Although the Galaxy S21 won’t be the flagship of Samsung’s S Series in 2021 like it has been for the past decade, it is a solid choice. It boasts an excellent camera, great internals, and a long battery life. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is the flagship model. But if you’re looking for a smartphone that’s more affordable than the Galaxy S20 at launch and has many premium features, the Galaxy S21 will be a joy to use.
Review in two minutes
Although the Samsung Galaxy S21 may seem odd on paper, we have spent one week with it and found it an extremely capable phone that is a joy to use.
Why is the Samsung Galaxy S21 less powerful than the Galaxy S20 in specs? There are two reasons. First, Samsung wanted to lower the price of its handsets.
The second is that Samsung is focusing more on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. And unlike the Galaxy S20 Ultra 2020, this handset is one we would recommend to anyone who is eager to test the latest innovations and is willing to pay the price.
The Galaxy S21 is a less exciting Galaxy S smartphone than we are used to, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an excellent handset choice.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus has a bigger screen and similar specs. This phone is very similar to the one above. The main differences are its size, battery capacity, and premium glass back.
The S21 is a powerful chipset, the camera software has improved over previous models, and the battery lasts a solid day on a full charge. There are also effective fast-charging options and wireless charging options.
Samsung chose a screen with lower specs than the S20’s. It has a Full HD+ display of 6.2 inches, but it also offers a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and graphics. We didn’t notice any difference in our testing.
We tested the Exynos 2100 model of the Exynos chipset and it is powerful. It delivers some amazing results in real-world usage as well as benchmarking software.
You won’t choose the Galaxy S21 if you already have a Samsung Galaxy S20 or can get it at a substantial discount. The new phone has some advantages, but not enough to justify spending a few hundred dollars more.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is a top-end phone that Samsung sells this year. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is a much cheaper option to the Samsung Galaxy S21. It shares many of the same features and design language, and works great for everyday tasks.
Design
- New Contour Cut camera design stands out
- A ‘Glasstic” rear with a matte finish
- It feels premium but not as expensive as S21 Ultra
Samsung’s design has seen the most significant changes since the S20, which we voted 2020’s best smartphone. They have changed the materials and colors as well as the overall appearance of the device.
This handset has a 6.2-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display. We’ll go into more detail in the display section. This is the smallest phone in the Galaxy S21 range. Although it’s not as slim as the iPhone 12 mini it shouldn’t be too difficult to use.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus has a bigger screen, while the Galaxy S21 Ultra boasts the largest screen in the series. These handsets are both more expensive.
Samsung has changed from a Galaxy S20 with a full-glass rear – which was not very exciting in-person – to a Glasstic’ rear, which comes with a matte finish. It also incorporates a new design for the camera block.
Glasstic is the company’s name for the material. It is somewhere between glass and plastic, as the name implies. Although it does not feel as premium as glass rears, the matte finish means that it doesn’t feel cheap.
Samsung used the same material for the Galaxy Note 20 but the matte finish feels better here. It’s also less shiny than the Galaxy S20’s glass rear, which makes it less fingerprint magnet. The device’s metal edges add a premium touch.
There are four colour options available at launch: Phantom Gray (the colour you see in this review), Phantom White (the colour you see in the review), and Phantom Violet (the colour we think is the best).
The S21 phone’s camera array is different from any other. Samsung calls it its Contour Cut Camera. We like the bold design, but it has become a part of our daily testing. The Phantom Violet variant’s gold camera array is beautiful. It feels slimmer than the Galaxy S20 so it doesn’t protrude from the phone’s back as much.
The phone’s sleek edges are broken up by very little: on the bottom, you will find the SIM tray, USB-C port, and speaker grille. On the right, you will find the volume rocker and power button. However, the Bixby button that was on other phones from Samsung has not returned to this handset. You can instead launch Samsung’s assistant simply by pressing the power button for a long time.
Some people find the change to a flat-screen on the Galaxy S21 a negative. Samsung screens have been designed to curve into the body at the right and left edges for many generations. However, this feature has been dropped in the Galaxy S21.
If you aren’t used to the curved edges of the S21 Ultra, it is unlikely that you will notice the difference. However, Samsung retained the curved edge screen as a premium feature for the S21 Ultra.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S21 feels premium, but it isn’t as high-end as the Samsung Galaxy S20 or the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Display
- Samsung has reduced the resolution to Full HD+ in this phone
- 120Hz refresh speed is excellent, as is brightness
- It’s hard to notice the switch from QHD but some will be disappointed
Samsung’s most controversial move for the Galaxy S21 is the downgrading of the display. The company switched to a Full HD+ screen with a lower resolution than the Quad HD display on the 2020 Galaxy S20.
Samsung did this to keep the phone’s price down. We don’t think you can tell the difference unless you have used a phone with QHD resolution. However, we were able to see that all videos on the S21 looked great on the Full HD+ panel.
You don’t need a Samsung Galaxy S20 to make this purchase. However, if you do have a Samsung Galaxy S20 you will be pleased with the decision. The Galaxy S21 Ultra is the best option for those who want the best Samsung screen tech.
Is Samsung right? We believe so. Although it may not be popular, it has allowed Samsung to lower the price of the Galaxy S21 series. This will not be a major problem for most people’s daily use of the phone.
The Galaxy S21’s display has a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. This is by default. If you are playing a mobile game or listening to an audiobook, it will reduce the refresh rate to conserve battery.
The fingerprint scanner on the S21 phone has seen significant improvements over the previous models. The fingerprint sensor is 70% larger than the previous models, making it easier to hit and a lot faster. It isn’t as fast as other physical fingerprint scanners, but it’s one of the most efficient in-screen scanners that we have used.
Camera
- The same camera tech that was used on the Galaxy S20
- New software, improved with more modes and single take
- 10MP front cam doesn’t surprise us, but it still works
As Samsung’s major sensor upgrade occurred between the Galaxy S10-S20 generation, the Galaxy S21’s camera hardware hasn’t changed. It’s all about software this year, with Samsung finding a way of slimming down the camera module.
The same triple-lens rear array is used: 12MP primary camera, ultra-wide 12MP, and 64MP Telephoto that can be used as a 3x hybrid optical Zoom. All three lenses, like the Galaxy S20’s, are capable of taking excellent photos. The software updates for the Galaxy S21 will further enhance the experience.
You won’t see much improvement in your photography if you have a Galaxy S20, but you will notice big improvements if you have a Galaxy S10 or earlier.
Single Take – Samsung’s new camera mode allows you to take multiple photos and videos using all three cameras with one press of the shutter. It is still one of the most popular features of Samsung phones.
If you are taking photos of fast-moving pets or children, Single Take is likely to increase your chances of getting useful shots and/or clips.
This telephoto camera is also impressive, with a 3x hybrid zoom and a maximum of 30x digital zoom. Although the results won’t be as good as the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s telephoto cameras, this is still an interesting feature.
Although the 10MP selfie camera at the front of this phone is not as prominent, it was still impressive during our testing. This camera will be able to keep up with the demands of the modern world via video calls, even in an era where lockdowns are a thing of the past. We were also impressed by its selfie capabilities.
The Galaxy S21 also has a Director’s View mode that allows you to use the rear and front cameras simultaneously. This mode allows content creators, such as vloggers, to capture reactions shots of their own that they can then splice into their main footage.
The feature worked well for us and is similar to what we have seen on HMD Global’s Nokia phones over the years. Although we don’t know how many people will use it, this upgrade encourages experimentation.
You have the option to record 8K at 24 frames per second. This offers maximum quality and detail but is a bit too cropped for us. You also have Full HD at 30, 60, and 240 frames per second.
Performance and specifications
- Uses Snapdragon888 in the US, Exynos2100 elsewhere
- Exynos represents a major step up in Samsung’s chipsets
- There is no microSD. The only options are 128GB and 256GB
The Galaxy S21 phones were among the first to utilize either Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8888 (the US) and Samsung’s Exynos 2100 (just about anywhere else). These were the most recent top-end chipsets at the time the S21 range was launched. The Exynos 2100 is still the top-of-its range as of July 2021. However, there is now a Snapdragon 888 Plus.
The Exynos 2100 model of the S21 has been tested by us, but it looks like a significant improvement on previous generations. The Exynos variant was known to be slower than the Qualcomm-powered phones in certain areas, but the gap appears to have closed this year.
Geekbench 5 gave the Samsung Galaxy S21 a multicore score of 3367. This is significantly higher than the score for the Galaxy S20, which had the Exynos 910 chipset. It returned 2699.
Although benchmarking does not show all, we found that everyday tasks are faster on the phone. The handset is more capable of multi-tasking, gaming, and keeping multiple apps open in split-screen view.
Although we have yet to test the Samsung Galaxy S21 using a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, the Galaxy S21 Ultra was able to perform well so we expect similar results with that S21 handset.
The Exynos 2100 handset variant is an improvement on previous Samsung models. It offers the most powerful performance available right now for Android phones. We expect to hear a complete verdict on the Qualcomm chipset-toting version within the next few days.
The S21 has both 8GB RAM and the S21 Ultra has 16GB.
You have the option of 128GB, 256GB, or 2GB RAM. Samsung has removed microSD support from its S21. This means that you can’t increase the storage built-in to the S21.
Instead, the company offers internal storage. This seems to be a cost-saving measure by Samsung. However, it is likely to disappoint anyone who needs lots of storage but still wants the most affordable handset.
Samsung’s OneUI 3.0 skin is used on the S21, which runs Android 11. It may take nearly a year for Android 12 to arrive on your phone, even though Google releases it in August. Samsung is notoriously slow when rolling out new versions.
This phone has a great software experience. You also have access to many additional Samsung services in addition to the standard Android apps.
Samsung is fully committed to 5G by 2021, and all versions of the Galaxy S21 can be used with 5G. Even if your area is not 5G-ready, it means that you are future-proofed for when 5G connectivity becomes more widespread.
Battery life
- The 4,000mAh battery in the lasts for the entire day
- 120Hz can have a negative effect on the battery life
- The box doesn’t include a charger
The Samsung Galaxy S21’s battery life is good, but it’s not as great as the S20. However, the Exynos 2100 chipset may have made some believe.
The phone generally lasts for a day. However, one time when we used the GPS signal more, the device died at 10pm.
The S21 can be charged using the 25W fast-charging technology by the company via its USB-C port. It is also compatible with Qi wireless charging. We tested it and found it to work well.
You can also use reverse wireless charging to charge your phone. However, we found it to be slow and not something you would want to use except in an emergency.
This year, compatibility with Samsung’s 45W chargers is missing. These chargers were compatible with the S20 series. TechRadar was told by Samsung that the new 25W charging capabilities of their phones have been optimized. 45W charging is not a significant benefit.
Another thing to be aware of is the fact that the Galaxy S21 does not come with a charging cable. Samsung is following Apple’s lead and not including a charger in its new phones. This is to reduce e-waste.
If you are buying a new Samsung smartphone, chances are you already have a compatible USB C charger that will work perfectly. You will need to purchase a charger if you have a charging problem.
There are many reasons to buy
- Want a smaller Samsung smartphone
- You will need the best Android phone
- If your phone is older
Here are some reasons not to buy…
- Do you own a Samsung Galaxy S20?
- You will need lots of storage
- Want the best?
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