This article is a review of the Samsung Galaxy S21, the phone that is not the best on market but is well put together.
Generally speaking, Samsung Galaxy S21 is an odd handset on paper, but spending a week with this phone tells us that it’s a highly capable handset. The phone is overall a pleasure to use, despite a cable of spect being dropped from the previous handset Samsung Galaxy S20.
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The company decided to drop some of the features from Samsung Galaxy S21 can be put in two main reasons. The first reason is to drop the price f its handset – the Galaxy S21 starts at $799 compared to Galaxy S20 5G $999
The second reason is that the company’s main focus shifted towards Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. Unlike the Galaxy S20 Ultra in 2020, the new Galaxy S21 Ultra is a handset we’d recommend to those who are desperate to try all the new tweaks and all the new technology which company puts in one phone.
For those who want a bigger screen but not all those flashy tech specs, there is Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus. The difference between Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus is mainly in display size, battery life and slightly premium glass back.
Back to Galaxy S21, and its chipset is powerful, the camera has improved over recent models, battery life is strong despite effective fast-charging and wireless options, it can give you a solid day of use from a full charge.
Samsung has opted for a lower-spec screen than the one in S20, the display in Galaxy S21 is a Full HD+ 6.2-inch display, but it offers a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and graphics.
The chipset we tested is Exynos 2100 version which is powerful and delivers fantastic results in real-world usage.
If you are already the owner of Galaxy S20, we are not recommending upgrading to its follower Galaxy S21 because there are not some significant features, despite price drop, the phone sacrifices some areas which S20 gains to deliver others.
SAMSUNG S21 SPECS
Weight: 160g
Dimensions: 151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9
Display size: 6.2-inch
Resolution: Full HD+ (2400×1080)
Refresh rate: 120Hz
Pixel density: 421 ppi
Chipset: Snapdragon 888 / Exynos 2100
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB/256GB
Rear cameras: 12MP + 64MP + 12MP
Front camera: 10MP
Battery: 4,000mAh
READ MORE: Samsung Galaxy S22 news and leaks
Samsung Galaxy S21 release date and price
The Samsung Galaxy S21 release date was on Friday, January 29, 2021, for most of the world, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.
Galaxy S21 price is remarkably lowered than that of S20 at launch, with the company decision to trim few specs, such as reducing maximum display resolution and dropping microSD support, to be possible.
Samsung Galaxy S21 price starts at $799 for the version which includes 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. There is also a 256GB and 8GB Ram variant, and the cost is $849.
If you are looking for a higher spec Samsung Galaxy S21 handset, there is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus which starts at $999 with the Galaxy S21 Ultra that is taking the honour of the most expensive phone at $1,199
SAMSUNG GALAXY S21 DESIGN
The Samsung Galaxy S21 design has a new Contour Cut camera which stands out, Glasstic rear with a matt finish and feels premium, but not as high-end S21 Ultra.
The overall design has a noticeable change over the Galaxy S20, mainly in the materials that are used, colours and general look of the device.
There’s a 6.2-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display on this handset, which makes Galaxy S21 a member of smaller phones. While it may not be as trim as the iPhone 12 mini. those with smaller hands shouldn’t have too much trouble using it.
If you are a fan of the bigger phones there are Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra which has the largest screen in series. Both phones are much expensive though.
One of the downsides of the design is that company decided to switch its real material from glass to their new invention Glasstic. Glasstic is a material that is between glass and plastic, and with a matt finish it is supposed to give a premium feels to the phone so it doesn’t feel cheap as plastic.
The colours in which Galaxy S21 comes with are Phantom Gray, Phantom White, Phantom Pink and Phantom Violet, with the Phantom Violet being the one that stands out the most.
Samsung has made the camera array on the new S21 look different than any camera tray on the market. The company calls this its Contour Cut Camera, although we think it looks bold, it’s not something that we found hard to use during our time testing the phone.
Functional buttons and ports on the phone are not changed drastically. The bottom edge features the Sim tray, a USB-C port and a speaker grill, while on the right side are the power put-on and the volume rocker; however, the Bixby button has been removed from the handset. This assistant can be used by long-pressing the power button.
The other thing we have noticed is that the company switch completely to a flat-screen on Galaxy S21. Samsung has used screens that curve attractively into the body at the left and right side of the screen. The feature was not removed from a premium Galaxy S21 Ultra.
DISPLAY
Samsung Galaxy S21 display features are resolution which was dropped to Full HD+, 120Hz refresh rate which is a great addition as well as the better brightness.
The downgrade that company made for its new Samsung Galaxy S21 display wasn’t made to drop the price down, but honestly speaking using both phones Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S21 we didn’t notice a resolution drop or any other signs referring to display downgrade.
The question is has Samsung made the right decision with downgrading its display? Probably yes, because as talked about before the difference isn’t noticeable.
The new feature on Galaxy S21 is 120Hz maximum refresh rate, which is by default working on adaptive capacity, meaning if you are playing video games the screen will stick with 120Hz, but if you are reading an audiobook it’ll reduce the refresh rate to save battery.
CAMERA
Samsung Galaxy S21 camera hardware hasn’t changed from the last year’s phone, as Samsung’s big sensor change happened between Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S20. This year it’s all about software, and Samsung finding the way to slim down the camera module.
It’s the same triple-lens array as the Galaxy S20 including a 12MP main camera, 12Mp ultra-wide, and 64MP telephoto camera capable of 3x hybrid optical zoom. You won’t notice a change coming from Galaxy S20, but coming from galaxy S10 you will see big improvements.
Single Take is a Samsung’s camera mode which enables you to take pictures or video using all the cameras with a single press of the shutter button. This feature is even better with the addition of a new slow-mo option, and it remains one of the highlights of Samsung’s phones.
The telephoto camera is impressive too, the camera offers 3x optical zoom and up to 30x digital zoom. The results with this carom aren’t even going to compare with two telephoto cameras on Galaxy S21 Ultra, but it is still a fun feature to play with.
The 10MP selfie/front camera is less headline-grabbing, but it is not something that is not worth anything during these times with video calls and zoom meetings.
There is another new feature that Samsung presented and it’s called Director’s View mode. The new feature enables you to shoot with a front and rear camera at the same time. The idea here is for vloggers and other content creators to capture reaction shots of themselves, which they can splice alongside the main footage.
For video, there is an option to shoot 8K at 24 frames, which offers maximum quality and detail. The other options are 4K at 30 and 60 frames per second, as well as Full HD at 30, 60 and 240fps.
BATTERY LIFE
The battery life on the new Samsung S21 is solid, although it’s not that much different than last year’s S20.
Generally speaking, it’s all-day battery life, but on some occasions using highly drainable applications like GPS, the battery is drained before 10 pm.
Recharging Samsung Galaxy S21 is easy with 25W fast-charging tech via the phone’s USB-C port, phone also has support for Qi wireless charging.
Reverse charging is also enabled in Galaxy S21, so you can charge a friend’s phone at any time, or charge your QI-wireless headphones.
The company is following Apple steps by not including charger in the box to cut down e-waste.
