Samsung Galaxy S21

Table of contents

LATEST GALAXY S21 NEWS

One UI 7 is available for Galaxy S21 across Asia, Europe, Latin America

More Galaxy S21 users in the USA get One UI 7 update

Galaxy S21 series receives One UI 7 Android 15 update in the United States

Galaxy S21 gets its last OS update, One UI 7, ahead of schedule

Introduction

Much like its predecessor, the Galaxy S20, the Galaxy S21 is the smallest of the 2021 Samsung flagship trio. It's also the cheapest of all the models included in this series even though it's not a cheap phone by any stretch of the imagination.

Its impressive specs make the Galaxy S21 a robust smartphone and a very compelling option in its price range. The device shares many of its hardware components with the more expensive Galaxy S21 models.

Design

Samsung made a big change with the Galaxy S21 and gave the device a plastic back. Other visual changes include the new Contour Cut design that blends the camera cutout seamlessly with the device's metal frame.

The Galaxy S21 retains the IP68 water and dust resistance rating of its predecessor. There's no 3.5mm headphone jack on the device, though. Other than that, it has a familiar design that previous Galaxy S smartphone owners will immediately feel at ease with. The phone is available in four color options called Phantom Gray, Phantom Violet, Phantom White, and Phantom Pink.

Specifications

All three Galaxy S21 models share the same Exynos 2100 chipset. Select markets also get the device with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, they include the likes of the US and South Korea. There's only 8GB of RAM on the entry-level flagship. Customers get 128GB internal storage with the device and 5G connectivity.

The Galaxy S21 misses out on features like Wi-Fi 6E and UWB support that's available on the higher-end models. There's also no microSD card slot so external memory expansion through a card is not possible. There's a 4,000mAh battery in this device with support for 25W wired fast charging.

Display

The Galaxy S21's front is dominated by its 6.2-inch Infinity-O Full HD+ flat display panel. It has adaptive refresh rate of 48-120Hz. The device also comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor which is not surprising since many Samsung devices already have this feature.

Camera

The Galaxy S21 shares its camera hardware with its predecessor. Its camera is exactly the same as the Galaxy S20. The setup includes a 12-megapixel f/1.8 primary sensor with Dual Pixel autofocus and OIS. There's a 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide, a 64-megapixel f/2.0 zoom camera with OIS and a 10-megapixel f/2.2 selfie camera.

The handset relies on digital cropping of the 64-megapixel image for 3x-30x zoom. The new Zoom Lock feature aids you in taking photos that aren't blurry at high zoom levels.

Software and new features

Samsung shipped the Galaxy S21 with Android 11 and One UI 3.1 out of the box. The new software added several features and improvements over previous versions.

The Galaxy S21 is also one of the many Samsung devices eligible for four Android OS upgrades. Its final major upgrade will be Android 15. The device will also get five years of security updates.

The Android 12 One UI 4.0 update was released for the Galaxy S21 on November 15, 2021.

Release date and price

The Galaxy S21 series was unveiled on January 14, 2021 with pre-orders going live on the same day. Samsung released the device on January 29, 2021. Prices start at $799.