As expected, Samsung, which remains the leading smartphone maker worldwide, has today officially launched its next-generation Galaxy S-series phones, which include the Samsung Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 features a 6.2-inch display while the Plus model comes with a 6.7-inch display. The company has reduced the screen resolution from QHD+ to Full HD+ but still offers a 120Hz refresh rate which can now be dynamically adjusted.
Like most other premium flagship phones, this one too comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor and the company has opted to use the recently announced Qualcomm’s new 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2.
Internally, the devices come powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset or the recently announced Samsung Exynos 2100 chipset, depending on the region of availability. The top-end variant in each of these models comes with 8 GB of RAM instead of 12 GB in its predecessor.
Unlike the S21 Plus and S21 Ultra, the standard Galaxy S21 comes with a polycarbonate back and not aluminum. There’s also no ultra-wideband radio support, making the smaller model incompatible with the newly launched Galaxy SmartTag.
As for the camera system, it seems that the company hasn’t changed much here. Both the Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus come with a 12 MP wide-angle lens, a 12 MP ultrawide sensor, and a 64 MP telephoto lens. On the front side, the devices feature a 10 MP snapper for taking selfies and video calling.
While the hardware remains largely unchanged, the South Korean giant has made some improvements on the software side, including the 30x “Space Zoom” mode, a new “Director’s View” mode for the video that makes it easy to swap between lenses while filming, and additions to Samsung’s “Single Take” mode.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 is powered by a 4,000 mAh battery while the S21 Plus is powered by a 4,800 mAh battery. They come with support for fast charging as well as improved Fast Wireless Charging 2.0.
The top-end model in the lineup is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, which features a 6.8-inch OLED display offering 3200 x 1440 pixels screen resolution, and a 120Hz refresh rate. This one too is powered by either Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100 but packs up to 12 GB RAM and 512 GB internal storage.
In the camera department, the Galaxy S21 Ultra features a 108 MP primary sensor, coupled with a 12 MP ultrawide sensor, and two 10 MP telephoto lens — one with 3x zoom support and another with 10x zoom support.
The smartphone is powered by a 5,000 mAh battery along with support for fast charging, Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, and Wireless PowerShare.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra also comes with support for the Samsung S Pen stylus, which is a first for the Galaxy S-series of smartphones. However, the accessory isn’t included in the box and you’ll have to purchase it separately.
All three devices come with support for 5G connectivity as well as features like Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS, and more. The smartphones are running the latest Android 11 operating system with the company’s One UI on top.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 comes in Phantom Violet, Phantom Gray, Phantom Pink, and Phantom White color while the Plus variant comes in Phantom Violet, Phantom Silver, and Phantom Black colors. The Ultra model two colors — Phantom Silver and Phantom Black while other colors — Phantom Titanium, Phantom Navy, and Phantom Brown will be exclusive to the Samsung Store.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Series Key Specifications
- Display: 6.2-inch FHD+ (S21), 6.7-inch FHD+ (S21 Plus), and 6.8-inch QHD+ (S21 Ultra) Infinity-O Display with Adaptive 120Hz refresh rate
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 or Samsung Exynos 2100
- RAM: 8 GB (S21, S21 Plus), 12/16 GB (S21 Ultra)
- Storage: Up to 512 GB internal storage
- Rear Camera: S21 and S21 Plus — 64 MP telephoto lens + 12 MP ultrawide lens + 12 MP wide-angle lens
Galaxy S21 Ultra — 108 MP wide-angle lens + 12 MP ultra-wide lens + 10 MP telephoto sensor with 3x zoom + 10 MP telephoto lens with 10x zoom - Front Camera: 10 MP (S21, S21 Plus) and 40 MP (S21 Ultra)
- Software: Android 11-based Samsung One UI
- Others: In-display fingerprint sensor
- Connectivity: Dual SIM, 5G NSA/SA, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS, and USB Type-C port
- Battery: 4,500 mAh (S21), 4,800 mAh (S21 Plus), and 5,000 mAh (S21 Ultra) with support for fast charging and wireless charging
Pricing and Availability
- Samsung Galaxy S21: $799.99
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus: $999.99
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: $1,199.99
- Availability: From 29th January
