Samsung Galaxy S21

Samsung Galaxy S21
Samsung Galaxy S21+
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
From left to right S21, S21 FE, S21+, and S21 Ultra.
CodenameUnbound
BrandSamsung Galaxy
ManufacturerSamsung Electronics
SloganEveryday Epic
SeriesGalaxy S
ModelInternational models:
SM-G990x (S21 FE)
SM-G991x (S21)
SM-G996x (S21+)
SM-G998x (S21 Ultra)
(Last letter varies by carrier and international models)
Japanese models:
SCG09 (au, S21 5G)
SC-51B (NTT Docomo, S21 5G)
SCG10 (au, S21+ 5G)
SC-52B (NTT Docomo, S21 Ultra 5G)
Compatible networks2G, 3G, 4G, 5G
First releasedJanuary 14, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-01-14) (S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra)
January 3, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-01-03) (S21 FE)
Availability by regionJanuary 29, 2021; 3 years ago (2021-01-29) (S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra)
January 11, 2022; 2 years ago (2022-01-11) (S21 FE)
PredecessorSamsung Galaxy S20
SuccessorSamsung Galaxy S22
TypePhone
Form factorSlate
Dimensions
  • S21: 151.7 mm (5.97 in) H
    71.2 mm (2.80 in) W
    7.9 mm (0.31 in) D
  • S21 FE: 155.7 mm (6.13 in) H
    74.5 mm (2.93 in) W
    7.9 mm (0.31 in) D
  • S21+: 161.5 mm (6.36 in) H
    75.6 mm (2.98 in) W
    7.8 mm (0.31 in) D
  • S21 Ultra: 165.1 mm (6.50 in) H
    75.6 mm (2.98 in) W
8.9 mm (0.35 in) D
Mass
  • S21: 169 g (6.0 oz)
  • S21 FE: 177 g (6.2 oz)
  • S21+: 200 g (7.1 oz)
  • S21 Ultra: 227 g (8.0 oz)
Operating systemOriginal: Android 11 with One UI 3.1
Upgradable: Android 12 with One UI 4
System on chip
CPU
GPU
Memory
  • S21 FE 6/8 GB RAM
  • S21/S21+: 8 GB RAM
  • S21 Ultra: 12/16 GB RAM
Storage
  • S21/S21+/S21 FE: 128/256 GB UFS 3.1
  • S21 Ultra: 128/256/512 GB UFS 3.1
Removable storageNone
Battery
  • S21: 4000 mAh Lithium polymer
  • S21 FE: 4500 mAh Lithium polymer
  • S21+: 4800 mAh Lithium polymer
  • S21 Ultra: 5000 mAh Lithium polymer
Charging
  • 25 W fast charging
  • 15 W QI wireless
  • 4.5 W Reverse wireless
Data inputsUSB-C 3.2

Sensors:

Display
  • Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O capacitive touchscreen, 11Hz-120 Hz refresh rate, 20:9 aspect ratio, HDR10+
  • S21: 6.2 in (160 mm) 1080 × 2400 (2.5 MP) (421 ppi) 1300 nits, ~87.2% screen-to-body ratio
  • S21 FE: 6.4 in (160 mm) 1080 × 2400 (411 ppi) 1300 nits, ~88.3% screen-to-body ratio
  • S21+: 6.7 in (170 mm) 1080 × 2400 (394 ppi) 1300 nits, ~88.3% screen-to-body ratio
  • S21 Ultra: 6.8 in (170 mm) 1440 × 3200 (4.6 MP) (515 ppi) 1600 nits, ~89.8% screen-to-body ratio
External displayAlways on
Rear cameraAll: Features: LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama

Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, 720p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS
S21 FE:


S21 and S21+:

  • 64 MP, f/1.8, 26 mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
  • 12 MP, f/2.0, 28 mm (telephoto), 1/1.76", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS, 1.1x optical, 3x hybrid
  • 12 MP, f/2.2, 13 mm 120° (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4µm, Super Steady video


S21 Ultra:

  • 108 MP (2nd gen), f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.33", 0.8µm, PDAF, Laser AF, OIS
  • 10 MP, f/4.9, 240mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical
  • 10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical
  • 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, Super Steady video
Front camera
  • S21 and S21+: 10 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.24", 1.22µm, Dual Pixel PDAF
  • S21 FE: 32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide)
  • S21 Ultra: 40 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.7µm, PDAF
SoundDolby Atmos stereo speakers tuned by AKG
Connectivity
Water resistanceIP68 water/dust resistance, up to 1.5 m for 30 minutes
SAR
  • S21: 0.74 W/kg (head)
    1.08 W/kg (body)
    • EU: 0.46 W/kg (head)
      1.51 W/kg (body)
  • S21 FE: 0.77 W/kg (head)
    0.90 W/kg (body)
    • EU: 0.46 W/kg (head)
      1.51 W/kg (body)
  • S21+: 0.65 W/kg (head) 0.95 W/kg (body)
    • EU: 0.54 W/kg (head) 1.33 W/kg (body)
  • S21 Ultra: 0.77 W/kg (head) 1.02 (body)
    • EU: 0.71 W/kg (head) 1.58 W/kg (body)
Website
References[1][2][3][4]

Samsung Galaxy S21 is a series[5] of Android-based smartphones designed, developed, marketed, and made by Samsung Electronics as part of its Galaxy S series.[6] They are after the Galaxy S20 series. The first three were announced at Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event on 14 January 2021 while the FE was annouced on 3 January 2022.[7][8] The first three phones were released on 29 January 2021 while the FE was released on 11 January 2022.

Design

Samsung Galaxy S21's design is similar to the one before, Samsung Galaxy S20. The rear cameras have been made part of the phone body; the S21 Ultra has carbon fiber for special colors.

Galaxy S21 Galaxy S21+ Galaxy S21 Ultra Galaxy S21 FE
Color Name Online exclusive Color Name Online exclusive Color Name Online exclusive Color Name Online exclusive
Phantom White No Phantom Silver No Phantom Silver No White No
Phantom Gray No Phantom Black No Phantom Black No Graphite No
Phantom Violet No Phantom Violet No Phantom Titanium Yes Lavender No
Phantom Pink No Phantom Gold Yes Phantom Navy Yes Olive No
Phantom Red Yes Phantom Brown Yes


Cameras

The Galaxy S21's camera

S21: 64 + 12 + 12 MP (max 30x zoom)[9]
S21+: 64 + 12 + 12 MP (max 30x zoom)[9]
S21 Ultra: 108 + 12 + 10 + 10 MP (max 100x zoom)[10]
S21 FE: 12 + 12 + 8 MP (max 30x zoom)[9]

They can record at 8K (24 fps).[9][10]

Display

S21, S21+, S21 Ultra, and S21 FE have 6.2 inches (15.7 cm),[9] 6.7 inches (17 cm),[9]6.8 inches (17.3 cm),[10] and 6.4 inches (16 cm)[9] screens respectively. All have 120 Hz support.[9][10]

Model Display size (in) Display resolution[11] Max refresh rate Variable refresh rate Shape
S21 6.2 2400x1080 120 Hz 48 Hz to 120 Hz Flat sides
S21 FE 6.4 2400x1080 120 Hz 48 Hz to 120 Hz Flat sides
S21+ 6.7 2400x1080 120 Hz 48 Hz to 120 Hz Flat sides
S21 Ultra 6.8 3200x1440 120 Hz 10 Hz to 120 Hz Curved sides

Storage

Models Galaxy S21 Galaxy S21+ Galaxy S21 Ultra[11] Galaxy S21 FE
RAM Storage RAM Storage RAM Storage RAM Storage
Variant 1 8GB 128GB 8GB 128GB 12GB 128GB 6GB 128GB
Variant 2 8GB 256GB 8GB 256GB 12GB 256GB 8GB 128GB
Variant 3 - - - - 16GB 512GB 8GB 256GB

The S21 and S21+ offer 8 GB of RAM with 128 GB and 256 GB options for internal storage. The S21 Ultra has 12 GB of RAM with 128 GB and 256 GB options as well as a 16 GB option with 512 GB of internal storage. The S21 FE offers 6 GB and 8 GB of RAM with 128 GB and 256 GB options for internal storage. All four models lack a microSD card slot, which was present on the S20 series.[12]

Reviews

Techradar wrote about the S21: "The Galaxy S21 isn’t the star of Samsung’s S series in 2021, like we’ve been used to for most of the past decade, but it’s a solid smartphone choice with an impressive camera, powerful internals and great battery life. If you want the best of the best, look to the Galaxy S21 Ultra; but if you want a handset that’s cheaper than the Galaxy S20 was at launch, with a whole load of premium features, the Galaxy S21 is a delight to use, and will do you proud."[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Samsung Galaxy S21 5G". GSMArena. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  2. ↑ "Samsung Galaxy S21+ 5G". GSMArena. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  3. ↑ "Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G". GSMArena. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  4. ↑ "Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G". GSMArena. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  5. ↑ "Should you buy the Galaxy S21 series or the Galaxy S20 series?". xda-developers. 23 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  6. ↑ Gartenberg, Chaim (14 January 2021). "SAMSUNG GALAXY S21, S21 PLUS, AND S21 ULTRA FIRST LOOK: POLISHED DESIGN (AND PRICES)". The Verge. Archived from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  7. ↑ "Galaxy UNPACKED 2021". The Official Samsung Galaxy Site. Archived from the original on 13 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  8. ↑ "The Galaxy S21 FE is Samsung's new affordable phone — here's our CES 2022 hands-on". CNN. 4 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 "Samsung Galaxy S21 5G & S21 Plus 5G". Samsung uk. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G". Samsung uk. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Specs | Samsung Galaxy S21 5G vs S21+ 5G vs S21 Ultra 5G". The Official Samsung Galaxy Site. Archived from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  12. ↑ Chin, Monica (14 January 2021). "Samsung's Galaxy S21 phones don't include microSD card support". The Verge. Archived from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  13. ↑ March 2021, James Peckham 01. "Samsung Galaxy S21 review". TechRadar. Retrieved 2021-04-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)