Samsung finally unveiled its new generation of Galaxy phones and this is the biggest takeaway of the new line of devices: they’re $200 cheaper than similar models from the last Galaxy S20 line. Here’s how the pricing breaks down for the new Galaxy S21 devices:
- Galaxy S21: $800
- Galaxy S21+: $1,000
- Galaxy S21 Ultra: $1,200
As far as new Galaxy devices go, those prices are actually more on the affordable side compared to past iterations. Here's a birds eye view of the different Galaxy S21 phones (at the base 128 GB storage) and the compatible wireless carriers.
Samsung Galaxy S21 5G 128GB
| Description | |
|---|---|
| Screen Size | 6.2" |
| Available On | 17 Plans from 2 carriers |
| Available From |
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| Priced From | $10 per month + $499 upfront |
| View Full Details |
Samsung’s 2021 Galaxy series phone with a 6.2” flat FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display, triple rear telephoto, wide-angle and ultra-wide angle cameras, and in-screen Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor
Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G 128GB
| Description | |
|---|---|
| Screen Size | 6.7" |
| Available On | 12 Plans from 1 carrier |
| Available From |
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| Priced From | $10 per month + $349 upfront |
| View Full Details |
Samsung’s 2021 Galaxy series phone with a 6.7” Flat FHD+ display, triple rear telephoto, wide-angle and ultra-wide angle cameras, and in-screen Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G 128GB
| Description | |
|---|---|
| Screen Size | 6.8" |
| Available On | 0 Plans from 0 carriers |
| Available From |
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| View Full Details |
Samsung’s 2021 Galaxy series phone with a 6.8” Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, rear quad cameras, 5G capability, and in-screen Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor
What's New on Galaxy S21 Phones
All Galaxy S21 devices include an improved processor (which is a big deal), but other than that, the other new features are exclusive to the S21 Ultra.
Improved Processing Speed
The main difference between the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S20 is the processor and software that makes all the magic happen. The Galaxy S21 phones come with a Snapdragon 888 processor that runs Android 11 software. The S20, on the other hand, offered a Snapdragon 875 that ran Android 10 software. If all that sounds like technical nonsense to you, the main takeaway is that apps on the Galaxy S21 will run more smoothly and you can enjoy the latest version of Android software.
Stylus Support for the S21 Ultra
The S21 Ultra is the first Galaxy device compatible with Samsung’s S Pen stylus. You can break out the stylus and jot down notes, draw images, and sign documents. It’ll be like having a pad of paper with you wherever you go. Sadly, the stylus only works with the S21 Ultra for now.
Improved Camera for the S21 Ultra
You won’t find any differences between the base models for the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S21 when it comes to camera setup, but the S21 Ultra offers some new bells and whistles. Here’s all the new features that come with the Galaxy S21 cameras:
- Four rear cameras
- 108-megapixel wide sensor
- 12-megapixel ultrawide camera
- Two 10-megapixel telephoto lenses
- Bright Night sensor and pixel binning technology
- 4K Video at 60 frames a second
All of these features add up to make a camera that takes incredibly detailed photos and videos.
Design, Display, Weight
At first glance, the Galaxy S21 looks pretty much identical to the Galaxy S20, with the exception of the sleeker contoured camera lenses on the back of the device. Other than the camera design, you’ll find the same 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rates on both the S20 and S21 Galaxy phones. There’s actually a slight dip in quality in the S21 display, which offers a pixel density of 421 ppi, as opposed to the S20’s 563 ppi. It’s probably something not super noticeable to the naked eye, but it explains where Samsung cut corners to come to a lower price.
The S21 weighs slightly more than the S21 by about .28 oz. Again, not a huge difference, but for some of us, that .28 oz. is just enough weight to start sagging our shorts. Am I the only one who worries about this? Probably.
As for colors, the Galaxy S21 features pastel colors that range from pink, to purple, to the classic Samsung grays and blacks.
From left to right, S21 Ultra ($1,200), the S21+ ($1,000), and the S21 ($800)
Photo credit: Samsung
The trend of no included battery charger and headphones continues…
Apparently, gone are the days where you would get a charger and headphones included with your phone purchase. You’ll need to buy a Samsung charger and headphones separately with your S21 purchase.
Improved Battery Life on the Galaxy S21+
Both the base Galaxy S20 and S21 models include the same battery size (it’s the same story with S20 Ultra and S21 Ultra), but the S21+ does improve on the S20+ battery life by about 6.5%. That’s good for about an extra hour of battery life compared to the S20+.
All Samsung Galaxy S21 Phones are 5G Compatible
Like the Galaxy S20 before it, all the new Galaxy S21 phones will work on 5G networks, but that doesn’t guarantee you’ll get 5G coverage in your neck of the woods. The 5G rollout still feels like it’s taking forever, but if you’re lucky enough to have 5G coverage in your neighborhood, the new suite of Galaxy S21 phones will support the blazing-fast data speeds.
Main Takeaways from the Samsung Galaxy S21 Reveal
As we’ve seen in the past few iterations of smartphones, there’s nothing terribly groundbreaking with the Galaxy S21 edition. All the best new features, like stylus support and improved camera capabilities, are reserved for the $1,200 Samsung Galaxy Ultra.
There are two big universal takeaways from the Galaxy S21 rollout—a reduced price, and an improved processor. All the new Galaxy S21 phones cost about $200 less than their S20 counterparts cost last year. Also, all the S21 phones come with a faster processor that’ll improve performance across the board on your new phone.
All in all, there’s not a ton there to justify a jump to the Galaxy S21 if you already have a Galaxy S20, but if you have an older phone are a looking to finally upgrade, the S21 offers tons of bang for the buck.
Tyler Abbott
Contributing Writer
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