The Samsung Galaxy S21 is a series of Android-based smartphones designed, developed, marketed, and manufactured by Samsung Electronics as part of its Galaxy S series. They collectively serve as the successor to the Samsung Galaxy S20 series. The first three smartphones were unveiled at Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event on 14 January 2021, while the Fan Edition model was unveiled at Samsung's CES on 3 January 2022.
The S21 series consists of the base Galaxy S21 model, the plus Galaxy S21+ model, the camera-focused Galaxy S21 Ultra model, and the mid-range variant Galaxy S21 FE model. Key upgrades over the previous models, in addition to improved specifications, a display with a 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate, an improved camera system supporting 8K video recording (7680×4320) for the first three models, and a super-resolution zoom of 30–100x, for the ultra model.
The first three phones were released in the United States and Europe on 29 January 2021, while the Fan Edition was released globally on 7 January 2022. The Galaxy S21 FE, S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra launch prices started at $699.99, $799.99, $999.99, and $1079.99, respectively.
The Galaxy S21 was succeeded by the Galaxy S22, which was announced on 9 February 2022.
History[]
S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra[]
The lineup of the first three devices was unveiled at Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event on 14 January 2021. The three devices served as the successors of the 2020 models. All devices' design scheme has changed drastically, redesigning the massive rear-camera module for a slimmer camera module incorporated with the buttons and a uniform appearance for the S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra. The base model possesses a (plastic) polycarbonate back, the only model of the three devices to attain the change. The base model attains similar specifications to the S20. The S21+ retains the specifications and design of the regular S21, in contrast to minor differences. It serves as the successor to the S20+. The S21 Ultra serves as the high-end model of the S21 series, integrated as the professional version of the lineup, and successor to the S20 Ultra. The phone became the first of the s-series lineup to have s-pen support, with limited functionality. The S21 series discontinued sales once the Galaxy S22 were released. The phones were released on 29 January 2021.
S21 FE[]
The “Fan Edition” follow-up was unveiled at Samsung's CES 2022 event on 3 January 2022. The S21 FE serves as the successor to the S20 FE, a series of mid-range variants of their corresponding Galaxy S lineup upon launch. The Fan Edition maintains the majority of the specifications and design of the S21, with slight discrepancies to meet its lower price value. The phone was originally planned to be released in October 2021 but was delayed due to the 2020–present global chip shortage. The S21 FE was released on 11 January 2022.
Lineup[]
The lineup comprises four devices, with the Galaxy S21 initially being the least expensive with a smaller screen size and a (plastic) polycarbonate back, which then is undercut later on by the Galaxy S21 FE with the same material minus the camera bump being also polycarbonate than metal. In contrast to the Galaxy S20+, the Galaxy S21+ is very similar to the S21 spec-wise, with the exception of a larger display, higher battery capacity, and glass back instead of plastic. The Galaxy S21 Ultra has an even larger screen size, battery, and a host of other improvements over the other models, including a more advanced camera setup highlighted by its 108 MP main sensor with laser autofocus and a higher resolution 1440p display. The S21 Ultra is also the first phone in the Galaxy S series to support the S Pen, albeit sold separately and with limited functionality.
Specifications[]
| S21 | S21 FE | S21+ | S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.2-inch AMOLED 1080p | 6.4-inch AMOLED 1080p | 6.7-inch AMOLED 1080p | 6.8inch AMOLED 1440p |
| Cameras | Rear: 64 + 12 + 12 MP, 8K video at up to 30 fps
Front: 10 MP |
Rear: 8 + 12 + 12 MP, 8K video at up to 30 fps
Front: 32 MP |
Rear: 64 + 12 + 12 MP, 8K video at up to 30 fps
Front: 10 MP |
Rear: 108 + 12 + 10 + 10 MP, 8K video at up to 30 fps
Front: 40 MP |
| CPU | Exynos 2100 with 8 cores and 16 threads running at 2.9GHz | |||
| RAM | 8GB | 6 GB (for 128 GB only); 8 GB (for 128/256 GB) | 8GB | 12 GB (for 128/256 GB); 16 GB (for 512 GB) |
| Storage | 128/256 GB | 128/256 GB | 128/256 GB | 128/256/512 GB |
| Current Operating system | One UI 4.1 with Android 12 | |||
| Models | Galaxy S21 | Galaxy S21+ | Galaxy S21 Ultra | Galaxy S21 FE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Variant | RAM | Storage | RAM | Storage | RAM | Storage | RAM | Storage |
| 1 | 8GB | 128GB | 8GB | 128GB | 12GB | 128GB | 6GB | 128GB |
| 2 | 8GB | 256GB | 8GB | 256GB | 12GB | 256GB | 8GB | 128GB |
| 3 | - | - | - | - | 16GB | 512GB | 8GB | 256GB |
Software[]
The Galaxy S21 was released with One UI 3.0 (Android 11). Later, Samsung confirmed 4 years of major software updates.[1]
In June 2021, Samsung announced 5 years of software support for Galaxy S21 series of smartphones.[2]
The One UI 5 update based on Android 13 began rolling out to S21 devices on 7 November 2022.
Design[]
The Galaxy S21 series has a design similar to its predecessor, with an Infinity-O display containing a circular cutout in the top center for the front selfie camera. The S21 and S21 FE's back panel is reinforced poly-carbonate (plastic) similar to the S20 FE and Note 20 while the S21+ and S21 Ultra use Gorilla Glass Victus. The rear camera array has been integrated into the phone body except for the S21 FE which is made out of reinforced poly-carbonate integrated instead on the back cover and has a metallic surround; the S21 Ultra has a carbon fiber camera surround for exclusive colors.
Colours[]
| Galaxy S21 | Galaxy S21+ | Galaxy S21 Ultra | Galaxy S21 FE | ||||
| Color | Name | Color | Name | Color | Name | Color | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phantom White | Phantom Silver | Phantom Silver | White | ||||
| Phantom Gray | Phantom Black | Phantom Black | Graphite | ||||
| Phantom Violet | Phantom Violet | Phantom Titanium | Lavender | ||||
| Phantom Pink | Phantom Gold | Phantom Navy | Olive | ||||
| Phantom Red | Phantom Brown | ||||||
Reception[]
The Verge's review, by Dieter Bohn, praised the S21 Ultra's punchy display, fast performance, long-lasting battery life and the general improvements to the camera system, likening the latter to that of the iPhone 12 Pro Max's; however, Bohn did note that the phone's glass back is slightly more susceptible to minor scratches. Android Authority's review by David Imel noted the Samsung's Galaxy S21 Ultra "is a powerhouse smartphone" and that "the camera system in Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is one of the best you can get on Android". Matt Sweder at Techradar gave a positive review noting its "mesmerizing design" calling it "Samsung’s best-looking phone ever" and how "phenomenally powerful" the camera is, but also went on to criticize the price and lack of microSD card slot, and questioning the stylus support, which is a separate purchase, with nowhere to put the S Pen on the phone itself.
Criticism has been aimed at the lack of a charger and memory card-expandable storage, the latter of which existed on the preceding Galaxy S20. In 2018, Samsung made fun of iPhone's lack of the same features and an audio connector port in a series of commercials for the Galaxy S9 named "Ingenious", where unhappy iPhone customers confront an Apple Store employee over the lack of functionality that the Galaxy S9 was equipped with, a feature which has since been removed from all Galaxy phones.
Following Apple, Samsung decided not to include a wall charger or earphones when selling the Galaxy S21 series of smartphones, the reasoning being that "Samsung believes the removal of earphones and charger plugs from our in-box device packaging can help address the growing e-waste problem and unnecessary duplication of these items". However, reaching the highest charging rate possibly requires a new charger with separate packaging and shipping with standalone environmental footprint.
Issues[]
A few weeks after the release Galaxy S21 Ultra users reported severe overheating issues with their devices. These overheating issues were found in both the Snapdragon 888 and Exynos 2100 variants. Samsung pushed multiple software updates to fix overheating problems to prevent throttling.[3]