can be found. It features a new quad camera system on the back with not one, but two separate telephoto lenses: a 3X zoom lens and then a periscope, 10X zoom lens that gives you more reach than on most other phones. In fact, with the S21 Ultra, Samsung is resurrecting the Space Zoom branding and allows you to zoom in 100X. However, for the most part, images past 10X zoom are rarely usable.
The main camera features an 108-megapixel sensor, the next generation of the one Samsung introduced with the S20 Ultra in 2020, and this one should improve on two key areas, focusing and low-light performance. It is also paired with a wider lens than on most other phones out there. It uses a 24mm lens versus the commonly used 26mm focal distance on others, and that means you will get wider shots, especially useful for landscape photos, for example.
Here are some of the camera comparisons we've made with the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Peter, an experienced tech enthusiast at PhoneArena, is captivated by all things mobile. His impartial reviews and proficiency in Android systems offer readers valuable insights. Off-duty, he delves into the latest cryptocurrency trends and enjoys sci-fi and video games.
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