Samsung Galaxy S21
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Product Overview
Samsung Galaxy S21 is a high-end 5G smartphone that features a 5nm octa-core processors, Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, and three rear-facing cameras.
Compared to the Galaxy S20 from 2020, the Galaxy S21 removes the micro-SD card slot and reduces the resolution of the display. It also uses plastic rear cover.
As a tradeoff, the new 5nm processors promise increased power efficiency as well as speed. Samsung has also endowed the S21 a new, stylish design.
Alongside the Galaxy S21, Samsung also unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked 2021 the large Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra as well as the sleek true wireless headphones, the Galaxy Buds Pro.
Ratings
What we found
Pros
- Great performance
- Good battery life
- Fast SoC
- Good cameras
Cons
- S-Pen not supported on Galaxy S21+
What external reviewers found
External score 81%
Pros
- Great display
- Good camera performance
- Superb battery life
- Fantastic performance
Cons
- Slow Wi-Fi
- One UI 3 is frustrating to use
- No aptX codec support
- Slow charging
- No wireless charging
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Specifications
| International | USA / China |
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External Reviews
digitaltrends[1]
Reviewer score 68% (normalized by Neofiliac)The Galaxy S21 is a fine phone, it just isn't one that's particularly desirable or exciting. You can argue about the decision to use a plastic back, or remove the SD card slot, but even with those two decisions, there's nothing wrong with the S21. Samsung doesn't skimp on specs, the display is excellent, and the nice-to-have features are all here.
Pros
- Great display
- Good battery life
- Good cameras
Cons
- Plastic back isn’t as good as last year’s S21
- Camera quality is still not great
nextpit[2]
Reviewer score 77% (normalized by Neofiliac)The Galaxy S21+'s camera delivers a good performance, but it probably still lags behind the S21 Ultra. It is probably left further behind the likes of the Mate 40 Pro(+), the Huawei P40(+) and also the iPhone 12 Pro Max. The new fingerprint sensor does a very good job, as I've mentioned.
Pros
- Bright 120 Hertz display
- Long battery life
- Good camera performance
Cons
- Slow charging
- No aptX codec support
- Slow Wi-Fi
notebookcheck[3]
Reviewer score 76% (normalized by Neofiliac)With its high-end hardware, the Galaxy S21 is naturally able to run modern games smoothly. However, the smartphone has to put the brakes on the SoC repeatedly, so it can't use its high performance on a long-term basis. Wireless connectivity is possible via Bluetooth 5.0, which supports the SBC, AAC, aptX, and LDAC Bluetooth codecs. With its 4,000 mAh battery, the phone has the smallest battery in the S21 lineup.
Pros
- Bright 120 Hz display
- Fast SoC
- Good battery life
Cons
- No microSD slot
- No 3.5 mm audio jack
pcmag[4]
Reviewer score 79% (normalized by Neofiliac)The Galaxy S21, like its siblings, has the new Qualcomm X60 modem. These are the first Samsung phones to support C-band, the new 5G airwaves wireless carriers just spent more than $80 billion for. At this moment, the S21 performs just like the S20 series and the iPhone 12 on the US 5G networks.
Pros
- Small and light
- Good battery life
- Long-lasting battery
Cons
- No headphone jack
- No wireless charging
pcworld[5]
Reviewer score 82% (normalized by Neofiliac)The Galaxy S21 ships with One UI 3.1 based on Android 11, making it the earliest phone Samsung has shipped with the latest version of Android. It has the same 12MP wide and ultrawide lenses and a 30X hybrid optical Space Zoom telephoto lens. Like Apple and Google, Samsung has done work behind the scenes to boost the quality.
Pros
- Beautiful, high-contrast display
- Good battery life
- Excellent cameras
Cons
- No microSD card slot
- Mediocre cameras
techradar[6]
Reviewer score 83% (normalized by Neofiliac)The Samsung Galaxy S21 runs Android 11 with Samsung's One UI 3.0 skin. It may be nearly a year before you see Android 12 on this phone, even if Google releases the update in August. Recharging the S21 is easy, using the company's 25W fast-charging tech via the phone's USB-C port. It's also compatible with Qi wireless charging, but we found that to be slow.
Pros
- Fantastic performance
- Good battery life
Cons
- No microSD support
- No 5G in 2021
tomsguide[7]
Reviewer score 81% (normalized by Neofiliac)The Galaxy S21 Ultra has a fantastic display and powerful cameras. Fast charging is on offer over the USB-C PD standard, juicing up the battery to 55% in 30 minutes in our testing. The lack of any hardware upgrades for the cameras was a little disappointing, but then they still produce flagship-grade results.
Pros
- Fantastic display
- Great cameras
- Great battery life
Cons
- One UI is a mess
- No hardware upgrades
trustedreviews[8]
Reviewer score 92% (normalized by Neofiliac)The 12MP ultra wide camera is one of the best I've reviewed. It's capable of capturing large amounts of detail, with very little blurring at the edges and nice colours. There’s a good 10MP selfie camera that produces far more realistic and natural images than previous Samsung attempts. You can shoot video at 8K 24fps if you want to show off the power of the internals, or you can drop down to 4K60/30 for something more manageable.
Pros
- Superb battery life
- Great ultra-wide camera
- Great value for money
Cons
- No wireless charging
- No headphone jack
whathifi[9]
Reviewer score 91% (normalized by Neofiliac)The Samsung Galaxy S21 shuffles the S series along nicely with camera enhancements, aesthetic improvements and some modest functionality boosts. It sacrifices some screen spec, premium build and accessories in order to a lower price, but there is still an excellent balance between performance and value. The S21’s luscious colour capture makes the Sonys' seem washed out in comparison, while the Samsung takes the spoils when it comes to sharpness and clarity.
Pros
- Top-notch performance
- Excellent battery life
- Excellent camera performance
Cons
- No IP68 rating
- No wireless charging
References
- ^ Samsung Galaxy S21 5G review: Right recipe, wrong ingredients. [digitaltrends].
- ^ Samsung Galaxy S21+ review: It's gorgeous! But is the beauty just skin deep?. [nextpit].
- ^ Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphone review: The most affordable high-end Galaxy. [notebookcheck].
- ^ Samsung Galaxy S21 Review. [pcmag].
- ^ Samsung Galaxy S21 review: A premium phone that's a great value. [pcworld].
- ^ Samsung Galaxy S21 review. [techradar].
- ^ Samsung Galaxy S21 review. [tomsguide].
- ^ Samsung Galaxy S21 Review. [trustedreviews].
- ^ Samsung Galaxy S21 review. [whathifi].
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