Google Stadia comes to the Samsung Galaxy S21 and Galaxy Note 20
Google keeps on pushing its Stadia cloud gaming service, even though there were some concerns about the future of the platform when the company announced that it won’t be making its own Stadia games after all.
But then Google added official support for iOS devices, and also support for USB-C headsets for the Stadia controller, and a ton of new games every month.
Now, we’ve already done a detailed guide titled How to play Google Stadia on any phone but when Google adds official support for specific devices it’s always the better and safest option.
Google already offered support for some Galaxy devices, but the company has expanded the list with 11 new phones and tablets. Here’s the complete list of supported Samsung devices:
One big omission though is the lack of any foldable phones such as the newly released Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3, as well as older phones like the original Fold and Flip.
It’s quite possible that the strange and unorthodox aspect ratio of the screens in those devices to be the main culprit behind the omission.
Well, we were extremely excited and enthusiastic when Stadia was initially announced, and then later on when we got to test it in its early stages, we got mildly skeptical.
With so many game streaming services out there, though, it’s plain to see that cloud gaming is the future and the way to go. Broadband coverage and the wide adoption of 5G will both make it much more viable because every other prerequisite has been met.
All the big games are there, and the list will continue to grow. Google will also continue to iron out bugs and improve the latency, and at the end of the day, there won’t be any reason to buy a $1000 console or a dedicated gaming PC.
And last but not least, the price is also pretty sweet - people already pay for PlayStation Plus or Xbox Gold anyway, so $9.99/mo is not a big deal at all.
But then Google added official support for iOS devices, and also support for USB-C headsets for the Stadia controller, and a ton of new games every month.
Google already offered support for some Galaxy devices, but the company has expanded the list with 11 new phones and tablets. Here’s the complete list of supported Samsung devices:
Samsung Galaxy phones compatible with Google Stadia
- Samsung Galaxy S8
- Samsung Galaxy S8+
- Samsung Galaxy S8 Active
- Samsung Galaxy S9
- Samsung Galaxy S9+
- Samsung Galaxy S10
- Samsung Galaxy S10+
- Samsung Galaxy S20
- Samsung Galaxy S20+
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S21
- Samsung Galaxy S21+
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy Note 8
- Samsung Galaxy Note 9
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10+
- Samsung Galaxy Note 20
- Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy tablets compatible with Google Stadia:
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S7
- Samsung Galaxy TabS7+
- Samsung Galaxy Tab A
- Samsung Galaxy Tab A7
The notable additions to this list are the Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra in addition to the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra. If you own a mid-range or high-end Samsung tablet you will be able to enjoy Stadia as well - some of the most popular Samsung tablets are now on the list.
One big omission though is the lack of any foldable phones such as the newly released Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3, as well as older phones like the original Fold and Flip.
Our take
Well, we were extremely excited and enthusiastic when Stadia was initially announced, and then later on when we got to test it in its early stages, we got mildly skeptical.
With so many game streaming services out there, though, it’s plain to see that cloud gaming is the future and the way to go. Broadband coverage and the wide adoption of 5G will both make it much more viable because every other prerequisite has been met.
All the big games are there, and the list will continue to grow. Google will also continue to iron out bugs and improve the latency, and at the end of the day, there won’t be any reason to buy a $1000 console or a dedicated gaming PC.
List of all Stadia-compatible gamepads and screens:
- Pixel 2, 2XL, 3, 3XL, 3a, 3a XL, 4, 4XL, 4a, 4a (5G), 5, 5a
- Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+, S8 Active, S9, S9+, S10, S10+, S20, S20+, S20 Ultra, S21, S21+, S21 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e, S6, S7, S7+, A, A7
- Samsung Note 8, 9, 10, 10+, 20, 20 Ultra
- OnePlus 5, 6, 7, 7 Pro, 7 Pro 5G, 8, 8 Pro
- OnePlus 5T, 6T, 7T, 7T Pro, 7T Pro 5G, 8T
- OnePlus Nord, N10 5G, N100
- Apple iPhone and iPad
- Asus ROG Phones
- Razer Phone, Razer Phone II
- LG V50 ThinQ, V50S ThinQ, V60 ThinQ, G7 ThinQ, G8 ThinQ, Wing
Things that are NOT allowed: