Samsung has finally announced the Galaxy S21 series of smartphones. These new phones – the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus – have been announced much earlier than their predecessors. The two phones have a new design, new chipsets, upgraded cameras, but also lose some features and accessories from the last generation.
Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+ Design
The several leaks that surfaced before today have already shown us what the two phones look like but it is still worth talking about.
Both phones have a centered punch hole for the selfie camera. It is an Infinity-O display as Samsung likes to call it. But the more interesting part of the design is the new Contour Cut Camera housing that blends into the phone’s frame. Samsung describes it as a sleek, yet striking aesthetic.
The front of the two phones is covered in Gorilla Glass Victus while the back of the S21 is glasstic and that of the S21 Plus is glass. The phones will be available in Phantom Black, Phantom Pink, Phantom Violet, and Phantom Silver. Color availability varies from market to market.
Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus Specifications
The Galaxy S21 has a 6.2-inch screen while the Galaxy S21 Plus has a 6.7-inch screen. Both are flat Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays with a 2400 x 1080 resolution and an adaptive refresh rate (48Hz to 120Hz). The refresh rate is adjusted automatically based on the content you are viewing. Samsung also said there is a new Eye Comfort Shield that automatically adjusts the blue light based on the time of the day.
The Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus come with either the Exynos 2100 or the Snapdragon 888 depending on the market. You get 8GB of RAM on both phones and can choose between 128GB or 256GB of storage. There is no longer support for storage expansion, which is disappointing.
EDITOR’S PICK: Chip Battle: The Exynos 2100 challenges the Snapdragon 888
The two phones feature the same number of cameras on both sides. The front-facing camera is a 10MP Dual Pixel AF camera with an F 2.2 aperture, a 1.22µm pixel size, and an 80° field of view.
On the back are three cameras – a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera with a 120° field of view, a 12MP f/1.8 Dual Pixel AutoFocus camera with OIS, and a 64MP f/2.0 telephoto camera with OIS, PDAF, and 3x Hybrid Optic Zoom and 30X Space Zoom.
The cameras pack lots of new features. For example, the 64MP camera can record in 8K at 24 FPS. Samsung says you will be able to get high-res 33MP photos from the 8K videos you record. There are also up to 6 different portrait photo features to choose from.
The Galaxy S21 has a 4000mAh battery while the Galaxy S21 Plus has a 4800mAh battery. They both support 25W fast wired charging (charger not included in the box but you get a USB-C cable) and 15W wireless charging. There is also support for 9W reverse wireless charging. You also get an IP68 rating, NFC, UWB, and an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. They also run Android 11 with One UI 3 out of the box.
Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus Price and Availability
The Galaxy S21 starts at $799 while the Galaxy S21+ starts at $999. Both phones will be available for purchase starting on January 29. Pre-order goes live tomorrow and those who pre-order (at least in Europe) get a free pair of Galaxy Buds Live and a Samsung SmartTag for free.
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